Introduction of a new surgical robot platform "hinotori™" in an institution with established da Vinci surgery™ for digestive organ operations.

BACKGROUND: New platforms for robotic surgery have recently become available for clinical use; however, information on the introduction of new surgical robotic platforms compared with the da Vinci™ surgical system is lacking. In this study, we retrospectively determined the safe introduction of the new "hinotori™" surgical robot in an institution with established da Vinci surgery using four representative digestive organ operations. METHODS: Sixty-one patients underwent robotic esophageal, gastric, rectal, and pancreatic operations using the hinotori system in our department in 2023. Among these, 22 patients with McKeown esophagectomy, 12 with distal gastrectomy, 11 with high- and low-anterior resection of the rectum, and eight with distal pancreatectomy procedures performed by hinotori were compared with historical controls treated using da Vinci surgery. RESULTS: The console (cockpit) operation time for distal gastrectomy and rectal surgery was shorter in the hinotori group compared with the da Vinci procedure, and there were no significant differences in the console times for the other two operations. Other surgical results were almost similar between the two robot surgical groups. Notably, the console times for hinotori surgeries showed no significant learning curves, determined by the cumulative sum method, for any of the operations, with similar values to the late phase of da Vinci surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that no additional learning curve might be required to achieve proficient surgical outcomes using the new hinotori surgical robotic platform, compared with the established da Vinci surgery.

Magnetic Compression Technique for Esophageal Anastomosis in Rats.

INTRODUCTION: The magnetic compression technique (MCT) is used for the anastomosis of hollow organs by the means of suction between magnets. The MCT is useful for establishing digestive tract anastomoses in rats, for example, end-to-side small intestinal anastomosis and colonic anastomosis. We aim to determine the feasibility of MCT-based esophageal anastomosis in rats. METHODS: Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley albino rats (230-250 g) were randomly divided into an MCT group and a control group (hand-sewn esophageal anastomosis). The time required to construct the anastomosis, postoperative complications, and survival rate was compared between the two groups. At 2 wk postoperatively, the animals were sacrificed to assess the burst pressure and histological features of the anastomoses. RESULTS: The mean anastomosis time was significantly lower for MCT (11.17 ± 1.64 min) than for the hand-sewn technique (27.42 ± 2.23 min; P < 0.001). The survival rate was slightly higher in the MCT group (91.67%) than in the control group (66.67%, P = 0.317). The magnets were discharged from the body after 8.33 ± 0.89 d (range, 7-10 d). No anastomotic leakage or stenosis occurred in the MCT group. Three rats developed anastomotic stenosis and two rats developed anastomotic leakage in the control group. The burst pressures were similar in the two groups. An histological examination showed that compared with the control group, the MCT group had better alignment of the tissue layers and less inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: The MCT is a simple and feasible technique for esophageal anastomosis in rats and has the potential for clinical application.

Autonomous robotic laparoscopic surgery for intestinal anastomosis.

Autonomous robotic surgery has the potential to provide efficacy, safety, and consistency independent of individual surgeon's skill and experience. Autonomous anastomosis is a challenging soft-tissue surgery task because it requires intricate imaging, tissue tracking, and surgical planning techniques, as well as a precise execution via highly adaptable control strategies often in unstructured and deformable environments. In the laparoscopic setting, such surgeries are even more challenging because of the need for high maneuverability and repeatability under motion and vision constraints. Here we describe an enhanced autonomous strategy for laparoscopic soft tissue surgery and demonstrate robotic laparoscopic small bowel anastomosis in phantom and in vivo intestinal tissues. This enhanced autonomous strategy allows the operator to select among autonomously generated surgical plans and the robot executes a wide range of tasks independently. We then use our enhanced autonomous strategy to perform in vivo autonomous robotic laparoscopic surgery for intestinal anastomosis on porcine models over a 1-week survival period. We compared the anastomosis quality criteria-including needle placement corrections, suture spacing, suture bite size, completion time, lumen patency, and leak pressure-of the developed autonomous system, manual laparoscopic surgery, and robot-assisted surgery (RAS). Data from a phantom model indicate that our system outperforms expert surgeons' manual technique and RAS technique in terms of consistency and accuracy. This was also replicated in the in vivo model. These results demonstrate that surgical robots exhibiting high levels of autonomy have the potential to improve consistency, patient outcomes, and access to a standard surgical technique.

