Routine Surgical Practice Research Articles

On indocyanine green fluorescence and autofluorescence in thyroid and parathyroid surgery: A scoping systematic review

• We acknowledge the feasibility of using ICG and AF as a powerful tool for the identification of PG more effectively than with classic methods or the naked eye • These results are encouraging towards the use of such techniques intraoperatively • Further research is needed to obtain high-quality evidence showing a possible reduction in postoperative hypocalcaemia rates and clinical symptoms that would justify the use of these techniques in routine surgical practice. Autofluorescence (AF) and Indocyanine Green Fluorescence (ICG) were used for the first time for parathyroid gland identification in 2011 and 2015, respectively, during thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. Authors reported promising results. We aim to understand the impact on postoperative biochemical and clinical outcomes of these new techniques, as well as their influence on the intraoperative identification of parathyroid glands, the related technical challenges and their cost-effectiveness. A systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE was performed with the help of MeSH and following the PRISMA guidelines. Overall, 58 studies were included dating from 2008 to August 2020 in English, German, Spanish, and French. Due to the mainly observational nature of the papers on the topic, letters to the editor and responses to previous papers were included. Papers combining the use of both techniques in the same cohort were included. We analysed a total of 3 RCTs, 33 observational studies, and 22 case series or reports. The use of AF/ICG increased the surgeon's confidence and demonstrated a better sensitivity for parathyroid gland identification in both thyroidectomies and parathyroidectomies compared to other techniques. Adverse events were uncommon. After reviewing the literature, we acknowledge the feasibility of using ICG and AF as a powerful tool for the identification of parathyroid glands more effectively than with classic methods or the naked eye. These results are encouraging towards the use of such techniques intraoperatively. However, further research is needed to obtain high-quality evidence showing a possible reduction in postoperative hypocalcaemia rates and clinical symptoms that would justify the use of these techniques in routine surgical practice.

Risk stratification in laparoscopic liver resections: a review of available scales and validation with a Bulgarian cohort of patients

Introduction: Laparoscopic liver surgery underwent tremendous development during the past decade. The increased technical complexity of this procedure implies a gradual increase in surgical difficulty, relative to the surgeon’s experience. Various difficulty scoring systems (DSS) have been developed to facilitate patient selection for laparoscopic hepatectomy. Methods: We performed an analysis of a prospectively maintained database for the period January 2019 – January 2022. We identified patients, who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy. They were staged according to the four DSS: Iwate, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris (IMM), Southampton and Hasegawa. We compared the results between the difficulty levels with the actual intraoperative parameters (Pringle-maneuver time, blood loss, hemotransfusion rate and operative time) and postoperative results. The data was evaluated using Jonckheere-Terpspa trend analysis and AUROC analysis. The correlation was assessed using Spearman’s rho. Results: We identified 60 patients, satisfying the inclusion criteria. The mean age of the group was 60 years, with 43% being male. The analysis confirmed the positive correlation between the four DSS and the intraoperative parameters. The risk of conversion or adverse postoperative outcome could not be adequately predicted by either of the DSS. Regarding the conversion risk, the IMM scale has the best discriminative ability (AUC=0,597), while the Hasegawa scale has the best ability to predict postoperative complications (AUC=0,612). Conclusions: We validated the four DSS for the Bulgarian population. From a practical standpoint, the IMM scale is most convenient for application during routine surgical practice.

Characterization of Intercalated Cell Markers KIT and LINC01187 in Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma and Other Renal Neoplasms.

Introduction. Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chromophobe RCC) is the third major subcategory of renal tumors after clear cell RCC and papillary RCC, accounting for approximately 5% of all RCC subtypes. Other oncocytic neoplasms seen commonly in surgical pathology practice include the eosinophilic variant of chromophobe RCC, renal oncocytoma, and low-grade oncocytic unclassified RCC. Methods. In our recent next-generation sequencing based study, we nominated a lineage-specific novel biomarker LINC01187 (long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1187) which was found to be enriched in chromophobe RCC. Like KIT (cluster of differentiation 117; CD117), a clinically utilized chromophobe RCC related biomarker, LINC01187 is expressed in intercalated cells of the nephron. In this follow-up study, we performed KIT immunohistochemistry and LINC01187 RNA in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH) on a cohort of chromophobe RCC and other renal neoplasms, characterized the expression patterns, and quantified the expression signals of the two biomarkers in both primary and metastatic settings. Results. LINC01187, in comparison to KIT, exhibits stronger and more uniform expression within tumors while maintaining temporal and spatial consistency. LINC01187 also is devoid of intra-tumoral heterogeneous expression pattern, a phenomenon commonly noted with KIT. Conclusions. LINC01187 expression can augment the currently utilized KIT assay and help facilitate easy microscopic analyses in routine surgical pathology practice.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SINGLE LAYER INESTINAL ANASTOMOSIS AND DOUBLE LAYER INTESINAL ANASTOMOSIS

