Three-stage Surgery Research Articles

OGC SO39 - The OUTLIVE Study - Oesophageal and JUncTional Cancer ELectIVE Surgery Morbidity and Mortality at 90-Day: A TUGS Multinational Audit

Abstract Background Oesophageal cancers are among the most common types of cancer and have a high mortality rate. Todate, oesophagectomy remains the gold standard treatment. However, considerable heterogeneity in the literature fails to generate a truly representative picture of short-term outcomes associated with these procedures. Method This multinational global audit includes all consecutive adults with clinically documented primary oesophageal malignancy undergoing elective surgery with curative intent. The study'sstudy's primary objective was to assess the 90-day mortality and morbidity rates in this population. Data was collected through a standardised dataset, and a descriptive analysis was employed. For analysis purposes, the patients were classified depending on the surgical procedure they underwent (laparoscopic, open, hybrid, converted and robotic surgery). Results A total of 622 individuals were analysed, most male [462 (74%)], with a mean Charlson Comorbidity Index of 4.30. The most common procedure was laparoscopic surgery [222 (35.7%)], followed by open surgery [198 (31.83%)]. 31 (5%) of the procedures reported an intraoperative complication, but more common in open procedures [11 (5.6%)]. 318 (51%) patients suffered postoperative complications within 90 days of surgery. The reoperation rate was 9.3%. McKeown staged procedure, compared to Ivor Lewis, had more infective complications [19% vs 11%, p=0.007] and a higher conversion to open procedures [69 (11.1%)]. 34 (11%) patients died because of a surgical complication. Conclusion No significant differences were found between the number of patients with at least one complication and the surgical approach. Nevertheless, robotic-assisted minimally invasive oesophagectomy (RAMIE) presented with the lowest complication, reoperation, and mortality rates. McKeown three-stage surgery also presented with worse clinical outcomes compared to Ivor Lewis procedures. Further studies and randomised control trials comparing different procedures in the field of elective oesophagectomy are needed to expand our knowledge in this field and guarantee the best outcomes for our patients.

Stapedoplasty as a Method of Hearing Loss Treatment in Patients with Tympanosclerosis

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of stapedoplasty as a method of hearing loss treatment in patients with stapes tympanosclerotic fixation. Materials and Methods:The first group included 25 patients with CPOM and TSC who under-went a two-stage surgery (2nd stage – stapedoplasty). The second group included 25 patients with CPOM and TSC who underwent a one-, two-, or three-stage surgery with a typical sta-pedoplasty as a final step, but using a surgical CO2 laser. Results: Analysis data of ABG mean values (35.3±8.6 dB before surgery) in TSC2 group showed their decrease in 1 month up to 22.1±9.5 dB; in 6 months – up to 17.0±8.0 dB, and in 12 months – up to 14.9±7.4 dB. Stapedoplasty with laser assistance was also effective, but its best results were shown in 6-12 months after surgery. ABG values < 20 dB were reached in 76% pa-tients; from 20 to 30 dB – in 92%, and 30 dB – in 100% patients. Analysis data of BC values (30.3±11.3 dB before surgery) showed their consistency in 1 month after surgery – 31.1±13.2 dB; in 6 months – 28.9±13.1 dB, and in 12 months – 28.3 ± 12.8 dB. Conclusion: Laser assistance during stapes crus crossing stage and stapedotomy in the early fol-low-up period results in absence of inner ear reaction for surgery.

Three-stage versus modified two-stage surgery for ulcerative colitis: a patient-centred treatment trade-off study.

