Gasless laparoscopy in rural India-registry outcomes and evaluation of the learning curve

BACKGROUND

A program of gasless laparoscopy (GL) has been implemented in rural North-East India. To facilitate safe adoption, participating rural surgeons underwent rigorous training prior to independent clinical practice. An online registry was established to capture clinical data on safety and efficacy and to evaluate initial learning curves for gasless laparoscopy.

METHODS

Surgeons who had completed the GL training program participated in the online RedCap Registry. Patients included in the registry provided informed consent for the use of their data. Data on operative times, conversion rates, perioperative complications, length of stay, and hospital costs were collected. Fixed reference cumulative sum (CUSUM) model was used to evaluate the learning curve based on operative times and conversion rates published in the literature.

RESULTS

Four surgeons from three rural hospitals in North-East India participated in the registry. The data were collected over 12 months, from September 2019 to August 2020. One hundred and twenty-three participants underwent GL procedures, including 109 females (88.6%) and 14 males. GL procedures included cholecystectomy, appendicectomy, tubal ligation, ovarian cystectomy, diagnostic laparoscopy, and adhesiolysis. The mean operative time was 75.3 (42.05) minutes for all the surgeries. Conversion from GL to open surgery occurred in 11.4% of participants, with 8.9% converted to conventional laparoscopy. The main reasons for conversion were the inability to secure an operative view, lack of operating space, and adhesions. The mean length of stay was 3 (2.1) days. The complication rate was 5.7%, with one postoperative death. The CUSUM analysis for GL cholecystectomy showed a longer learning curve for operative time and few conversions. The learning curve for GL tubal ligation was relatively shorter.

CONCLUSION

Gasless laparoscopy can be safely implemented in the rural settings of Northeast India with appropriate training programs. Careful case selection is essential during the early stages of the surgical learning curve.

Defining core patient descriptors for perforated peptic ulcer research: international Delphi

BACKGROUND

Perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) remains a common condition globally with significant morbidity and mortality. Previous work has demonstrated variation in reporting of patient characteristics in PPU studies, making comparison of studies and outcomes difficult. The aim of this study was to standardize the reporting of patient characteristics, by creating a core descriptor set (CDS) of important descriptors that should be consistently reported in PPU research.

METHODS

Candidate descriptors were identified through systematic review and stakeholder proposals. An international Delphi exercise involving three survey rounds was undertaken to obtain consensus on key patient characteristics for future research. Participants rated items on a scale of 1-9 with respect to their importance. Items meeting a predetermined threshold (rated 7-9 by over 70 per cent of stakeholders) were included in the final set and ratified at a consensus meeting. Feedback was provided between rounds to allow refinement of ratings.

RESULTS

Some 116 clinicians were recruited from 29 countries. A total of 63 descriptors were longlisted from the literature, and 27 were proposed by stakeholders. After three survey rounds and a consensus meeting, 27 descriptors were included in the CDS. These covered demographic variables and co-morbidities, risk factors for PPU, presentation and pathway factors, need for organ support, biochemical parameters, prognostic tools, perforation details, and surgical history.

CONCLUSION

This study defines the core descriptive items for PPU research, which will allow more robust synthesis of studies.

The RAIS Device for Global Surgery: Using a Participatory Design Approach to Navigate the Translational Pathway to Clinical Use

Background: Over 5 billion people worldwide have no access to surgery worldwide, typically in low-resource settings, despite it being a primary life-saving treatment. Gas Insufflation-Less Laparoscopic Surgery (GILLS) can address this inequity, by improving current GILLS instrumentation to modern surgical standards. Objective: to develop and translate a new Retractor for Abdominal Insufflation-less Surgery (RAIS) into clinical use and thus provide a context-appropriate system to advance GILLS surgery. Methods: A collaborative multidisciplinary team from the UK and India was formed, embedding local clinical stakeholders and an industry partner in defining user and contextual needs. System development was based on a phased roadmap for ‘surgical device design in low resource settings’ and embedded participatory and frugal design principles in an iterative process supported by traditional medical device design methodologies. Each phase of development was evaluated by the stakeholder team through interactive workshops using cadaveric surgical simulations. A Commercialisation phase undertook Design to Manufacture and regulatory approval activities. Clinical validation was then conducted with rural surgeons performing GILLS procedures using the RAIS system. Semi-structured questionnaires and interviews were used to evaluate device performance. Results: A set of user needs and contextual requirements were defined and formalised. System development occurred across five iterations. Stakeholder participation was instrumental in converging on a design which met user requirements. A commercial RAIS system was then produced by an industry partner under Indian regulatory approval. This was successfully used in clinical validation to conduct 12 surgical procedures at two locations in rural India. Surgical feedback showed that the RAIS system provided a valuable and usable surgical instrument which was appropriate for use in low-resource contexts. Conclusions: Using a context-specific development approach with close engagement of stakeholders was crucial to develop the RAIS system for low-resource regions. The outcome is translation from global health need into a fully realized commercial instrument which can be used by surgeons in low-resource regions across India.

