A surprising culprit for delayed gastrointestinal bleeding after endoscopic ultrasound-guided cholecystoduodenostomy: the double-pigtail stent.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage using a lumen-apposing metal stent has emerged as an accepted option for the treatment of acute cholecystitis in patients unfit for surgery. While metal stents carry a risk of intra- and post-procedural bleeding, the coaxial placement of a double-pigtail stents through lumen-apposing metal stents has been proposed to lower the bleeding risk by preventing tissue abrasion against the stent flanges. We present a case of an 83 year-old male who had previously undergone uncomplicated endoscopic ultrasound-guided cholecystoduodenostomy with this technique. Six months later, he presented with upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to a duodenal pressure ulcer from the coaxial 10-Fr double-pigtail stent originally employed to prevent such bleeding. The 10-Fr stent was replaced with two 7-Fr stents whose increased flexibility and distribution of pressure across multiple points of contact with the duodenal wall was theorized to reduce the likelihood of erosion or perforation. Following the procedure, the patient's clinical course improved significantly with complete resolution of his symptoms of choledocholithiasis and cholecystitis. While 10-Fr double-pigtail stents are generally preferred for this indication due to their stiffness that reduces out-migration, use of more flexible 7-Fr stents may be advisable in thin-walled structures such as the duodenum.

A jejunal gastrointestinal stromal tumor with massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage treated by emergency surgery: A case report.

BACKGROUND: A jejunal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a rare neoplasm of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Massive bleeding due to a jejunal GIST is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. It may be a life-threatening GIST complication that requires urgent intervention. Acute GI bleeding, which requires urgent surgical intervention, is a very rare clinical manifestation of GIST. A jejunal GIST with massive hemorrhage with coronavirus disease 2019 in a male patient in older age with many comorbidities has been not reported in the worldwide literature. METHODS: In this case report, we present an 80-year-old man who was admitted to surgery due to abdominal pain, melena, and hematochezia for several hours. An upper endoscopy and colonoscopy were inconclusive. A multidetector contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the abdominal and pelvic cavity showed concentric irregular thickening in the distal jejunum.The histopathological finding showed a GIST measuring 6 cm with a mitotic index 2/50 high power fields. The patient's hemodynamic condition deteriorated despite initial conservative treatment including a blood transfusion. Therefore, patient underwent the emergency surgery 24 hours after admission: partial jejunal resection with the tumor followed by primary end-to-end anastomosis. RESULTS: The mass was removed completely. There were no surgical complications in the postoperative course. On the first postoperative day, a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 polymerase chain reaction test was performed due to a persistent dry cough, which yielded a positive result. After 14 days, the patient died due to pneumonia and circulatory failure. CONCLUSIONS: This case indicates that jejunal GIST can present as massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding and urgent surgery can successfully stop bleeding and save the patient's life. The CT scan was the most effective investigation to find the source of GI bleeding in this case. Therefore, we suggest performing CT in patients with acute massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding when the source of bleeding is not visible on endoscopy, and urgent surgical jejunal resection to stop life-threatening bleeding caused by a jejunal GIST.

Surgical emergencies during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic lockdown: what happened?

OBJECTIVE: The pandemic from SARS-CoV-2 is having a profound impact on daily life of a large part of world population. Italy was the first Western country to impose a general lockdown to its citizens. Implications of these measures on several aspects of public health remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the lockdown on surgical emergencies volumes and care in a large, tertiary referral center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic medical records of all patients visited in our Emergency Department (ED) and admitted in a surgical ward from February 21st 2020 to May 3rd 2020 were collected, analyzed and compared with the same periods of 2019 and 2018 and a cross-sectional study was performed. RESULTS: Number of surgical admissions dropped significantly in 2020 with respect to the same periods of 2019 and 2018, by almost 50%. The percentage distribution of admissions in different surgical wards did not change over the three years. Time from triage to operating room significantly reduced in 2020 respect to 2019 and 2018 (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The lockdown in Italy due to SARS-CoV-2 pandemic arguably represents the largest social experiment in modern times. Data provided by our study provide useful information to health authorities and policymakers about the effects of activity restriction on surgical accesses and changing epidemiology due to an exceptional external event.