Videolaringoscopia en el abordaje de la vía aérea durante la pandemia de la COVID-19 / Videolaryngoscopy for airway management during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introducción: A finales del año 2019 se reportaron casos de neumonía atípica en Wuhan provocados por un nuevo coronavirus. La intubación endotraqueal puede causar contaminación del personal de salud. Las pautas recientes prefieren la videolaringoscopia porque aumenta las posibilidades de intubación y evita del contacto cercano con el paciente. Objetivos: Describir el abordaje de la vía aérea con videolaringoscopia en pacientes con COVID-19 e identificar las principales complicaciones aparecidas durante la intubación endotraqueal. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, transversal, en el periodo de diciembre de 2020 a febrero de 2021, en el Centro Médico Naval de la Ciudad de México. El universo estuvo conformado por 178 pacientes con COVID-19 que requirieron intubación endotraqueal. Se tomó una muestra de 103 pacientes los cuales fueron atendidos por los médicos cubanos. Resultados: Los pacientes mayores de 60 años representaron el 63,1 por ciento de los casos y el sexo masculino el 65 por ciento El 42,1 por ciento tuvieron un predictor de vía aérea difícil y el 30,1 por ciento, dos o más predictores. Se visualizó completamente la glotis en el 39,8 por ciento de los casos y, parcialmente, en un 57,3 por ciento. La intubación al primer intento se logró en el 73,8 por ciento. Las principales complicaciones encontradas fueron la desaturación (33 por ciento) y la hipotensión arterial (37,9 por ciento). Conclusiones: La videolaringoscopia podría mejorar la visualización de la apertura glótica y la intubación endotraqueal al primer intento. La desaturación y la hipotensión arterial fueron complicaciones que podrían esperarse en los pacientes con la COVID-19 durante este procedimiento(AU)

Introduction: At the end of 2019, cases of atypical pneumonia were reported in Wuhan caused by a new coronavirus. Endotracheal intubation may cause contamination of healthcare personnel. According to recent guidelines, videolaryngoscopy is preferred, because it increases the chances of intubation and avoids close contact with the patient. Objectives: To describe airway management with videolaryngoscopy in patients with COVID-19 and to identify the main complications that appeared during endotracheal intubation. Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out, in the period from December 2020 to February 2021, at the Naval Medical Center in Mexico City. The universe consisted of 178 patients with COVID-19 who required endotracheal intubation. A sample of 103 patients was taken, who were cared for by Cuban doctors. Results: Patients older than 60 years represented 63.1 percent of the cases, while the male sex represented 65 percent. 42.1 percent had one predictor of difficult airway and 30.1 percent had two or more predictors. The glottis was visualized fully in 39.8 percent of cases and partially in 57.3 percent. Intubation on the first attempt was achieved in 73.8 percent. The main complications found were desaturation (33 percent) and arterial hypotension (37.9 percent). Conclusions: Videolaryngoscopy could improve visualization of the glottic opening and endotracheal intubation on the first attempt. Desaturation and hypotension were complications that could be expected in COVID-19 patients during this procedure(AU)

Feasibility and safety of a novel magnetic-assisted capsule endoscope system in a preliminary examination for upper gastrointestinal tract.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM: Current capsule endoscopy procedures are ineffective for upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract examination because they do not allow for operator-controlled navigation of the capsule. External controllability of a capsule endoscope with an applied magnetic field is a possible solution to this problem. We developed a novel magnetic-assisted capsule endoscope (MACE) system to visualize the entire upper GI tract. The present study evaluated the safety and feasibility of the MACE system for the examination of the upper GI tract, including the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. METHODS: The present open clinical study enrolled ten healthy volunteers. All participants swallowed a MACE, and an external magnetic field navigator was used for magnetic capsule manipulation in the upper GI tract. We assessed the maneuverability of the magnetic capsule and completeness of the MACE examination as well as the safety and tolerability of the procedure. RESULTS: The present study enrolled ten healthy volunteers with a mean age and body mass index of 47.7 years and 25.6 kg/m2, respectively. One volunteer withdrew because of difficulty in swallowing the capsule. In total, nine volunteers underwent the MACE examination. The average examination time was 27.1 min. The maneuverability of the capsule was assessed as good and fair in 55.6 and 44.4% of the participants, respectively. The overall completeness of the examination in the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum was 100, 85.2, and 86.1%, respectively. No severe adverse events occurred during this study. All participants exhibited satisfactory tolerance of the MACE examination. CONCLUSION: The MACE system has satisfactory maneuverability and visualization completeness with excellent acceptance and tolerance.

