Totally robot-assisted biliary pancreatic diversion with duodenal switch: single dock technique and technical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD/DS) requires operating in three different abdominal quadrants. Previous techniques have used either two docks or a hybrid technique in which the robot is used only to suture the duodeno-ileal anastomosis, while the rest of the operation was performed laparoscopically. Recently, a modification in technique has allowed all operative steps to be completed robotically with a single dock. The operative technique and its technical results are described. METHODS: Operative technique is described. Baseline demographics, operative duration, length of stay, and adverse events (intraoperative, 30-days, and 1-year) of all primary totally robot BPD/DS cases are reported. RESULTS: From Nov. 2011 to Jan. 2014, 59 totally robotic BPD/DS operations were attempted. One was completed hybrid, and the rest were totally robotic. No robotic operation was converted to an open operation. Five trocars were placed, the small bowel was anchored to the anterior abdominal wall, and the robot was docked. Mean age was 44 ± 10 years with a mean preoperative BMI of 56 ± 9 kg/m(2). 69 % was female, and 71 % was Caucasian. Mean operative duration was 306 ± 80 min (60 min less than the hybrid technique). There were no mortality, leaks, venous thromboembolism, or bleeding requiring transfusion. Mean length of stay was 4.6 ± 4.3 days. Three patients were readmitted for nausea and vomiting. There was one superficial wound infection, and three patients needed reoperations in the first year, two for strictures, and one for debriding a suture abscess. CONCLUSIONS: All key technical components of the BPD/DS were performed with low morbidity and mortality with a single dock. Since the surgeon performed all key parts of the operation from the console, the need for experienced bedside assistance was minimized, resulting in shorter operative duration compared to the hybrid technique.

Porcine intact and wounded skin responses to atmospheric nonthermal plasma.

Thermal plasma is a valued tool in surgery for its coagulative and ablative properties. We suggested through in vitro studies that nonthermal plasma can sterilize tissues, inactive pathogens, promote coagulation, and potentiate wound healing. The present research was undertaken to study acute toxicity in porcine skin tissues. We demonstrate that floating electrode-discharge barrier discharge (FE-DBD) nonthermal plasma is electrically safe to apply to living organisms for short periods. We investigated the effects of FE-DBD plasma on Yorkshire pigs on intact and wounded skin immediately after treatment or 24h posttreatment. Macroscopic or microscopic histological changes were identified using histological and immunohistochemical techniques. The changes were classified into four groups for intact skin: normal features, minimal changes or congestive changes, epidermal layer damage, and full burn and into three groups for wounded skin: normal, clot or scab, and full burn-like features. Immunohistochemical staining for laminin layer integrity showed compromise over time. A marker for double-stranded DNA breaks, γ-H2AX, increased over plasma-exposure time. These findings identified a threshold for plasma exposure of up to 900s at low power and <120s at high power. Nonthermal FE-DBD plasma can be considered safe for future studies of external use under these threshold conditions for evaluation of sterilization, coagulation, and wound healing.

Initial application of reduced port surgery using the single port access technique for laparoscopic canine ovariectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the Single port access (SPA) laparoscopic entry technique for canine ovariectomy (OVE), report complications, and outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Pilot study. ANIMALS: Intact female dogs (n = 6). METHODS: With owner consent, 6 intact female dogs had SPA laparoscopic OVE. Data, including signalment, surgical time (from incision to completion of closure), size and location of port placement, need for conversion (both to standard multiport laparoscopy and laparotomy), as well as any intraoperative complications including blood loss or tissue injury were recorded. RESULTS: Mean surgical time was 52.5 minutes (range, 45-60 minutes) and mean incision length, 1.8 cm (range, 1.5-2.0 cm). In an 18-kg mix breed dog (dog 3), a "single port rescue" was required and located on midline 2-cm caudal to the umbilicus. Close positioning of the trocars caused instrument interference, limited viewing, and prevented safe ligation of the ovarian vessels vein with a vessel-sealing device. OVE was successfully completed laparoscopically in all dogs. CONCLUSION: The SPA laparoscopic entry technique can be used in dogs, although instrument and camera interference can occur if trocar placement is too consolidated within the initial skin incision.