Clinical effectiveness of gasless laparoscopic surgery for abdominal conditions: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

In high-income countries, laparoscopic surgery is the preferred approach for many abdominal conditions. Conventional laparoscopy is a complex intervention that is challenging to adopt and implement in low resource settings. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the clinical effectiveness of gasless laparoscopy compared to conventional laparoscopy with CO₂ pneumoperitoneum and open surgery for general surgery and gynaecological procedures.

METHODS

A search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, AJOL databases and Cochrane Library was performed from inception to January 2021. All randomised (RCTs) and comparative cohort (non-RCTs) studies comparing gasless laparoscopy with open surgery or conventional laparoscopy were included. The primary outcomes were mortality, conversion rates and intraoperative complications.

SECONDARY OUTCOMES

operative times and length of stay. The inverse variance random-effects model was used to synthesise data.

RESULTS

63 studies were included: 41 RCTs and 22 non-RCTs (3,620 patients). No procedure-related deaths were reported in the studies. For gasless vs conventional laparoscopy there was no difference in intraoperative complications for general RR 1.04 [CI 0.45-2.40] or gynaecological surgery RR 0.66 [0.14-3.13]. In the gasless laparoscopy group, the conversion rates for gynaecological surgery were high RR 11.72 [CI 2.26-60.87] when compared to conventional laparoscopy. For gasless vs open surgery, the operative times were longer for gasless surgery in general surgery RCT group MD (mean difference) 10 [CI 0.64, 19.36], but significantly shorter in the gynaecology RCT group MD - 18.74 [CI - 29.23, - 8.26]. For gasless laparoscopy vs open surgery non-RCT, the length of stay was shorter for gasless laparoscopy in general surgery MD - 3.94 [CI - 5.93, - 1.95] and gynaecology MD - 1.75 [CI - 2.64, - 0.86]. Overall GRADE assessment for RCTs and Non-RCTs was very low.

CONCLUSION

Gasless laparoscopy has advantages for selective general and gynaecological procedures and may have a vital role to play in low resource settings.

Giant bilateral angiomyolipoma of the kidney

Angiomyolipoma is a benign solid renal neoplasm. A giant angiomyolipoma is more than 10cm by size, but it can grow to huge proportions. Our case appears to be the third largest angiomyolipoma and the largest among bilateral giant renal angiomyolipoma in the indexed literature. A 26-year-old man presented with large right abdominal swelling for the past three years, which was occupying his right flank and iliac region, extending beyond the midline. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a large well-defined mass in the right side of the abdomen, crossing the midline and measuring 35 × 20 × 12cm. The left kidney showed a similar fatty lesion of 14 × 6cm. The findings were consistent with angiomyolipoma. Further evaluation for tuberous sclerosis by magnetic resonance imaging the brain demonstrated multiple subependymal nodules. Giant renal angiomyolipoma is an uncommon tumour with bilateral giant angiomyolipoma being a rare entity. Preoperative embolisation helps in reducing size of the tumour. In case of giant and bilateral angiomyolipoma, evaluation for tuberous sclerosis should always be done.

Small bowel knots

INTRODUCTION

Intertwining of bowel loops to form a knot is very rare cause of intestinal obstruction. Among intestinal knots, ileoileal knotting is the most rare, with only a handful of cases reported in literature. We present a rare case of ileoileal knotting and review of small bowel knots. The aim of this review was to summarise the existing evidence on small bowel knots and to postulate the possible mechanisms for knotting.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted for literature published up to December 2019 using MEDLINE, PubMed and Google Scholar databases, together with the references of the full-text articles retrieved. Papers with case reports of small bowel knots were considered to be eligible for inclusion in the review.

FINDINGS

A total of 14 case reports were evaluated. There was no clear predilection for age or sex. Mostly cases were from Asia and Africa with no cases from the West. The presenting complaints were abdominal pain (93%), vomiting (64%), abdominal distention (57 %) and obstipation (43%). The bowel was gangrenous in 78% of cases. All underwent exploration, with the majority requiring resection and anastomosis of the involved segment.

CONCLUSION

Ileoileal knotting is a very rare cause of intestinal obstruction. Possible mechanisms include loaded bowel with longer mesentery, vigorous peristalsis, single bulky meal, pregnancy and intussusception. The condition is extremely difficult to diagnose preoperatively and it is usually diagnosed intraoperatively. The standard of treatment is resection of gangrenous part and anastomosis.

Dual diagnosis of prenatal haemophilia A by measurement of fetal factor VIIIC and VIIIC antigen (VIIICAg)

Procoagulant factor VIII (VIIIC) and procoagulant factor VIII antigen (VIIICAg) were measured in 20 samples of pure fetal blood obtained by fetoscopy at mid-term from non-haemophilic fetuses. VIIIC levels ranged from 25 to 89 U/dl (mean 43.5) and VIIICAg from 11 to 43 U/dl (mean 22.3). Samples from 39 consecutive fetuses at risk of haemophilia A gave results indicating haemophilia in 11, and these pregnancies were terminated at the parents' request. Of the remaining 28, 18 have resulted in normal births, 8 still await delivery, and 2 pregnancies were terminated for non-haematological reasons. The results confirm that pure fetal blood can be aspirated fetoscopically for plasma assays of both VIIIC and VIIICAg. Dual measurement enhances the reliability of predicting or excluding haemophilia A, and makes prenatal diagnosis a dependable option for known or potential carriers seeking this information.