Effect of Changing Surgical Instruments Before Wound Closure to Prevent Wound Infection in Lower GI Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection is a major surgical complication and has been studied extensively. However, the efficacy of changing surgical instruments before wound closure remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of changing surgical instruments to prevent incisional surgical site infection during lower GI surgery. DESIGN: This was a randomized controlled trial. SETTINGS: This study was conducted at the Hyogo College of Medicine in Japan. PATIENTS: Patients undergoing elective lower GI surgery with open laparotomy were included. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups. In group A, the surgeon changed surgical instruments before wound closure, and in group B, the patients underwent conventional closure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary end point was the incidence of incisional surgical site infection. The secondary end point was the incidence of surgical site infection restricted to clean-contaminated surgery. RESULTS: A total of 453 patients were eligible for this trial. The incidence of incisional surgical site infection was not significantly different between group A (18/213; 8.5%) and group B (24/224; 10.7%; p = 0.78). In the clean-contaminated surgery group, the incidence of incisional surgical site infection was 13 (6.8%) of 191 in group A and 9 (4.7%) of 190 in group B (p = 0.51). LIMITATIONS: This was a single-center study. CONCLUSIONS: Changing surgical instruments did not decrease the rate of incisional surgical site infection in patients undergoing lower GI surgery in either all wound classes or clean-contaminated conditions. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B701. EFECTO DE REALIZAR CAMBIO DE LOS INSTRUMENTOS QUIRRGICOS ANTES DEL CIERRE DE LA INCISIN EN LA INFECCIN DE LA HERIDA DEL SITIO QUIRRGICO EN CIRUGA DEL TUBO DIGESTIVO BAJO ESTUDIO ALEATORIO CONTROLADO: ANTECEDENTES:La infección del sitio quirúrgico es una complicación importante y se ha estudiado ampliamente. Sin embargo, la eficacia de cambiar los instrumentos quirúrgicos antes del cierre de la herida sigue sin estar clara.OBJETIVO:El objetivo de este estudio es investigar la eficacia de cambiar el instrumental quirúrgico en la prevención de la infección del sitio quirúrgico en cirugía gastrointestinal inferior.DISEÑO:Estudio aleatorio controlado.AJUSTE:Este estudio se realizó en la Facultad de Medicina de Hyogo en Japón.PACIENTES:Se incluyeron pacientes sometidos a cirugía electiva de tubo digestivo bajo con laparotomía abierta.INTERVENCIONES:Los pacientes fueron asignados aleatoriamente a uno de dos grupos. En el grupo A, el cirujano cambió el instrumental quirúrgico antes del cierre de la herida, y en el grupo B, los pacientes se sometieron a un cierre convencional.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO:El criterio de valoración principal fue la incidencia de infección del sitio quirúrgico de la incisión. El criterio de valoración secundario fue la incidencia de infección del sitio quirúrgico restringida a la cirugía limpia contaminada.RESULTADOS:Un total de 453 pacientes fueron elegibles para este ensayo. La incidencia de infección del sitio quirúrgico no fue significativamente diferente entre el grupo A (18/213; 8,5%) y el grupo B (24/224; 10,7%) (p = 0,78). En el grupo de cirugía limpia-contaminada, la incidencia de infección del sitio quirúrgico incisional fue 13/191 (6,8%) en el grupo A y 9/190 (4,7%) en el grupo B (p = 0,51).LIMITACIÓN:Estudio de un solo centro.CONCLUSIÓNES:El cambio de instrumentos quirúrgicos no disminuyó la tasa de infección del sitio quirúrgico en todas las clases de heridas o condiciones limpias-contaminadas. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B701.

Automated recognition of objects and types of forceps in surgical images using deep learning.