There is ongoing debate about whether ileal pouch-anal anastomosis needs temporary diversion at the time of construction. Stomas may reduce risk for anastomotic leak (AL) but are also associated with complications, emergency department visits and readmissions. This treatment trade-off study aims to measure patients' preferences by assessing the absolute risk of AL and pouch failure (PF) they are willing to accept to avoid a diverting ileostomy. Fifty-two patients with ulcerative colitis, with or without previous pouch surgery, from Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, participated in this study. Standardized interviews were conducted using the treatment trade-off threshold technique. An online anonymous survey was used to collect patient demographics. We measured the absolute increased risk in AL and PF that patients would accept to undergo modified two-stage surgery as opposed to traditional three-stage surgery. Thirty-two patients (mean age 38.7 ± 15.3) with previous surgery and 20 patients (mean age 39.5 ± 11.9) with no previous surgery participated. Patients were willing to accept an absolute increased leak rate of 5% (interquartile range 4.5%-15%) to avoid a diverting ileostomy. Similarly, patients were willing to accept an absolute increased PF rate of 5% (interquartile range 2.5%-10%). Younger patients, aged 21-29, had lower tolerance for PF, accepting an absolute increase of only 2% versus 5% for patients older than 30 (P = 0.01). Patients were willing to accept a 5% increased AL rate or PF rate to avoid a temporary diverting ileostomy. This should be taken into consideration when deciding between modified two- and three-stage pouch procedures.

"Quality of life" analysis in the long-term follow-up after "Fontan" palliation for CHDs-a single-centre experience.

Complex CHDs are life threatening, and surgical treatment is needed for survival. Fontan palliation led to a significant increase in survival rates during the last decades. Consequently, quality of life became more essential. While a reduced quality of life compared to healthy children has been reported, detailed knowledge about individual quality of life and particular areas is lacking. Furthermore, the effect of different risk factors on quality of life is only rarely evaluated. Database of the department for pediatric cardiology, Heart Center Leipzig, was screened for children after total cavopulmonary connection palliation. n = 39 patients were included in the study, the outcome after total cavopulmonary connection was analysed in detail and quality of life data were collected and analysed using the standardised questionnaire "Pediatric quality of life inventory", version 4.0. We compared the total health score of our patients to the mean score of healthy children in the literature. The mean follow-up time was 6.4 ± 3.2 years, the overall survival was 100% after maximal follow-up time of 11.1 years. We could not find any age or gender dependence, nor an influence of age at total cavopulmonary connection on the later quality of life. Yet, patients with three-staged surgery exhibited a worse quality of life than patients with two-staged palliation. Late complications might influence quality of life, but patient number is too small, to find universal results. The total cavopulmonary connection palliation affects physical and psychological quality of life as well as cardiac health independently from age and gender. More patients and longer observation should be examined to confirm the results.

A91 INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PREGNANCY, DELIVERY, AND ILEAL POUCH-ANAL ANASTOMOSIS FOR INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: A RETROSPECTIVE CHART REVIEW

Abstract Background Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that affects people in their reproductive years of life. Surgical treatment for medically refractory UC involves surgery over 2-3 stages, which includes a subtotal colectomy followed by creation of an ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA), known as a “J pouch”. The IPAA allows preservation of fecal continence and avoids the psychosocial impacts of a stoma. The IPAA procedure is a deep pelvic surgery, which may impact pregnancy outcomes. Caesarean section (C-section) delivery is often performed to avoid anal sphincter and J pouch damage from vaginal delivery. However, literature demonstrates conflicting results regarding the risks of C-section compared to vaginal delivery, including the impact on pouch function. Surveys of clinicians also report varying delivery recommendations. Purpose To describe the delivery methods, pregnancy outcomes and postpartum course of IBD patients with IPAA at Mount Sinai Hospital. Method A retrospective chart review is being performed for female patients at Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto, Ontario) with a diagnosis of IBD and an IPAA. Eligible patients completed a pregnancy from January 1, 2002-February 1, 2021 post-IPAA surgery and had variables of interest accessible in their electronic medical record. Variables of interest include demographics, pregnancy history, IBD characteristics, IPAA surgery details, pregnancy outcomes, mode of delivery and characteristics, and postpartum complications. Clinical data will be presented as means, medians and frequencies. Differences between variables of interest will be evaluated with Student’s t-test or chi-squared test. Result(s) Three avenues of patient identification yielded 1113 patients to be screened. Inclusion criteria were met for 71 patients and chart review is complete for 36 patients who had a total of 53 pregnancies and delivered 56 babies. Most patients (49%) had a two-stage IPAA surgery, 21% required a three-stage surgery and 30% were undocumented. Most patients’ (55%) IPAA was created through laparotomy, while 13% was through laparoscopic procedure and 32% was undocumented. Seventy-four percent of deliveries were through C-section (75% of primiparous), 69% of which were indicated to protect the patient’s J pouch and 31% for an obstetrical indication. The remaining 26% of deliveries were vaginal, 29% of which were assisted with forceps or vacuum, 57% had tears (37.5% first-, 37.5% second-, and 25% third-degree) and 50% had an episiotomy. Conclusion(s) At Mount Sinai Hospital, most IBD patients with an IPAA who completed a pregnancy had a history of laparotomy to create their IPAA. Most patients (74%) with IBD and an IPAA are delivering through C-section, and mainly to protect their J pouch, which is in line with reports in the literature. Most patients had a tear or episiotomy during vaginal delivery. Rates of third-degree tears may be higher than in the general population. Trends will be further elucidated with advancement of the study. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Genetic Algorithm for Solving the No-Wait Three-Stage Surgery Scheduling Problem.

