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Keyhole Surgery Risks for Pregnant Patients: Study Insights

Laparoscopic surgery may be less safe for fetuses than open surgery during pregnancy, especially in the second trimester.

  • Laparoscopy linked to a higher risk of fetal loss than open surgery (odds ratio 2.02).
  • Reduced preterm delivery risk with laparoscopy (odds ratio 0.56) and fewer maternal complications (odds ratio 0.45).

Surgical choice should be tailored based on the pregnancy stage and complexity of the procedure, considering both maternal and fetal outcomes.

  • Increased risks in the second trimester with laparoscopy for composite adverse fetal outcomes (odds ratio 2.35).

Journal Article by Wan S, Lin W (…) Zhao LY et 6 al. in Br J Surg

© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd.
© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd.

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Gut Microbiome Impacts Surgical Outcomes and Cancer Treatment

Understanding the gut microbiome can enhance surgical outcomes and long-term cancer patient care.

  • Perioperative synbiotics reduce infectious complications by 45% in colorectal surgery and 64% in major liver surgery.
  • Preoperative oral care cuts post-esophagectomy pneumonia risk by 50%.

Targeted microbiome interventions are essential for optimizing surgical recovery and minimizing complications.

  • Antibiotic exposure prior to melanoma treatment may reduce immunotherapy effectiveness, but fecal microbiota transplantation can improve response rates by up to 80%.

Journal Article by Dang J, Lee Y (…) Mocanu V et 3 al. in Br J Surg

© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.

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Anastomotic Leak Risk Factors in Colon and Liver Surgery

Higher ASA scores, steroid use, and blood transfusions significantly raise the risk of anastomotic leaks during simultaneous resections of colon cancer and liver metastasis.

  • 5.3% of patients experienced anastomotic leaks post-surgery.
  • Higher ASA score, chronic steroid use, and intraoperative blood transfusion were identified as key risk factors.

Surgeons should consider fecal diversion or staged procedures for high-risk patients to reduce complications.

  • Major hepatectomies also showed increased leak risk.

Journal Article by Yu AT, Pitcher C (…) Cohen NA et 5 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2026. Society of Surgical Oncology.

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Learning Curve Impact on Robotic Left-Sided Pancreatectomy

Robotic left-sided pancreatectomy is safe during the learning curve, challenging the notion of increased risk during early cases.

  • Major morbidity rates were similar between competency (14.5%) and proficiency phases (14.0%), p = .981.
  • Predictors of major morbidity included male sex, preoperative pancreatitis, and multivisceral resection.

Surgeons should remain vigilant about case complexity as proficiency increases.

  • R1 rates in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were higher in the proficiency phase (39.7%), but not statistically significant (p = .092).

Journal Article by Malik AK, Chikkala B (…) Pandanaboyana S et 27 al. in BMC Surg

Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Early Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Reduces Hospital Stay in Acute Cholecystitis

Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy significantly cuts hospital stays for patients with acute cholecystitis without raising major complication risks.

  • Early surgery reduced total hospital stay by 3.5 days (p < 0.00001) compared to delayed surgery.
  • No significant increase in conversion to open surgery, bile duct injury, or overall postoperative complications was found.

Surgeons can confidently opt for early intervention, defined by hospital admission timing, to optimize patient outcomes.

  • Minor intraoperative complications were more frequent with early surgery but did not affect overall patient recovery.

Review by Khan QI, Baig H (…) Lucocq J et 2 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2026. Crown.

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Disparities in Colorectal Surgery Outcomes by SES and Race

Enhanced recovery protocols are falling short for low socioeconomic and minority patients, highlighting critical gaps in care.

  • Low socioeconomic status (SES) linked to a 4-day median length of stay vs. 3 days for high SES (p < 0.001).
  • Low SES associated with 2.46 times higher odds of infection and 1.50 times higher odds of overall complications.

Improving protocol adherence and tailored preoperative education could enhance outcomes.

  • Black patients faced a 5-day median length of stay and had 4.11 times higher odds of respiratory complications.

Journal Article by Antoniv M, Maldonado LJ (…) Bleday R et 2 al. in Ann Surg

Copyright © 2025 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Postoperative Exercise Training Reduces Complications in CRLM

Postoperative exercise can safely enhance recovery for patients with colorectal liver metastases, improving outcomes without increasing adverse events.

  • Serious adverse events were similar in both exercise and control groups.
  • Non-serious adverse events were significantly lower in the exercise group, with a reduction of nearly 5 events.
  • Patients in the exercise group started chemotherapy earlier (25 vs. 42 days) and needed fewer dose modifications.

Consider integrating early postoperative exercise to improve patient recovery and quality of life.

Randomized Controlled Trial by Thomsen SN, Krabek R (…) Simonsen C et 13 al. in Ann Surg

Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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New Insights on Pancreatic Cancer Post-Surgery Outcomes

A study reveals that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma morphology predicts survival after surgery, impacting patient selection and prognosis.

  • 400 patients analyzed, identifying 10 morphologic subtypes; gland-forming was most common (41.8%).
  • Heterogeneous tumors (38.3% of cases) are linked to worse outcomes, including higher nodal metastasis and lower survival rates (median 30.1 months).

Consider integrating morphologic subtype and heterogeneity in pathology reports to refine surgical decision-making.

  • Subtype survival ranged from 19.1 to 47.0 months, showing significant variability based on tumor type.

Journal Article by Lionetto G, Mattiolo P (…) Luchini C et 14 al. in Ann Surg

Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Mutant KRAS Provides Prognostic Value in Pancreatic Cancer

Detecting circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) mutations in localized pancreatic cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy can guide surgical decisions and predict outcomes.

  • 49.3% of patients had mutant KRAS ctDNA at diagnosis; this rose to 69.6% after chemotherapy.
  • Patients who cleared ctDNA during treatment had improved overall survival (18.4 months vs. not reached, p < 0.05).

Identifying mutant KRAS G12V after surgery indicated worse survival (18 months vs. not reached, p < 0.031).

  • Detection of G12V post-resection linked to significantly reduced overall survival (HR 36.75, 95% CI: 2.93-461.38).

Journal Article by Vitello DJ, Shah D (…) Chawla A et 16 al. in Ann Surg

Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Patient-led Follow-Up Cuts Hospital Visits for CRC Survivors

Patient-led, home-based follow-up significantly reduces hospital visits for colorectal cancer survivors without compromising quality of life.

  • In the as-treated analysis, patient-led follow-up decreased hospital contacts by 38%.
  • No significant differences were found in quality of life or psychological distress between patient-led and standard follow-up groups.

This approach can ease the burden on healthcare systems while maintaining patient support.

  • Note that 117 patients assigned to patient-led follow-up ultimately received standard follow-up care.

Journal Article by van Driel MHE, Swartjes H (…) de Wilt JHW et 15 al. in Br J Surg

© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd.

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