The British journal of surgery
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Development and evaluation of a patient-centred measurement tool for surgeons' non-technical skills.
Non-technical skills are essential for safe and effective surgery. Several tools to assess surgeons' non-technical skills from the clinician's perspective have been developed. However, a reliable measurement tool using a patient-centred approach does not currently exist. The aim of this study was to translate the existing Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) tool into a patient-centred evaluation tool. ⋯ A novel nine-item assessment tool has been developed. The Patients' Evaluation of Non-Technical Skills (PENTS) tool allows valid and reliable measurement of surgeons' non-technical skills from the patient perspective.
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Recovery after colonic surgery is invariably delayed by disturbed gut motility. It is commonly assumed that colonic motility becomes quiescent after surgery, but this hypothesis has not been evaluated rigorously. This study quantified colonic motility through the early postoperative period using high-resolution colonic manometry. ⋯ Distal gut motility becomes markedly hyperactive with colonic surgery, dominated by cyclic motor patterns. This hyperactivity likely represents a novel pathophysiological aspect of the surgical stress response. Hyperactive motility may contribute to gut dysfunction after surgery, potentially offering a new therapeutic target to enhance recovery.
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Review Meta Analysis
Meta-analysis of outcomes following resection of the primary tumour in patients presenting with metastatic colorectal cancer.
It is not clear whether resection of the primary tumour (when there are metastases) alters survival and/or whether resection is associated with increased morbidity. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the prognostic value of primary tumour resection in patients presenting with metastatic colorectal cancer. ⋯ Primary tumour resection may provide a modest survival advantage in patients presenting with metastatic colorectal cancer.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Multicentre randomized clinical trial of the effect of chewing gum after abdominal surgery.
Postoperative ileus is a common complication of abdominal surgery, leading to patient discomfort, morbidity and prolonged postoperative length of hospital stay (LOS). Previous studies suggested that chewing gum stimulates bowel function after abdominal surgery, but were underpowered to evaluate its effect on LOS and did not include enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS)-based perioperative care. This study evaluated whether chewing gum after elective abdominal surgery reduces LOS and time to bowel recovery in the setting of ERAS-based perioperative care. ⋯ The addition of chewing gum to an ERAS postoperative care pathway after elective abdominal surgery does not reduce the LOS, time to bowel recovery or the rate of postoperative complications. Registration number: NTR2594 (Netherlands Trial Register).