Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Complications in Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision (TATME) – Early Experience

Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) is a trending and promising surgical procedure to treat rectal cancer with oncologically oriented precision. Complication rates are promising after the learning curve is passed. A prospective study on the first 12 consecutive TaTME patients was done. The primary aim was the intraoperative and the early and late postoperative complications rate. Оne persisting failure as an intraoperative complication was reported: two anastomotic leaks and a ventral hernia as postoperative complications. TaTME is safe in terms of intra- and postoperative complications

Success rate and safety of totally implantable access ports placed by the cephalic vein cutdown technique in oncological patients – a single-center study

Introduction: Totally implantable access ports (TIAPs) are commonly used in oncologic patients undergoing ongoing chemotherapy. The methods of choice for implantation are the subclavian vein puncture approach and the cephalic vein cutdown technique, followed by internal jugular vein access and external jugular vein access. Materials and methods: We analyzed all patients who had a central venous access implanted by a single surgeon at the University Hospital in Pleven between October 2018 and January 2022, with the aim of determining the success rate and safety of the cephalic cutdown technique for placing totally implantable access ports. Results: 135 totally implantable access ports were inserted in the study period. Median age of patients was 69.2 years (range, 35-86 years). There were 71 (52.59%) women and 64 (47.41%) men. In 7 patients, the tip of the catheter was reported to go at the distal part of the subclavian vein and axillary vein on the ipsilateral side after initial placement and was repositioned under real-time fluoroscopic guidance. Successful placement of a totally implantable access port using the cephalic cutdown technique was reported in 127 patients (94.07%). No postoperative pneumothorax, hemothorax, or vessel injury were reported. One case of surgical site infection was seen on postoperative day (POD) 7. Late postoperative complications occurred in 3 patients with catheter-related bacteremia all after POD 30 (81, 95, and 172 days after the procedure). One patient died. Conclusions: Totally implantable access ports placed using the cephalic vein cutdown technique can be used safely and with high success rates in oncological patients

Laparoscopic splenectomy for solitary splenic hydatid cyst: Case report

Hydatid cyst disease is a parasitic disease caused by a type of tapeworm called Echinococcus. It is endemic to cattle-rearing regions of Africa, Asia, South Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Australia. The most common site of infection is the liver (75%). Involvement of the spleen is rare and occurs in 5% of the cases. Solitary splenic cysts are even rarer (0.5%–4%). We present a case of solitary hydatid cyst of the spleen in a 47-year-old woman. The cyst was asymptomatic and an accidental find on a full-body computed tomography after epileptic seizure and body trauma. The condition was treated successfully with albendazole, but the patient requested the cyst removed. Laparoscopic splenectomy was performed. The specimen was placed in an Endo-Bag and extracted. The patient recuperated well and was discharged on the post-operative day 5. Six months after the procedure, the patient has no complaints

Review on Anastomotic Leak Rate after ICG Angiography during Minimally Invasive Colorectal Surgery

Colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common type of cancer worldwide. The most devastating complication after colorectal surgery remains the anastomotic leak (AL). Many techniques have been developed to reduce its rate. One such new method is perfusion angiography using indocyanine green (ICG). A literary search in PUBMED on 1.03.2021 for full-text English articles published between 2014 and 2021 was performed. ICG, colorectal cancer, and angiography were the keywords we used. The review was performed following the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The literature search yielded 27 results when searching the database of PUBMED with the above keywords. Twenty-one out of 27 identified articles were included. Six were excluded from the analysis – four case reports, one review on the evolution of treating gastrointestinal cancers, and one containing no information on AL rate with ICG. One included article was RCT, sixteen were cohort studies, and four were meta-analyses or reviews. All articles reported a reduction in the anastomotic leak rate. However, the reduction was significant only in nine of them. Anastomotic leak is a severe complication and a subject of extensive research. Perfusion angiography with ICG is a step towards predicting and preventing AL, although it does not guarantee success in all cases

Recurrent pancreatic cancer patient treated by chemotherapy and focused ultrasound surgery. A case report

We present a case of recurrent pancreatic cancer diagnosed by computer tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography(PET), 7 months after Whipple radical surgery in a 61-year-old female patient. The patient was successfully treated byfocused ultrasound surgery (FUS) by innovative high intensity focused ultrasound device. The patient had no complications.Multiple cycles of chemotherapy were done. Twelve months after FUS the new PET-CT showed no evidence of metabolite activezone in the area of ablation and no progression of disease. The presented case is unique according to the literature as a localrecurrence after radical surgery for pancreatic cancer, successfully managed by local FUS ablation and adjuvant chemotherapy.</jats:p

Nationwide analysis of the breast cancer guidelines adherence in Bulgaria

Introduction: The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer have tremendously changed in the last decades improving the survival and quality of life of the patients. Adherence to clinical practice guidelines in oncology significantly improves patients’ recurrence-free and overall survival. Nowadays, no national registry/database for breast cancer patients is available. This study aims to perform a nationwide analysis of the breast cancer guidelines adherence in Bulgaria, in particular regarding the diagnostic methods for histological confirmation and the types of radical surgery performed using an artificial intelligence (AI) powered software. Materials and methods: We analyzed data from January 2019 to August 2023 nationwide using the platform with access to anonymized medical information from Bulgaria's leading territorial oncology hospitals. A total of 13,790 patients met the inclusion criteria. Results: The gold standard diagnostic tool, CNB, was done in 5427 patients (39.35%), an intraoperative frozen section was performed as a method for confirmation of breast cancer in 6257 patients (45.37%) and the standard technique for lymph node evaluation, sentinel lymph node biopsy, was done in 357 patients (2.99%). Conclusion: In Bulgaria, there are still difficulties in achieving comparable rates of core-needle biopsy for the diagnosis of breast cancer and we have demonstrated unacceptably high rates of frozen section use for intraoperative diagnosis of breast cancer. Breast-conserving surgery is widely accepted and available, but still, the rates are lower than usual for developed countries. The rates of sentinel lymph node biopsy, however, are unreasonably low

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit