Peri-operative SARS-CoV-2 infection increases postoperative mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal duration of planned delay before surgery in patients who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection. This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study included patients undergoing elective or emergency surgery during October 2020. Surgical patients with pre-operative SARS-CoV-2 infection were compared with those without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality. Logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted 30-day mortality rates stratified by time from diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection to surgery. Among 140,231 patients (116 countries), 3127 patients (2.2%) had a pre-operative SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. Adjusted 30-day mortality in patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection was 1.5% (95%CI 1.4-1.5). In patients with a pre-operative SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, mortality was increased in patients having surgery within 0-2 weeks, 3-4 weeks and 5-6 weeks of the diagnosis (odds ratio (95%CI) 4.1 (3.3-4.8), 3.9 (2.6-5.1) and 3.6 (2.0-5.2), respectively). Surgery performed ≥ 7 weeks after SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis was associated with a similar mortality risk to baseline (odds ratio (95%CI) 1.5 (0.9-2.1)). After a ≥ 7 week delay in undertaking surgery following SARS-CoV-2 infection, patients with ongoing symptoms had a higher mortality than patients whose symptoms had resolved or who had been asymptomatic (6.0% (95%CI 3.2-8.7) vs. 2.4% (95%CI 1.4-3.4) vs. 1.3% (95%CI 0.6-2.0), respectively). Where possible, surgery should be delayed for at least 7 weeks following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients with ongoing symptoms ≥ 7 weeks from diagnosis may benefit from further delay.

SARS-CoV-2 has been associated with an increased rate of venous thromboembolism in critically ill patients. Since surgical patients are already at higher risk of venous thromboembolism than general populations, this study aimed to determine if patients with peri-operative or prior SARS-CoV-2 were at further increased risk of venous thromboembolism. We conducted a planned sub-study and analysis from an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study of elective and emergency patients undergoing surgery during October 2020. Patients from all surgical specialties were included. The primary outcome measure was venous thromboembolism (pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis) within 30 days of surgery. SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis was defined as peri-operative (7 days before to 30 days after surgery); recent (1-6 weeks before surgery); previous (≥7 weeks before surgery); or none. Information on prophylaxis regimens or pre-operative anti-coagulation for baseline comorbidities was not available. Postoperative venous thromboembolism rate was 0.5% (666/123,591) in patients without SARS-CoV-2; 2.2% (50/2317) in patients with peri-operative SARS-CoV-2; 1.6% (15/953) in patients with recent SARS-CoV-2; and 1.0% (11/1148) in patients with previous SARS-CoV-2. After adjustment for confounding factors, patients with peri-operative (adjusted odds ratio 1.5 (95%CI 1.1-2.0)) and recent SARS-CoV-2 (1.9 (95%CI 1.2-3.3)) remained at higher risk of venous thromboembolism, with a borderline finding in previous SARS-CoV-2 (1.7 (95%CI 0.9-3.0)). Overall, venous thromboembolism was independently associated with 30-day mortality ). In patients with SARS-CoV-2, mortality without venous thromboembolism was 7.4% (319/4342) and with venous thromboembolism was 40.8% (31/76). Patients undergoing surgery with peri-operative or recent SARS-CoV-2 appear to be at increased risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism compared with patients with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Optimal venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and treatment are unknown in this cohort of patients, and these data should be interpreted accordingly.

Background: Rectus sheath hematoma (RSH) is a rare but potentially dangerous clinical entity that requires medical supervision. Case Report: Here we discuss one such case which describes the fatal course of spontaneous RSH during hospital admission. Conclusion: Usually, RSH presents as a minimal abdominal wall swelling with self-limiting course but in the case of hematoma and size progression, specific conservative or invasive measures are necessary to prevent serious complications including hypovolemic shock and death.

