Hybrid Robotic Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery Approach to Large and Low-Lying Rectal Polyps.

BACKGROUND: Transanal excision is the surgical treatment of choice for low-risk rectal pathology such as endoscopically unresectable polyps, very select early rectal cancers, as well as other benign and low-risk tumors. Robotic transanal minimally invasive surgery enhances the surgeon's ability to work in the confined space of the rectum and helps overcome the limitations of other modalities for transanal excision. Large lesions that extend to the dentate line and cannot be excised transanally impart a particular challenge. Herein, we describe a hybrid robotic transanal minimally invasive surgery approach for excising large rectal lesions that extend to the dentate line and cannot be excised by utilizing traditional transanal techniques. TECHNIQUE: With the use of a standard transanal approach, the distal margin of the lesion is marked and lifted off of the internal sphincter muscle. The dissection is continued until above the anorectal ring, and a 5.5-cm transanal platform is introduced transanally. Insufflation with an 8-mm trocar is initiated and the robotic platform is docked transanally. A 1-cm circumferential proximal margin is marked, and the excision is continued robotically until en bloc resection of the lesion is completed. The defect is closed in a transverse fashion using barbed suture. For rare cases of circumferential or nearly circumferential full-thickness defects, interrupted barbed sutures are placed equidistant, the robot is undocked, the transanal platform is removed, and a handsewn coloanal anastomosis is performed allowing complete closure of the defect. RESULTS: A hybrid robotic transanal minimally invasive surgery approach to large and low-lying rectal lesions is feasible and safe, and it has advantages over standard transanal excision including enhanced ergonomics, dexterity, and optics, as well as reduced rates of specimen fragmentation. CONCLUSION: A hybrid robotic transanal minimally invasive surgery approach allows for complete resection of very large polyps, which would otherwise be extremely challenging with standard transanal approaches. See Video at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B231.

Early Hospital Discharge After Helicopter Transport of Pediatric Trauma Patients: Analysis of Rates of Over and Undertriage.

OBJECTIVES: Helicopter air ambulance (HAA) of pediatric trauma patients is a life-saving intervention. Triage remains a challenge for both scene transport and interhospital transfer of injured children. We aimed to understand whether overtriage or undertriage was a feature of scene or interhospital transfer and how in or out of state transfers affected these rates. METHODS: Children (<18 years) who underwent trauma activation at a level I trauma center between 2011 and 2013 were identified and reviewed. Patients transported by HAA were compared with those transported by ground ambulance (GA). RESULTS: Of 399 pediatric patients (median age, 10.4 years; range, 0.1-17 years; 264 male [66%]), 71 (18%) were transported by HAA. Seventy-two percent of HAA patients went to the intensive care unit or the operating room from the trauma bay or suffered in-hospital mortality (vs 42% GA, P < 0.001). More patients were overtriaged (HAA with injury severity score [ISS] of <15) from interhospital transfers than from the scene (25% vs 3%, P = 0.002). Undertriage (GA with ISS >15) was acceptable at 5% from the scene and 14% from interhospital transfers (P = 0.08). Overtriage of patients with ISS less than 15 to HAA was significantly lower from in-state hospitals (22%) than out-of-state hospitals (45%) (P = 0.02). Undertriage of patients with ISS greater than 15 to GA was also lower from in-state hospitals (20%) versus out-of-state hospitals (38%) (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Triage of pediatric trauma patients to HAA remains difficult. There remains potential for improvement, particularly as regards interhospital HAA overtriage, but well developed transfer protocols (such in-state protocols) may help.

Biologics and 30-Day Postoperative Complications After Abdominal Operations for Crohn's Disease: Are There Differences in the Safety Profiles?