Background: Gastrointestinal anastomosis is one of the most common procedures being performed in oesophagogastric, hepatobiliary, bariatric, small bowel and colorectal surgery. There are still conflicting views regarding suitability of single layer and double layer anastomotic technique. Methods: This comparative study was conducted at Patna Medical College and Hospital,Patna in which 48 patients were repaired with single layer anastomosis and 48 were repaired with double layer intestinal anastomosis. Single layer intestinal anastomosis was carried using extramucosal technique with 2-0 vicryl suture (round body). Double layer anastomosis was carried out using interrupted 2-0 vicryl suture for both inner (continuous) and outer ( Interrupted) layer.End to end colocolic,end to side ileocolic,end to end ileoileal,side to side ileoileal,end to end jejunoileal and end to end jejunojejunal anastomosis were performed. Each group was compared for anastomotic leak, time required to construct the anastomosis and length of hospital stay. Results: The mean time taken for anastomosis (15±2 minutes in single layer anastomosis versus 32±5 minutes in double layer) and the length of hospital stay was same in both the groups.There was 1 anastomosis leak in single layer anastomosis group and 3 in double layer group. Conclusion: It can be concluded that single layered extramucosal continuous intestinal anastomosis is equally safe and perhaps more cost effective than the conventional double layered method and may represent the optimal choice for routine surgical practice.

Serum liver enzyme alterations after laparoscopic cholecystectomy – a study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of adoption of laparoscopic approach for cholecystectomy on liver function tests. This was a retrospective analysis of the data of 242 patients who had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Liver function tests were not ordered after laparoscopic cholecystectomy in routine surgical practice unless there was some specific reason in the postoperative period to initiate them. Only 14 patients had postoperative liver function tests and 2 had shown a transient rise in levels of enzymes. The rise in hepatic enzymes after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is transient and carries no clinical implications in patients with normal preoperative liver functions.

Perspectives on competencies for care in austere settings

Austerity in surgical care may manifest by limited equipment/supplies, deficient infrastructure (power, water), rationing/triage requirements, or the unavailability of specialty surgical or medical expertise. Some settings in which surgeons may experience austerity include the following: military deployed operations (domestic and foreign), humanitarian surgical missions, care in rural or remote settings, mass-casualty events, natural disasters, and/or care in low- and some middle-income countries. Expanded competencies beyond those required in routine surgical practice can optimize the quality of surgical care in such settings. The purpose of this expert panel review is to introduce those competencies.

Prostatic metaplasia and pilar differentiation in gender-affirming mastectomy specimens

With the increasing practice of gender-affirming mastectomy as a therapeutic procedure in the setting of gender dysphoria, there has come a profusion of literature on the pathologic findings within these specimens. Findings reported in over 1500 patients have not included either prostatic metaplasia or pilar metaplasia of breast epithelium. We encountered both of these findings in the course of routine surgical pathology practice and therefore aimed to analyze these index cases together with a retrospective cohort to determine the prevalence, anatomic distribution, pathologic features, and associated clinical findings of prostatic metaplasia and pilar metaplasia in the setting of gender-affirming mastectomy. In addition to the 2 index cases, 20 additional archival gender-affirming mastectomy specimens were studied. Before mastectomies, all but 1 patient received testosterone cypionate, 6/22 patients received norethindrone, and 21/22 practiced breast binding. Prostatic metaplasia, characterized by glandular proliferation along the basal layer of epithelium in breast ducts, and in one case, within lobules, was seen in 18/22 specimens; 4/22 showed pilar metaplasia, consisting of hair shafts located within breast ducts, associated with squamoid metaplasia resembling hair matriceal differentiation. By immunohistochemistry, prostatic metaplasia was positive for PSA in 16/20 cases and positive for NKX3.1 in 15/20 cases. Forty-three reduction mammoplasty control cases showed no pilar metaplasia and no definite prostatic metaplasia, with no PSA and NKX3.1 staining observed. We demonstrate that prostatic metaplasia and pilar metaplasia are strikingly common findings in specimens from female-assigned-at-birth transgender patients undergoing gender-affirming mastectomy. Awareness of these novel entities in the breast is important, to distinguish them from other breast epithelial proliferations and to facilitate accrual of follow-up data for better understanding their natural history.