Pilonidal disease (PD) is a common condition, and there is still an ongoing debate on ideal management that should be minimally invasive, safe, and efficient. The use of radially emitting laser in the treatment of chronic PD is a novel minimally invasive technique, and initial studies with a small number of patients showed promising results. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of chronic PD treatment with a laser using a systematic review of the published literature. A systematic review was conducted after PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane database search for studies reporting laser treatment of chronic PD. Also, our unpublished prospective single-center study was included in this review. Ten of 87 studies were eligible for the review, including 971 patients. The median age of the patients was 26 (range 13-68), and the median operative time was 26 (range 6-65) min. With a median follow-up of 12 (range 7-25) months, 917 (94.4%) patients achieved primary healing with a weighted mean recurrence rate of 3.8%. The weighted mean complication rate was 10% (95% CI 5.7-14.3%, I2 = 82.28, p < 0.001), and all were minor. The published literature demonstrates that laser treatment is a promising procedure in the management of chronic PD. Furthermore, the review showed that standardized operative techniques and perioperative steps were used. The results were limited to the mild chronic PD. Classification of PD severity and standardized outcome reporting is required to define indications and contraindications for laser PD treatment. Randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the long-term effectiveness and superiority of laser treatment over other methods.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), being the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, arise most commonly in stomach (60-70%) and small intestine (20-25%) while other sites of origin are rare. In most cases, they are dia gnosed accidentally due to their indolent clinical course; however, 10-30% have malignant potential. Gastric and esophageal GISTs carry a better prognosis than small bowel GISTs of similar size and mitotic rate. Complete surgical resection is the only potentially curative procedure, but despite its success, at least 50% of patients develop recurrence or metastases. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib gave positive results in treatment of unresectable, metastatic or recurrent GISTs. We present the case of a 69-year-old woman with a large unresectable GIST of esophago-gastric junction with multiple bilobar liver metastases who underwent an emergent palliative surgery due to diffuse bleeding from the tumor. Twelve months after the surgery, patient is still alive and stable under imatinib therapy with no signs of local recurrence of the disease. This example suggests that patients with locally advanced GISTs with distant metastases may benefit from surgery in terms of prolonged survival and quality of life. SouhrnGastrointestinální stromální tumory (GIST), které jsou nejčastějšími mezenchymálními nádory gastrointestinálního traktu, se nejčastěji vyskytují v žaludku (60-70 %) a tenkém střevě (20-25 %), zatímco jiná místa původu jsou vzácná. Z důvodu indolentního klinického průběhu jsou ve většině případů dia gnostikovány náhodně, 10-30 % však vyjadřuje maligní potenciál. GIST žaludku a jícnu mívají lepší prognózu než GIST tenkého střeva podobné velikosti a rychlosti mitózy. Úplná chirurgická resekce je jediným potenciálně léčebným zákrokem, ale navzdory jejímu úspěchu se u nejméně 50 % pacientů objeví recidiva nebo metastázy. Pozitivní výsledky v léčbě neresekovatelných, metastatických nebo rekurentních GIST vykazoval inhibitor tyrozinkinázy imatinib. Prezentujeme případ 69leté ženy s velkým neresekovatelným GIST ezofágo-gastrického spojení s mnohočetnými metastázami jaterních bilobarů, která podstoupila paliativní chirurgickou operaci v důsledku difuzního krvácení z nádoru. Dvanáct měsíců po operaci je pacientka stále naživu a stabilní při léčbě imatinibem bez známek lokální recidivy onemocnění. Tento příklad naznačuje, že pacienti s lokálně pokročilými GIST se vzdálenými metastázami mohou mít prospěch z operace z hlediska prodlouženého přežití a kvality života. Klíčová slova GIST -žaludek -hiátová hernie -resekceThe authors declare they have no potential conflicts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study.Autoři deklarují, že v souvislosti s předmětem studie nemají žádné komerční zájmy.The Editorial Board declares that the manuscript met the ICMJE recommendation for biomedical papers.Redakční rada potvrzuje, že rukopis práce splnil ICMJE kritéria pro publikace zasílané do bi omedicínských časopisů.