Analysis of operative data with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) is expected to improve the knowledge and professional skills of surgeons. Identification of objects in videos recorded during surgery can be used for surgical skill assessment and surgical navigation. The objectives of this study were to recognize objects and types of forceps in surgical videos acquired during colorectal surgeries and evaluate detection accuracy. Images (n = 1818) were extracted from 11 surgical videos for model training, and another 500 images were extracted from 6 additional videos for validation. The following 5 types of forceps were selected for annotation: ultrasonic scalpel, grasping, clip, angled (Maryland and right-angled), and spatula. IBM Visual Insights software was used, which incorporates the most popular open-source deep-learning CNN frameworks. In total, 1039/1062 (97.8%) forceps were correctly identified among 500 test images. Calculated recall and precision values were as follows: grasping forceps, 98.1% and 98.0%; ultrasonic scalpel, 99.4% and 93.9%; clip forceps, 96.2% and 92.7%; angled forceps, 94.9% and 100%; and spatula forceps, 98.1% and 94.5%, respectively. Forceps recognition can be achieved with high accuracy using deep-learning models, providing the opportunity to evaluate how forceps are used in various operations.

Comparison of short-term surgical outcomes using da Vinci S, Si and Xi Surgical System for robotic gastric cancer surgery.

When compared with the second/third generation da Vinci S/Si, the fourth generation Xi surgical system may allow for greater efficiency and result in shorter operation times during robotic gastrectomy (RG) for gastric cancer (GC). We directly compare surgical outcomes between the conventional S/Si and the newer Xi robotic platform for the treatment of GC. This is a single-center retrospective study of 148 consecutive patients with GC who underwent RG. Of these patients, 20 patients were treated with the S, 30 patients with the Si, and 98 patients with the Xi. The overall operation time was significantly longer in the S group (386.5 min) than in the other groups (Si group: 292 min; Xi group: 297 min) (S vs. Si: P = 0.010; S vs. Xi: P = 0.001). We observed no difference, however, between the newer Xi and Si systems in operation time. Intraoperative blood loss was similar across the three groups. The overall postoperative complication rate in the Xi group (8.2%) was lower than that of the S group (10%) and the Si group (13.3%), but the difference was not significant. The newer Xi system did not provide significant intraoperative or early postoperative advantages over the Si system.

Colon or Rectal Stent Positioning for Advanced Cancer Influences Quality of Life: A Critical Point of View.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Endoluminal self-expanding metallic stents (SEMS) may overcome the risk of mortality and morbidity of acute intestinal obstruction because of stage IV colon (CC) or rectal (RC) cancer. We evaluated the QoL in these groups of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-eight patients were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal cohort single-center trial to undergo SEMS positioning. Twenty-five patients had a CC and 23 RC. Karnofsky performance scale, Visual Analogue Scale and the EQ-5D- 5L™ questionnaire were administered before treatment and at 1, 3 and 6 months. RESULTS: Harmonized to the Italian population, the index values showed a statistically significant deterioration of the QoL in patients with RC when compared to those with CC at 1-, 3- and 6-months (1 month: p=0.001; 3- month: p=0.001; 6-month: p=0.045). Similarly, Visual Analogue Scale showed variations at 1- (p=0.008), 3- (p=0.001) and 6-months (p=0.020). Rectal stent deployment was the only independent predictor for a worse QoL in all domains (p<0.017; OR=0.196; 95%CI=0.51-0.749). CONCLUSION: Patients affected with stage IV CC had a better QoL after SEMS placement when compared to those affected with RC. The persistency of the primary tumor at the rectal level, even if irradiated, might negatively affect QoL.

Evaluation of a Novel Ostomy Barrier Ring with Assisted Flow for Individuals with an Ileostomy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the performance and user experience of a novel ostomy barrier ring over a 4-week period. METHODS: This single-arm investigation conducted across three clinical sites included 25 adult participants with an ileostomy for 3 months or longer. The participants used their standard ostomy pouching appliance along with a novel barrier ring for a period of 4 weeks. Skin condition was assessed using the Ostomy Skin Tool. Change in skin condition over the study period was recorded for each participant. The participants' experience in using the novel barrier ring was measured using a five-point Likert-type scale. RESULTS: Twenty of the 25 participants (80%) completed the trial. Of those participants, the median Ostomy Skin Tool score at both the beginning (range, 0-8) and end was 0 (range, 0-6). In terms of skin condition, 7 participants experienced an improvement in skin condition, 11 experienced no change, and 2 got worse. A median score of 5 out of 5 was recorded for all questions relating to user experience. CONCLUSIONS: Although not statistically significant, there was a clear trend toward improvements in peristomal skin condition using the novel barrier ring, even for participants who were already using a barrier ring. User feedback was positive with respect to comfort, device handling, and the perception of the device's ability to protect the skin. Further, most participants who already used a barrier ring indicated that the novel barrier ring would result in a longer wear time.

