Delphi Method Consensus-Based Identification of Primary Trauma Care Skills Required for General Surgeons in Japan

Purpose General surgeons at regional hospitals should have the primary trauma care skills necessary to treat critically ill trauma patients to withstand transfer. This study was conducted to identify a consensus on primary trauma care skills for general surgeons. Methods An initial list of acute care surgical skills was compiled, and revised by six trauma experts (acute care surgeons); 33 skills were nominated for inclusion in the Delphi consensus survey. Participants (councilors of the Japanese Society for Acute Care Surgery) were presented with the list of 33 trauma care skills and were asked (using web-based software) to rate how strongly they agreed or disagreed (using a 5-point Likert scale) with the necessity of each skill for a general surgeon. The reliability of consensus was predefined as Cronbach’s α ≥ 0.8, and trauma care skills were considered as primarily required when rated 4 (agree) or 5 (strongly agree) by ≥ 80% participants. Results There were 117 trauma care specialists contacted to participate in the Delphi consensus survey panel. In the 1st round, 85 specialists participated (response rate: 72.6%). In the 2nd round, 66 specialists participated (response rate: 77.6%). Consensus was achieved after two rounds, reliability using Cronbach’s α was 0.94, and 34 items were identified as primary trauma care skills needed by general surgeons. Conclusion A consensus-based list of trauma care skills required by general surgeons was developed. This list can facilitate the development of a new trauma training course which has been optimized for general surgeons

Cadaver surgical training in Japan : its past, present, and ideal future perspectives

The framework for cadaver surgical training (CST) in Japan was established in 2012, based on the "Guidelines for Cadaver Dissection in Education and Research of Clinical Medicine" of the Japan Surgical Society (JSS) and the Japanese Association of Anatomists. Subsequently, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare allocated funding from its budget for CST. By 2019, CST was being practiced in 33 medical schools and universities. Currently, the CST Promotion Committee of the JSS reviews each CST report submitted by medical schools and universities and provides guidance based on professional autonomy. This paper outlines the history of CST in Japan and presents a plan for its future. To sustain and oversee CST implementation, an operating organization, funded by stakeholders, such as government agencies, academic societies, and private companies, is needed

Robotic Distal Gastrectomy With a Novel "Preemptive Retropancreatic Approach" During Dissection of Suprapancreatic Lymph Nodes for Gastric Cancer

Introduction: Abrogating contact with the pancreas in suprapancreatic lymph nodes dissection for gastric cancer can prevent pancreatic fistula because of postoperative pancreatic damage. Our novel "Preemptive retropancreatic approach" is a useful technique that minimizes pancreatic compression during robotic distal gastrectomy (RDG) with multijointed forceps. Here, we report the usefulness of RDG for gastric cancer surgery using our novel "Preemptive retropancreatic approach". Materials: "Preemptive retropancreatic approach": initial dissection of the bilateral retropancreatic space, the adherence between the retroperitoneum surface and the pancreas (fusion fascia) is released, providing a good operative field and hindering contact with the pancreas in suprapancreatic lymph nodes dissection during RDG. We herein reported consecutive 30 patients with gastric cancer who underwent RDG at Hokkaido University from September 2014 to March 2020. Results: All operations were performed by a single surgeon (Y.E.). The median operating time was 281 minutes (132 to 415). The median intraoperative bleeding was 0 ml of blood (0 to 255). There were 2 incidences of postoperative complications (>= Clavien-Dindo classification II), and there were no cases of postoperative pancreas-related complications. The median length of hospital stay after the surgery was 10 days (6 to 33). Conclusion: As RDG for gastric cancer is still in its early introductory phase, its superiority has yet to be definitively established. However, we believe that "Preemptive retropancreatic approach" may reduce postoperative pancreatic-related complications in suprapancreatic lymph nodes dissection

Short-term outcomes of robotic distal gastrectomy with the "preemptive retropancreatic approach" : a propensity score matching analysis

We report the usefulness of the preemptive retropancreatic approach (PRA) in robotic distal gastrectomy (RDG) using multi-jointed forceps. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the short-term outcomes of RDG with PRA and conventional laparoscopic distal gastrectomy using the propensity score matching method. A total of 126 patients [RDG = 55; laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) = 71] were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were matched using the following propensity score covariates: age, sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, the extent of lymph node dissection, and Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma stage. Surgical results and postoperative outcomes were compared. We identified 28 propensity score-matched pairs. The median operative time and blood loss were comparable (P = 0.272 and P = 0.933, respectively). Regarding postoperative outcomes, the incidence of postoperative complications [Clavien-Dindo classification II (CD >= II)] was lower in the RDG group than in the LDG group (P = 0.020). No significant differences in the peak C-reactive protein value and length of hospital stay were observed between the two groups (P = 0.391 and P = 0.057, respectively). In addition, no patients had postoperative pancreas-related complications (>= CD II) in the RDG group. RDG using PRA seems to be a safe and feasible procedure for gastric cancer because of short-term outcomes and reduction of postoperative complications (especially postoperative pancreas-related complications) as compared to conventional LDG