Demographics, diagnostics, treatment, and outcomes of patients presenting with acute groin hernia: 15-year multicentre retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Groin hernias commonly present acutely in high-risk populations and can be challenging to manage. This retrospective, observational study aimed to report on patient demographics and outcomes, following acute admissions with a groin hernia, in relation to contemporary investigative and management practices. METHODS: Adult (≥18 years old) patients who presented acutely with a groin hernia to nine National Health Service trusts in the north of England between 2002 and 2016 were included. Data were collected regarding patient demographics, radiological investigations, and operative intervention. The primary outcome of interest was 30-day inpatient mortality rate. RESULTS: Overall, 6165 patients with acute groin hernia were included (4698 inguinal and 1467 femoral hernias). There was a male preponderance (72.5 per cent) with median age of 73 years (interquartile range (i.q.r.) 58-82). The burden of patient co-morbidity increased over the study period (P < 0.001). Operative repair was performed in 2258 (55.1 per cent) of patients with an inguinal and 1321 (90.1 per cent) of patients with a femoral hernia. Bowel resection was more commonly required for femoral hernias (14.7 per cent) than inguinal hernias (3.5 per cent, P < 0.001) and in obstructed (14.6 versus 0.2 per cent, P < 0.001) or strangulated (58.4 versus 4.5 per cent, P < 0.001) hernias. The 30-day mortality rate was 3.1 per cent for the overall cohort and 3.9 per cent for those who underwent surgery. Bowel resection was associated with increased duration of hospital stay (P < 0.001) and 30-day inpatient mortality rate (P < 0.001). Following adjustment for confounding variables, advanced age, co-morbidity, obstruction, and strangulation were all associated with an increased 30-day mortality rate (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Emergency hernia repair has high mortality rates. Advanced age and co-morbidity increase both duration of hospital stay and 30-day mortality rate.

Increased CD4/CD8 Lymphocyte ratio predicts favourable neoadjuvant treatment response in gastric cancer: A prospective pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Despite optimal neoadjuvant chemotherapy only 40% of gastric cancer tumours achieve complete or partial treatment response. In the absence of treatment response, neoadjuvant chemotherapy in gastric cancer contributes to adverse events without additional survival benefit compared to adjuvant treatment or surgery alone. Additional strategies and methods are required to optimize the allocation of existing treatment regimens such as FLOT chemotherapy (5-Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, Oxaliplatin and Docetaxel). Predictive biomarkers detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC) methods may provide useful data regarding treatment response. AIM: To investigate the utility of CD4, CD8, Galectin-3 and E-cadherin in predicting neoadjuvant FLOT chemotherapy tumour response in gastric adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Forty-three adult patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, of which 18 underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy, were included in a prospective clinical cohort. Endoscopic biopsies were obtained from gastric cancer and normal adjacent gastric mucosa. Differences in expression of Galectin-3, E-cadherin, CD4+ and CD8+ molecules between tumours with and without treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy were assessed with IHC. Treatment response was graded by clinical pathologists using the Tumour Regression Score according to the College of American Pathologists criteria. Treatment response was defined as complete or near complete tumour response, whereas partial or poor/no response was defined as incomplete. Digital IHC images were annotated and quantitatively assessed using QuPath 0.3.1. Biomarker expression between responsive and incomplete response tumours was assessed using a two-sided Wilcoxon test. Biomarker expression was also compared between normal and cancer tissue and between 15 paired tumour samples before and after chemotherapy. We performed a preliminary multivariate analysis and power analysis to guide future study. Statistical analyses were completed using R 4.1.2. RESULTS: The ratio between CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes was significantly greater in treatment responsive tumours (Wilcoxon, P = 0.03). In univariate models, CD4+/CD8+ ratio was the only biomarker that significantly predicted favourable treatment response (Accuracy 86%, P < 0.001). Using a glmnet multivariate model, high CD4+/CD8+ ratio and low Galectin-3 expression were the most influential variables in predicting a favourable treatment response. Analyses of paired samples found that FLOT chemotherapy also results in increased expression of CD4+ and CD8+ tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (Paired Wilcoxon, P = 0.002 and P = 0.008, respectively). Our power analysis suggests future study requires at least 35 patients in each treatment response group for CD8 and Galectin-3 molecules, whereas 80 patients in each treatment response group are required to assess CD4 and E-cadherin biomarkers. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that an elevated CD4+/CD8+ Ratio is a promising IHC-based biomarker to predict favourable treatment response to FLOT neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced gastric cancer.