BACKGROUND: The evidence regarding the association of preoperative biologic exposure and postoperative outcomes remains controversial for both antitumor necrosis factor agents and vedolizumab and largely unknown for ustekinumab. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine differences in the rates of 30-day postoperative overall infectious complications and intra-abdominal septic complications among the 3 classes of biologic therapies as compared with no biologic therapy. DESIGN: This was a retrospective review. SETTINGS: The study was conducted at an IBD referral center. PATIENTS: Adult patients with Crohn's disease who received an antitumor necrosis factor, vedolizumab, ustekinumab, or no biologic therapy within 12 weeks of a major abdominal operation between May 20, 2014, and December 31, 2017, were included. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Thirty-day overall postoperative infectious complications and intra-abdominal septic complications were measured. RESULTS: A total of 712 patients with Crohn's disease were included; 272 patients were exposed to an antitumor necrosis factor agents, 127 to vedolizumab, 38 to ustekinumab, and 275 to no biologic therapy within the 12 weeks before an abdominal operation. Patients exposed to a biologic were more likely to be taking a concurrent immunomodulator, but there was no difference in concurrent corticosteroid usage. The particular class of biologic was not independently associated with total overall infectious complications. Vedolizumab was associated with an increased rate of intra-abdominal sepsis on univariate analysis but not on multivariable analysis. Combination immunosuppression was associated with both an increased rate of overall postoperative infectious complications and intra-abdominal sepsis. LIMITATIONS: The study was limited by its retrospective design and single-center data. CONCLUSIONS: The overall rate of total infectious complications or intra-abdominal septic complications was not increased based on preoperative exposure to a particular class of biologic. Rates increased with combination immunosuppression of biologic therapy with corticosteroids and previous abdominal resection. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B24. BIOLÓGICOS Y COMPLICACIONES POSTOPERATORIAS DE 30 DÍAS DESPUÉS DE LAS OPERACIONES ABDOMINALES PARA LA ENFERMEDAD DE CROHN: ¿EXISTEN DIFERENCIAS EN LOS PERFILES DE SEGURIDAD?:: La evidencia sobre la asociación de la exposición biológica preoperatoria y los resultados postoperatorios sigue siendo controvertida controversial tanto para los agentes del factor de necrosis tumoral (anti-TNF) como para el vedolizumab, y en gran parte desconocida para el ustekinumab.Determinar las diferencias en las tasas de complicaciones infecciosas generales postoperatorias de 30 días y complicaciones sépticas intraabdominales entre las tres clases de terapias biológicas en comparación con ninguna terapia biológica.Revisión retrospectiva.centro de referencia de la enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal.Pacientes adultos con enfermedad de Crohn que recibieron un factor de necrosis antitumoral, vedolizumab, ustekinumab o ningún tratamiento biológico dentro de las 12 semanas de una operación abdominal mayor entre el 5/20/2014 y el 12/31/2017.Complicaciones infecciosas postoperatorias generales de 30 días, complicaciones sépticas intraabdominales.Se incluyeron setecientos doce pacientes con enfermedad de Crohn; 272 pacientes fueron expuestos a un anti-TNF, 127 a vedolizumab, 38 a ustekinumab y 275 a ninguna terapia biológica dentro de las 12 semanas previas a una operación abdominal. Los pacientes expuestos a un producto biológico tenían más probabilidades de tomar un inmunomodulador concurrente, pero no hubo diferencias en el uso simultáneo de corticosteroides. La clase particular de productos biológicos no se asoció de forma independiente con las complicaciones infecciosas totales. Vedolizumab se asoció con una mayor tasa de sepsis intraabdominal en el análisis univariable, pero no en el análisis multivariable. La inmunosupresión combinada se asoció tanto con una mayor tasa de complicaciones infecciosas postoperatorias generales como con sepsis intraabdominal.Diseño retrospectivo, datos de centro único.La tasa general de complicaciones infecciosas totales o complicaciones sépticas intraabdominales no aumentó en función de la exposición preoperatoria a una clase particular de productos biológicos. Las tasas aumentaron con la combinación de inmunosupresión de la terapia biológica con corticosteroides y resección abdominal previa. Vea el Resumen del Video en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B24.