Evaluating the safety and efficacy of BMI-based preoperative administration of low-molecular-weight heparin in morbidly obese patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

BACKGROUND: One of the most concerning and potentially fatal complications of gastric bypass surgery is pulmonary embolism (PE) with published rates exceeding 1%. Although this procedure has been proven effective in reducing the morbidity and mortality of obesity and associated health care costs, it is elective and risk must be minimized. No dosing guidelines exist for pharmacologic prophylaxis in obese patients who are already at increased risk for these events. Although the current ASMBS and Chest guidelines recommend preoperative pharmacologic prophylaxis against thromboembolic events, no standard dosing protocols exist for the obese population. We propose a protocol including immediate pre followed by twice daily postoperative BMI-based dosing of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), along pneumatic compression devices, and early ambulation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 170 patients who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery between March 2004 and December 2007. The incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and PE and bleeding complications associated with a BMI-based preoperative dosing protocol of LMWH was determined. RESULTS: All patients received LMWH preoperatively within 1 h of the incision, with doses varying between 30 and 60 mg given subcutaneously. Eleven patients received 30 mg, 145 patients received 40 mg, 9 patients received 50 mg, and 5 patients received 60 mg. None of the patients suffered from clinically significant DVT or PE during the hospital stay or in follow up (>2 years). Five patients (2.9%) were treated with discontinuation of lovenox and blood transfusion for postoperative bleeding. One of those patients returned to the operating room for exploration. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that immediate BMI-based preoperative dosing of LMWH along with postoperative prophylaxis is both safe and effective and should be standard for all patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

The road to reduced port surgery: from single big incisions to single small incisions, and beyond.

Single-port surgery has seen almost as rapid an application as multiport laparoscopy during the early 1990s. Hopefully, we will learn from our predecessors to apply the dictums of safety and science as we move forward with this new technique to ensure adequate adoption and successful outcomes with limited errors and concerns along the way.

Optimizing single port surgery: a case report and review of technique in colon resection.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive colon surgery was first described in the early 1990s, decreasing the morbidity compared with open procedures. Recently, single port laparoscopy has emerged, with reports of applications to colon surgery. Although feasible, many new technical challenges exist. METHODS: An optimal operative technique for colon resection entirely through the umbilicus, using a robot and a GelPort is described. RESULTS: The robotic advantages of visualization and articulation minimize the disadvantages of single incision surgery. Programming the robotic arms in reverse decreases instrument clashing. In addition, the GelPort allows for trocar spacing and freedom of placement while providing a wound protector for specimen extraction. CONCLUSIONS: As single port surgery develops, disadvantages must be overcome. Using a combination of the robot and GelPort, these disadvantages are addressed and minimized.

Non-thermal plasma induces apoptosis in melanoma cells via production of intracellular reactive oxygen species.

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma may provide a novel approach to treat malignancies via induction of apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of DBD plasma to induce apoptosis in melanoma cells. Melanoma cells were exposed to plasma at doses that did not induce necrosis, and cell viability and apoptotic activity were evaluated by Trypan blue exclusion test, Annexin-V/PI staining, caspase-3 cleavage, and TUNEL® analysis. Trypan blue staining revealed that non-thermal plasma treatment significantly decreased the viability of cells in a dose-dependent manner 3 and 24 h after plasma treatment. Annexin-V/PI staining revealed a significant increase in apoptosis in plasma-treated cells at 24, 48, and 72 h post-treatment (p < 0.001). Caspase-3 cleavage was observed 48 h post-plasma treatment at a dose of 15 J/cm(2). TUNEL® analysis of plasma-treated cells demonstrated an increase in apoptosis at 48 and 72 h post-treatment (p < 0.001) at a dose of 15 J/cm(2). Pre-treatment with N-acetyl-L: -cysteine (NAC), an intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, significantly decreased apoptosis in plasma-treated cells at 5 and 15 J/cm(2). Plasma treatment induces apoptosis in melanoma cells through a pathway that appears to be dependent on production of intracellular ROS. DBD plasma production of intracellular ROS leads to dose-dependent DNA damage in melanoma cells, detected by γ-H2AX, which was completely abrogated by pre-treating cells with ROS scavenger, NAC. Plasma-induced DNA damage in turn may lead to the observed plasma-induced apoptosis. Since plasma is non-thermal, it may be used to selectively treat malignancies.

