Short and long-term impact of sarcopenia on outcomes from emergency laparotomy.

PURPOSE: Emergency laparotomy (EL) carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality, that is greater among older patients. Sarcopenia refers to an age- or pathology-associated muscle loss and has been demonstrated to correlate with poorer outcomes in several surgical conditions. This study assessed the impact of sarcopenia on morbidity and mortality in elderly patients undergoing EL. METHODS: Patients aged ≥ 65 years-old undergoing EL between May 2012-June 2017 with a pre-operative abdominal computerised tomography (CT) scan at Middlemore Hospital (New Zealand) were included. Psoas and Skeletal Muscle Index (PMI and SMI) were calculated from abdominal CT measurements after standardisation based on height. Validated cut-offs for sarcopenia were used. Frailty was estimated using the 11-point modified frailty index (mFI). The primary outcome was 30-day, 1-year, and 4-year post-operative mortality. Secondary outcomes included correlations between mFI and sarcopenic measures, unplanned readmissions, and post-operative complications. RESULTS: A total of 167 patients (84 sarcopenic; 83 non-sarcopenic) were included. Sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients had similar 30-day (14.2 vs. 12.0%; p = 0.84), 1-year (23.8 vs. 25.3%; p = 0.96), and 4-year (39.3 vs. 47.0%; p = 0.40) mortality rates following an EL. Survivors had a higher mean PMI at 1-year (p = 0.0078) and 4-year (p = 0.013) but not 30-day (p = 0.40) follow-up. Sarcopenia performed poorly in discriminating between 30-day (AUC 0.51) and 1-year (AUC 0.53) mortality. The mFI did not correlate with PMI (p = 0.85) nor SMI (p = 0.18). Rates of readmissions and post-operative complications did not differ between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic cohorts. CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia does not provide useful short-term prognostic information in elderly EL patients.

Evidence-Based Management of Postoperative Pain in Adults Undergoing Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a common weight loss operation that is increasingly being managed on an outpatient or overnight stay basis. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available literature and develop recommendations for optimal pain management after LSG. METHODS: A systematic review utilizing preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis with PROcedure SPECific Postoperative Pain ManagemenT methodology was undertaken. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the English language from inception to September 2018 assessing postoperative pain using analgesic, anesthetic, and surgical interventions were identified from MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Databases. RESULTS: Significant heterogeneity was identified in the 18 RCTs included in this systematic review. Gabapentinoids and transversus abdominis plane blocks reduced LSG postoperative pain. There was limited procedure-specific evidence of analgesic effects for acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, dexamethasone, magnesium, and tramadol in this setting. Inconsistent evidence was found in the studies investigating alpha-2-agonists. No evidence was found for intraperitoneal local anesthetic administration or single-port laparoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: The literature to recommend an optimal analgesic regimen for LSG is limited. The pragmatic view supports acetaminophen and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, with opioids as rescue analgesics. Gabapentinoids should be used with caution, as they may amplify opioid-induced respiratory depression. Although transversus abdominis plane blocks reduced pain, port-site infiltration may be considered instead, as it is a simple and inexpensive approach that provides adequate somatic blockade. Further RCTs are required to confirm the influence of the recommended analgesic regimen on postoperative pain relief.

Media portrayal of Maori and bariatric surgery in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

AIM: Media constructs in Aotearoa, New Zealand naturalise the dominant Western culture. Conversely, mainstream news about Maori is rare and prioritises negative stereotypical constructs that are often centred on Maori as economic threats via resource control and political activism. These narratives influence continued discrimination against Maori in New Zealand. Media representations of bariatric surgery in New Zealand are not widely understood. We explored the portrayal of Maori and bariatric surgery in print and online news media articles in New Zealand using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. METHOD: An electronic search of two databases (Proquest Australia/ New Zealand Newsstream and Newztext) and two New Zealand news media websites (Stuff and the New Zealand Herald) was performed to retrieve news articles reporting stories, opinion pieces or editorials concerning Maori and bariatric surgery published between January 2007 to June 2017. Articles were scored using a five-point scale to assess the level of reporting as either very negative, negative, neutral, positive or very positive. Included articles were then subjected to inductive thematic analysis using the NVIVO 11 to identify and explore common themes surrounding Maori and bariatric surgery. RESULTS: Of 246 articles related to bariatric surgery over the 10-year study period, 31 (13%) were representative of Maori. Articles were scored as 'neutral' to 'positive' with a mean reporting score of 3.7 (Kappa score of 0.72 [95% CI, 0.66-0.78, p<0.0001]). Five main themes were identified, these were: Attitudes towards bariatric surgery; complexity of obesity and weight loss; access to bariatric surgery; Maori advocacy and framing of Maori. Of the five themes, access to bariatric surgery and attitudes towards bariatric surgery were most prevalent. Maori advocacy was another common theme that arose largely due to the support of public funding of bariatric surgery championed by Dame Tariana Turia. Aside from this, narratives describing equity of bariatric surgery provision and equitable outcomes following bariatric surgery for Maori were sparse. CONCLUSION: There was limited reporting on Maori health inequalities and equitable access to publicly funded bariatric surgery in New Zealand. We argue that this lack of coverage may work against addressing disparities in obesity prevalence and access to publicly funded bariatric surgery for Maori in New Zealand.

