Harold, Kristi L.

The patient is a male in his 60s with morbid obesity and end-stage renal disease secondary to hypertension and diabetes. After a lifelong struggle with weight management, he was approved for bariatric surgery. Following completion of the bariatric clinic courses, he underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. There were no intraoperative complications nor divergences from our routine practice. Postoperatively, the patient resumed peritoneal dialysis (PD) on postoperative day zero. He tolerated the operation and dialysis well, noting that the drained abdominal fluid remained serosanguinous for 5 days after surgery. While the traditional practice after intra-abdominal surgery is to temporarily transition to haemodialysis in patients who require dialysis, we demonstrate that immediate resumption of PD may be safe and efficacious. However, patients should be educated regarding the temporary change in colour of the drained intra-abdominal fluid. More robust data is required for further research and future practice guideline development.

ImportanceCancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, with the obesity epidemic contributing to its steady increase every year. Recent cohort studies find an association between bariatric surgery and reduced longitudinal cancer risk, but with heterogeneous findings.ObservationsThis review summarizes how obesity leads to an increased risk of developing cancer and synthesizes current evidence behind the potential for bariatric surgery to reduce longitudinal cancer risk. Overall, bariatric surgery appears to have the strongest and most consistent association with decreased incidence of developing breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancers. The association of bariatric surgery and the development of esophageal, gastric, liver, and pancreas cancer is heterogenous with studies showing either no association or decreased longitudinal incidences. Conversely, there have been preclinical and cohort studies implying an increased risk of developing colon and rectal cancer after bariatric surgery. A review and synthesis of the existing literature reveals epidemiologic shortcomings of cohort studies that potentially explain incongruencies observed between studies.Conclusions and RelevanceStudies examining the association of bariatric surgery and longitudinal cancer risk remain heterogeneous and could be explained by certain epidemiologic considerations. This review provides a framework to better define subgroups of patients at higher risk of developing cancer who would potentially benefit more from bariatric surgery, as well as subgroups where more caution should be exercised.

Background The hernia defects that develop in liver transplant recipients tend to be complex. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of data to guide post-transplant hernia management. Our goal was to evaluate the outcomes following laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR) in liver transplant recipients. Methods A retrospective review of a prospectively kept database of liver transplant patients at a single tertiary healthcare facility was completed. All patients between 2007 and 2020 who underwent LVHR for a hernia at their transplant incision site were included. The primary outcome studied was hernia recurrence. Secondary outcomes included time-to-hernia repair, complications, and length of stay (LOS). Results There were 89 patients who met inclusion criteria. 82% were male, mean age was 60 years, and mean body mass index was 30.2 kg/m 2 . 94.4% were on tacrolimus and 36% on mycophenolate mofetil. Median time-to-hernia repair was 16 months with a mean mesh size of 743 cm 2 and length of stay of 3.7 days. None required conversion to an open operation. Postoperative complications included ileus (20.2%), acute kidney injury (11.2%), pneumonia (6.7%), and bleeding requiring re-operation (1.1%). Hernia-related complications included chronic suture site pain (1.1%), seroma requiring intervention (3.3%), surgical site infection (3.3%), nonoperative mesh infection (1.1%), and mesh infection requiring explantation (1.1%). Median follow-up was 23 months. Hernia recurrence occurred in 4.5% and no predictive variables for recurrence were identified. Conclusions Although the hernia defects that develop in liver transplant recipients are complex and their comorbidities significant, LVHR can safely and effectively repair these defects with low rates of recurrence and complications.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate monetary trends in Medicare reimbursement rates for 30 abdominal wall reconstruction surgical procedures over a 20-year period (2000 to 2020). Methods: The Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was used for each of the 30 included current CPT codes, and reimbursement data were extracted. Monetary data were adjusted for inflation to 2020 U.S. dollars using changes to the United States consumer price index. The R2 values for the average annual percentage change and the average total percentage change in reimbursement were calculated based on these adjusted trends for all included procedures. Results: After adjusting for inflation, the average reimbursement for all procedures decreased by 17.1% from 2000 to 2020. The greatest mean decrease was observed for CPT code 49568 (the implantation of mesh or other prosthesis for open incisional or ventral hernia repair or mesh for closure of débridement for necrotizing soft-tissue infection, −34.4%). The only procedure with an increased adjusted reimbursement rate throughout the study period was CPT code 20680 (+3.9%). From 2000 to 2020, the adjusted reimbursement rate for all included procedures decreased by an average of 0.85% each year, with an average R2 value of 0.78, indicating a stable decline throughout the study period. Conclusions: Reimbursement rates are declining when adjusted for inflation. Increased awareness of these trends is helpful to maintain access to optimal abdominal reconstruction care in the United States.

