Laparoscopic-Assisted Transgastric Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography With Placement of a Biliary Stent to Treat Traumatic Intrahepatic Bile Duct Disruption in a Patient With Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

Hepatic injuries are common following blunt trauma and while frequently managed expectantly, biliary injury as a result of the trauma requires a high index of suspicion, a focused workup, and likely interventional treatment. A 44-year-old female with a history of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass presented after a ground level fall and was initially discharged home but represented with worsening abdominal pain and elevated liver enzymes. She was found to have a segment 5/6 biliary injury requiring laparoscopic-assisted transgastric endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with common bile duct stent placement. This case represents the difficulty of diagnosing biliary injuries following blunt trauma, and the need for advanced endoscopic interventions for treatment in patients with atypical anatomy.

Trends in Utilization and Relative Complication Rates of Bariatric Procedures.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding have been popular alternatives to laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass due to their technical ease and lower complication rates. Comprehensive longitudinal data are necessary to guide selection of the appropriate bariatric procedures for individual patients. METHODS: We used the Truven Heath Analytics MarketScan® database between 2000 and 2015 to identify patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were performed to compare complication rates between laparoscopic gastric bypass and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, as well as between laparoscopic gastric bypass and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. RESULTS: 256,830 individuals met search criteria. By 2015, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy was the most commonly performed bariatric procedure followed by laparoscopic gastric bypass and then laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Overall, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding had fewer complications relative to laparoscopic gastric bypass with the exceptions of heartburn, gastritis, and portal vein thrombosis following sleeve gastrectomy and heartburn and dysphagia following adjustable gastric banding. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is now the most commonly performed bariatric procedure in the USA. It is reassuring that its overall postoperative complication rates are lower relative to laparoscopic gastric bypass.

Acute Biliary Disease.

Acute biliary disease is a ubiquitous acute surgical complaint. General surgeons managing emergency surgical patients must be knowledgeable and capable of identifying and caring for common presentations. This article discusses the work-up, diagnosis, and management of the varying pathologies that make up biliary disease including cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, biliary dyskinesia, choledocholithiasis, cholangitis, gallstone pancreatitis, and gallstone ileus. Also addressed are more challenging and rare presentations including pregnancy and bariatric anatomy.

Sleeve Gastrectomy: Surgical Tips.

The vertical sleeve gastrectomy is a bariatric procedure that was originally described as the initial step in the biliopancreatic diversion. It demonstrated effectiveness in weight loss as a single procedure, and the laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy, as a stand-alone procedure, is now the most commonly performed bariatric surgery worldwide. Due to its relative technical ease and long-term data that have established its durability in treating obesity and its related comorbid conditions, the sleeve gastrectomy has grown in popularity among patients and surgeons. While there are variations in the technical aspects of performing a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, key steps must be undertaken to produce safe and effective outcomes. This article reviews the indications for bariatric surgery, patient selection, surgical technique and tips, perioperative care and complications after sleeve gastrectomy.

Effect of Surgeon Volume on Sleeve Gastrectomy Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have shown a relationship between surgeon volume and patient outcomes in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) patients. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is now the most common bariatric procedure, but there is a little data on surgeon volume and outcomes after SG. We examined the relationship between annual surgeon bariatric volume and 30-day complication rate after SG. METHODS: The Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database for 2011 was used for this study. Using 50 annual cases as a cutoff point, surgeons were classified as low (LV-SG) or high volume SG (HV-SG) and low (LV-RYGB) or high volume RYGB (HV-RYGB) providers. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the effect of surgeon volume on 30-day readmissions, reoperations, and complications following SG while controlling for patient demographics and comorbidities. RESULTS: We identified 16,547 SG patients. After controlling for baseline characteristics, HV-SG surgeons had lower rates of 30-day complications (OR 0.80, 95 % CI 0.64-0.92), reoperation (OR 0.69, 95 % CI 0.52-0.90), and readmission (OR 0.73, 95 % CI 0.61-0.88) compared to LV-SG surgeons. HV-RYGB surgeons had lower 30-day complication rates (OR 0.80, 95 % CI 0.69-0.92), but were without differences in reoperation (OR 0.82, 95 % CI 0.61-1.10) or readmission (OR 1.06, 95 % CI 0.88-1.27) compared to LV-RYGB surgeons. CONCLUSIONS: High SG volume is associated with improved 30-day readmission, reoperation, and complication rates. Concurrent RYGB volume impacts the 30-day complication rate after SG, but does not affect the readmission or reoperation rate. Our findings suggest that SG-specific volume is important for optimal safety outcomes in SG patients.