Validation of a Mobile App-Based Visual Analog Scale for Appetite Measurement in the Real World: A Randomized Digital Clinical Trial.

There has been no validated digital tool for measuring appetite with a visual analog scale (VAS) through a mobile app using participants' smart phones for data collection in virtual settings. To fill the gap, we developed a digital VAS and conducted a digital cross-over clinical trial by comparing appetite responses measured by this digital tool versus paper-based VAS in 102 participants in a free-living environment. Participants consumed either a 230 or 460 kcal breakfast in randomized order in two virtual sessions, and their appetite was measured over the next 4 h using both tools. The results revealed no significant difference in hunger, fullness, satiety, or desire to eat measured by digital and paper VAS. Paper VAS resulted in a higher prospective consumption score than digital VAS; the difference (1.1 out of 100 points) was statistically significant but not practically relevant. Bland and Altman analysis also indicated consistency in the results from the two methods. In conclusion, digital VAS on a smart phone is a validated tool for appetite measurement in the real world; it provides a new way for researchers to leverage participants' mobile devices for appetite data collection in digital trials.

Evaluating temporal trends and the impact of surgical subspecialisation on patient outcomes following adhesional small bowel obstruction: a multicentre cohort study.

PURPOSE: Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is the most common indication for laparotomy in the UK. While general surgeons have become increasingly subspecialised in their elective practice, emergency admissions commonly remain undifferentiated. This study aimed to assess temporal trends in the management of adhesional SBO and explore the influence of subspecialisation on patient outcomes. METHODS: Data was collected for patients admitted acutely with adhesional SBO across acute NHS trusts in Northern England between 01/01/02 and 31/12/16, including demographics, co-morbidities and procedures performed. Patients were excluded if a potentially non-adhesional cause was identified and were grouped by the responsible consultant's subspecialty. The primary outcome of interest was 30-day inpatient mortality. RESULTS: Overall, 2818 patients were admitted with adhesional SBO during a 15-year period. There was a consistent female preponderance, but age and comorbidity increased significantly over time (both p < 0.001). In recent years, more patients were managed operatively with a trend away from delayed surgery also evident (2002-2006: 65.7% vs. 2012-2016: 42.7%, p < 0.001). Delayed surgery was associated with an increased mortality risk on multivariable regression analysis (OR: 2.46 (1.46-4.23, p = 0.001)). CT scanning was not associated with management strategy or timing of surgery (p = 0.369). There was an increased propensity for patients to be managed by gastrointestinal (colorectal and upper gastrointestinal) subspecialists over time. Length of stay (p < 0.001) and 30-day mortality (p < 0.001) both improved in recent years, with the best outcomes seen in colorectal (2.6%) and vascular subspecialists (2.4%). However, following adjustment for confounding variables, consultant subspecialty was not a predictor of mortality. CONCLUSION: Outcomes for patients presenting with adhesional SBO have improved despite the increasing burden of age and co-morbidity. While gastrointestinal subspecialists are increasingly responsible for their care, mortality is not influenced by consultant subspecialty.

