1,721,104 research outputs found

    Telemedicine in surgery during COVID-19 pandemic: are we doing enough?

    Full text link
    Introduction: The aim of this systematic review was to report and to analyze if there is and what is the impact of telemedicine in the surgical practice during COVID-19 pandemic. Many authors have posited that the pandemic urged a high implementation of the telemedicine service even in surgical specialties, however, the impact of this change of the clinical practice has been variably reported and its utilization in general surgery is uncertain. Evidence acquisition: All articles from any country written in English, Italian, Spanish, or French, about the use of telemedicine for indication to surgical treatment or for 30-day postoperative follow-up in general surgery during the COVID 19 outbreak, from the March 1, 2020, to December 1, 2020, were included. Evidence synthesis: Two hundred nine articles were fully analyzed, and 207 further articles were excluded. Finally, 2 articles, both published in October 2020, were included in the present systematic review. Conclusions: In conclusion, the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has forced to review the traditional methods to deliver surgical assistance and urged surgeons to find alternative methods to continue their practice. The literature about this topic is yet scarce and many questions regarding its efficacy in improving patients' health, cost-effectiveness and user satisfaction remain unsolved

    A common case with common problems: laparoscopic treatment of small bowel obstruction (SBO)

    No full text
    Laparoscopic approach to patients with suspected small bowel obstruction (SBO) is not yet widely accepted nor clearly standardized; due to the absence of randomized trials, many questions still remain matter of debate

    Isolated rectal cancer surgery: a 2007-2014 population study based on a large administrative database

    No full text
    Rectal resection is technically one of the most demanding laparoscopic procedures, requiring additional training and expertise of both surgeons and institutions. The literature has shown that laparoscopic procedures can be appropriate for the treatment of rectal cancer (RC), in terms of safety, outcome and efficiency, but results may not always be directly transferable to the general population. This study aimed to investigate the use of laparoscopic rectal cancer resections in a north-eastern Italian region (the Veneto) and to see how the characteristics of patients and hospitals are associated with the use of laparoscopy. This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data collected from 2007 to 2014 in the Veneto region (north-east Italy). In the period considered (2007-2014), 4953 rectal resections were performed for RC in Veneto hospitals, accounting for 35% of the total 14,243 surgical procedures involving the rectum, and resulting in 76,739 days in hospital [mean length of stay-post-operative (MLOS) 15.5 ± 11.1 days]. Patients were a mean 67.9 ± 11.7 years old (68 ± 12.7 for women, 67.9 ± 11 for men), while the subgroup of patients undergoing laparoscopic procedures was on average 2 years younger (66.5 ± 11.8 vs 68.8 ± 11.5; p < 0.05). The four main findings of this study are: (1) the increasing rates of laparoscopic procedures for RC resection at all the hospitals in our geographical area, rising up to 52% in 2014. This is probably related to not only to availability of better equipment but surely to a growing expertise of surgeons; (2) the esteem of proportion of laparoscopically treated RC; (3) the significant difference between the laparoscopic and open surgical approach in terms of mean length of hospital stay after RC resection, making the laparoscopic approach cost-effective generally speaking; and (4) the disparities in hospitals' use of laparoscopy by patients' age group: Laparoscopic surgery is safe also in the elderly population but it is not so widely offers in Veneto Region hospitals, and it's probably due to the lack of experience about this approach in frail/old patients

    A Worldwide Overview of Emergency Laparoscopic Procedures

    No full text
    Laparoscopy has become a common procedure in elective surgery worldwide. Actually, it can be considered the preferred surgical approach in various diseases, due to its sure advantages. The last decade has been characterized by the increasing numbers of surgeons trained to a high standard in minimally invasive surgery and by the validation of laparoscopic procedures in emergency surgery. However, despite the undisputed advantages of laparoscopy (such as the shorter hospital stay, the faster recovery, and the less morbidity), the advances in technology, and a structured training for young surgeon that have stimulated the spread of the laparoscopic procedure in the world, the perception has hovered for many years that laparoscopic surgery should remain the preferred approach only in case of elective fields

    Current status of laparoscopic colorectal surgery in the emergency setting

    No full text
    Laparoscopic surgery has become well established in the management of both benign as malignant colorectal disease. However there has not been the same enthusiasm for the use of laparoscopy in emergency colorectal surgery. We have critically review the indications and the results of the laparoscopic approach for the treatment of acute colorectal disease. A systemic review based on comprehensive Literature research was made on Pubmed with the primary objective to identify all clinical relevant randomized controlled trials (RCT). However, other reports, population based outcomes studies, case series and case reports were also included. Cross-link control was than performed with Google Scholar and Cochrane library databases. We have reviewed the last years’ evident literature about this last topic and the results reported , although mainly early, controversial and focused on the short term, enabled us to generally conclude that in a proper setting, laparoscopic colorectal emergency surgery is feasible, effective, safe and beneficial for patients to be a part of a common surgical practice, as long as adequate training is obtained and proper preparation observed when more advanced procedures are attempted in critically patients