Prehospital Transfusion for Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

OBJECTIVE: Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common medical emergency with significant morbidity and mortality. Many patients are coagulopathic, which may perpetuate bleeding. Remote damage control resuscitation, including early correction of coagulopathy and anemia, may benefit exsanguinating patients with GI bleeding. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with acute GI bleeding who received packed red blood cells (pRBC) and/or plasma during transportation to our institution between 2010 and 2014. A comparison group of patients who were not transfused en route was selected, and demographics, outcomes, and response to resuscitation were compared. RESULTS: A total of 112 patients with GI bleeding received pRBC (82%, n = 92 pRBC, mean 1.7 ± 0.9 units), plasma (62%, n = 69, mean 1.7 ± 0.8 units) or both (44%, n = 49) en-route. The comparison group comprised 49 patients transported by helicopter who were not transfused en-route. Demographics, crystalloid resuscitation, transfusion prior to transfer, rate of intervention, ICU days, length of stay, and mortality were similar between groups. Patients transfused en route had a significant increase in hemoglobin from 8.3 ± 2.2 to 8.9 ± 2.1 (P = .03) and decrease in INR from 2.0 ± 1.0 to 1.6 ± 1.4 (P = .01), whereas those not transfused en route experienced stable hemoglobin (8.7 ± 2.8 to 9.4 ± 2.5; P = .21) and INR values (1.9 ± 1.0 to 1.6 ± 1.4; P = .32). Both groups had a significant improvement in hemodynamic parameters with resuscitation. CONCLUSION: Prehospital damage control resuscitation with pRBC and/or plasma resulted in the improvement of hemodynamic instability, coagulopathy and anemia in patients with acute GI bleeding. Almost all patients required additional inpatient interventions and/or transfusions, suggesting that pre-hospital transfusion is being utilized for appropriately selected patients.

Severity of diverticulitis in patients with polycystic kidney disease without transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) who have had a kidney transplant have an increased risk of diverticular disease and complicated diverticulitis. Literature is limited regarding the severity of diverticulitis in patients with PKD who have not had a transplant. We aim to assess whether patients with PKD, with and without renal transplant, have a similar course of diverticulitis. METHODS: A retrospective review of all adult PKD patients at our institution diagnosed with diverticulitis between 2000 and 2016 was conducted. Patients without documented PKD and diverticulitis were excluded. We compared PKD patients with and without renal transplantation. RESULTS: A total of 41 patients were identified. Mean age was 60 (± 12), and 56% were female. Fourteen patients had undergone renal transplantation. Five (19%) non-transplant patients had complicated diverticulitis, compared to 43% (n = 6) transplanted (p = 0.33). Fifteen (56%) non-transplant and 8 (57%) transplant patients had recurrent diverticulitis (p = 1.00). Three (11%) non-transplant and 5 (36%) transplanted patients had recurrent complicated diverticulitis. Eight (30%) non-transplant and 7 (50%) transplant patients underwent surgery (p = 0.31). All 8 non-transplant patients underwent sigmoid resection with primary anastomosis without diversion. In the transplant group, 3 Hartmann procedures and 1 sigmoid resection with and 3 without diversion were performed. There was one in-hospital death in each group. CONCLUSION: In our group of patients, there was no difference in rate of recurrent diverticulitis, diverticulitis complications, or operative intervention in patients with PKD with and without renal transplant. The renal transplant group had a higher rate of recurrent, complicated diverticulitis.

Prehospital blood transfusions in pediatric trauma and nontrauma patients: a single-center review of safety and outcomes.

PURPOSE: Prehospital transfusions are a novel yet increasingly accepted intervention in the adult population as part of remote damage control resuscitation, but prehospital transfusions remain controversial in children. Our purpose was to review our pediatric prehospital transfusion experience over 12 years to describe the safety of prehospital transfusion in appropriately triaged trauma and nontrauma patients. METHODS: Children (<18 years) transfused with packed red blood cells (pRBC) or plasma during transport to a single regional academic medical center between 2002 and 2014 were identified. Admission details, in-hospital clinical course, and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: 28 children were transfused during transport; median age was 8.9 ± 7 years and 15 patients were male (54%). Most patients required at least one additional unit of blood products during their hospitalization (79%), and/or required operative intervention (53%), endoscopy (7%), or died during their hospitalization (14%). Comparison of trauma patients (n = 16) and nontrauma patients (n = 12) revealed that nontrauma patients were younger, more anemic, more coagulopathy on admission, and required more ongoing transfusion in the hospital. Trauma patients were more likely to need operative intervention. No patient had a transfusion reaction. CONCLUSION: Remote damage control prehospital transfusions of blood products were safe in this small group of appropriately triaged pediatric patients. Further studies are needed to determine if outcomes are improved and to devise a rigorous protocol for this prehospital intervention for critically ill pediatric patients.