Reduced port surgery: an economical, ecological, educational, and efficient approach to development of single port access surgery.

There has been an emergence of reduced port techniques for laparoscopic surgery over the past three years. Although growing in presentations and papers, few scientific studies have yet to be published demonstrating benefits and risks of these techniques. In particular, very little is mentioned regarding the increased costs. This brings to the forefront the concept that the development of new surgical techniques should adhere to safe standards of surgery and undergo continued evaluation during development to ensure they maintain safety, and are able to be reproduced by our colleagues. Evaluation also needs to focus on costs, both economical and ecological. A review of our first three years experience of single port access surgery has been done. Costs in terms of both the potential economic and environmental impact have also been evaluated as compared with multiport procedures. In the first 36 months of this evolving technique, we were able to mimic multiport procedures with similar results. The costs of single port access are less than comparable multiport procedures, both in terms of dollars as well as medical waste. We are able to now offer "proof of concept" of a novel reduced port procedure from four important aspects in the development of new surgical techniques. We demonstrate comparable results in terms of outcomes and safety, improvement in financial and environmental costs, as well as showing initial success with training and application of the procedure by our colleagues.

Robotic resection of pheochromocytoma in the second trimester of pregnancy.

Pheochromocytoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor diagnosed in 1:50,000 pregnancies. Normal physiologic changes associated with pregnancy often make early recognition difficult and diagnosis delayed. Treatment consists of medical followed by surgical intervention. This case of a 34-year African-American female diagnosed with an adrenal pheochromocytoma during her second trimester of pregnancy is the first reported case of successful robotic resection. The robot provided advantages, such as enhanced visualisation and freedom of dissection, within this confined space. These added benefits over traditional laparoscopy provide a means for performing difficult procedures within decreased space possibly allowing for interventions in later or larger pregnancies.

Initial surgeon training for single port access surgery: our first year experience.

BACKGROUND: We have developed a single port access (SPA) surgical technique that allows for procedures to be done through a single umbilical port incision <20 mm in length. For a new approach to be universally beneficial, it needs to be easily learned and applied. METHODS: Single port access abdominal procedures are performed through one umbilical incision where skin and soft tissue flaps are raised from the underlying fascia to allow insertion of up to 4 instruments. Fifty surgeons with varying degrees of laparoscopic training participated in SPA training programs at Drexel University to learn and apply the SPA technique through participation in an animate (porcine) laboratory. RESULTS: All surgeons successfully performed the SPA access technique without difficulty and completed the cholecystectomy in <55 minutes (average, 42). Eight surgeons successfully performed placement of a cholangiogram catheter. All recognized the value of a formal training symposium to learn SPA techniques before performing SPA procedures in their practice. CONCLUSIONS: The SPA technique has been successfully shown to be an approach that is easily learned and accomplished. We believe this is a necessary and important bridge towards proficiency in performing SPA procedures in clinical patients.

Single port access (SPA) splenectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Over the last decade, laparoscopic splenectomy has become the standard of care for spleen removal. Elimination of a large incision and difficult exposure has decreased postoperative morbidity and length of stay. Single port access (SPA) surgery was developed as an alternative to traditional multiport laparoscopy, potentially exploiting the already proven benefits of minimally invasive surgery. We apply the SPA technique to splenectomy via a single umbilical incision. METHODS: SPA splenectomy was performed in a 36-year-old male for staging. The single-port access technique was used to gain abdominal entry. Exposure, dissection, and removal were performed via a single incision within the umbilicus. The final incision was extended for removal of a complete specimen for pathologic evaluation. RESULTS: Splenic mobilization and control of the short gastrics was successfully performed via a single umbilical incision. The final incision was extended inferiorly for en bloc organ removal. Follow-up at 18 months revealed a well-healed incision with no signs of hernia formation. CONCLUSIONS: The single-port access technique has been successfully applied to splenectomy as an available alternative to multiport laparoscopic splenectomy. Use of standard instrumentation and trocars maintains costs and familiarity of the procedure. Exposure, visualization, and dissection are the same as in standard laparoscopy. SPA surgery may be more ergonomically pleasing to the surgeon and offer patient benefits, such as faster recovery and decreased adhesion formation in the long term.