In this research, we consider a deterministic three-stage operating room surgery scheduling problem. The three successive stages are pre-surgery, surgery, and post-surgery. The no-wait constraint is considered among the three stages. Surgeries are known in advance (elective). Multiple resources are considered throughout the surgical process: PHU (preoperative holding unit) beds in the first stage, ORs (operating rooms) in the second stage, and PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) beds in the third stage. The objective is to minimize the makespan. The makespan is defined as the maximum end time of the last activity in stage 3. Minimizing the makespan not only maximizes the utilization of ORs but also improves patient satisfaction by allowing treatments to be delivered to patients in a timely manner. We proposed a genetic algorithm (GA) for solving the operating room scheduling problem. Randomly generated problem instances were tested to evaluate the performance of the proposed GA. The computational results show that overall, the GA deviated from the lower bound (LB) by 3.25% on average, and the average computation time of the GA was 10.71 s. We conclude that the GA can efficiently find near-optimal solutions to the daily three-stage operating room surgery scheduling problem.

Three-staged Surgery of Thoracic Esophageal Cancer with a Synchronous Liver Tumor and Oropharyngeal Cancer—A Case Report—

Three-staged Surgery of Thoracic Esophageal Cancer with a Synchronous Liver Tumor and Oropharyngeal Cancer—A Case Report—

Comparison of two-stage and three-stage surgery for obstructing left-sided colon cancer.

Whether the timing of stoma reversal after emergency diversion for obstructive left-sided colon cancer affects patient outcomes is unknown. Our study compared the short- and long-term outcomes of two- and three-stage operations for obstructive left-sided colon cancer. Patients with obstructive left-sided colon cancer who underwent staged resection at a referral hospital between January 2002 and December 2015 were retrospectively identified. Patient demographics and outcomes were analysed and compared between the two groups. Statistical significance was set as p < 0.05. A total of 191 patients were reviewed. The overall complication rate was higher for two-stage surgery than for three-stage surgery (57.1% versus 36.0%, p < 0.01). Surgical site infection and/or wound dehiscence were the most common complications. Other complications, including anastomotic leakage, ileus, and bowel obstruction, were not significantly different between the two groups. The five-year overall survival and disease-free survival in stage II and III patients were comparable. Among patients with obstructive left-sided colon cancer who underwent staged resection, two-stage surgery was associated with a higher complication rate, especially for surgical site infection and/or wound dehiscence, which could be managed by local treatment. The timing of stoma reversal was not associated with survival differences in patients with stage II and III disease. However, issues such as the location of the tumour and diverting stoma, along with the need to resect other upper abdominal organs, should all be considered when deciding between two- and three-stage surgeries.