Cardiac Surgery and Covid-19 Insight into Peri-Operative Management

Background: Health care is seriously affected by the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with alarming effects upon conduct of cardiac surgery. The initial resource conservation strategy has to modify for handling the surging case load due to deference of routine care in the face of pandemic. Methods: The cardiac surgical practice during the lockdown period (from 25th March till 30TH November 2020) at a tertiary care centre was observed. The cardiac diagnosis of the ones operated, conduct algorithm, and working policy were analyzed. Descriptive statistics was applied to calculate the percentages of different case subsets in both adult and pediatrics groups. Results: Total of 333 emergency cases were operated on during the time frame from 25thMarch 2020 to 30thNovember 2020. Cases were divided into adult and pediatric cases. Total adult cases were 160 (48%) in number. Adult cases were further classified into aortic cases, coronary artery disease, valvular pathologies and miscellaneous ones. Total 11 aortic cases (6.8%), 43 CABG cases (26.8%), 42 valvular cases (26.2%) and 83 miscellaneous cases (51.8%) were operated. In the pediatric population, a total of 173 cases (52%) were operated, with 42 cases (24.2%) being arterial switch operations, one case of ALCAPA repair (0.5%), 25 cases (14.4%) of TAPVC repair and others (60.6%). All cases were preoperatively COVID-19 negative. However postoperatively 10 patients (3%) showed symptoms of COVID-19 and on testing turned out to be COVID-19 positive. 8 patients (80%) were transferred to dedicated COVID-19 facility for management and later 6 (60%) were discharged after successful management. There was no COVID-19-related mortality and none of the health-care workers developed COVID-19 in the entire study period. Conclusion: The initial phase of resource conservation has undermined the routine cardiac surgical practice. The study showed that strict adherence to management algorithm is necessary for persisting smooth continuation of cardiac surgical practice with provision of optimum critical care. The strategic comeback against COVID-19 would urge institutional development of protocols to aid the post-surge period.

The Role of Diagnostic Medical Imaging Techniques in the Evaluation of Perianal Fistula: A Review

The fistula in ano or perianal fistula is one of the common fistulae noted in routine surgical and clinical practice. It has the tendency to reoccur even after surgery, which is due to missed pathological tract or tissue during surgical exploration. An adequate pre-surgical mapping is a necessity for giving an excellent surgical outcome and choosing an appropriate surgical technique for treating various fistulas.

Understanding the Role and Value of Process Quality Indicators in Hospitalized Older Surgical Patients

Background Despite the development of geriatrics surgery process quality indicators (QIs), few studies have reported on these QIs in routine surgical practice. Even less is known about the links between these QIs and clinical outcomes, and patient characteristics. We aimed to measure geriatrics surgery process QIs, and investigate the association between process QIs and outcomes, and QIs and patient characteristics, in hospitalized older vascular surgery patients. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of 150 consecutive patients aged ≥ 65 years admitted to a tertiary vascular surgery unit. Occurrence of geriatrics surgery process QIs as part of routine vascular surgery care was measured. Associations between QIs and high-risk patient characteristics, and QIs and clinical outcomes were assessed using clustered heatmaps. Results QI occurrence rate varied substantially from 2% to 93%. Some QIs, such as cognition and delirium screening, documented treatment preferences, and geriatrician consultation were infrequent and clustered with high-risk patients. There were two major process-outcome clusters: (a) multidisciplinary consultations, communication and screening-based process QIs with multiple adverse outcomes, and (b) documentation and prescribing-related QIs with fewer adverse outcomes. Conclusions Clustering patterns of process QIs with clinical outcomes are complex, and there is a differential occurrence of QIs within older vascular surgery patients, suggesting process QIs alone may be unreliable targets for quality improvement. Prospective intervention studies are needed to understand the causal pathways between process QIs and outcomes to help prioritize care processes that are most clearly linked to improved outcomes.

