Digital approach to informed consent in bariatric surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Informed consent is of paramount importance in surgery. Digital media can be used to enhance patient's comprehension of the proposed operation. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of adding a digital educational platform (DEP) to a standard verbal consent (SVC) for a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) on patient's knowledge of the procedure, satisfaction with the clinical encounter and duration of the consent appointment. METHODS: This prospective non-blinded randomized controlled trial allocated 51 patients, who were candidates for a LRYGB, into DEP+SVC (intervention, n = 26) or SVC (control, n = 25) groups. Data were collected at one Bariatric Centre of Excellence (Ontario, Canada) between December 2018 and December 2019. DEP consisted of a 29-slide video-supplemented module detailing the risks, benefits, expectations and outcomes for the LRYGB. Primary outcome was knowledge about the LRYGB operation following the consent discussion. Secondary outcomes were knowledge retention, patient satisfaction, and duration of time required to obtain an informed consent. RESULTS: Baseline demographic data were equivalent between groups except for a greater proportion of male patients in the DEP+SVC group (7/19 vs 0/25; p < 0.01). Baseline procedure-specific knowledge was equivalent between the groups (72.3 ± 11.3% vs 74.7 ± 9.6%; p = 0.41). Post-consent knowledge was significantly higher in the DEP + SVC vs SVC group (85.0 ± 8.8% vs 78.7 ± 8.7%; p = 0.01; ES = 0.72). The duration of time to obtain informed consent was significantly shorter for the DEP + SVC vs SVC group (358 ± 198 sec vs 751 ± 212 sec; p < 0.01; ES = 1.92). There was no difference in knowledge retention at 4-6 weeks (84.4 ± 10.2% vs 82.9 ± 6.8%; p = 0.55) and in patient satisfaction (31.5 ± 1.1 vs 31 ± 2.7; p = 0.10). CONCLUSION: The addition of a DEP online module to a standard verbal consent for LRYGB resulted in improved patient's understanding of the procedure-specific risks and benefits, high patient satisfaction, and over 50% time savings for the bariatric surgeon conducting the consent discussion.

Gram-positive pneumonia augments non-small cell lung cancer metastasis via host toll-like receptor 2 activation.

Surgical resection of early stage nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is necessary for cure. However, rates of postoperative bacterial pneumonias remain high and may confer an increased risk for metastasis. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) mediate the inflammatory cascade by recognizing microbial products at the surface of numerous cell types in the lung; however, little is known about how host TLRs influence NSCLC metastasis. TLR2 recognizes gram-positive bacterial cell wall components activating innate immunity. We demonstrate that lower respiratory tract infection with Streptococcus pneumonia augments the formation of murine H59 NSCLC liver metastases in C57BL/6 mice through host TLR2 activation. Infected mice demonstrate increased H59 and human A549 NSCLC adhesion to hepatic sinusoids in vivo compared with noninfected controls, a response that is significantly diminished in TLR2 knock-out mice. Intra-tracheal injection of purified TLR2 ligand lipoteichoic acid into mice similarly augments in vivo adhesion of H59 cells to hepatic sinusoids. Additionally, H59 and A549 NSCLC cells incubated with bronchoepithelial conditioned media show increased cell adhesion to extracellular matrix components in vitro and hepatic sinusoids in vivo in a manner that is dependent on bronchoepithelial TLR2 activation and interleukin-6 secretion. TLR2 is therefore a potential therapeutic target for gram-positive pneumonia-driven NSCLC metastasis.