Routine Neurectomy of Inguinal Nerves During Open Onlay Mesh Hernia Repair: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to establish whether an inguinal neurectomy at the time of hernia repair would reduce the risk of postoperative pain for open tension-free sutured mesh repair. BACKGROUND: Inguinal hernia repair is a common operative procedure. The development of postoperative pain is uncommon, but at times debilitating. The role of inguinal neurectomy is currently unknown, with no single large study available, and previous reviews included only a few heterogeneous studies. METHODS: Relevant randomized trials were identified from searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and EBM Review databases until October 2014. Meta-analysis was performed based on Cochrane Methods using RevMan v5.3 software. Pain, pain scores, sensory changes, and complications over short (half to <3 months), mid (3 to <12 mo), and long term (≥12 mo) were recorded. RESULTS: All included studies performed Lichtenstein hernia repair. Eleven studies on 1031 patients showed significant reduction in pain with neurectomy for short (RR = 0.61, 0.40-0.93) and midterm (RR = 0.30, 0.20-0.46), but not for long term (RR = 0.50, 0.25-1.01). Three studies (270 patients) showed significantly reduced short-term pain (RR = 0.69, 0.52-0.90). No studies included genitofemoral neurectomy. Rates of hematoma, infection, urinary retention, and recurrence were not different between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Routine ilioinguinal neurectomy during Lichtenstein-type herniorrhaphy seems to be a safe and effective method to reduce pain in the short and midterm, but may have little long-term impact. Iliohypogastric neurectomy seems to reduce pain in at least the short term.

Effectiveness of standardized clerkship teaching across multiple sites.

BACKGROUND: Surgical clerkship teaching for medical students at the University of Auckland is undertaken across multiple clinical campuses. Concerns are that differences in clinical experience may result in variability of learning outcome achievements. Our objectives were to investigate whether differences in clinical experience existed between teaching sites, and whether these differences correlate to differences in learning outcome achievements. Influence of clinical experience on future career choice was also explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospectively collected data were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical experience from assigned hospitals was collected using student Feedback Questionnaires and case history logbooks. Results were analyzed for inter-hospital differences. The Questionnaire included a question on influence of clinical experience on future career choice. A formative Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was administered and results were analyzed for inter-hospital differences in learning outcome achievements. RESULTS: Feedback Questionnaires and case history logbooks identified inter-hospital differences in clinical experience. Clerkship enjoyment and involvement in theater correlated with increased likelihood of choosing a future surgical career. The OSCE had acceptable internal reliability (Cronbach's α 0.69-0.74) and strong correlations with other formal assessments, indicating its external validity. No significant inter-hospital differences in OSCE results were found after one-way analysis of variance comparison (P=0.125). CONCLUSION: Heterogeneity of clinical experience from multiple teaching sites did not translate into heterogeneity in achievement of learning outcomes when teaching and assessment materials were standardized. Clinical experience during undergraduate clerkships may influence future career choices. The OSCE is a validated and reliable tool for assessing student achievement of learning outcomes.

A survey of general surgery clerkships in Australian and New Zealand medical schools.

BACKGROUND: Surgical clerkships facilitate development of knowledge and competency, but their structure and content vary. Establishment of new medical schools and raising student numbers are new challenges to the provision of standardized surgical teaching across Australasian medical schools. A survey was conducted to investigate how Australian and New Zealand medical schools structure their general surgery clerkships. METHODS: Between April and August 2009, a 30-item web-based survey was electronically sent to academic and administrative staff members of 22 Australian and New Zealand medical schools. RESULTS: Eighteen surveys were returned by 16 medical schools, summarizing 20 clerkships. Ten schools utilize five or more different clinical teaching sites for general surgery clerkships and these include urban and rural hospitals from both public and private health sectors. Student teaching and assessment methods are similar between clerkships and standardized across clinical sites during 10 and 16 of the clerkships, respectively. Only eight of the surveyed clerkships use centralized assessments to evaluate student learning outcomes across different clinical sites. Four clerkships do not routinely use direct observational student assessments. CONCLUSIONS: Australian and New Zealand medical schools commonly assign students to multiple diverse clinical sites during general surgery clerkships and they vary in their approaches to standardizing curriculum delivery and student assessment across these sites. Differences in student learning are likely to exist and deficiencies in clinical ability may go undetected. This should be a focus for future improvement.