Background The incidence of the highly morbid and potentially lethal gangrenous cholecystitis was reportedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the ChoCO-W study was to compare the clinical findings and outcomes of acute cholecystitis in patients who had COVID-19 disease with those who did not. Methods Data were prospectively collected over 6 months (October 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021) with 1-month follow-up. In October 2020, Delta variant of SARS CoV-2 was isolated for the first time. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed and reported according to the STROBE guidelines. Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients who had COVID-19 were compared with those who did not. Results A total of 2893 patients, from 42 countries, 218 centers, involved, with a median age of 61.3 (SD: 17.39) years were prospectively enrolled in this study; 1481 (51%) patients were males. One hundred and eighty (6.9%) patients were COVID-19 positive, while 2412 (93.1%) were negative. Concomitant preexisting diseases including cardiovascular diseases (p < 0.0001), diabetes (p < 0.0001), and severe chronic obstructive airway disease (p = 0.005) were significantly more frequent in the COVID-19 group. Markers of sepsis severity including ARDS (p < 0.0001), PIPAS score (p < 0.0001), WSES sepsis score (p < 0.0001), qSOFA (p < 0.0001), and Tokyo classification of severity of acute cholecystitis (p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in the COVID-19 group. The COVID-19 group had significantly higher postoperative complications (32.2% compared with 11.7%, p < 0.0001), longer mean hospital stay (13.21 compared with 6.51 days, p < 0.0001), and mortality rate (13.4% compared with 1.7%, p < 0.0001). The incidence of gangrenous cholecystitis was doubled in the COVID-19 group (40.7% compared with 22.3%). The mean wall thickness of the gallbladder was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group [6.32 (SD: 2.44) mm compared with 5.4 (SD: 3.45) mm; p < 0.0001]. Conclusions The incidence of gangrenous cholecystitis is higher in COVID patients compared with non-COVID patients admitted to the emergency department with acute cholecystitis. Gangrenous cholecystitis in COVID patients is associated with high-grade Clavien-Dindo postoperative complications, longer hospital stay and higher mortality rate. The open cholecystectomy rate is higher in COVID compared with non -COVID patients. It is recommended to delay the surgical treatment in COVID patients, when it is possible, to decrease morbidity and mortality rates. COVID-19 infection and gangrenous cholecystistis are not absolute contraindications to perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy, in a case by case evaluation, in expert hands. Graphical abstract

Background Less invasive alternatives than early cholecystectomy (EC) for acute calculous cholecystitis (ACC) treatment have been spreading in recent years. We still lack a reliable tool to select high-risk patients who could benefit from these alternatives. Our study aimed to prospectively validate the Chole-risk score in predicting postoperative complications in patients undergoing EC for ACC compared with other preoperative risk prediction models. Method The S.P.Ri.M.A.C.C. study is a World Society of Emergency Surgery prospective multicenter observational study. From 1st September 2021 to 1st September 2022, 1253 consecutive patients admitted in 79 centers were included. The inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of ACC and to be a candidate for EC. A Cochran-Armitage test of the trend was run to determine whether a linear correlation existed between the Chole-risk score and a complicated postoperative course. To assess the accuracy of the analyzed prediction models—POSSUM Physiological Score (PS), modified Frailty Index, Charlson Comorbidity Index, American Society of Anesthesiologist score (ASA), APACHE II score, and ACC severity grade—receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to compare the diagnostic abilities. Results A 30-day major morbidity of 6.6% and 30-day mortality of 1.1% were found. Chole-risk was validated, but POSSUM PS was the best risk prediction model for a complicated course after EC for ACC (in-hospital mortality: AUC 0.94, p < 0.001; 30-day mortality: AUC 0.94, p < 0.001; in-hospital major morbidity: AUC 0.73, p < 0.001; 30-day major morbidity: AUC 0.70, p < 0.001). POSSUM PS with a cutoff of 25 (defined in our study as a ‘Chole-POSSUM’ score) was then validated in a separate cohort of patients. It showed a 100% sensitivity and a 100% negative predictive value for mortality and a 96–97% negative predictive value for major complications. Conclusions The Chole-risk score was externally validated, but the CHOLE-POSSUM stands as a more accurate prediction model. CHOLE-POSSUM is a reliable tool to stratify patients with ACC into a low-risk group that may represent a safe EC candidate, and a high-risk group, where new minimally invasive endoscopic techniques may find the most useful field of action. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrial.gov NCT04995380.

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