Temporal Trends in the Investigation, Management and Outcomes of Acute Appendicitis over 15 Years in the North of England: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Acute appendicitis is a common surgical emergency with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 8.6% for males and 6.7% for females. Despite the frequency of presentation, considerable variation in clinical practice exists. Our study aimed to explore temporal trends in the investigation, treatment and outcomes for patients with appendicitis between 2002 and 2016. METHODS: Data collected included all patients aged ≥16 years across the NHS trusts in Northern England between 01/01/2002 and 31/12/2016 diagnosed with appendicitis. Patient demographics, co-morbidity and management strategies were included. Outcomes of interest were length of stay and inpatient mortality. RESULTS: Over a 15 years period, 22,137 patients were admitted with acute appendicitis. A consistent male preponderance (n = 11,952, 54%) was observed, and median age increased over time (2002-2006: 36.4 vs. 2012-2016: 39.5, p < 0.001). Comorbidity of patients also increased (p < 0.001) in recent years. Computed tomography (CT) use increased from 0.8 to 21.9% (p < 0.001) over the study period. Following CT scanning, there was a longer time to theatre (1.22 vs. 0.70 days, p < 0.001), and patients were more frequently managed non-operatively (23.8% vs. 5.7%, p < 0.001). The utilisation of laparoscopic approaches significantly increased from 4.1 to 70.4% (p < 0.001). Laparoscopic patients had a shorter median length of stay (2.97 days) when compared with open surgery (4.44 days) or non-operative (6.19 days) patients. The 30-day mortality rate was 0.33% overall and decreased with time (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: CT and laparoscopic surgery are increasingly utilised in the management of appendicitis. Along with other advances in clinical practice, they have led to reduced lengths of stay and mortality.

Multicentre service evaluation of presentation of newly diagnosed cancers and type 1 diabetes in children in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in patterns of presentation to emergency departments. Child health professionals were concerned that this could contribute to the delayed diagnosis of life-threatening conditions, including childhood cancer (CC) and type 1 diabetes (T1DM). Our multicentre, UK-based service evaluation assessed diagnostic intervals and disease severity for these conditions. Methods: We collected presentation route, timing and disease severity for children with newly diagnosed CC in three principal treatment centres and T1DM in four centres between 1 January and 31 July 2020 and the corresponding period in 2019. Total diagnostic interval (TDI), patient interval (PI), system interval (SI) and disease severity across different time periods were compared. Results: For CCs and T1DM, the route to diagnosis and severity of illness at presentation were unchanged across all time periods. Diagnostic intervals for CCs during lockdown were comparable to that in 2019 (TDI 4.6, PI 1.1 and SI 2.1 weeks), except for an increased PI in January-March 2020 (median 2.7 weeks). Diagnostic intervals for T1DM during lockdown were similar to that in 2019 (TDI 16 vs 15 and PI 14 vs 14 days), except for an increased PI in January-March 2020 (median 21 days). Conclusions: There is no evidence of diagnostic delay or increased illness severity for CC or T1DM, during the first phase of the pandemic across the participating centres. This provides reassuring data for children and families with these life-changing conditions.

The impact of surgical subspecialization on patient outcomes following emergency colorectal resections in the north of England: a retrospective cohort study.

AIM: Emergency colorectal surgery is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Most general surgeons have a subspecialty, which forms the focus of their elective work, allowing development of specialist skill sets. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of consultant subspecialization on patient outcomes following emergency colorectal resections. METHODS: Data were requested for all emergency admissions under a general surgeon between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2016 within the north of England. These were acquired from individual Trusts following Caldicott approval. Data included demographics, diagnoses and any procedures undertaken. Patients were assigned to cohorts based on the subspecialist interest of the consultant they were under the care of. The primary outcome of interest was 30-day postoperative mortality. Categorical data were compared with the chi-squared test, and continuous data with the t test or ANOVA. A logistic regression model determined factors associated with 30-day in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Overall, 7648 emergency colorectal resections were performed with a 30-day postoperative mortality of 13.8%. This was significantly lower if the responsible consultant was a colorectal surgeon compared with other general surgery subspecialties (11.8% vs. 15.2%, P < 0.001). This was significant on univariate analysis (OR 0.75, P < 0.001); however, following multivariable adjustment, this was not statistically significant (P = 0.380). The colorectal specialists had a higher laparoscopy rate than their colleagues-9.8% versus 6.8% (P < 0.001). Stoma rates were also lower (46.9% vs. 51.0%, P = 0.001) and anastomosis rates higher (55.9% vs. 49.3%, P < 0.001) amongst colorectal surgeons. CONCLUSION: These findings add to the growing body of evidence that patient outcomes may be improved by involving subspecialists in colorectal emergencies.

Refractory Celiac Disease Type II: A Case Report and Literature Review.

