Evaluation status of current and emerging minimally invasive robotic surgical platforms.

BACKGROUND: The rapid adoption of robotics within minimally invasive surgical specialties has also seen an explosion of new technology including multi- and single port, natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), endoluminal and "on-demand" platforms. This review aims to evaluate the validation status of current and emerging MIS robotic platforms, using the IDEAL Framework. METHODS: A scoping review exploring robotic minimally invasive surgical devices, technology and systems in use or being developed was performed, including general surgery, gynaecology, urology and cardiothoracics. Systems operating purely outside the abdomen or thorax and endoluminal or natural orifice platforms were excluded. PubMed, Google Scholar, journal reports and information from the public domain were collected. Each company was approached via email for a virtual interview to discover more about the systems and to quality check data. The IDEAL Framework is an internationally accepted tool to evaluate novel surgical technology, consisting of four stages: idea, development/exploration, assessment, and surveillance. An IDEAL stage, synonymous with validation status in this review, was assigned by reviewing the published literature. RESULTS: 21 companies with 23 different robotic platforms were identified for data collection, 13 with national and/or international regulatory approval. Of the 17 multiport systems, 1 is fully evaluated at stage 4, 2 are stage 3, 6 stage 2b, 2 at stage 2a, 2 stage 1, and 4 at the pre-IDEAL stage 0. Of the 6 single-port systems none have been fully evaluated with 1 at stage 3, 3 at stage 1 and 2 at stage 0. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of existing robotic platforms are currently at the preclinical to developmental and exploratory stage of evaluation. Using the IDEAL framework will ensure that emerging robotic platforms are fully evaluated with long-term data, to inform the surgical workforce and ensure patient safety.

Evolution of practice in the management of parapneumonic effusion and empyema in children.

AIM: To assess the evolution in management of children with parapneumonic effusion and empyema in a tertiary referral centre. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective case note review of paediatric patients with parapneumonic effusion, pleural effusion and pleural empyema between December 2006 and December 2015. Digital database searches were performed to identify demographic data, referring hospital, radiological and microbiological investigations. Length of stay and morbidity were analysed. RESULTS: One hundred fifteen patients had 159 interventions over the study period. Fifty-four children were successfully treated with intercostal drainage (ICD) and urokinase fibrinolysis alone. There were 19 primary video assisted thoracoscopic surgeries (VATS) and 12 VATS after initial intercostal drains. Thirty-three children required a thoracotomy, a reduction of 26% from the previous era (p=0.009). The median length of stay was 9days (range 2-54). CONCLUSION: Parapneumonic effusion can be successfully treated with intercostal drainage and intrapleural fibrinolytics, but a proportion requires further surgical intervention. In our hospital, increased utilisation of fibrinolysis and VATS occurred with a corresponding decrease in the need for thoracotomy. Patients needing thoracotomy all had severe disease on ultrasound, but ultrasound did not reliably predict failure of fibrinolytic therapy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Peritoneal encapsulation; a rare cause of bowel obstruction.

Peritoneal encapsulation is a rare congenital cause of bowel obstruction in children. We present the case of a 12-year-old male with severe dehydration and recurrent episodes of vomiting. This pathology should be considered in cases of bowel obstruction with a virgin abdomen.

Meta-analysis of perioperative antibiotics in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of perioperative antibiotics in reducing surgical-site infection (SSI) and overall nosocomial infections in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy for biliary colic and low- and moderate-risk cholecystitis (Tokyo classification) is unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to assess this. METHODS: Searches were conducted of the MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane databases. Only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were included. The analysis was performed using the random-effects method, and the risk ratio (RR) with 95 per cent c.i. was employed. RESULTS: Nineteen RCTs, published between 1997 and 2015, with a total of 5259 participants, of whom 2709 (51·5 per cent) were treated with antibiotics, were included. SSI and overall nosocomial infections were detected in 2·4 and 4·2 per cent respectively of patients given perioperative antibiotics, and in 3·2 and 7·2 per cent of those who received no antibiotics. Antibiotics did not significantly reduce the risk of SSI (RR 0·81, 95 per cent c.i. 0·58 to 1·13; P = 0·21) or overall nosocomial infections (RR 0·64, 0·36 to 1·14; P = 0·13). There was no significant between-study heterogeneity for SSI, but significant between-study heterogeneity in the eight studies that reported nosocomial infections. Analysis of studies considered to be high quality, grouped according to the timing of antibiotics (preoperative only or perioperative) and reporting intention-to-treat analyses, again failed to show a significant reduction in SSI. CONCLUSION: Antibiotics should not be administered before laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with biliary colic and/or low- and moderate-risk cholecystitis.