Acupuncture/Moxibustion RCT for Distal Sensory Peripheral Neuropathy in HIV/AIDS: Rationale, Design, Methods, Procedure and Logistics.

Distal sensory peripheral neuropathy is a common neurological complication experienced by people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may offer effective interventions in the management of its symptoms. To improve the quality and transparency of reporting acupuncture clinical trials, the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines were developed in 1996 and the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) recommendations were introduced in 2001. Incorporating international guidelines, this paper describes the development of a RCT including rationale, design, methods, procedures and logistics for a pilot study aimed at evaluating acupuncture and moxibustion for neuropathy associated with HIV. Using STRICTA guidelines as a template, aspects of clinical research design are explored to further optimise future studies of TCM.

Clinical trial recruitment and retention of a vulnerable population: HIV patients with chronic diarrhea.

This article describes the recruitment and retention strategies implemented for a prospective, randomized, clinical trial conducted at a single study facility. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a nutritional intervention to reduce the episodes of diarrhea in patients with the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This article reviews the challenges faced by the research team during the conduct of the study and discusses the approaches implemented to reduce the barriers to study participation.

The effect of transient balloon occlusion of the mitral valve on left atrial appendage blood flow velocity and spontaneous echo contrast.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) is a phenomenon that is commonly seen in areas of blood stasis. It is a slowly moving, cloud-like swirling pattern of "smoke" or increased echogenicity recorded on echocardiography. SEC is commonly seen in the left atrium of patients with mitral stenosis or atrial fibrillation. The presence of SEC has been shown to be a marker of increased thromboembolic risk. HYPOTHESIS: By using transesophageal echocardiography during percutaneous balloon mitral valvotomy (PBMV), the study investigated the relationship between SEC and varying left atrial appendage (LAA) blood flow velocity in the human heart. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis underwent percutaneous balloon mitral valvotomy with intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography monitoring. We alternatively measured LAA velocities and observed the left atrium for various grades of SEC (0 = none to 4 = severe) before and after each balloon inflation. RESULTS: Left atrial appendage maximal ejection velocity was reduced from 35 +/- 14 to 6 +/- 2 mm/s at peak balloon inflation and increased to 40 +/- 16 mm/s after balloon deflation. In comparison with the values before balloon inflation and after balloon deflation, LAA velocities were significantly lower (p < 0.001). New or increased SEC grade was observed during 54 of 61 (88%) inflations and unchanged in 7 (12%) inflations at peak balloon inflation. Spontaneous echo contrast became lower in grade after 55 balloon deflations (90%), completely disappeared after 18 deflations (30%), and remained unchanged after 6 deflations (10%). The mean time to achieve maximal SEC grade (2.5 +/- 1.2 s) coincided with the mean time to trough LAA velocities (2.3 +/- 1.1 s) after balloon inflation. Upon deflation, the mean time to lowest SEC grade (2.9 +/- 1.8 s) coincided with mean time to achieve maximal LAA velocities (2.7 +/- 1.6 s). CONCLUSION: During balloon inflation, the severity of SEC was enhanced with corresponding reduction in LAA flow velocity. Upon balloon deflation, SEC lightens or disappears with increase in LAA flow velocity.