Early definitive internal fixation for infected nonunion of the lower limb

BackgroundThe management of an infected nonunion of long bones is difficult and challenging. A staged procedure comprising radical debridement followed by definitive internal fixation was favored. However, no standard treatment has been established to determine the appropriate waiting period between initial debridement and definitive internal fixation. We propose a management method that incorporates early definitive internal fixation in infected nonunion of the lower limb.MethodsThirty-four patients (28 men and 6 women; mean age 46.09 years; range 25–74 years) with infected nonunion of the tibia or femur were included. Initial infected bone resection and radical debridement were performed in each patient in accordance with the preoperative plans. Definitive surgery was performed 2–3 weeks after the resection (4 weeks after flap surgery was required), and a third surgery was performed to fill the bone defect through bone grafting or transport (three-stage surgery). In cases of unplanned additional surgery, the reason for the requirement was analyzed, and radiological and functional results were investigated in accordance with the Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov criteria.ResultsBone union was achieved in all patients, and treatment was conducted as planned preoperatively in 28 patients (28/34, 82.35%). The mean interval between primary debridement and secondary definitive fixation was 2.76 weeks (range 2–4 weeks). Six unplanned additional surgeries were performed, and the infection relapsed in two cases. The radiological and functional outcomes were good or better in 32 and 31 patients, respectively.ConclusionsEarly definitive surgery can be performed to treat infected nonunion by thorough planning and implementation of radical resection, active response to infection, restoration of defective bones, and soft tissue healing through a systemic approach.

Aorto-Esophageal Fistula Caused by Distal Stent Graft-Induced New Entry after Frozen Elephant Trunk Technique for Chronic Aortic Dissection.

We present a case of aorto–esophageal fistula (AEF) caused by distal stent graft-induced new entry (dSINE) after the frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique for chronic aortic dissection. We propose that the combination of the spring-back force and the radial force of the FET may play a role in the occurrence of dSINE, leading to AEF. In this case, we successfully performed a three-stage surgery, including esophagectomy, descending aortic replacement, and esophageal reconstruction. To prevent this critical complication, additional endovascular aortic repair should be performed if the FET is not positioned at the straight portion of the descending aorta.

Three-stage laparoscopic surgery in a morbidly obese patient with Hinchey III diverticulitis: a case report

BackgroundPerforated diverticulitis with purulent peritonitis (Hinchey III diverticulitis) has traditionally been treated with a Hartmann’s procedure in order to avoid the considerable postoperative morbidity and mortality associated with one-stage resection and primary anastomosis. Although there have been reports regarding laparoscopic lavage as the initial treatment of perforated Hinchey III diverticulitis, a formal treatment strategy has not been established yet. We performed a three-stage surgery, including laparoscopic lavage and drainage with diverting ileostomy (first stage), laparoscopic sigmoidectomy (second stage), and ileostomy closure (third stage) in a morbidly obese patient with Hinchey III diverticulitis.Case presentationA 31-year-old man who presented with abdominal pain was diagnosed with perforated diverticulitis and sent to our hospital for evaluation. He had morbid obesity (body mass index (BMI) 50 kg/m2), acute renal failure, and uncontrolled diabetes. We performed an emergency operation including laparoscopic lavage and drainage with a diverting ileostomy for this case of Hinchey III diverticulitis. Fifteen months after the first-stage surgery, we performed laparoscopic sigmoidectomy as the second stage. Finally, 5 months later, we performed ileostomy closure. The patient recovered without significant complications.ConclusionThree-stage surgery including early laparoscopic lavage and proximal diversion for morbidly obese, comorbid patients with Hinchey III diverticulitis may be indicated in the acute phase to avoid perioperative complications and permanent colostomy creation.

Long-term Single-centre Outcomes After Proctocolectomy With Ileoanal Anastomosis for Paediatric Ulcerative Colitis.

Childhood-onset ulcerative colitis [UC] requires total colectomy in one-quarter of patients at some point of their disease. The study objective was to evaluate long-term outcomes after proctocolectomy with ileoanal anastomosis [IAA] for paediatric UC. Medical records of all children undergoing proctocolectomy with IAA for UC during 1985-2016 in Helsinki University Hospital were retrospectively assessed. Data on disease history, diagnostic and operative details, occurrence of surgical complications, functional outcome, postoperative diagnosis of Crohn's disease [CD] and pouch failure were collected. Risk factors for IAA failure were analysed with Cox regression. Of 87 patients, 85 [98%] had UC and 2 [2%] inflammatory bowel disease unclassified [IBD-U] preoperatively. Altogether 66% underwent two-stage and 34% underwent three-stage procedures. During 7.8 [4.1-14.5] years' follow-up, nine [10%] patients were diagnosed with postoperative CD. Postoperative leakages [n = 8, 9%] and strictures [n = 10, 11%] were equally common, whereas fistulas [78% vs 9%, p <0.001] and abscesses [56% vs 14%, p = 0.009] were more frequent among patients with later CD diagnosis. At latest follow-up, eight [9%] patients had been converted to a permanent ileostomy and others reported daytime stooling frequency of 5 [4-7] and 0.5 [0-1] at night. CD diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR] = 23.3, p = 0.005), postoperative abscesses [HR = 16.3, p = 0.013] and fistulas [HR = 20.9, p = 0.007] as well as three-stage surgery [p = 0.018] increased risk for ileostomy. For paediatric UC, long-term surgical and functional outcomes after proctocolectomy with IAA are reassuring. Need for three-stage surgery and occurrence of postoperative fistulas and abscesses, but not leakages or strictures, associate with postoperative CD diagnosis and the risk for ileostomy.