Concordancia diagnóstica entre la cápsula endoscópica y enteroscopia de doble balón en la hemorragia digestiva media en un centro de referencia / Diagnosis agreement between capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding at a referral center

INTRODUCCIÓN Y OBJETIVO: la capsula endoscópica y la enteroscopia de doble balón son técnicas de reconocido valor en el estudio de la hemorragia digestiva media, habiendo numerosos factores que pueden afectar a su rendimiento diagnóstico. El objetivo del presente estudio es el de caracterizar y definir los niveles de concordancia entre ambas focalizando en el tipo de lesión, en una gran cohorte de pacientes de un centro de referencia. MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: entre los años 2004-2014 se administraron 1.209 cápsulas en 1.078 pacientes y se realizaron 381 enteroscopias en 361 pacientes con hemorragia digestiva media. RESULTADOS: en 332 pacientes (edad media: 65,22 ± 15,41, 183 hombres) se realizaron ambos procedimientos. Ambas técnicas tuvieron un rendimiento diagnóstico similar (70,5% vs. 69,6%, p = 0,9). El rendimiento diagnóstico global de la enteroscopia fue superior en pacientes con una cápsula previa positiva (79,3% vs. 27,9%, p < 0,001). La concordancia diagnóstica entre los resultados por cápsula y enteroscopia para cada lesión fue muy buena para pólipos (0,89 [95% IC: 0,78-0,99]), buena en las lesiones vasculares (0,66 [95% IC: 0,55-0,77]), tumores (0,66 [95% IC: 0,55-0,76]) y moderada para úlceras (0.56 [95% IC: 0,46-0,67]). Los divertículos (0,39 [95% IC: 0,29-0,5] tuvieron una concordancia razonable. Los resultados entre ambos procedimientos difirieron en 73 pacientes (22%). CONCLUSIONES: el presente estudio evidencia que aunque el rendimiento de la cápsula endoscópica y la enteroscopia de doble balón de forma global sean similares, hay numerosos factores que pueden modificar estos valores, siendo el principal el tipo de lesión

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Capsule endoscopy and doubleballoon enteroscopy are well-recognized procedures in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, with many factors that may influence their diagnosis yield. The aim of the present study was to characterize the degree of agreement between both techniques with focus on the type of lesion in a large cohort of patients at a referral center. MATERIAL AND METHOD: One thousand two hundred and nine capsules were administered in 1,078 patients and 381 enteroscopies were performed in 361 patients with obscure-gastrointestinal bleeding from 2004 to 2014. RESULTS: Both procedures were carried out in 332 patients (mean age: 65.22 ± 15.41, 183 men) and they have a similar diagnosis yield (70.5% vs. 69.6%, p = 0.9). Overall enteroscopy diagnosis yield was higher within patients with a previous positive capsule endoscopy (79.3% vs. 27.9%, p < 0.001). The degree of agreement was very good for polyps (0.89 [95% CI: 0.78-0.99]), good for vascular lesions (0.66 [95% CI: 0.55-0.77]) and tumors (0.66 [95% CI: 0.55-0.76]) and moderate for ulcers (0.56 [95% CI: 0.46-0.67]). Diverticula (0.39 [95% CI: 0.29-0.5]) achieved a fair agreement. The results of CE and DBE differed in 73 patients (22%). CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirms that although overall diagnostic yield by capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy is similar, there are many factors which can modify these values, mainly the type of lesion

Intestinal biomechanics simulator for robotic capsule endoscope validation.

This work describes the development and validation of a novel device which simulates important forces experienced by Robotic Capsule Endoscopes (RCE) in vivo in the small intestine. The purpose of the device is to expedite and lower the cost of RCE development. Currently, there is no accurate in vitro test method nor apparatus to validate new RCE designs; therefore, RCEs are tested in vivo at a cost of ∼$1400 per swine test. The authors have developed an in vitro RCE testing device which generates two peristaltic waves to accurately simulate the two biomechanical actions of the human small intestine that are most relevant to RCE locomotion: traction force and contact force. The device was successfully calibrated to match human physiological ranges for traction force (4-40 gf), contact force (80-500 gf) and peristaltic wave propagation speed (0.08-2 cm s(-1)) for a common RCE capsule geometry of 3.5 cm length and 1.5 cm diameter.

[Second-generation colon capsule in small bowel and colon disorders in pediatrics].

BACKGROUND: Aim of the study was to assess the diagnostic yield of second-generation colon capsule in pediatric gastrointestinal diseases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Five patients with different symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases were included in the study. Among them were: suspicion on diffuse polyposis, intestinal bleeding, lymphangiectasia and inflammatory bowel disease. Image interpretation was made by experienced capsule users, previously trained on small bowel capsule and first generation colon capsule. Lesions or abnormal changes of the mucosa identified on capsule endoscopy served as indications for colonoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsy or polypectomy if needed. RESULTS: Standard white light endoscopy was made in all children without any adverse events. Second-generation colon capsule allows diagnosing Crohn's disease in small intestine and colon, limphangiectasia of the ileum, single rectosigmoid polyp and diffuse polyposis of the colon. CONCLUSION: Second-generation colon capsule can be used as non-invasive screening method in children without serious complications, thus allowing to differentiate indications for traditional white light endoscopy, which is usually made under general anesthesia in pediatrics.

