Multicenter evaluation of the clinical utility of laparoscopy-assisted ERCP in patients with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

Background and Aims The obesity epidemic has led to increased use of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). These patients have an increased incidence of pancreaticobiliary diseases yet standard ERCP is not possible due to surgically altered gastroduodenal anatomy. Laparoscopic-ERCP (LA-ERCP) has been proposed as an option but supporting data are derived from single center small case-series. Therefore, we conducted a large multicenter study to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and outcomes of LA-ERCP. Methods This is retrospective cohort study of adult patients with RYGB who underwent LA-ERCP in 34 centers. Data on demographics, indications, procedure success, and adverse events were collected. Procedure success was defined when all of the following were achieved: reaching the papilla, cannulating the desired duct and providing endoscopic therapy as clinically indicated. Results A total of 579 patients (median age 51, 84% women) were included. Indication for LA-ERCP was biliary in 89%, pancreatic in 8%, and both in 3%. Procedure success was achieved in 98%. Median total procedure time was 152 minutes (IQR 109-210) with median ERCP time 40 minutes (IQR 28-56). Median hospital stay was 2 days (IQR 1-3). Adverse events were 18% (laparoscopy-related 10%, ERCP-related 7%, both 1%) with the clear majority (92%) classified as mild/moderate whereas 8% were severe and 1 death occurred. Conclusion Our large multicenter study indicates that LA-ERCP in patients with RYGB is feasible with a high procedure success rate comparable with that of standard ERCP in patients with normal anatomy. ERCP-related adverse events rate is comparable with conventional ERCP, but the overall adverse event rate was higher due to the added laparoscopy-related events

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Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage as a rescue therapy for unresectable malignant biliary obstruction: a multicenter experience

Abstract Background Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is often unsuccessful in patients with duodenal stenosis or malignant ampullary infiltration. While endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) has been proposed as an alternative, EUS-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) is an attractive option when both approaches fail. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of EUS-GBD as rescue therapy for malignant distal bile duct obstruction. Methods A multicenter retrospective study was performed on patients with unresectable malignant distal bile duct obstruction who underwent EUS-GBD between 2014 and 2019 after unsuccessful ERCP and EUS-BD. Clinical success was defined as a decrease in serum bilirubin of > 50 % within 2 weeks. Results 28 patients were included, with a lumen-apposing metal stent used in 26 (93 %) and a self-expandable metal stent in two (7 %). The technical success rate was 100 %. The clinical success rate was 93 %, with an improvement in bilirubin (7.3 [SD 5.4] pre-procedure vs. 2.8 [SD 1.1] post-procedure; P  = 0.001). Delayed adverse events included food impaction of the stent (n = 3), with a further two patients developing cholecystitis and bleeding. Conclusion This study demonstrates the feasibility of gallbladder drainage to relieve malignant distal bile duct obstruction in patients with failed ERCP and EUS-BD

Clinical profile and predictors of mortality of severe pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection needing intensive care: A multi-centre prospective study from South India

Background: This multi-center study from India details the profile and outcomes of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus [P(H1N1)2009v] infection. Materials and Methods: Over 4 months, adult patients diagnosed to have P(H1N1)2009v infection by real-time RT-PCR of respiratory specimens and requiring ICU admission were followed up until death or hospital discharge. Sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores were calculated daily. Results: Of the 1902 patients screened, 464 (24.4%) tested positive for P(H1N1)2009v; 106 (22.8%) patients aged 35±11.9 (mean±SD) years required ICU admission 5.8±2.7 days after onset of illness. Common symptoms were fever (96.2%), cough (88.7%), and breathlessness (85.9%). The admission APACHE-II and SOFA scores were 14.4±6.5 and 5.5±3.1, respectively. Ninety-six (90.6%) patients required ventilation for 10.1±7.5 days. Of these, 34/96 (35.4%) were non-invasively ventilated; 16/34 were weaned successfully whilst 18/34 required intubation. Sixteen patients (15.1%) needed dialysis. The duration of hospitalization was 14.0±8.0 days. Hospital mortality was 49%. Mortality in pregnant/puerperal women was 52.6% (10/19). Patients requiring invasive ventilation at admission had a higher mortality than those managed with non-invasive ventilation and those not requiring ventilation (44/62 vs. 8/44, P<0.001). Need for dialysis was independently associated with mortality (P=0.019). Although admission APACHE-II and SOFA scores were significantly (P<0.02) higher in non-survivors compared with survivors on univariate analysis, individually, neither were predictive on multivariate analysis. Conclusions: In our setting, a high mortality was observed in patients admitted to ICU with severe P(H1N1)2009v infection. The need for invasive ventilation and dialysis were associated with a poor outcome