A multi-institutional review of 857 patients demonstrated that short-course total neoadjuvant therapy (sc TNT) significantly increases complete response (CR) rates in rectal cancer compared to long-course chemoradiation (lCRT). Specifically, CR rates were 34.1% for sc TNT versus 20.3% for lCRT. Notably, patients completing 5-6 months of consolidation chemotherapy had a CR rate of 42.9%. Despite […]
Category: General Surgery
Consensus guidelines established for peri-operative care in obese patients
A modified Delphi process yielded 94 consensus statements on optimising peri-operative care for patients with obesity undergoing non-bariatric surgery. Key pre-operative strategies include access to prehabilitation and risk stratification tools, while intra-operative focus centres on the roles of anaesthetists and surgeons, minimally invasive techniques, and infection prevention. Post-operative care emphasises analgesia, nutritional support, and physiotherapy. […]
Magnesium supplementation may help prevent acute pancreatitis.
A systematic review of twelve studies reveals magnesium deficiency in pancreatic acinar cells is often linked to reduced serum calcium, predisposing individuals to acute pancreatitis. The research indicates that magnesium acts as a natural calcium antagonist, mitigating intracellular calcium accumulation and premature enzyme activation. Supplementation shows promising benefits in preventing acute pancreatitis, particularly post-endoscopic retrograde […]
Omitting Abdominal Drains Reduces Complications After Left Pancreatectomy
A systematic review and meta-analysis, including 15,817 patients, reveals that omitting abdominal drainage after left pancreatectomy significantly lowers major morbidity, postoperative pancreatic fistula rates, readmissions, and surgical site infections. The no-drain group demonstrated a relative risk of 0.77 for major complications and a striking 51% reduction in postoperative pancreatic fistula occurrence. Additionally, patients without drains […]
Surgery improves outcomes in metastatic neuroendocrine tumors
Evidence suggests that surgical intervention, prior to peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, significantly enhances progression-free survival for patients with metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. In a study of 89 well-matched patients, those who underwent surgery had a median progression-free survival of 26.1 months, compared to 15.6 months in the no-surgery group (p = .04). Furthermore, liver debulking […]
Innovative use of euthanized animals reduces costs in surgical training
Maximizing tissue use from euthanized porcine models significantly lowers educational costs in surgical training. Harvesting tissues such as the abdominal wall and small intestine resulted in substantial cost reductions, with estimated expenses dropping from $847 to $109 per procurement. The process of timed tissue procurement not only provided similar quality material compared to commercial sources […]
New machine learning model accurately predicts cancer treatment response
A novel machine learning model, utilizing systemic inflammation-nutritional index (SINI), successfully predicts pathological complete response (PCR) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). The model achieved a mean area under the curve (AUC) of 0.877 during training and demonstrated consistent performance in both internal (AUC 0.86) and external validation sets (AUC […]
Mobile surgical units improve access to healthcare in remote Africa
Mobile surgical units (MSUs) effectively enhance surgical care access in underserved remote African communities, according to recent literature. Interventions involving minor and major surgeries, including obstetric procedures, have significantly improved patient outcomes. Despite challenges like financial constraints, the deployment of MSUs leads to reduced healthcare disparities and emergency surgical care accessibility. The narrative review emphasizes […]
Healthcare systems can significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
A systematic review analyzed 205 studies on healthcare’s environmental impact, revealing effective strategies to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Key approaches included changing clinical practices, implementing governance policies, managing waste, and adjusting transportation methods. Over half of the studies focused on macro-level interventions, highlighting the importance of collective action. While numerous frameworks for measuring GHG […]
Grip strength decreases risk of postoperative ileus in surgery
A study found that grip strength is a significant predictor of postoperative ileus (POI) in patients undergoing abdominal minimally invasive surgery. Among 393 patients analyzed, those with higher grip strength exhibited a reduced risk of developing POI. Specifically, each increase of 1 kg in grip strength correlated with decreased odds of POI. Males and older […]