Controversy remains regarding which approach is better, laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) or open appendectomy (OA). A 5-year retrospective review of patients undergoing appendectomy was performed to compare the outcomes of LA and OA using standard statistical methods ( P < 0.05). LA was performed in 207 and OA in 100 patients (conversion 6.7%). Females underwent LA more frequently than males (81.7% vs 51.9%; P = 0.0001). LA patients were older (30.2 years vs 25.7 years; P = 0.03), with no differences in body mass index (BMI) (27.9 kg/m 2 vs 25.5 kg/m 2 ; P = 0.06) or operative times (51.1 minutes vs 51.5 minutes; P = 0.84).’ LA patients required less analgesics (19.2 mg vs 31.5 mg; P = 0.01), and shorter hospital stays (27.2 hours vs 53.1 hours; P = 0.0001). Operating room charges were higher for LA ($3839 vs $2528; P = 0.0001), with no difference in total hospital charges ($8801. vs $9147; P = 0.14). Complications between LA and OA were similar (3.6% vs 8%; P = 0.12). Converted patients were older, required more analgesia, and had higher morbidity, length of stay, and hospital charges. LA is the procedure of choice for appendicitis regardless of age, sex, BMI, or degree of appendiceal inflammation. LA is as safe and quick to perform as OA with lower analgesic requirements, length of stay, and no difference in total charges.

Introduction. Obesity is a common comorbidity seen in the perioperative setting and is associated with many diseases including cardiovascular disease and obstructive sleep apnea. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the gold standard surgical treatment for patients whose weight is refractory to diet and exercise. Caring for these patients perioperatively presents unique challenges to anesthesiologists and is associated with an increased risk of adverse respiratory events. In our study, we hypothesize that a low-dose perioperative ketamine infusion will reduce opioid consumption and improve analgesia when compared to standard therapy. Methods. This is a single-center, prospective randomized controlled study enrolling 35 patients in total. Patients were randomized equally into the ketamine and control group. Preop, intraop, and postop management regimens were standardized. The ketamine group received a 0.3 mg/kg ideal body weight ketamine bolus after induction followed by a 0.2 mg/kg/hr ketamine infusion continued into the postop setting for up to 24 hours. Data collected included total perioperative opioids used converted to oral morphine equivalents (ME), pain scores, side effects, hospital length of stay, and patient satisfaction captured via postoperative questionnaires. Results. The use of perioperative opioid consumption was significantly lower in the ketamine group when compared with the control group (179.9 ME versus 248.7 ME, P = 0.03 ). There was no statistically significant difference in pain scores or hospital length of stay postoperatively between the two groups. There were also no reported adverse respiratory events, prolonged sedation, agitation, or other side effects reported in either group. The patient satisfaction questionnaires showed a significant difference with the ketamine group reporting lower maximum pain scores, a decrease in how pain limited activities of daily living once discharged, and increased hospital pain management satisfaction scores. Conclusions. Perioperative low-dose ketamine infusions significantly reduced opioid consumption in morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery.

