How to improve the adenoma detection rate in colorectal cancer screening? Clinical factors and technological advancements

Introduction: Colonoscopy has been widely regarded as the gold standard in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Within recent years different endoscopic imaging techniques have been introduced to improve the quality of colonoscopy. The adenoma detection rate (ADR) is the single most important quality indicator for colonoscopy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of CRC screening expressed by ADR in two different eras of endoscopic technology advancement. Material and methods: We conducted a dual-center study that enrolled 24 055 patients, who underwent colonoscopy as part of a national screening program. Patients were sorted into two groups according to the advancement of endoscopic equipment used for colonoscopic examination: group I - 10 405 patients examined between 2004 and 2008 (standard electronic endoscopes); group II - 13 650 patients examined between 2009 and 2014 (modern endoscopes). The ADR in two different eras and the impact of endoscopic novelties were determined. Results: The ADR in group I was 29.14%, in group II 31.73% (p < 0.001). The overall ADR was 30.88% - 38.80% and 25.95% (p < 0.001) for the male and female patients, respectively. The mean adenoma number per colonoscopy was 0.366 (95% CI: 0.357-0.375; p < 0.001), 0.337 (0.321-0.352) and 0.380 (0.369-0.392) for patients in group I and group II, respectively. Conclusions: Our study shows that technological innovation, novel endoscopy devices and diagnostic techniques improve the quality in CRC screening by increasing the ADR. However, we need to determine which of the technologies are supreme to achieve excellence in colorectal cancer screening

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients-single center early experience

Background: In recent years, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has become one of the most commonly used primary bariatric procedures for morbid obesity. While laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) has well documented positive clinical influence on type 2 diabetes, the role of LSG in diabetes treatment is debatable. The main aim of this study is to present our early experience in LSG as a method of bariatric treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes or abnormalities in glucose homeostasis. Methods: Prospectively collected data of patients operated for morbid obesity at the 2nd Department of Surgery. The study was designed to assess the influence of LSG on type 2 diabetes and glucose homeostasis. The primary endpoint was the diabetes type 2 remission. Secondary endpoint was the change of glucose metabolism parameters after LSG. Patients were assessed preoperatively and allocated to two groups: group 1—with any preoperative abnormalities in glucose homeostasis (prediabetes, diabetes) and group 2—with non-elevated fasting glucose level. During follow-up (6 months after surgery) all glucose homeostasis parameters were analyzed again. One hundred and thirty-six patients after LSG were enrolled in the study (90 females, 46 males; mean age 40.5±9.9 years). Preoperative abnormalities in glucose homeostasis were confirmed in 64 (47%) patients. Twenty (15%) patients in this group had diabetes. Results: We observed significant reduction of body mass index (BMI) after surgery. Mean percent of EBMIL for all groups after 6 months from surgery was 59.90% (46.75–69.28%). There were no full remissions after surgery in patients with preoperative diabetes. We found significant improvement in biochemical markers of glucose homeostasis. We observed significant reduction of HbA1c% after surgery in both groups. The level of postoperative HbA1c% was related to BMI loss after surgery. Conclusions: LSG leads to significant improvement in biochemical glucose homeostasis and can be considered as a method of treatment in morbidly obese patients with glucose metabolism abnormalities. LSG as a method of treatment for patients with clinical type 2 diabetes still needs some further observation

Enhanced recovery after bariatric surgery : systematic review and meta-analysis

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is well established in many surgical disciplines and leads to a decrease in the length of hospital stay and morbidity. Multimodal protocols have also been introduced to bariatric surgery. This review aims to evaluate the current literature on ERAS in obesity surgery and to conduct a meta-analysis of primary and secondary outcomes. MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and Cochrane Library were searched for eligible studies. Key journals were hand-searched. We analysed data up to May 2016. Eligible studies had to contain four described ERAS protocol elements. The primary outcome was the length of hospital stay; the secondary outcomes included overall morbidity, specific complications, mortality, readmissions and costs. Random effect meta-analyses were undertaken. The initial search yielded 1151 articles. Thorough evaluation resulted in 11 papers, which were analysed. The meta-analysis of the length of stay presented a significant reduction standard mean difference (Std. MD) = −2.39 (−3.89, −0.89), p = 0.002. The analysis of overall morbidity, specific complications and Clavien-Dindo classification showed no significant variations among the study groups. ERAS protocol in bariatric surgery leads to the reduction of the length of hospital stay while maintaining no or low influence on morbidity

Colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening : is it effective in the hands of a general surgery resident?

INTRODUCTION: Colonoscopy is considered to be a gold standard for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Endoscopy training is an essential component of general surgery training program. Patients should receive care at the highest level possible, nevertheless residents need to gain experience. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of colonoscopy performed by general surgery residents by comparing quality indicators between surgical trainees and consultants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The analysis included 6384 patients aged 40–65 who underwent screening colonoscopy between October 2014 and February 2018. The patients were divided into two groups: group I – patients examined by residents, group II - patients examined by board-certified general surgeons. Quality indicators such as cecal intubation rate, adenoma detection rate and patient tolerance scale were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Group I comprised 2268 (35.53%) and group II 4116 (64.47%) patients. The overall cecal intubation rate (CIR) was 95.99%, equal for both groups (p = 0.994). There was no statistically significant difference in adenoma detection rate: 29.30% among residents and 27.66% among consultants (p = 0.203). Patient tolerance of the examination was very good (4-point scale) in consultants group in 78.98% of cases and in 75.18% cases among residents (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In a proper learning environment general surgery residents are able to perform high-quality and effective screening colonoscopy. However, residents need to continue the progress in their technique to improve patient tolerance in order to reach the proficiency of a consultant

Surgical care in Poland after COVID-19 outbreak : a national survey

Background: During COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to collect and analyze data concerning management of hospitals and wards to work out solutions for potential future crisis. The objective of the study was to investigate how surgical wards in Poland are managing during rapid development of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An anonymous, online survey was designed and distributed to surgeons and surgery residents working in surgical departments during pandemic. Responders were divided into two groups: Group 1 (responders working in a "COVID-19-dedicated" hospital) and Group 2 (responders working in other hospitals). Results: Overall, 323 responders were included in the study group, 30.03% of which were female. Medical staff deficits were reported by 21.15% responders from Group 1 and 29.52% responders from Group 2 (p = 0.003). The mean number of elective surgeries performed weekly prior to the pandemic in Group 1 was 40.37 ± 46.31 and during the pandemic was 13.98 ± 37.49 (p <0.001). In Group 2, the mean number of elective surgeries performed weekly before the start of the pandemic was 26.85 ± 23.52 and after the start of the pandemic, it was 7.65 ± 13.49 (p <0.001). There were significantly higher reported levels of preparedness in Group 1 in terms of: theoretical training of the staff, equipping the staff and adapting the operating theater to safely perform procedures on patients with COVID-19. Overall, 62.23% of responders presume being infected with SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had a significantly negative impact on surgical wards. Despite the preparations, the number of responders who presume being infected with SARS-CoV-2 during present crisis is high