OBLIQUE VS. CIRCULAR ANASTOMOSIS IN THE CHILDREN UNDERWENT SOAVE'S PULL-THROUGH SURGERY FOR THE TREATMENT OF HIRSCHSPRUNG'S DISEASE: WHICH IS THE BEST?

BACKGROUND: Oblique type of anastomosis. Several types of complications including constipation, fecal soiling, perianal excoriation, were reported among different types of surgery for Hirschsprung's disease. AIM: To compare circular and oblique anastomoses following Soave's procedure for the treatment of Hirschsprung's disease. METHODS: Children who underwent Saove's pull through procedure with oblique and circular anastomoses were included. Duration of the follow up was two years after surgery. Postoperative complications, such as wound infection, wound dehiscence, peritonitis, fecal soiling, perianal excoriation, were recorded for each patient. RESULTS: Thirty-eight children underwent oblique anastomoses. Circular ones were done for 32 children. Perianal excoriation was seen in 57.89% and 46.87% of children in oblique and circular group, respectively. Enterocolitis was more frequent in circular (40.62%) than oblique (28.94%) group. Anastomotic stricture was more frequent in circular (15.62%) than oblique (7.89%). CONCLUSION: Perianal excoriation was the most common complication among patient in both groups. Oblique anastomoses had fewer complications than circular, and may be appropriate option for patient who underwent Soave's procedure.

[Future trend of minimally invasive surgery platform and surgical procedure].

In the past 30 years, minimally invasive surgery has been greatly improved with the development of the energy platform, instrument platform, and imaging platform. Taking colorectal cancer surgery as an example, the five elements of surgical procedure have developed to a certain extent. The surgical approach has undergone a process from large to small. The range of resection ranges from simple bowel resection to radical resection/extended radical resection, and then to surgery that focuses on preserving organ function. With the recognition of the direction of normal lymphatic drainage and the characteristics of tumor lymphatic metastasis, lymph node dissection has been gradually standardized. The reconstruction of the digestive tract has changed from manual sutures to full endoscopic anastomosis, and then to the concept of functional anastomosis. The removal of the specimen has improved from large incision through the abdominal wall, to small laparoscopic incision, and then to the natural cavity. The evolution of these procedures depends on the advancement of technology platforms and equipment, and the recognition of new concepts. The development of minimally invasive platform must be in the direction of ensuring the implementation of the most optimized surgical approach. The platform is more secure, integrated, multifunctional, and intelligent. In the future, minimally invasive procedures must be aimed at maximizing the benefits of patients. The procedures are more scientific, functional, comfortable and diverse. Surgical innovation has promoted the development of the platform. The platform and the surgical procedure promote each other's development.

Laparoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgery During COVID-19 Pandemic: Single-Center Experience.

Background: COVID-19 era has put laparoscopic surgery a risk procedure because of theoretical risk of viral transmission of COVID-19. However, safe evacuation of stagnant air during laparoscopic surgery is also necessary to safeguard health care warriors. Methods: We are reporting experience of 24 laparoscopic surgeries using a closed smoke evacuation/filtration system using a ultra low-particulate air (ULPA) filtration capability (ConMed AirSeal® System) at a single center between March 22, 2020, and May 30, 2020. All surgeries were either urgent or emergency in nature. Results: Totally, 17 males and 7 females who required urgent surgery. Most common indication for laparoscopic intervention was acute cholecystitis and complications related to acute cholecystitis. Owing to the closed smoke evacuation system, low intra-abdominal pressure was maintained during all surgeries. Of all procedures, only 0.8 time per procedure, the laparoscope taken out for cleaning. Mean time for completion of surgery was 58 minutes. Compliance of surgical staff was high due to the deemed safe smoke evacuation system. Mean of postoperative pain score was low. Mean hospital stay was 4.9 days. Conclusions: We propose to use a closed smoke evacuation/filtration system with ULPA filtration capability or similar devices in each minimally invasive surgery to reduce risks of transmission as minute as possible until we have enough knowledge about the pattern of disease transmission.

