New Zealand and Australia emergency laparotomy mortality rates compare favourably to international outcomes: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Almost 20 000 people undergo an emergency laparotomy each year in New Zealand and Australia. Common indications include small and large bowel obstruction, and intestinal perforation. Considered a high-risk procedure, emergency laparotomy is associated with significantly high morbidity and mortality. The aim of this review was to identify and compare 30-day, 90-day and 1-year mortality rates following emergency laparotomy in New Zealand and Australia. METHODS: A systematic review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Electronic searches were performed in Medline, Embase, PubMed and Scopus in April 2020. RESULTS: Thirty-three papers met the inclusion criteria. Studies ranged in size from 58 to 75 280 patients. Weighted mean 30-day mortality was 8.40% (8.39-8.41). Mortality rates increased with longer postoperative follow up with 90-day weighted mortality rate of 14.14% (14.13-14.15) and the weighted mortality rate at 1 year of 24.60% (24.56-24.66). There was significant variability in mortality rates between countries. CONCLUSION: There is a wide variability of 30-day, 90-day and 1-year mortality rates internationally. Lowering postoperative mortality rates following emergency laparotomy through quality improvement initiatives could result in up to 120 lives in New Zealand and over 250 lives in Australia being saved each year. The continued work of the Australian and New Zealand Emergency Laparotomy Audit - Quality Improvement is crucial to improving emergency laparotomy mortality rates further in New Zealand and Australia.

Multidetector Computed Tomography Versus Staging Laparoscopy for the Detection of Peritoneal Metastases in Esophagogastric Junctional and Gastric Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Staging laparoscopy (SL) is the gold standard investigation for detecting peritoneal metastases (PM) in patients with esophagogastric cancer but computed tomography (CT) has undergone significant improvements in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate whether CT can replace SL in the detection of PM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing SL between January 2008 and December 2009 were identified from a prospectively collected database, operation notes were reviewed for the detection of PM. Corresponding CTs were reassessed by 2 experienced gastrointestinal radiologists, blinded to the SL results. RESULTS: In total, 74 patients undergoing SL were included. Sensitivity and specificity of SL for PM were 94.1% (95% confidence interval, 69.2-99.7) and 100% (90.7-100). Sensitivity and specificity of CT were 58.8% (33.5-80.6) and 89.6% (76.6-96.1), respectively. Area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic curves for SL and CT were 0.971 (SE, 0.033) and 0.742 (SE, 0.78), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: CT cannot replace SL for the detection of PM in lower esophageal and gastric cancer.

The management of perforated gastric ulcers.

INTRODUCTION: Perforated gastric ulcers are potentially complicated surgical emergencies and appropriate early management is essential in order to avoid subsequent problems including unnecessary gastrectomy. The aim of this study was to examine the management and outcome of patients with gastric ulcer perforation undergoing emergency laparotomy for peritonitis. METHODS: Patients undergoing laparotomy at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for perforated gastric ulcers were identified from the prospectively maintained Lothian Surgical Audit (LSA) database over the five-year period 2007-2011. Additional data were obtained by review of electronic records and review of case notes. RESULTS: Forty-four patients (25 male, 19 female) were identified. Procedures performed were: 41 omental patch repairs (91%), 2 simple closures (4.5%) and 2 distal gastrectomies (4.5%; both for large perforations). Four perforated gastric tumours were identified (8.8%), 2 of which were suspected intra-operatively and confirmed histologically, 1 had unexpected positive histology and 1 had negative intra-operative histology, but follow-up endoscopy confirmed the presence of carcinoma (1 positive biopsy in 21 follow-up endoscopies); all 4 were managed without initial resection. Median length of stay was 10 days (range 4-68). Overall 7 patients died in hospital (15.9%) and there were 21 morbidities (54.5%). Registrars performed the majority of the procedures (16 alone, 21 supervised) with no significant difference in post-operative morbidity (P = 0.098) or mortality (P = 0.855), compared to consultants. CONCLUSION: Almost all perforated gastric ulcers can be effectively managed by laparotomy and omental patch repair. Initial biopsy and follow-up endoscopy with repeat biopsy is essential to avoid missing an underlying malignancy.

Lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus after coronary artery bypass.

We present a case of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus that occurred after on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in a patient taking long-term lithium carbonate. Lithium toxicity (2.79 mmol/L) was identified on postoperative day 9. Serum sodium peaked at 175 mmol/L on postoperative day 21. Serum osmolality peaked at 384 mOsm/kg H2O, with a urinary osmolality of 403 mOsm/kg H2O. The patient was ultimately managed with hemofiltration and high-dose 1-desamino-8-D-arginine-vasopressin. Recommendations are made based on our experience of this case. In patients on long-term lithium therapy, the potentially life-threatening complication of lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus should be specifically anticipated and managed.