Campylobacter concisus gastritis masquerading as Helicobacter pylori on gastric biopsy.

Campylobacter concisus is a Gram-negative rod closely related to Helicobacter pylori. We sought to identify gastric biopsies positive for C. concisus that had been misdiagnosed as H. pylori gastritis in our routine surgical pathology practice. We performed a retrospective review of gastric biopsies in our regional microbiology and pathology electronic records to identify cases that were submitted for H. pylori testing in which C. consicus was identified on culture and how many had concurrent biopsies sent to pathology for histologic assessment over a two-year period (2017-2018). Pathologic findings in the gastric biopsies were reviewed and immunohistochemical staining for H. pylori was performed. 50 of 2191gastric biopsy specimens submitted to microbiology in 2017-18grew C. concisus (2.3%), compared to 168 in which H. pylori was identified (7.7%). Twenty-eight cases had concurrent histology. A total of four cases (three from 2017 and one from 2018) demonstrated organisms morphologically identical to H. pylori in the H&E sections, of which all were H. pylori immunoreactive. Our case series is the first to demonstrate that C. concisus can mimic H. pylori gastritis in routine biopsy pathology.

Disease recurrence after right hemicolectomy in Scotland: Is there rationale to adopt complete mesocolic excision (CME)?

AimsComplete mesocolic excision (CME) has been proposed as a way to improve the oncological outcomes in patients with colon cancer. To investigate whether there is rationale for adopting the technique in Scotland, our aim was to define the incidence of disease recurrence following standard right hemicolectomy and to compare this with published CME outcomes. MethodsData was collected on consecutive patients undergoing right or extended right hemicolectomy for colonic adenocarcinoma (2012–2017) at three hospitals in Scotland (Raigmore Hospital, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Glasgow Royal Infirmary). Emergency or palliative surgery was excluded. Patients were followed up with CT scans and colonoscopy for a minimum of 3 years. Results689 patients (M 340, F 349) were included. 30-day mortality was 1.6%. Final pathological stage was Stage I (14%), Stage II (49.8%) and Stage III (36.1%). During follow-up, 10.5% developed loco-regional recurrence and 12.2% developed distant metastases. The 1, 3 and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 94%, 84% and 82% respectively. Primary determinants of recurrence were T stage (p < 0.001), N stage (p < 0.001), apical node involvement (p < 0.001) and EMVI (p < 0.001). When compared to the literature, 30-day mortality was lower than many published series and DFS rates were similar to the largest CME study to date (4 year DFS 85.8% versus 83%). ConclusionThe outcomes of patients undergoing right hemicolectomy in Scotland compare favourably with many published CME studies. The technique demands further evaluation before it can be recommended for adoption into routine surgical practice.

Urgent elective pathway service reconfiguration facilitates increased use of surgical adjuncts, improvement in survival trends, and reduced hospital stay for glioblastoma patients

Abstract Aims Glioblastomas (GB) are the most common and aggressive of intrinsic brain tumours. Median survival with maximal therapy is reported to be 14.6 months. Service reconfiguration at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) has transformed the service for high grade brain cancer patients, including GB, from a predominantly emergency pathway based system to one of planned urgent-elective admissions consisting of: A. Patient-focused, consultant-led, research orientated “one stop shop” model of integrated outpatient neurosurgical oncology clinic B. Standardisation of urgent elective pathways C. Incorporation of neuro-surgical intra-operative adjuncts (neuro-monitoring, 5-ALA) into routine surgical practice for oncology. Using this model, we have reduced hospital length of stay (with associated financial savings), improved extent of resection and achieved a trend towards increased survival. Method We retrospectively identified patients with primary histological diagnoses of GB (WHO grade IV), who underwent surgery over a six year period, from 01/01/2014 to 31/12/2019, from the QEHB pathology database. Data was collected for demographics, surgical and oncological therapy, use of intra-operative adjuncts, emergency and elective admission status, year of admission, length of stay (LOS), and extent of resection (EOR) on first post-operative MRI scan from hospital databases. Survival was analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method and independent-samples median testing for survival. Proportion of patients undergoing resective surgery and admission status was calculated by year. Overall median survival was calculated and subgroup comparisons made of patients by: age, admission status, year of admission, biopsy or resection, oncology treatment. Hospital length of stay was calculated for patients by surgical procedure, admission pathways and compared across the year. Financial data taken from averages of inpatient episode costs were used to estimate cost savings. Results 610 patients underwent primary procedures for GB, of which 64 were still alive at time of analysis (02/02/2021). Median overall survival time was 9.53 months, this was greatest in patients who underwent resection with completion of Stupp protocol: 28.67 months (n=114). From 2014 to 2019, there has been an increase in elective admission rates (28.1% to 90.3%, p&amp;lt;0.001) and increased proportion of resective surgery (68.4% to 81.9%, p&amp;lt;0.001). There is a trend of improved survival from 2014 to 2019 (median 7.95 and 11.08 months, χ2=9.249, p=0.002). Increasing use of intra-operative adjuvants improved EOR (χ2 =31.064, p&amp;lt;0.001). Through improved urgent-elective admission rates, hospital length of stay has decreased by five days for craniotomies and six days for biopsies. Cost analysis of three cases demonstrated that reducing the LOS by one night alone result in an average cost saving of approximately £750 per patient per night. Conclusion Switching to a system of planned and urgent elective based admission, with standardisation of neuro-oncology patient pathways, increased use of intra-operative adjuncts, earlier oncology multidisciplinary input and outpatient review, has improved the extent of GB resection, led to shorter length of hospital stay associated with significant financial savings and achieved a trend towards increased overall survival.