We present an unusual case of 68-year-old male, who presented with acute abdomen, ulcerative jejunitis with perforation, and 2 months later with perforation of the sigmoid colon. We will also discuss difficulties in the delay in diagnosis of refractory celiac disease (RCD), specifically the atypical presentation, multiple surgeries, the consecutive failure of distinct therapeutic options, and multiple complications that occurred within the 3 months since first presentation.

A single-centre observational cohort study to evaluate volume and severity of emergency general surgery admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic: Is there a "lockdown" effect?

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes in NHS surgical service provision, including reduced elective surgical and endoscopic activity, with only essential emergency surgery being undertaken. This, combined with the government-imposed lockdown, may have impacted on patient attendance, severity of surgical disease, and outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible 'lockdown' effect on the volume and severity of surgical admissions and their outcomes. METHODS: Two separate cohorts of adult emergency general surgery inpatient admissions 30 days immediately before (February 16, 2020 to March 15, 2020), and after UK government advice (March 16, 2020 to April 15, 2020). Data were collected relating to patient characteristics, severity of disease, clinical outcomes, and compared between these groups. RESULTS: Following lockdown, a significant reduction in median daily admissions from 7 to 3 per day (p < 0.001) was observed. Post-lockdown patients were significantly older, frailer with higher inflammatory indices and rates of acute kidney injury, and also were significantly more likely to present with gastrointestinal cancer, obstruction, and perforation. Patients had significantly higher rates of Clavien-Dindo Grade ≥3 complications (p = 0.001), all cause 30-day mortality (8.5% vs. 2.9%, p = 0.028), but no significant difference was observed in operative 30-day mortality. CONCLUSION: There appears to be a "lockdown" effect on general surgical admissions with a profound impact; fewer surgical admissions, more acutely unwell surgical patients, and an increase in all cause 30-day mortality. Patients should be advised to present promptly with gastrointestinal symptoms, and this should be reinforced for future lockdowns during the pandemic.

Finegoldia magna: a rare cause of necrotising fasciitis.

Necrotising fasciitis is a life-threatening condition characterised by inflammation, affecting the soft tissues, which spreads within a fascial plane. Skin changes can be delayed and can often go unnoticed. The condition arises from a bacterial infection, commonly being of polymicrobial aetiology. We describe an uncommon case of necrotising fasciitis caused by Finegoldia magna, an anaerobic coccus, in a 40-year-old patient with diabetes. F. magna is a Gram-positive anaerobic coccus, which was previously known as Peptostreptococcus magnus The bacteria is found in the normal flora of the urogenital tract. The bacteria is associated with severe infections such as native valve endocarditis, paravalvular abscess around a bioprosthetic valve, purulent pericarditis complicated by mediastanitis, meningitis after pneumonia and necrotising pneumonia complicated by pyopneumothorax. There have been no cases in the literature describing necrotising fasciitis of the abdominal wall caused by F. magna.

Evaluating outcomes following emergency laparotomy in the North of England and the impact of the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit - A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Emergency laparotomy is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Current trends suggest improvements have been made in recent years, with increased survival and shorter lengths of stay in hospital. The National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) has evaluated participating hospitals in England and Wales and their individual outcomes since 2013. This study aims to establish temporal trends for patients undergoing emergency laparotomy and evaluate the influence of NELA. METHODS: Data for emergency laparotomies admitted to NHS hospitals in the Northern Deanery between 2001 and 2016 were collected, including demographics, co-morbidities, diagnoses, operations undertaken and outcomes. The primary outcome of interest was in-hospital death within 30 days of admission. Cox-regression analysis was undertaken with adjustment for covariates. RESULTS: There were 2828 in-hospital deaths from 24,291 laparotomies within 30 days of admission (11.6%). Overall 30-day mortality significantly reduced during the 15-year period studied from 16.3% (2001-04), to 8.1% during 2013-16 (p < 0.001). After multivariate adjustment, laparotomies undertaken in more recent years were associated with a lower mortality risk compared to earlier years (2013-16: HR 0.73, p < 0.001). There was a significant improvement in 30-day postoperative mortality year-on-year during the NELA period (from 9.1 to 7.1%, p = 0.039). However, there was no difference in postoperative mortality for patients who underwent laparotomy during NELA (2013-16) compared with the preceding three years (both 8.1%, p = 0.526). DISCUSSION: 30 day postoperative mortality for emergency laparotomy has improved over the past 15-years, with significantly reduced mortality risk in recent years. However, it is unclear if NELA has yet had a measurable effect on 30-day post-operative mortality.