Immunosuppressive medication is not associated with surgical site infection after surgery for intractable ulcerative colitis in children.

Pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) sometimes progresses to an intractable condition for medical therapy. The surgical management of UC is challenging because of difficult procedures and frequent infectious complications. The aim of this study was to survey surgical procedures and infectious complications in pediatric patients with UC in Japan and to assess the relationship between preoperatively administered immunosuppressive drugs and postoperative surgical site infection (SSI). A survey of pediatric patients treated from 2000 to 2012 was sent to 683 facilities nationwide. Secondary questionnaires were sent to physicians who followed up patients with UC who had undergone surgery with the aim of assessing the relationships between postoperative SSI and selected preoperative patient characteristics, disease severity, medications, and operative procedures. Data for 136 patients (77 boys and 59 girls) were assessed. Median age at surgery was 14.1 years (range: 2.4-18.9 years). Surgery was performed in one stage in 35 cases, two stages in 57 cases, and three stages in 44 cases. SSI occurred in 36/136 patients (26%). According to multiple logistic regression analysis, there were statistically significant associations between SSI and staged surgery (three/one, OR: 6.7, 95% CI: 2.1-25.5, p = 0.0007; three/two, OR: 3.4, 95% CI: 1.4-8.6, p = 0.0069) and female sex (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.0-5.4, p = 0.0434). Preoperative medications and incidence of SSI were not significantly associated. Preoperative immunosuppressive medication does not affect the incidence of SSI. Three-stage surgery and female sex are independent predictors of development of postoperative SSIs in pediatric patients with UC.

三期的に手術を行った臀部慢性膿皮症から続発した有棘細胞癌の1例

症例は74歳，男性．左臀部の出血，疼痛，排膿を主訴に当科を受診した．16年前に臀部慢性膿皮症に対して切開排膿等の手術の既往があった．造影CTやMRIにて左臀部皮下を首座とする広範囲の腫瘍性病変を認め，遠隔転移は認めなかった．生検にて有棘細胞癌と診断された．腫瘍の出血や難治性膿瘍および疼痛のコントロールが困難であり，QOLやADL改善目的で腫瘍切除の方針とした．一期目に人工肛門造設を行い，局所の感染制御を行った．二期目に広範囲腫瘍切除術を行った．病理検査にて切除断端の陰性を確認した後に三期的に薄筋弁，後部大腿皮弁にて再建術を施行した．臀部や会陰部の創は汚染や体位の問題から管理が煩雑であり，広範囲切除後の再建方法に難渋する．今回，われわれは広範囲切除を行った臀部慢性膿皮症に続発した有棘細胞癌を経験した．臀部有棘細胞癌の治療方針や再建方法について文献的考察を含めて報告する．

The short-term and long-term results of three-stage surgical treatment of ulcerative colitis with formation of ileal J-pouch

Aim of investigation. To estimate results of three- stage treatment approach in severe ulcerative colitis aimed for resection of affected colon and restoration of intestinal continuity. Material and methods. Overall 22 patients were treated according to the three-stage mode, of them 20 were operated urgently due to development of acute complications. The average duration of conservative treatment was 32,8±42,5 months. All patients at the first stage underwent operations related to the emergency state, at the second stage - reconstructive surgery with formation of the ileal J-pouch followed by closure of ileostoma. Results. Patients, who underwent the first stage of treatment on the basis of our institution, had shorter time of surgical treatment, as compared to the cases when colectomy was performed in the other clinics: 4,7±1,6 and 46,1±39,8 months respectively (p=0,02). The average work capacity recovery after surgical treatment was 4±2 months. Stool frequency was 6,1±2,45 times per day, every fifth patient had nighttime defecation; 19 of 21 patients could distinguish type of their reservoir contents and were able to provide its retention. Pouchitis was observed in 21% of cases. The pouch malfunction requiring its resection occurred in 4%. Conclusions. The three-stage surgery for ulcerative colitis is an optimum management approach in the presence of complicated ulcerative colitis. It allows to carry out colonic resection with the lowest risk of morbidity, to create the intestinal reservoir , to provide social professional rehabilitation of patients and to reduce postoperative complications rate significantly. Key words: ulcerative colitis, ileal pouch, colectomy, proctectomy, laparoscopy