Multicentre evaluation of magnetic technology for localisation of non-palpable breast lesions and targeted axillary nodes.

Magseed technology is a recently introduced localisation technique for impalpable breast lesions with possible advantages over traditional techniques. These include improved theatre logistics, flexibility in incision placement and improved patient experience. This multicentre study evaluates the experience of introducing Magseed technology into routine surgical practice. A prospective multicentre study of Magseed localised procedures was performed. Insertion data were recorded by the radiologist including lesion characteristics and Magseed insertion accuracy. The surgical team recorded time from insertion to operation, operating time and surgical satisfaction. Pathology results were reviewed for specimen weight and margins. Between February 2019 and June 2020, 100 patients were enrolled. Magseed localised procedures included 18 excisional biopsies, 23 wide local excisions (WLE), 50 WLE with axillary surgery and four cases of Magseed localised breast WLE with Magseed localised axillary surgery. There were three therapeutic mammoplasties and two cases of Magseed localised targeted axillary node dissection alone. A total of 90% of Magseeds were radiologically placed within 5 mm of the target lesion/node. Time between incision and specimen removal was 17 min (range 6-40 min). All breast and axillary Magseeds were successfully identified and retrieved during surgery. The target lesion was identified in the specimen in all cases. A total of 10% of cases required further surgery for pathologically positive margins. Overall, surgeons reported that Magseed localisation was "easy" or "very easy" in 77% of cases. Magseed is a reliable, safe and accurate surgical technique that provides logistical advantages and flexibility of surgical approach. The method was well-accepted by all users.

Causes, diagnosis, and treatment of postoperative obstructive jaundice

AIM: This study aimed to analyze the causes, diagnosis, and clinical treatment of postoperative obstructive jaundice (POOJ) in routine surgical practice.&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four patients with POOJ that developed in the organs of the hepatobiliary system after surgical interventions were included in this study. The patients were subjected to the following procedures to diagnose the causes of POOJ and choose the treatment methods: general clinical examination, biochemical blood tests, dynamic postoperative ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs, video laparoscopy, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, fistulocholangiography, endoscopic retrograde cholagiopancreatography, and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiostomy.&#x0D; RESULTS: POOJ occurred in 18 cases after they had different variants of surgical interventions on the biliary tract after traditional (n = 6) and video laparoscopic cholecystectomy (n = 12). POOJ also developed in 6 cases after they underwent surgery on the liver: atypical (n = 2) and anatomical (n = 2) resection of the liver. This condition manifested after the opening and draining of liver abscesses under US control (n = 2). POOJ was treated with different methods to alleviate the developed complications. After surgical interventions on the liver and biliary tract in 6 cases, relaparotomy, sequestrectomy with sanation, drainage of the abdominal cavity (n = 4), and right-sided hemihepatectomy (n = 2) were performed. In 6 other cases, on days 34 of the development of POOJ after laparoscopic operation (n = 2), relaparotomy was performed, clips and ligature were removed from the choledoch with the formation of Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. Minimally invasive methods of POOJ correction were applied to 12 cases. Of the 12 cases, 5, 2, and 1 were subjected to endoscopic papillosphincterotomy with lithoextraction, endoscopic papillosphincterotomy with lithoextraction coupled with nasobiliary drainage, and relaparoscopy and redrainage of the common bile duct, respectively. In 4 cases, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiostomy was performed at the first stage. At the second stage, after POOJ resolution, the following procedures were implemented: redrainage of the common bile duct (n = 2) and dilatation of the orifice of the right hepatic duct with reconstruction of hepaticojejunostomy on the hidden transhepatic drainage.&#x0D; CONCLUSION: POOJ is still encountered in clinical practice in a sufficient number of cases. Treatment results largely depend on the time of diagnosis and the choice of optimal surgical strategies. The main causes of POOJ are tactical and technical diagnostic and treatment errors. POOJ is diagnosed on the basis of the data of modern radiation and laboratory and instrumental examination methods. Surgical tactics for POOJ are individually active and dependent on the severity, time, and causes of development. They also depend on the general condition of patients. Along with minimally invasive interventions for POOJ, early relaparotomy is less dangerous than passive expectation tactics.