Reduced-port surgery: preservation of the critical view in single-port-access cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Over the past 3 years, minimal-access surgery has seen movement toward single-port-access (SPA) surgery. Since its inception in the spring of 2007, a number of differing approaches and technologies for reduced-port surgery have become available to move the field toward "scarless" surgery. As with any advance, a cautious eye needs to observe changes with respect to the risks and benefits of new procedures or devices. Although the adoption of reduced-port techniques in cholecystectomy may move the field of surgery forward, there is a need to ensure that basic tenets of safety are not left behind. In cholecystectomy, one of the gold standards for safety is preservation of the critical view of safety during cystic duct dissection and transection. METHODS: Early in the development of SPA surgery, a standardized procedure was sought that could be extended safely to laparoscopic surgeons. With this ideal in mind, the technique of SPA cholecystectomy was evaluated early. Deeming exposure to be critical, specifically the view of the cystic-to-common duct relationship beneath the liver, the authors aimed to evaluate whether this critical view of safety can be maintained during the procedure and before the cystic port is clipped and transected. To determine reproducibility, the authors did a simple comparison of their initial 10 two-instrument SPA cholecystectomies with their subsequent 10 three-instrument cholecystectomies by reviewing the videos of each case. RESULTS: The authors' review confirmed that the critical view of safety was obtained in all the three-instrument cases but was difficult to obtain in the two-instrument procedures. In addition, they were able to demonstrate the critical angle of clip placement in all three-instrument cases. CONCLUSION: The authors present their initial results in an attempt to demonstrate that as new procedures develop, there is a need to ascertain their safety and adherence to underlying principles already established before advancing them further at the risk of compromise and complication.

Single-port-access (SPA) cholecystectomy: a multi-institutional report of the first 297 cases.

BACKGROUND: An important aspect of a new surgical technique is whether it can be performed by other surgeons in other institutions. The authors report the first 297 cases in a multi-institutional and multinational review of laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed via a single portal of entry. METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively for the initial patients undergoing single-port cholecystectomy by 13 surgeons who performed these procedures in their institutions after training by the authors. The review included operative time, blood loss, incision length, length of hospital stay (LOS), necessary additional trocars, and other parameters important to cholecystectomy. A database of all the single-port-access (SPA) surgeries performed by the surgeons included demographic and procedural details, LOS, complications, and initial follow-up data. RESULTS: To date, 297 single-port cholecystectomies have been performed for a variety of diagnoses, primarily cholelithiasis. The average operative time was 71 min, and the average LOS was 1-2 days. The average blood loss was minimal. The use of additional port sites outside the umbilicus occurred in 34 of the cases. Of the 35 intraoperative cholangiograms performed, 34 were successful. No significant complications occurred except for seromas and minor postoperative wound infections. These results are comparable with those for standard multiport cholecystectomy. In addition, no access site hernias (ASH) occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate that SPA surgery is an alternative to multiport laparoscopy with fewer scars and better cosmesis. One factor affecting the rate for adoption of SPA surgery among other surgeons is the reproducibility of this new procedure. Although this study had insufficient data to determine fully the benefits of SPA surgery, the feasibility of this procedure with safe, acceptable results was demonstrated in this initial large series across multinational institutions.

Single port access (SPA) surgery--a 24-month experience.

INTRODUCTION: In April 2007, we performed our first single port access (SPA) surgical procedure. Beginning with simple procedures, we progressed to more complex procedures employing modifications of the initial technique. METHODS: Maintaining our abdominal entry technique through a single incision, typically umbilical, we have now successfully performed cholecystectomies, colon resections, small bowel procedures, liver biopsy, splenectomy, adrenalectomy, and surgery of the gastroesophageal junction. RESULTS: Two procedures have required additional port sites, none has employed transabdominal sutures, and <5% of all procedures have required articulation. Immediate follow-up demonstrates safe completion of multiple procedures with acceptable outcomes of blood loss and hospital stay. Although initial operative times are extended, a decrease is seen following a learning curve. At 2-year follow-up, two hernias developed at the extended incision for colon extraction. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: With initial procedures performed in April 2007, we now report 24-month follow-up of a novel laparoscopic approach utilizing standard instrumentation. We demonstrate that SPA surgery is an alternative to multiport procedures with proposed initial benefits of decreased number of incisions and improved cosmesis for the patient. Long-term prospective randomized large case series will be necessary to assess pain, recovery, and hernia formation proving advantages, if any, over multiport laparoscopy.