Complicated colorectal cancer in nonagenarian patients: is it better not to perform anastomosis in emergency?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is predominantly a disease of elderly people. Cancer in nonagenarian patients presents an ethical dilemma for surgeons and oncologists, and management of this group of patients in emergency for complicated CRC is debated. Presently described is retrospective study reporting experience of 6 departments of emergency surgery with management of nonagenarian patients sent to emergency surgery for CRC complications. Data concerning patients aged over 90 years hospitalized from January 2011 to June 2015 in 6 departments of emergency surgery for complicated CRC were retrospectively analyzed. Data were collected in a dedicated database. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM software SPSS 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA); statistical significance was set at p=0.05. In the period of study, 19 patients aged over 90 underwent surgery in emergency department for complicated CRC. Of the total, 52.63% were female, with sex ratio F:M of 1.11:1. Mean age was 92.52 years (range: 90-97 years; SD 1.49). Preoperative assessment of surgical risk was made using American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of in-hospital mortality between patients with ASA score ≤ 3 and patients with an ASA score >3. Primary anastomosis was performed in 6 of 19 patients (31.57%), all of whom had right-side colon cancer. Diverting stoma was created for 12 of 19 patients (63.15%). There was a statistically significant difference in incidence of postoperative complications between patients with right-side colon cancer and patients with left-side colon cancer (p=0.0498). Mean length of hospital stay was 12.78 days (range: 2-31 days; SD 6.31). In-hospital mortality rate was 21.05% (n=4). At follow up, overall survival was 47.36% (n=9). Elective surgery is the best way to manage CRC in all patients affected. Emergency surgery for CRC complications in patients over 90 is feasible with careful preoperative selection and evaluation of the patient. One-stage surgery is the best choice, in selected patients. Two- and three-stage surgery is indicated in case of peritonitis, for frail patients, for hemodynamically unstable patients. If there is high risk of anastomotic leakage, decompressive stoma is suggested as bridge to elective surgery, and in advanced neoplastic disease, as palliative procedure. In emergency setting, diverting stoma is a good surgical option in nonagenarian patients to decrease surgical risk, morbidity, and mortality; however, clinical randomized controlled trials are necessary to confirm this.

Surgery scheduling optimization considering real life constraints and comprehensive operation cost of operating room.

Operating Room (OR) is the core sector in hospital expenditure, the operation management of which involves a complete three-stage surgery flow, multiple resources, prioritization of the various surgeries, and several real-life OR constraints. As such reasonable surgery scheduling is crucial to OR management. To optimize OR management and reduce operation cost, a short-term surgery scheduling problem is proposed and defined based on the survey of the OR operation in a typical hospital in China. The comprehensive operation cost is clearly defined considering both under-utilization and overutilization. A nested Ant Colony Optimization (nested-ACO) incorporated with several real-life OR constraints is proposed to solve such a combinatorial optimization problem. The 10-day manual surgery schedules from a hospital in China are compared with the optimized schedules solved by the nested-ACO. Comparison results show the advantage using the nested-ACO in several measurements: OR-related time, nurse-related time, variation in resources' working time, and the end time. The nested-ACO considering real-life operation constraints such as the difference between first and following case, surgeries priority, and fixed nurses in pre/post-operative stage is proposed to solve the surgery scheduling optimization problem. The results clearly show the benefit of using the nested-ACO in enhancing the OR management efficiency and minimizing the comprehensive overall operation cost.