Introducing routine intraoperative nerve monitoring in a high-volume endocrine surgery centre: a health technology assessment.

We sought to analyse the effect of the introduction of intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) in our routine surgical practice and to provide a circumstantial analysis of direct costs of IONM in total thyroidectomy and of indirect costs associated with vocal fold palsy, as centred in the health care system of Italy. We retrospectively compared outcomes of 232 total thyroidectomies performed between November 2017 and October 2019, respectively, before (109 TT-Group A) and after (123 TT-Group B) adopting IONM technology in November 2018. We analysed the costs of IONM per procedure and rate and costs of vocal fold palsy events (temporary and permanent). Overall, there were 61 thyroid cancers (32 in Group B) and 171 multinodular goitres (91 in Group B). We recorded 5 cases of vocal fold palsy (4.6%-4 transient, 1 permanent) in Group A and none in Group B (p = 0.016). IONM consumables cost 219 eur per case. Healthcare and social cost of Vocal fold palsy ranged between 3200 eur (function recovery < 1month postoperatively) and over 32,000 eur (permanent event). When only direct costs are considered, IONM can hardly be cost effective. In this study, cost of IONM implementation was offset by the absence of complications attributable to recurrent laryngeal nerve dysfunction.

A Review of PROM Implementation in Surgical Practice.

To synthesize the current state of PROM implementation and collection in routine surgical practice through a review of the literature. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are increasingly relevant in the delivery of high quality, individualized patient care. For surgeons, PROMs can provide valuable insight into changes in patient quality of life before and after surgical interventions. Despite consensus within the surgical community regarding the promise of PROMs, little is known about their real-world implementation. The literature search was conducted in MEDLINE and Embase for studies published after 2012. We conducted a scoping review to synthesize the current state of implementation of PROs across all sizes and types of surgical practices. Studies were included if they met the following inclusion criteria: (1) patients ≥18 years 2) routine surgical practice, (3) use of a validated PRO instrument in the peri-operative period to report on general or disease-specific health-related quality of life, (4) primary or secondary outcome was implementation. Two independent reviewers screened 1524 titles and abstracts. 16 studies were identified that reported on the implementation of PROMs for surgical patients. Sample size ranged from 41 patients in a single-center pilot study to 1324 patients in a study across 17 institutions. PROs were collected pre-operatively in 3 studies, post-operatively in 10, and at unspecified times in 4. The most commonly reported implementation outcomes were fidelity (12) and feasibility (11). Less than half of studies analyzed nonrespondents. All studies concluded that collection of PROMs was successful based on outcomes measured. The identified studies suggest that implementation metrics including minimum standards of collection pre- and postintervention, reporting for response rates in the context of patient eligibility and analysis of respondents and nonrespondents, in addition to transparency regarding the resources utilized and cost, can facilitate adoption of PROMs in clinical care and accountability for surgical outcomes.