Single Port Access (SPA) laparoscopic ventral hernia repair: initial report of 30 cases.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair has been demonstrated to be an acceptable and successful technique. Aside from similar, albeit fewer, complications compared to open hernia repair, the laparoscopic technique has the additional complication of port site hernia to its follow-up criteria. Our initial experience with reduced port surgery in hernias was described as a two-port one-stitch repair technique in 2002. We initially applied our Single Port Access (SPA) technique to ventral hernia repairs and reported it at the American Hernia Society meeting in 2008. Now we present the first 30 cases, some with 6-24-month follow-up. METHODS: The charts of 30 patients undergoing surgery for primary and recurrent ventral hernias employing the SPA technique were reviewed. The SPA technique was applied through a 1.0-1.6-cm incision remote from and lateral to the hernia location in the abdominal wall. Polypropylene-based coated mesh and non-fascial fixation were used in all cases. RESULTS: All procedures were completed via the SPA technique. Operative time, length of stay, and estimated blood loss were acceptable. The size of mesh placed ranged from 81 to 500 cm(2). Postoperative seromas were observed and all resolved spontaneously. There have been no wound infections or port site hernias during the 6-24-month follow-up period. There have been no recurrent hernias at the primary site. CONCLUSION: We have successfully demonstrated the applicability of Single Port Access surgery for ventral hernia repair. In our initial series we performed this procedure on smaller hernias but have now begun applying it to larger repairs.

Single Port Access (SPA™) Minimal Access Surgery Through a Single Incision.

The practice of surgical techniques is constantly improving and evolving. In the last two decades, minimally invasive surgery has gained widespread acceptance. Virtually all procedures can now be performed laparoscopically. This trend not only provides better cosmesis, but offers decreased recovery times as well. The initial trend from open to laparoscopic surgery was to use smaller incisions. The natural continuation of this is to now decrease the number of incisions necessary to perform minimal access surgery. To this end, the authors have seen a constantly evolving stream of technology and instrumentation in laparoscopy. New venues, such as robotics and Natural Orifice. Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES), have developed as well. As part of this evolution, the authors developed Single Port Access (SPA™) surgery in April 2007 as a novel and innovative platform of minimal access surgery. Its acceptance through our training programs, as well as the subsequent development of modified Single Port techniques, demonstrates the potential to develop a new platform of minimal access surgery. The SPA™ technique is a method of abdominal entry for a wide spectrum of laparoscopic procedures performed by multiple surgical specialties. Using the access techniques we developed, the authors have performed nearly 200 general surgical and gynecologic procedures through a single incision, often <2 cm in length and hidden within the umbilicus. In addition, the development of SPA™ surgery has been focused on using current and standard instrumentation, as well as currently practiced surgical techniques already familiar to surgeons in standard multiport laparoscopy. The "Independence of Motion" attained in this access technique, without the need for any new access or operative devices, allows up to four instruments to be place through a single incision<2 cm in length. We have striven to maintain safety principles of multiport laparoscopy, as well, and have continued to improve the technique to increase the availability and broad application of SPA™ surgery. Out technique and its application, across a broad range of surgical procedures and surgical specialties, are presented herein.

Single Port Access (SPA) gastrostomy tube in patients unable to receive percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement.

BACKGROUND: Access procedures for alimentation have been performed both endoscopically and surgically. In those patients in whom endoscopic tubes cannot be placed, the minimally invasive approach is a viable alternative. To minimize incisions and their sequelae, we have developed a single port access (SPA) technique in which minimal access surgery can be done through one portal of entry, often the umbilicus. METHODS: We have used the SPA technique to place gastric feeding tubes in patients who are not candidates for PEG tubes due to supraglottic stenosis. We reviewed our experience in the first five procedures we performed. RESULTS: In all five patients a gastrostomy tube was placed laparoscopically via an umbilical incision and a left-upper-quadrant tube insertion point. Mean operative time was 44 min. All patients began tube feeds on postoperative day 1. CONCLUSION: We present the first series of five SPA gastric tube placements, offering a viable alternative to PEG or open placement.