Management of Less Than 10-mm-Sized Pedunculated (Ip) Polyps with Thin Stalk: Hot Snare Polypectomy Versus Cold Snare Polypectomy.

BACKGROUND: Although the use of cold snare polypectomy (CSP) has spread rapidly, its safety for pedunculated (Ip) polyps remains controversial. In particular, the outcomes of hot snare polypectomy (HSP) and CSP for Ip polyps have not been previously compared. AIMS: This study evaluated whether the rate of delayed postpolypectomy bleeding (DPPB) after CSP for Ip polyps was higher than that after HSP for Ip polyps and compared other outcomes (the rates of immediate bleeding and pathological margins) between the HSP and CSP procedures. METHODS: A total of 5905 colorectal polyps in 4920 patients were resected at Omori Red Cross Hospital between October 2012 and June 2019. The polyps were divided into two groups: the HSP group (86 polyps, 64 patients) and the CSP group (102 polyps, 87 patients). The primary outcome measure was the incidence of DPPB. The secondary outcome measures were the incidences of immediate bleeding during the procedure and pathological margins of the resected specimen. RESULTS: The rate of immediate bleeding during CSP was significantly higher than that for the HSP group [38.2% (39/102) versus 3.5% (3/86); p < 0.001]. However, the rate of DPPB was significantly higher in the HSP group than in the CSP group [4.7% (4/86) versus 0% (0/102); p < 0.001]. The rate of DPPB after CSP was 0%. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to compare the outcomes of HSP and CSP for Ip polyps. CSP is safer than HSP for Ip polyps measuring < 10 mm in diameter.

Uncovered self-expandable metal stents for the treatment of refractory benign colorectal anastomotic stricture.

Self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement has been suggested as a therapeutic modality for treating benign colorectal strictures. Covered stents are generally used, given the concerns regarding the efficacy and safety of uncovered stents. Hence, few studies have evaluated the efficacy and safety of uncovered SEMSs (UCSEMSs) in patients with refractory benign colorectal anastomotic strictures. In this study, 12 patients with postoperative benign symptomatic anastomotic strictures refractory to pneumatic dilation (range, 2-9) and transient indwelling-covered SEMSs were treated using UCSEMS. All enrolled patients were men (mean age, 61 years). Stent placement was successful in all 12 patients, and early clinical success was achieved in 11 (92%) patients. Four patients (25%) showed successful clinical outcomes without further intervention, but eight patients (75%) were clinically unsuccessful, and showed stricture recurrence or functional obstructive symptoms. Three patients underwent surgery, and the remaining five patients required repeat stent procedures. Despite the high reobstruction rate, the median follow-up period after UCSEMS placement was 16.7 months, demonstrating that UCSEMS may be able to achieve medium-term symptom relief without any complications. Therefore, UCSEMS may be an alternative option in exceptional circumstances in carefully selected patients, where invasive surgical treatments, such as stoma diversion, are not an option, thereby improving patients' quality of life.

Integrating the MasSpec Pen to the da Vinci Surgical System for In Vivo Tissue Analysis during a Robotic Assisted Porcine Surgery.

Minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgeries have been increasingly used as a first-line of treatment for patients undergoing oncologic surgeries. In-situ tissue identification is critical to guide tissue resection and assist decision-making. Traditional intraoperative histopathologic analysis of frozen tissue sections can be time-consuming and present logistical challenges which interrupt surgical workflows. We report the development and implementation of a laparoscopic, drop-in version of the MasSpec Pen device integrated into the da Vinci Xi Surgical system for in vivo tissue analysis in a robotic-assisted porcine surgery. We evaluated the performance of the drop-in MasSpec Pen during surgery by introducing the device into the animal upper gastrointestinal system and performing in vivo analyses of the stomach and liver, including charred and bloody tissues after electrocauterization. The molecular profiles obtained included ions tentatively identified as metabolites and lipids typically observed with MasSpec Pen analysis, without causing observable tissue damage. Statistical classifiers built to distinguish porcine liver and stomach tissues using the in vivo data yielded an overall tissue identification accuracy of 98% (n = 53 analyses). The results provide evidence that the drop-in MasSpec Pen developed can be used to acquire mass spectra in vivo during a robotic-assisted surgery and might be used as an in vivo tissue assessment tool to help guide surgical resections and streamline surgical workflows.

Use of the OVESCO OTSC® Proctology Clip for closure of fistula-in-ano at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre - a single centre experience.

BACKGROUND: Definitive closure of fistula-in-ano poses an ongoing surgical challenge. The OVESCO OTSC® Proctology Clip (proctology clip) purports to offer improved preservation of the anal sphincter whilst at the same time curing the fistula by closure. METHODS: A retrospective record review was conducted for patients who received the proctology clip as part of the management of fistula-in-ano in the Colorectal Unit at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre (WDGMC). RESULTS: There were 19 cases of fistula-in-ano treated with the proctology clip. All were cryptoglandular in origin. The median age was 50 years (IQR 44-56 years) and post-procedure, the median follow-up duration was 145 days (IQR 63-298 days). Overall, 9 procedures were successful (47%). Success rates were higher for simple (66.7%) as opposed to complex (38.5%) fistula-in-ano. For patients who underwent placement of the proctology clip as a primary procedure, the success rate (50%) was slightly better than those who received the clip as a secondary procedure (44.4%). CONCLUSION: This preliminary data presents our initial experience using the proctology clip. While these data may serve as a "proof of concept", a multi-centre controlled trial comparing this method to the rectal mucosal advancement flap (RMAF) is needed to determine the role of the proctology clip in the management of fistula-in-ano.

Outcome after surgery for deep endometriosis infiltrating the rectum.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the rate of postoperative complications between conservative surgery and segmental resection in patients with rectal endometriosis. DESIGN: Single-center retrospective study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): A total of 232 women undergoing surgery for deep endometriosis infiltrating the rectum up to 15 cm from the anus with at least involvement of the muscularis layer, stratified into two arms according to surgical technique. Subgroup analysis was performed in patients without previous therapeutic laparoscopy for endometriosis (n = 108). A propensity-score approach was used to correct for group differences. INTERVENTION(S): All patients underwent CO2-laser laparoscopic surgery: 61 underwent conservative surgery, and 171 had a segmental resection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Postoperative complication rate (Clavien-Dindo classification). RESULT(S): Clavien-Dindo type 1 and 2 complications did not differ between both groups. Clavien-Dindo type 3 complications were more frequent in the segmental resection group (1/61 [1.6%] conservative vs. 18/171 [10.5%] segmental), after propensity analysis only a trend was retained. In the subgroup analysis, no difference or trend was found (1/27 [3.7%] conservative vs. 5/81 [6.2%] segmental). A low rate of temporary diverting stoma was recorded: 24/232 (10.3%). CONCLUSION(S): A higher major complication (Clavien-Dindo ≥3) rate for segmental resections compared with conservative surgical treatment was shown in the overall population, although after correction for group differences this was attenuated to a trend only. However, in patients without previous therapeutic laparoscopy no significant difference or trend was found regardless of the surgical technique used. This not only suggests that redo/repeated surgery has a potentially increased morbidity, but also emphasizes the importance of a well executed primary surgery.

COVID-19: impact on colorectal surgery.