Application of soft tissue expansion combined with follicular unit extraction for burn cicatricial bald

To investigate the therapeutic effect of soft tissue expansion combined with follicular unit extraction( FUE) for burn cicatricial bald. 48 patients with burn cicatricial bald (> 25 cm2) were treated in three stages. The expanders were implanted on the first stage. After expansion for 8 weeks, the expanders were taken out and local flaps were transferred. One year later, follicular unit extraction( FUE) was applied on the bald area. 48 cases were followed up for 5 years with satisfactory cosmetic results. The VAS assessment of satisfaction on hair appearance after three-staged surgery was 8.2 ± 2.1. Soft tissue expansion combined with FUE has a reliable effect for burn cicatricial bald.

The impact of environmental factors on the occurrence of congenital heart disease in the form of hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

IntroductionCongenital heart defects are the most common abnormalities in neonatal age. Congenital heart defects occur with a frequency of 3-12/1000 births. A special group is constituted by children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome because their treatment is extremely complex, requiring three-stage surgery and the involvement of various specialists.Material and methodsWe analysed 100 infants with congenital heart defects in the form of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). They were compared with a control group of 100 newborns without structural heart defects. The children's parents were asked to fill out a questionnaire consisting of 10 simple questions. It had been constructed in consultation with a psychologist in order not to offend the feelings of the parents affected by the illness of their offspring.ResultsCongenital heart defects were present in the family medical histories of 16 HLHS children and 11 healthy children (p = 0.4). Genetic disorders were present in the family medical histories of 13 HLHS children and 15 healthy children (p = 0.73). In the HLHS group, the mothers smoked cigarettes or were exposed to tobacco smoke in 32% of cases; in the control group, this proportion amounted to 23% (p = 0.76).ConclusionsThe study found no relationship between the occurrence of hypoplastic left heart syndrome in children and the parents’ age, the presence of genetic disorders, or heart defects in the family medical histories.

A short-term operating room surgery scheduling problem integrating multiple nurses roster constraints

Operating room (OR) surgery scheduling determines the individual surgery's operation start time and assigns the required resources to each surgery over a schedule period, considering several constraints related to a complete surgery flow and the multiple resources involved. This task plays a decisive role in providing timely treatments for the patients while balancing hospital resource utilization. The originality of the present study is to integrate the surgery scheduling problem with real-life nurse roster constraints such as their role, specialty, qualification and availability. This article proposes a mathematical model and an ant colony optimization (ACO) approach to efficiently solve such surgery scheduling problems. A modified ACO algorithm with a two-level ant graph model is developed to solve such combinatorial optimization problems because of its computational complexity. The outer ant graph represents surgeries, while the inner graph is a dynamic resource graph. Three types of pheromones, i.e. sequence-related, surgery-related, and resource-related pheromone, fitting for a two-level model are defined. The iteration-best and feasible update strategy and local pheromone update rules are adopted to emphasize the information related to the good solution in makespan, and the balanced utilization of resources as well. The performance of the proposed ACO algorithm is then evaluated using the test cases from (1) the published literature data with complete nurse roster constraints, and 2) the real data collected from a hospital in China. The scheduling results using the proposed ACO approach are compared with the test case from both the literature and the real life hospital scheduling. Comparison results with the literature shows that the proposed ACO approach has (1) an 1.5-h reduction in end time; (2) a reduction in variation of resources' working time, i.e. 25% for ORs, 50% for nurses in shift 1 and 86% for nurses in shift 2; (3) an 0.25h reduction in individual maximum overtime (OT); and (4) an 42% reduction in the total OT of nurses. Comparison results with the real 10-workday hospital scheduling further show the advantage of the ACO in several measurements. Instead of assigning all surgeries by a surgeon to only one OR and the same nurses by traditional manual approach in hospital, ACO realizes a more balanced surgery arrangement by assigning the surgeries to different ORs and nurses. It eventually leads to shortening the end time within the confidential interval of [7.4%, 24.6%] with 95% confidence level. The ACO approach proposed in this paper efficiently solves the surgery scheduling problem with daily nurse roster while providing a shortened end time and relatively balanced resource allocations. It also supports the advantage of integrating the surgery scheduling with the nurse scheduling and the efficiency of systematic optimization considering a complete three-stage surgery flow and resources involved.