Matrix metalloproteinase/tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase phenotype identifies poor prognosis colorectal cancers.

PURPOSE: The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of proteolytic enzymes involved in tumor invasion; several individual members of which have been implicated in tumor prognosis. These enzymes and their physiologic inhibitors, the tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs), act in a coordinated manner to form an integrated system. Therefore, to understand their role in tumor invasion, it is necessary to evaluate them collectively. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: In this study all of the major members of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-9, MMP-13, MT1-MMP and MT2-MMP)/tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP-1, TIMP-2, and TIMP-3) system have been investigated by immunohistochemistry in a series (n = 90) of stage III (Dukes' C) colorectal cancers. An immunohistochemical score based on the intensity of immunoreactivity and proportion of immunoreactive cells was established for each MMP and TIMP. RESULTS: The MMP/TIMP profile defined by hierarchical cluster analysis of the immunohistochemical score identifies a distinct group of colorectal cancers with poor prognosis (log-rank test, 12.22, P = 0.0005). The median survival time of patients in this survival group was 18 months compared with a median survival of 49 months in the "good" survival group. Multivariate analysis showed that this profile was independently the most significant prognostic factor (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study has identified that the MMP/TIMP profile is an independent indicator of poor prognosis in colorectal cancer.

Esophageal carcinoma following bariatric procedures.

BACKGROUND: The long-term success of bariatric operations for weight reduction has been well documented, but their potential effects on the risk of esophageal cancer have not been evaluated. METHODS: We performed operations on 3 patients for esophageal cancer following bariatric operations: 2 had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and 1 underwent vertical banded gastroplasty. All of these patients had adenocarcinoma at the gastroesophageal junction; 1 involved the entire intrathoracic esophagus. RESULTS: The intervals between the weight-loss operations and cancer diagnoses were 21, 16, and 14 years. All 3 patients had symptoms of reflux for many years before dysphagia developed and cancer was diagnosed. We performed a limited esophagogastrectomy, a classic Ivor-Lewis procedure, and a total esophagectomy with jejunal free-tissue transfer from stomach to cervical esophagus. Two patients had positive lymph nodes. One patient is alive at 6 years; 2 died at 13 and 15 months after undergoing operation for recurrent cancer. CONCLUSION: The effect of bariatric operations on gastroesophageal reflux is not known, although gastric bypass has been advocated as the "ultimate antireflux procedure." The presence of esophageal cancer in these 3 patients years after the weight loss operation is worrisome. We believe that patients who develop new symptoms should have endoscopic evaluation and that epidemiologic studies on the incidence of esophageal cancer occurring years after bariatric operation should be performed.

New insights into the roles of matrix metalloproteinases in colorectal cancer development and progression.

This review outlines new concepts that are emerging for the functions of matrix metalloproteinases in colorectal cancer development and progression. The two main concepts that will be discussed are the role of matrix metalloproteinases in the early stages of colorectal tumour development and the functional mechanisms by which matrix metalloproteinases contribute to colorectal tumour invasion and metastasis. The matrix metalloproteinases are a group of enzymes, which have been best characterized for their ability to degrade extracellular matrix proteins and thus they have been extensively studied in tumour invasion. It is now becoming recognized that the matrix metalloproteinases have key roles in a variety of biological processes that are distinct from their well-defined role in matrix degradation. This group of enzymes has been shown to interact with a broad range of non-matrix proteins including growth factors and their receptors, mediators of apoptosis, and cell adhesion molecules. The elucidation of novel biological roles for the matrix metalloproteinases also challenges the current predominant concept of matrix metalloproteinases as enzymes only involved in matrix degradation. Recent studies have shown that several matrix metalloproteinases, especially matrilysin (MMP-7), interact with the specific molecular genetic and signalling pathways involved in colorectal cancer development. In particular, matrilysin is activated at an early stage of colorectal tumourigenesis by the beta-catenin signalling pathway. Furthermore, studies are now elucidating specific mechanisms by which individual matrix metalloproteinases, especially membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases, interact with specific cell adhesion molecules and cytoskeletal proteins and thus contribute dynamically to colorectal tumour invasion.

The structure, regulation, and function of human matrix metalloproteinase-13.

Matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) is a proteolytic enzyme that belongs to a large family of extracellular matrix-degrading endopeptidases that are characterized by a zinc-binding motif at their catalytic sites. MMP-13 has a key role in the MMP activation cascade and appears to be critical in bone metabolism and homeostasis. It also has an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. This commentary provides a detailed overview of the regulatory mechanisms, structure, and function of human MMP-13 and highlights the key factors involved in the biology of this important molecule.