An evaluation of the epidemiology, management and outcomes for perforated peptic ulcers across the North of England over 15 years: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The management of perforated peptic ulcers has evolved over time and includes laparoscopic or open repair, and conservative management. The utilisation of, and outcomes from these strategies are not clear. Trends in epidemiology, management and outcomes for perforated peptic ulcer across the North of England over a 15-year period were analyzed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Emergency General Surgical admissions data from nine NHS trusts in the North of England from 2002 to 2016 were collected and analyzed, including demographics, interventions and outcomes. Cases were identified using ICD-10 codes K25, K26 and K27 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.6. RESULTS: Peptic ulcer perforation accounted for 2373 of 491141 admissions (0.48%), with a decreased incidence over time (0.62% in 2002-2006 to 0.36% in 2012-2016). Over the 15 years studied, an increasing proportion of cases were managed laparoscopically (4.5%-18.4%, p < 0.001) and under upper-gastrointestinal consultants (15.4%-28.6%, p < 0.001). Thirty-day inpatient mortality improved significantly over time (20.0%-10.8%, p < 0.001) as did mean length of stay (17.3-13.0 days, p = 0.001). Independent predictors of increased 30-day mortality were increasing age, Charlson co-morbidity score, clinical and operative risk, earlier year of admission, winter admission, weekend/bank holiday procedure and management strategy, with laparotomy and conservative management increasing risk. CONCLUSION: Outcomes (30-day mortality and LOS) improved significantly over the study period. Laparoscopic approach was increasingly utilised and was an independently significant factor associated with improved mortality. Management by upper-gastrointestinal specialists increased rates of laparoscopy, with fewer conversions to open.

Evaluating the effects of surgical subspecialisation on patient outcomes following emergency laparotomy: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: General surgeons have become increasingly subspecialised in their elective practice. Emergency laparotomies, however, are performed by a range of subspecialists who may or may not have an interest in the affected area of gastrointestinal tract. This retrospective cohort study evaluates the impact of surgical subspecialisation on patient outcomes following emergency laparotomy. METHODS: Data was collected for patients who underwent an emergency abdominal procedure on the gastrointestinal tract in the North of England from 2001 to 2016. This included demographics, co-morbidities, diagnoses and procedures undertaken. Patients were grouped according to consultants' subspecialist interest. The primary outcome of interest was 30-day postoperative mortality. RESULTS: 24,291 emergency laparotomies were performed with an associated 30-day postoperative mortality of 11.7%. Laparotomies undertaken by upper gastrointestinal (UGI) or colorectal surgeons have significantly lower mortality (10.1%) when compared with other subspecialities (13.5%). More specifically, mortality was decreased for UGI (7.9% vs. 12.9%) and colorectal procedures (10.9% vs. 14.2%) when performed by surgeons with a specialist interest in the relevant area of the gastrointestinal tract (both p < 0.001). The utilisation of laparoscopic surgery is higher, in both UGI (21.8% vs. 9.0%) and colorectal procedures (7.2% vs. 3.5%), when the causative pathology is relevant to the surgeon's subspeciality (both p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Mortality following emergency laparotomy is improved when performed under the care of gastrointestinal surgeons. Both UGI and colorectal emergency procedures have improved outcomes, with lower mortality and higher rates of laparoscopy, when under the care of a surgeon with a subspecialist interest in the affected area of the gastrointestinal tract.