    Colon Cancer Surgery: A Retrospective Study Based on a Large Administrative Database

    No full text
    INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic colectomy (LC) for colon cancer is considered as safe and effective as open colectomy. It has many benefits in terms of postoperative pain, length of hospital stay, and esthetic results. There is evidence in the United States of a positive trend in the proportion of oncologic patients undergoing LC. Our aim is to confirm this trend in Europe and identify factors associated with a greater use of LC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study based on hospital discharge records (HDR) collected from 2008 to 2013 in a north-eastern Italian region (Veneto). The sample included all HDR with colon cancer as their principal or secondary diagnosis, treated with partial or total colectomy. To establish the overall regional trend of LC, we standardized cases by age, referring to the number of procedures performed by age group in 2010. We calculated the annual percent change from the slope of the regression model over a given time interval. RESULTS: Out of 14,085 colectomies, 29% were completed laparoscopically. The age-adjusted rates of LC by year ranged from 23.8% (2008) to 36.0% (2013). The mean annual increase in the LC rate was 2.4% overall (P<0.001). Factors associated with a higher proportion of LC were younger age (39% LC in patients below 65 y vs. 25% in those above 65 y), public hospitals (odds ratio: 1.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.51-1.94; P<0.05) and elective admissions (odds ratio: 4.19; 95% confidence interval, 3.76-4.67; P<0.05). DISCUSSION: Although the proportion of LC is growing, there are factors that influence the likelihood of this procedure being conducted. Future efforts to extend the use of LC to all eligible patients and avoid disparities should target both surgeons and patients, promoting the development and dissemination of appropriate guideline

    Augmented reality (AR) in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) training: where are we now in Italy? The Italian Society of Endoscopic Surgery (SICE) ARMIS survey

    No full text
    Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a widespread approach in general surgery. Computer guiding software, such as the augmented reality (AR), the virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR), has been proposed to help surgeons during MIS. This study aims to report these technologies' current knowledge and diffusion during surgical training in Italy. A web-based survey was developed under the aegis of the Italian Society of Endoscopic Surgery (SICE). Two hundred and seventeen medical doctors' answers were analyzed. Participants were surgeons (138, 63.6%) and residents in surgery (79, 36.4%). The mean knowledge of the role of the VR, AR and MR in surgery was 4.9 ± 2.4 (range 1-10). Most of the participants (122, 56.2%) did not have experience with any proposed technologies. However, although the lack of experience in this field, the answers about the functioning of the technologies were correct in most cases. Most of the participants answered that VR, AR and MR should be used more frequently for the teaching and training and during the clinical activity (170, 80.3%) and that such technologies would make a significant contribution, especially in training (183, 84.3%) and didactic (156, 71.9%). Finally, the main limitations to the diffusion of these technologies were the insufficient knowledge (182, 83.9%) and costs (175, 80.6%). Based on the present study, in Italy, the knowledge and dissemination of these technologies are still limited. Further studies are required to establish the usefulness of AR, VR and MR in surgical training

    Minimally invasive versus open adrenalectomy for adrenocortical carcinoma: the keys surgical factors influencing the outcomes-a collective overview

    No full text
    PurposeAdrenocortical carcinoma (A.C.C.) is a rare tumour, often discovered at an advanced stage and associated with a poor prognosis. Surgery is the treatment of choice. We aimed to review the different surgical approaches trying to compare their outcome.MethodsThis comprehensive review has been carried out according to the PRISMA statement. The literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library and Google Scholar.ResultsAmong all studies identified, 18 were selected for the review. A total of 14,600 patients were included in the studies, of whom 4421 were treated by mini-invasive surgery (M.I.S.). Ten studies reported 531 conversions from M.I.S. to an open approach (OA) (12%). Differences were reported for operative times as well as for postoperative complications more often in favour of OA, whereas differences for hospitalization time in favour of M.I.S.Some studies showed an R0 resection rate from 77 to 89% for A.C.C. treated by OA and 67 to 85% for tumours treated by M.I.S. The overall recurrence rate ranged from 24 to 29% for A.C.C. treated by OA and from 26 to 36% for tumours treated by M.I.S.ConclusionsOA should still be considered the standard surgical management of A.C.C. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy has shown shorter hospital stays and faster recovery compared to open surgery. However, the laparoscopic approach resulted in the worst recurrence rate, time to recurrence and cancer-specific mortality in stages I-III ACC. The robotic approach had similar complications rate and hospital stays, but there are still scarce results about oncologic follow-up
    corecore