AIM: The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for the medical and surgical healthcare systems. With the ongoing need for urgent and emergency colorectal surgery, including surgery for colorectal cancer, several questions pertaining to operating room (OR) utilization and techniques needed to be rapidly addressed. METHOD: This manuscript discusses knowledge related to the critical considerations of patient and caregiver safety relating to personal protective equipment (PPE) and the operating room environment. RESULTS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, additional personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required contingent upon local availability of COVID-19 testing and the incidence of known COVID-19 infection in the respective community. In addition to standard COVID-19 PPE precautions, a negative-pressure environment, including an OR, has been recommended, especially for the performance of aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs). Hospital spaces ranging from patient wards to ORs to endoscopy rooms have been successfully converted from standard positive-pressure to negative-pressure spaces. Another important consideration is the method of surgical access; specifically, minimally invasive surgery with pneumoperitoneum is an AGP and thus must be carefully considered. Current debate centres around whether it should be avoided in patients known to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 or whether it can be performed under precautions with safety measures in place to minimize exposure to aerosolized virus particles. Several important lessons learned from pressurized intraperitoneal aerosolized chemotherapy procedures are demonstrated to help improve our understanding and management. CONCLUSION: This paper evaluates the issues surrounding these challenges including the OR environment and AGPs which are germane to surgical practices around the world. Although there is no single universally agreed upon set of answers, we have presented what we think is a balanced cogent description of logical safe approaches to colorectal surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Preventing the recurrence of acute anorectal abscesses utilizing a loose seton: a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: This pilot study aimed to document our results of treating anorectal abscesses with drainage plus loose seton for possible coexisting high fistulas or drainage plus fistulotomy for low tracts at the same operation. METHODS: Drainage plus fistulotomy were performed only in cases with subcutaneous mucosa, intersphincteric, or apparently low transsphincteric fistula tracts. For all other cases with high transsphincteric fistula or those with questionable sphincter involvement, a loose seton was placed through the tract. Drainage only was carried out in 17 patients. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients underwent drainage plus loose seton. Drainage plus fistulotomy were performed in four cases. None of the patients developed recurrent abscess during a follow-up of 12 months. Not surprisingly, the incontinence scores were similar pre and post-operatively (p=0.564). Only minor complications occurred in 4 cases (14.8 percent). Secondary interventions following loose seton were carried out in 13 patients (48.1 percent). At 12 months, drainage only was followed by 10 recurrences (58.8 percent; p<0.0001, compared with concomitant surgery). CONCLUSION: Concomitant loose seton treatment of high fistula tracts associated with anorectal abscess prevents abscess recurrence without significant complications or disturbance of continence. Concomitant fistulotomy for associated low fistulas also aids in the same clinical outcome. Concomitant fistula treatment with the loose seton may suffice in treating the whole disease process in selected cases. Even in patients with high fistula tracts, the loose seton makes fistula surgery simpler with a mature tract. Abscess recurrence is high after drainage only.

In experienced hands, does the robotic platform impact operative efficiency? Comparison of the da Vinci Si versus Xi robot in colorectal surgery.

Robotic surgical platforms have aimed to assist surgeons in meeting the challenges accompanying minimally invasive colon and rectal surgical procedures. Since early adoption over decade ago, there has been an evolution of the robotic platforms aimed at improved usability. We hypothesize, when compared to da Vinci Si, the Xi will allow for greater efficiency and result in shorter operative times. A case log review was completed for a single colorectal surgeon with 7 years' robotic experience, totaling over 800 cases. Patients were identified using CPT code S2900 (robot) for the most recent 15 months (January 2018-March 2019) contemporaneously at two tertiary care teaching hospitals; one equipped with the Si platform and the other with the Xi. A retrospective chart review of patients undergoing sigmoid colon resection or low anterior rectal resection (LAR) was completed. Categorical values were assessed using Fisher's exact test or Chi-square tests. Continuous data was compared using unpaired t test. 158 patients were identified as undergoing robotic major colonic surgical resection. A total of 93 patients underwent robotic sigmoid resection or LAR and were grouped based on the robotic platform used (Si, n = 52 vs. Xi, n = 41). The Xi group had significantly shorter surgical times for LAR and sigmoid resection, 162 vs 238 min (p = 0.0001). In the hands of an experienced surgeon, the da Vinci Xi system results in shorter operative times when performing sigmoid resection or LAR compared to older platforms. The da Vinci Xi may allow for improved efficiency as reflected by shorter operative times.