Virtual chromoendoscopy can be a useful software tool in capsule endoscopy

Background: capsule endoscopy (CE) has revolutionized the study of small bowel. One major drawback of this technique is that we cannot interfere with image acquisition process. Therefore, the development of new software tools that could modify the images and increase both detection and diagnosis of small-bowel lesions would be very useful. The Flexible Spectral Imaging Color Enhancement (FICE) that allows for virtual chromoendoscopy is one of these software tools. Aims: to evaluate the reproducibility and diagnostic accuracy of the FICE system in CE. Methods: this prospective study involved 20 patients. First, four physicians interpreted 150 static FICE images and the overall agree - ment between them was determined using the Fleiss Kappa Test. Second, two experienced gastroenterologists, blinded to each other results, analyzed the complete 20 video streams. One interpreted conventional capsule videos and the other, the CE-FICE videos at setting 2. All findings were reported, regardless of their clinical value. Non-concordant findings between both interpretations were analyzed by a consensus panel of four gastroenterologists who reached a final result (positive or negative finding). Results: in the first arm of the study the overall concordance between the four gastroenterologists was substantial (0.650). In the second arm, the conventional mode identified 75 findings and the CE-FICE mode 95. The CE-FICE mode did not miss any lesions identified by the conventional mode and allowed the identification of a higher number of angiodysplasias (35 vs 32), and erosions (41 vs. 24). Conclusions: there is reproducibility for the interpretation of CE-FICE images between different observers experienced in conventional CE. The use of virtual chromoendoscopy in CE seems to increase its diagnostic accuracy by highlighting small bowel erosions and angiodysplasias that weren’t identified by the conventional mode(AU)

Head or tail: the orientation of the small bowel capsule endoscope movement in the small bowel.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The diagnostic accuracy of capsule endoscopy has been suggested to be influenced by the direction of the passage in the intestine. It is currently unknown if a head-first or a tail-first orientation are equally common during the descent through the small bowel. The aim of the study was to identify the orientation of the capsule along the migration through the small bowel. METHODS: Thirty capsule endoscopies were reviewed by an experienced observer. The direction of the passage through the pylorus and the ileoceccal valve was recorded for all the examinations. In addition, detailed review of the passage of the capsule in different segments of the small bowel was undertaken for all the capsules. RESULTS: The capsule was significantly more likely to pass the pylorus head-first compared to tail-first (25 and 5 out of 30, respectively, OR 5, 95% CI 65-94%, P < 0.001). In 28/30 studies, the capsule exited the ileoceccal valve head-first (OR-14, 95% CI 77-99%, P < 0.001). In an immersion experiment, uneven distribution of weight of the capsule body was demonstrated with the head part (camera tip) being lighter than the tail part. CONCLUSIONS: The capsule endoscope usually passes through the pylorus and subsequent segments of the small bowel head-first. This observation suggests that the intestinal peristaltic physiology drives symmetrical bodies with their light part first. The principle of intestinal orientation by weight distribution may bear implications for capsules' design in the future.

Diagnostic yield and clinical impact of capsule endoscopy in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding during routine clinical practice: a single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the diagnostic yield of capsule endoscopy (CE) and its impact on patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Between May 2007 and May 2009, 63 patients with OGIB (overt bleeding: 25, and occult blood loss with chronic ferropenic anemia: 38) and normal upper and lower endoscopy were studied by CE. Demographic characteristics, prior diagnostic tests, CE findings, therapeutic interventions, medical treatment and clinical outcomes following CE were evaluated. RESULTS: The overall diagnostic yield was 44.44% of patients and included findings of angiectasia in 11 (17.46%) patients, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs enteropathy in 6 (9.52%) patients, celiac disease in 3 (4.76%) patients, tumors in 2 (3.17%) patients, and a variety of other diagnoses ranging from varices to ulcers (due to congenital afibrinogenemia and amyloidosis). The diagnostic yield was notably higher in overt bleeders (15/25, 60%) compared to occult bleeders (13/38, 34.21%; p = 0.044), and in patients with overt bleeding who had CE within the first 10 days (14/16, 87.5%) after the bleeding episode in comparison to overt bleeders who underwent CE >10 days after the bleeding episode (2/16, 11.1%; p < 0.0001). During follow-up (11.8 ± 7 months), CE findings led to specific therapy that resolved the underlying disease or improved the clinical condition in 45 of 63 patients, thus having a positive clinical impact of 71.43%. CONCLUSION: CE has a high diagnostic yield and a positive influence on clinical management in a significant proportion of patients with OGIB. These data further support the role of CE in routine clinical practice.