With the increased use of CT, discovering incidental pancreatic lesions has become commonplace. Lesions in the distal pancreas lend themselves well to laparoscopic resection. We reviewed our experience with laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy. During the study period, 32 distal pancreatectomies were performed. There were 20 females. Mean patient age was 58.0 years (range, 23–83 years) and mean body mass index was 29.9 kg/m 2 (range, 19.9–44.7 kg/m 2 ). Technique was laparoscopic (25) or hand-assisted (seven) with one conversion in each group. The spleen was preserved in six patients (18.8%). Mean operative time overall was 238 minutes (range, 140–515 minutes); hand-assisted was 222 minutes and laparoscopic was 254 minutes. Estimated blood loss averaged 221 mL (range, 50–1800 mL). Mean tumor size was 2.7 cm (range, 0.6–7 cm). Tumor pathology was serous cystadenoma (10), neuroendocrine tumor (six), mucinous cystic neoplasm (four), intrapapillary mucinous neoplasm (four), adenocarcinoma (three), other (four), and solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (one). Mean length of stay was 5 days (range, 3–11 days). Complications were pancreatic fistula (six), wound infection (two), pulmonary embolism (one), pancreatitis (one), myocardial infarction (one), postoperative bleed from combined laparoscopic bilateral oophorectomy (one), and pancreatic stump staple line bleed requiring reoperation (one). There were no perioperative deaths. All pancreatic fistulas resolved with conservative management.

134 Background: Brain metastasis (BM) is an uncommon site of failure in patients (pts) with esophageal cancer (EC) with reported rates between 1-6%. EC pts are living longer with the wider adoption of trimodality therapy and, as with other malignancies, this may change the patterns of failure. We evaluated the incidence and outcomes of BM in EC at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Methods: A retrospective review identified pts who developed BM from cancer of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction. A total of 321 patients treated for stage I-IV EC (adenocarcinoma, n = 273; squamous, n = 46; small cell, n = 2) were identified between 1997 and 2012. Fisher’s exact test was used for comparisons. Actuarial survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: BM developed in 13 pts (4%), all of whom had adenocarcinoma. Nine pts initially presented with T3 and/or node-positive disease. Four pts presented with metastatic disease to other sites, but only 1 of this group was diagnosed with BM at initial presentation. The median time from initial diagnosis to BM detection was 12 months (range 0-40). All pts were symptomatic at diagnosis. BM was solitary in 6 pts, multiple in 6 pts, and unknown in 1 pt. The posterior fossa was involved in 9 pts. The brain represented the first site of failure in 9 pts. Treatment included surgical resection (n = 5), stereotactic radiosurgery (n = 4), and whole brain radiotherapy (n = 9). Median overall survival was 24 months from initial diagnosis and 5 months from BM detection. Among pts with adenocarcinoma, 3/119 (2.5%) were diagnosed between 1997-2006 compared to 10/154 (6.5%) between 2007-2012 (P = 0.1). Conclusions: The brain remains an uncommon site of failure among pts with EC. A recent series reported an incidence of BM in 13% of pts, raising the possibility of a changing failure pattern. In our series, BM was detected in only 4% of pts. Our study is suggestive of a trend towards increased incidence of BM in more recent years, although it did not reach statistical significance and could be a consequence of the retrospective nature of the study. Both series found BM limited only to pts with adenocarcinoma, and a possible association has been reported between HER-2 overexpression and BM in EC. Therefore, BM in EC may be an interesting area for future study.

110 Background: Anastomotic leaks can occur after esophagectomy and optimal management after minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) is not well defined. We reviewed endoscopic management of leaks after MIE in patients undergoing trimodality therapy at Mayo Clinic Arizona. Methods: Records of patients undergoing MIE from November, 2006 to February, 2015 were reviewed after appropriate IRB approval. Results: 148 patients underwent MIE including 136 (91.8%) thoracic and 12 (8.1%) cervical anastomoses. Clinically significant anastomotic leaks were observed in 13 (8.8%) patients with 2 (16%) cervical and 11 (8%) thoracic anastomosis at a median of 6.1 days (0-14). 11 (11%) patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy experienced esophageal leak and 2 who did not receive chemoradiotherapy (4%). For treatment of anastomotic leaks, 10 patients underwent VATS with pleural space irrigation and chest tube replacement, and 11 patients underwent stent deployment at the anastomosis for repair. Stents were placed such that the fistula/leak was in the fully covered portion with the greater portion of the stent residing in the esophageal remnant. Stents were removed at a mean of 54 days (28-114). In 2 patients, overgrowth into the stent body required stent-in-stent placement (fully covered) with removal of both stents. Stents were successful at sealing all leaks. Conclusions: Leaks after MIE represent a small, but significant, morbidity in MIE. The majority can be managed by endoscopic stent placement. Stenting is an effective management tool for postoperative leaks in locally advanced esophageal malignancies.