Short- and long-term outcomes following pelvic exenteration for gynae-oncological and colorectal cancers: A 9 year consecutive single-centre cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Radical pelvic exenteration can be undertaken for locally invasive or recurrent disease in both colorectal and gynaecological malignancies. In the UK this procedure is usually undertaken by the respective surgical specialties who have undergone divergent surgical training. This study describes and compares outcomes between colorectal and gynae-oncological teams following pelvic exenteration for primary and recurrent gynaecological and colorectal cancers in a single-centre multi-disciplinary team. METHOD: A retrospective review of consecutive pelvic exenteration patients undertaken over a nine-year period in a tertiary referral centre. Analyses comparing short- and long-term morbidity and mortality outcomes were undertaken by chi-square test for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney U for continuous variables. Cumulative survival rates were calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier method and factors associated with recurrence and survival determined using a Cox regression model. RESULTS: Thirty-four exenterations were undertaken; fourteen colorectal and twenty gynae-oncological. Morbidity was seen in 50% of colorectal and 75% of gynae-oncological patients. Recurrence was seen earlier and with greater frequency in the gynaeoncology group (44.4% and median time 11 months) than the colorectal group (21.4%, median time 41 months; p > 0.05). Survival in the gynae-oncology group was also lower than the colorectal group at 1-year (69.6% vs. 92.9%) and 5-years (58.0% vs. 92.9%; p = 0.115). The majority of gynae-oncological mortality occurred within 3-years of surgery, whilst the majority of mortality in the colorectal group was after 5-years. CONCLUSION: Long-term patient outcome measures, including disease recurrence and 5-year survival, for colorectal exenteration appear better than for gynaeoncology patients, however, no statistical significant difference exists between short-term outcome measures between specialties. This is likely to be caused by different baseline pathologies and disease pattern influencing longer term prognosis but may also be a function of differing surgical thresholds and patient selection bias between specialties. Peri-operative and short-term morbidity appear equivalent despite divergent surgical backgrounds and training.

The novel appearance of low rectal anastomosis on contrast enema following laparoscopic anterior resection: discriminating anastomotic leaks from "dog-ears" on water-soluble contrast enema and flexible sigmoidoscopy.

PURPOSE: Interpretation of water-soluble contrast enema following laparoscopic low anterior resection can be very challenging for both radiologists and colorectal surgeons. Discriminating the radiological appearances secondary to anastomotic configuration from those caused by actual anastomotic dehiscence is a common problem and may be made worse with the advent of laparoscopic surgery. The aim of this study is to identify potential novel appearances of the water-soluble contrast enema (WSCE) images of rectal anastomosis following laparoscopic low anterior resection to radiologists and surgeons. METHODS: We enrolled 45 patients who underwent laparoscopic low anterior resection with proximal de-functioning loop ileostomy within a specialized colorectal unit. The water-soluble contrast enema reports were reviewed. Two blinded colorectal radiologists independently reviewed the images of patients suspected of anastomotic leak. All of these patients also underwent a flexible sigmoidoscopy to confirm or exclude anastomotic leak before reversal of loop ileostomy. Inter-observer concordance was calculated. RESULTS: Seven out of eighteen patients (38.9%) were found to have true anastomotic leaks on flexible sigmoidoscopy (15% overall leak rate). In the remaining eleven patients the image appearances were attributed to the appearance of the anastomotic 'dog-ear effect', created by the anastomotic configuration due to multiple firing of the intra-corporeal laparoscopic stapling device. Radiologist inter-observer concordance was 83%. Sensitivity was 100%, specificity 71%, positive-predictive value (38.9%) and negative-predictive value (100%). CONCLUSIONS: The novel appearances of laparoscopic-stapled rectal anastomoses in WSCE can be mistaken for anastomotic leak. To avoid delay in reversal of ileostomy, a flexible sigmoidoscopy can be used to confirm or exclude a leak.

A 15-year retrospective analysis of the epidemiology and outcomes for elderly emergency general surgical admissions in the North East of England: A case for multidisciplinary geriatric input.