The role of endoscopy in the management of obscure GI bleeding.

This is one of a series of statements discussing the use of GI endoscopy in common clinical situations. The Standards of Practice Committee of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) prepared this text. In preparing this guideline, we performed a search of the medical literature by using PubMed. Additional references were obtained from the bibliographies of the identified articles and from recommendations of expert consultants. Guidelines for appropriate use of endoscopy are based on a critical review of the available data and expert consensus at the time the guidelines were drafted. Further controlled clinical studies may be needed to clarify aspects of this guideline. This guideline may be revised as necessary to account for changes in technology, new data, or other aspects of clinical practice. The recommendations are based on reviewed studies and are graded on the strength of the supporting evidence (Table 1).(1) The strength of individual recommendations is based both upon the aggregate evidence quality and an assessment of the anticipated benefits and harms. Weaker recommendations are indicated by phrases such as "we suggest," whereas stronger recommendations are typically stated as "we recommend." This guideline is intended to be an educational device to provide information that may assist endoscopists in providing care to patients. This guideline is not a rule and should not be construed as establishing a legal standard of care or as encouraging, advocating, requiring, or discouraging any particular treatment. Clinical decisions in any particular case involve a complex analysis of the patient's condition and available courses of action. Therefore, clinical considerations may lead an endoscopist to take a course of action that varies from these guidelines.

Capsule endoscopy in portal hypertension.

Since the introduction of small bowel capsule endoscopy, and more recently of esophageal capsule endoscopy, these diagnostic tools have become available for the evaluation of the consequences of portal hypertension in the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. The main advantage of the esophageal and the small bowel capsule is the relatively less invasiveness that could potentially increase patients' adherence to endoscopic screening/surveillance programs. When esophageal capsule endoscopy was compared with traditional gastroscopy, it showed good sensitivity and specificity in recognizing the presence and the size of esophageal varices. However, the results are not consistent among studies, and more data are needed.

New insight into intestinal motor function via noninvasive endoluminal image analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Evaluation of small bowel motility by intestinal manometry is invasive and requires expertise for interpretation. Our aim was to use capsule technology for evaluation of small bowel motor function based on a fully computerized image analysis program. METHODS: Thirty-six consecutive patients with severe intestinal motor disorders (19 fulfilling manometric criteria of intestinal dysmotility and 17 not) and 50 healthy subjects received the endoscopic capsule (Pillcam; Given Imaging, Yokneam, Israel). Endoluminal image analysis was performed with a computer vision program specifically developed for the detection of contractile patterns (phasic luminal closure and radial wrinkles by wall texture analysis), noncontractile patterns (tunnel and wall appearance by Laplacian filtering), intestinal content (by color decomposition analysis), and endoluminal motion (by chromatic stability). Automatic classification of normal and abnormal intestinal motility was performed by means of a machine-learning technique. RESULTS: As compared with healthy subjects, patients exhibited less contractile activity (25% less phasic luminal closures, P < .05) and more noncontractile patterns (151% more tunnel pattern, P < .05), static sequences (56% more static images, P < .01), and turbid intestinal content (94% more static turbid images, P < .01). On cross validation, the classifier identified as abnormal all but 1 patient with manometric criteria of dysmotility and as normal all healthy subjects. Out of the 17 patients without manometric criteria of dysmotility, 11 were identified as abnormal and 6 as normal. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that endoluminal image analysis, by means of computer vision and machine-learning techniques, constitutes a reliable, noninvasive, and automated diagnostic test of intestinal motor disorders.

Accuracy of the size estimation in wireless capsule endoscopy: calibrating the M2A PillCam (with video).

OBJECTIVE: To describe the accuracy and precision of a size estimation in wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) and to develop a simple device that facilitates learning of an exact size estimation in WCE. DESIGN: A prospective study with an animal model. Seventy-five medical students were compared with 21 physicians not performing WCEs and 21 experts actively performing WCEs. INTERVENTIONS: Video sequences were recorded with a PillCam wireless endoscope in a porcine small-bowel model after implantation of "lesions" of defined sizes. Volunteers estimated the diameter of these "lesions" with and without the use of a calibrator device, which was a picture from a black-and-white grid taken with the PillCam in direct contact with the transparent dome. RESULTS: The students overestimated the diameters of the lesions by 26%. The physicians and experts underestimated the diameters by 32% and 31%, respectively. With the help of the calibrator device, the students underestimated the diameters by 15%. Physicians underestimated the diameters by 21%, whereas experts still underestimated the diameters by 35%. The interindividual log-scale standard deviation (SD) of the estimated diameters from the true diameter decreased during training in all groups, whereas intraindividual SDs decreased in students and increased in experts. LIMITATION: An animal model. CONCLUSIONS: All investigators agree better when a calibrating device was offered. Experts who performed more than 400 WCEs tended to be more precise.