Prehospital Blood Transfusions in Non-Trauma Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Despite advances in trauma care, hemorrhage continues to be the leading cause of preventable mortality in trauma. The evidence to support its use in non-trauma patients is limited. We aim to report our experience with prehospital blood product transfusion. We hypothesize that it is safe, appropriately utilized, and that our protocol, which was designed for trauma patients, is adaptable to fit the needs of non-trauma patients. METHODS: Patients transfused with blood products, packed red blood cells (pRBCs) or plasma, in the prehospital environment between 2002 and 2014 were included. Trauma patients were compared to non-trauma patients using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 857 patients (n = 549 trauma and n = 308 non-trauma) were transfused with pRBCs (76 %, n = 654, mean 1.6 ± 1.1 units en route), plasma (53 %, n = 455, mean 1.7 ± 0.7 unit), or both (29 %, n = 252) during ground (12 %) or air (84 %) critical care transport. Mean age was 60.8 ± 21.6 years with 60.1 % (n = 515) males. Subsequently, in-hospital blood transfusions were performed in 80 % of patients, operations in 44 %, and endoscopy in 31 %. Five percent (n = 41) of patients did not require any of these interventions. Thirty-day mortality rate was 18 %, and one patient (<0.01 %) had a transfusion reaction. The majority of patients were non-trauma (n = 549, 64 %). Of the non-trauma patients, 219 (40 %) were surgical, 193 (35 %) gastrointestinal bleeds, and 137 (25 %) medical. CONCLUSION: Both non-trauma and trauma patients require blood products for life threatening hemorrhage and the majority required further interventions. Further research on the benefits of transfusion among non-trauma patients is warranted.

Is the liver kinetic growth rate in ALPPS unprecedented when compared with PVE and living donor liver transplant? A multicentre analysis.

BACKGROUND: The clinical perspective on hepatic growth is limited. The goal of the present study was to compare hepatic hypertrophy and the kinetic growth rate(KGR) in patients after the ALPPS (Associating Liver Partition with Portal Vein Ligation for Staged Hepatectomy) procedure, portal vein embolization (PVE) and living donor liver transplantation. METHODS: Volumetry and KGR of the future liver remnant (FLR) were compared from (15) patients undergoing ALPPS, (53) patients undergoing PVE, (90) recipients of living donor liver grafts and (93) donors of living donor liver grafts. RESULTS: The degree of hypertrophy was significantly greater after ALPPS (84.3 ± 7.8%) than after PVE (36.0 ± 27.2%) (P < 0.001). The KGR was also significantly greater for ALPPS [32.7 ± 13.6 cubic centimetres (cc)/day] (10.8 ± 4.5%/day) compared with PVE (4.4 ± 3.2 cc/day) (0.98 ± 0.75%/day) (P < 0.001). The FLR of living donor donors had the greatest degree of hypertrophy (107.5 ± 39.2%) and was greater than after ALPPS (P = 0.02), PVE (P < 0.001) and in living donor-recipient grafts (P < 0.001). KGR (cc/day) was greater in FLR of living donor donors compared with both ALPPS (P < 0.001) and PVE (P < 0.001). The KGR in patients undergoing ALPPS and living donor liver transplantation had a linear relationship with the size of FLR. CONCLUSION: FLR hypertrophy and KGR were greater after ALPPS than PVE. However, the degree of hypertrophy after ALPPS is not unprecedented, as KGR in the FLR from living donor donors is equal to or greater than after ALPPS. The KGR of the FLR in patients after ALPPS and living donor donors correlates directly with the size of the FLR.