INTRODUCTION: Life expectancies in the UK are increasing and with this there is an increasing elderly population with more complex co-morbidity. Emergency surgery in the elderly is challenging in terms of decision making, managing co-morbidity and post-operative rehabilitation with high morbidity and mortality. To optimise service design and development, it is important to understand the changing pattern of emergency surgical care for this group. METHODS: After obtaining necessary approvals, we approached each hospital trust in the North of England for details of every emergency admission under a general surgeon from 2000 to 2014. Data for each admission included demographics, co-morbidities, diagnoses, procedures undertaken and outcomes. RESULTS: There were 105 002 elderly (≥70 years) emergency general surgical admissions, and mean age and co-morbidity (defined by Charlson index scores) increased (both p < 0.001). Operative intervention was undertaken in a similar proportion of patients in all age groups (13%), with more patients undergoing operations over time (p < 0.001), of which 50% were within 48 h of admission. Overall in-hospital mortality decreased significantly as did length of hospital stay (both p < 0.001). Factors associated with increased 30 day in-hospital mortality were increasing age and Charlson score, admissions directly from clinic, operations undertaken at the weekend and patients admitted earlier in the study period. CONCLUSION: The workload of emergency general surgery in the elderly is becoming more complex. This challenge is already being addressed with improvements in outcomes. The data presented here reinforces the need for new models of care with increased multidisciplinary geriatric care input into elderly surgical patient care in the perioperative period.

Perioperative and long-term outcomes following aortic valve replacement: a population cohort study of 4124 consecutive patients.

OBJECTIVE: Because of increasing life expectancy, more patients require valve replacement for aortic stenosis. We aimed to determine perioperative and long-term outcomes, the factors associated with these and whether they have changed over time. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective cohort study of all 4124 patients, who underwent isolated, primary aortic valve replacement in Scotland between April 1996 and March 2009 inclusive. RESULTS: Annual operations increased by 68%, from 261 to 439. The overall risk of dying within 30 days, 5 years and 10 years was 3.4%, 19.9% and 38.5%, respectively. Over 10 years' follow-up, 4.4% underwent further valve surgery, 7.9% suffered a stroke and 5.3% a myocardial infarction. Age, renal impairment and urgency were predictors of both perioperative and long-term death. Perioperative death was associated with left-ventricular impairment and long-term death with respiratory disease, diabetes and deprivation. Over the 13 years, there was an increase in median age (from 66 to 69 years, p < 0.001), diabetes (from 1.9% to 12.6%, p < 0.001), hypertension (from 26.4% to 56.1%, p < 0.001), cerebrovascular disease (from 3.7% to 9.8%, p < 0.001), respiratory disease (from 6.6% to 9.7%, p = 0.020) and previous myocardial infarction (from 0.6% to 5.8%, p < 0.001), but the risk of perioperative death fell from 6.5% to 3.1% (odds ratio (OR) 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.83, 0.92, p < 0.001) per year. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing aortic valve replacement have a poor risk profile. Over time, their numbers, age and co-morbidity have increased. In spite of these, there has been a significant reduction in the risk of perioperative death.

Early experience with unsedated ultrathin 4.9 mm transnasal gastroscopy: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Unsedated transnasal gastroscopy is a technique with unverified clinical advantages. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and procedure times with transnasal gastroscopy by physicians with no previous experience in transnasal endoscopy. METHODS: Unsedated transnasal gastroscopy using 4.9 mm ultrathin transnasal gastroscopes with randomization to two different biopsy forceps was prospectively evaluated during a single day in January 2008. The outcomes included patient tolerance (scale: 1, no discomfort; 10, severe discomfort), physician technical assessment (1, excellent; 10, very poor), gastric biopsy quality, adverse events and procedure times. RESULTS: Twenty patients underwent transnasal gastroscopy. Nineteen patients (95%) successfully completed transnasal gastroscopy. The patient-reported mean (+/- SD) overall discomfort level during the procedure was 4.0+/-1.9 compared with a physician-estimated level of 3.2+/-1.7 (P=0.04). Only 10% (n=2) reported they would have preferred sedated over unsedated gastroscopy. Mean total encounter time from anesthesia to discharge was 33.5+/-9.3 min. The time from anesthesia to insertion was 7.0+/-5.3 min and from room exit to discharge 6.2+/-2.9 min. No patients who had gastric biopsies taken (zero of 14) had any of unacceptable quality. The only adverse event was distressing sensations (dyspnea, dizziness) in one patient that started during pre-endoscopy anesthetic application, persisting postendoscopy, but without any abnormalities in vital signs. CONCLUSION: Assuming the adverse event was a rare reaction, early experience with unsedated ultrathin transnasal gastroscopy was an efficient, effective and well-tolerated procedure for evaluation of the upper gastrointestinal tract.