Understanding the Role and Value of Process Quality Indicators in Older Vascular Surgery Inpatients

Despite the development of geriatrics surgery process quality indicators (QIs), few studies have reported on these QIs in routine surgical practice. Even less is known about the links between these QIs and clinical outcomes, and patient characteristics. We aimed to measure geriatrics surgery process QIs, and investigate the association between process QIs and outcomes, and QIs and patient characteristics, in hospitalized older vascular surgery patients. This was a prospective cohort study of 150 consecutive patients aged ≥ 65 years admitted to a tertiary vascular surgery unit. Occurrence of geriatrics surgery process QIs as part of routine vascular surgery care was measured. Associations between QIs and high-risk patient characteristics, and QIs and clinical outcomes were assessed using clustered heatmaps. QI occurrence rate varied substantially from 2% to 93%. Some QIs, such as cognition and delirium screening, documented treatment preferences, and geriatrician consultation were infrequent and clustered with high-risk patient characteristcs. There were two major process-outcome clusters: (a) multidisciplinary consultations, communication and screening-based process QIs with multiple adverse outcomes, and (b) documentation and prescribing-related QIs with fewer adverse outcomes. Clustering patterns of process QIs with clinical outcomes are complex, and there is a differential occurrence of QIs by patient characteristics. Prospective intervention studies that report on implemented QIs, outcomes and patient characteristics are needed to better understand the causal pathways between process QIs and outcomes, and to help prioritize targets for quality improvement in the care of older surgical patients.

English

BACKGROUND Covid-19 pandemic has a devastating effect on many aspects of human life. The health care sector is the most affected, and surgical disciplines are no exception. Surgery has an essential role in human life, given its curative potential, and its dearth would cause much morbidity and even mortality in many cases. Surgery cannot wait even for a pandemic. Against this backdrop, it becomes essential to examine the effect of the pandemic on surgical disciplines. Here we study the impact of Covid-19 on the general surgery department in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS A retrospective observational study comparing data of outpatient department (OPD), admissions, and surgical activity in two different periods was done. RESULTS There was a significant impact on the number of surgical outpatients seen, admissions done, and surgeries conducted when compared between the two periods. In 2019 vs. 2020, 19,983 vs. 4481 OPD’s were seen. Similarly, 4274 admissions occurred during 2019 vs. only 506 in the 2020 period. Likewise, the impact on both elective and emergency surgery was also significant, 1102 elective surgeries were conducted in 2019. In contrast, Covid lead to complete cessation of elective surgery in 2020, increasing the risk of complication of various surgical conditions to the patients. Emergency surgeries in 2019, 694 vs. 220 in 2020 signified how the Covid pandemic had led human life to a standstill. Covid-19 pandemic resulted in abrupt cessation of various academic activities conducted in the department, but it also has seen the adoption of newer teaching methods. CONCLUSIONS Surgical care is quintessential in the fact that no other remedy can produce its results. There is no parallel. Lack of surgical care can lead to complications, avoidable morbidity, and mortality and can profoundly impact human life quality. Surgical education, which requires an apprenticeship, direct involvement, also took a hard hit, which has implications for future surgeons and patients alike. In this backdrop, our study highlights the need for more information on the future of surgical practices to make surgery safe in pandemic times. The existing lockdown had a significant impact on routine surgical practice and will require dedicated efforts for the resumption of "New Normal" in the future of all surgical disciplines. KEYWORDS Covid-19, Pandemic, Impact, Surgical Practice, Surgical Training

Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma with Oligodendroglioma-Like Areas with Negative 1p19q Co-Deletion

AbstractThe most common mixed glioma encountered in routine surgical practice is oligoastrocytoma (OA); however, its is currently considered a vanishing entity. The 2016 classification of the World Health Organization (WHO) discourages the diagnosis of tumors as mixed glioma. The recommendations are that diffuse gliomas, including those with mixed or ambiguous histological features, should be subjected to molecular testing. Dual-genotype OAs are not yet a distinct entity or variant in the classification. We report a case of mixed glioma: a pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) mixed with an oligodendroglioma. The immunohistochemistry (IHC) pattern of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) negativity with retained nuclear expression of the alpha-thalassemia x-linked intellectual disability syndrome (ATRX) protein, and 1p19q co-deletion negativity in both the components enabled its identification as a mixed glioma rather than a collision tumor. To the best of our knowledge, the case herein presented is the fourth case of PXA with oligodendroglioma. Out of the other three reported cases, only one was of a collision tumor with a dual genotype, and the other two showed similar molecular signatures in both components. The present article discusses the histological, immunohistochemical and molecular features of the aforementioned case.