Society: SSAT

Background and aims: Several small studies reported high risk of progression to high grade dysplasia (HGD) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in Barrett’s esophagus (BE) patients who undergo solid organ transplantation (SOT). However, the major shortcoming of these reports is the lack of a control population. Therefore, we aim to determine the rates of neoplastic progression in SOT patients with BE compared to controls and also the risk factors associated with progression.
Methods: A retrospective case-control study of all patients with a confirmed diagnosis of BE (age ≥18 years) seen between Jan 2000 and Dec 2021 was conducted. Cases were all BE patients who had SOT; controls were all BE patients with no SOT and no immunosuppressant use. Demographics, endoscopic and histological findings, duration of follow-up (in years), history of fundoplication and immunosuppressant use were abstracted. Patients with ≥1 surveillance endoscopies were included to calculate incidence rates of HGD/EAC. Multivariate logistic regression was done to identify the risk factors associated with progression of BE patients to HGD/EAC.
Results: There were 118 cases with SOT (lung =35, liver=35, kidney=35, heart=14, pancreas=2) and 756 controls with no prior history of SOT or immunosuppressant use. Patients with SOT were predominantly younger (p=0.022); male, had lower body mass index (BMI) and active smokers (p<0.001 for all) (table 1). On multivariate analysis, older age, male gender, BE segment length, higher BMI and hiatal hernia were more likely to be associated with progression of BE to HGD/EAC (table 2). BE patients with immunosuppressant medication use were twice more likely to progress to HGD/EAC (p<0.001) (table 2).
Conclusion: Immunosuppressant use increases the risk of neoplastic progression in patients with BE. Therefore, these patients may need more aggressive surveillance. This study has important clinical implications for surveillance in BE patients with SOT.

<b>Table 1</b>: Baseline Characteristics

Table 1: Baseline Characteristics

<b>Table 2: Multivariable Model for Prevalent or Incident HGD/EAC</b>

Table 2: Multivariable Model for Prevalent or Incident HGD/EAC

INTRODUCTION
Screening colonoscopy (SC) is widely accepted and has been shown to decrease the rate of colorectal cancer death. Guidelines and acceptance of screening for Barrett’s esophagus (BE) are less established despite the fact that esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) remains the fastest increasing cancer in the United States. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of SC in patients ultimately found to have EA, and to evaluate the presence of symptoms that might have prompted an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and potentially earlier diagnosis of the EA.
METHODS
A retrospective chart review was performed to identify all patients who were referred to a single center with esophageal cancer between July 2016 and November 2022. Patients with any histology other than adenocarcinoma were excluded.
RESULTS
There were 221 patients referred with EA. Of these, a SC had been done prior to the diagnosis of EA in 108 patients (49%), 96 men and 12 women. The median age was 66.4 years. A total of 203 SC had been done (range 1-7 per patient). The median interval from SC to the diagnosis of EA was 2.88 years. The highest stage lesion found on SC was colorectal carcinoma in 2 patients and tubulovillous adenoma in 3 patients. There were 36 patients (33.3%) with no findings on SC. At the time of SC, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms or regular acid suppression medication use was documented in 48.1% of patients (Table). In those with GERD symptoms, the symptoms had been present either life-long or for many years in 69% of patients. Only 19 patients (17.6%) that had a SC had an EGD at any time prior to the diagnosis of EA. In 8 patients, the EGD that found EA was done at the time of SC for anemia, regurgitation symptoms or new-onset dysphagia. A T1 lesion was found in 25% of these patients compared to only 7% of patients that had an EGD separate from the SC (p=0.059). Dysphagia was present at the time of SC in 9 patients, and in 3 patients a SC without an EGD was performed a median of 3 months prior to the EGD that showed EA.
CONCLUSIONS
Nearly one-half of patients ultimately diagnosed with EA had GERD symptoms for many years or were using acid suppression medications regularly at the time of SC, but did not undergo EGD. In 40% of the patients the SC was done within 2 years of the diagnosis of EA. The addition of an EGD at the time of SC in these patients may have allowed early detection of BE or EA.

Background
Transthoracic esophagectomy has historically been characterized as an operation with substantial postoperative morbidity. The application of the robotic surgical platform to enable robotic-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) has been prospectively shown to reduce postoperative complications when compared to open resection with thoracotomy. However, RAMIE requires significant institutional investment to fully realize postoperative benefits of minimally invasive resection. We sought to describe improvements in postoperative outcomes over time in our high-volume single-center experience of over 500 RAMIEs.

Methods
Patients undergoing robotic-assisted transthoracic two-field esophagectomy were identified from a prospectively-maintained institutional database (2010-2021). Patients were included if the abdominal portion of the operation was performed open or minimally invasive; all thoracic portions were performed robotically. Primary postoperative outcomes of interest included length of stay (LOS), 30-day pulmonary complication, and 30-day cardiac complication. Cases were separated into cumulative volume quintile (CVQ) by surgical date. Associations between outcomes and CVQ were assessed using regression analysis, as appropriate, with adjustment for clinical factors (age, sex, receipt of neoadjuvant therapy), tumor factors (site, histology, clinical stage), and open vs minimally invasive abdominal portion.

Results
In all, there were 504 RAMIEs identified for study. Median patient age was 66 years (IQR 58-72) and the majority were male (81.9%), were performed for adenocarcinoma (88.1%), and received neoadjuvant therapy (83.9%). Median operative time was 415 minutes, which did not vary by CVQ (p=0.24). Median operative blood loss decreased with increasing CVQ, but not after adjustment for other factors (p=0.79).
The rate of 30-day respiratory complication was lowest (7.0%) in the highest CVQ (cases 404-504), compared to CVQ1 27.7%, CVQ2 16.8%, CVQ3 27.7%, and CVQ4 17.8%, (p=0.001). The association between higher CVQ and reduced rate of respiratory complication remained significant after adjustment for other factors (OR 0.71, p<0.001). Exploratory analysis revealed LOS decreased steadily with cumulative volume (Figure). Median LOS was 10, 10, 9, 9, and 7 days by increasing CVQ (p<0.001) which remained significant in multivariable adjustment (mean -1.2 days per CVQ, p<0.001). No significant association between rate of 30-day cardiac complication and CVQ was observed (CVQ1 28.7%, CVQ2 24.8%, CVQ3 38.6%, CVQ4 27.7, CVQ5 25.0%, p=0.20).

Conclusions
LOS and postoperative respiratory complication decreased significantly over our experience with 500 RAMIEs. The well-established benefits of minimally invasive resection are likely maximized when performed in a high-volume center with experience in optimization of postoperative care.

Introduction
Complex operations have become increasingly centralized at HVCs, which are believed to deliver improved outcomes. While readmission rates have been used administratively to measure surgical performance, surgical volume, as it relates to readmission rates, has not been studied using a population-based database. This study aimed to compare outcomes between HVCs and LVCs in the performance of PEHR.

Methods
The Nationwide Readmissions Database was queried for all patients undergoing PEHR from 2016 to 2018. Patients were excluded if they were <18 years old or had an emergent operation, concurrent bariatric procedure, or a diagnosis of gastrointestinal malignancy. Centers were stratified into percentiles based on elective procedure volume by year. HVCs were defined as in the top 5th percentile (>42 procedures/year), and LVCs were defined as 50th percentile or less (£ 5 procedures/year). Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared with standard statistical methods.

Results
During the 3-year period, 36,484 PEHR patients were identified. Of these, 11,355 (31.1%) underwent PEHR at a HVC and 4,904 (13.4%) at a LVC. Patients were similar in age (65 [55, 72] vs 65 [54, 72] years, p=0.621) and sex (71.8% vs 72.9% female, p=0.145). HVC patients were more concentrated in metropolitan teaching (95.4% vs 48.8%) and large (82.7% vs 33.5%) hospitals (p<0.001). Hospital charges were higher at HVCs ($54,190 [$36,396, $86,599] vs $50,054 [$31,596, $81,821], p<0.001). HVCs performed a higher proportion of laparoscopic (73.3% vs 69.6%, p<0.001), similar proportion of robotic (16.2% vs 15.9%, p=0.661), and lower proportion of open (9.9% vs 13.5%, p<0.001) procedures. HVC patients had less perioperative mortality (0.2% vs 0.5%, p<0.001), major bleeding (0.2% vs 0.4%, p=0.040), pneumonia (0.8% vs 2.3%, p<0.001), respiratory failure (2.2% vs 4.4%, p<0.001), acute renal failure (1.6% vs 2.6%, p<0.001), and sepsis (0.6% vs 1.5%, p<0.001) and shorter length of stay (LOS) (3.0 ± 3.9 vs 3.4 ± 4.6 days, p=0.003). HVCs had lower 30-day (6.6% vs 8.2%, p<0.001), 90-day (9.5% vs 11.1%, p=0.003), and 180-day (11.5% vs 13.0%, p=0.010) readmission rates and readmissions requiring reoperation (0.4% vs 0.9%, p=0.002). In regression analysis, HVCs were protective for 30-day (OR=0.781 [0.642-0.950]) and 90-day readmission (OR=0.837 [0.707-0.990]), mortality (OR=0.247 [0.112-0.544]), and complications (OR=0.764 [0.641-0.910]).

Conclusions
HVCs performed more laparoscopic and fewer open PEHR than LVCs. HVCs had a shorter LOS, lower readmission rates at 30- and 90-days, a reduced rate of readmissions requiring reoperation, fewer complications, and lower mortality rates. Procedure volume was independently predictive of improved outcomes in PEHR. These results support centralization of PEHR to HVCs.

BACKGROUND: Surgical anti-reflux procedures remain the definitive treatment for chronic, medically refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), according to consensus guidelines. Patients with GERD frequently present with extra-esophageal manifestations, such as laryngopharyngeal reflux. It may be difficult to discern GERD as the cause of the patient’s condition, and multiple specialist consultations may occur to rule out other etiologies. The choice of initial referral, the timing of referral from diagnosis, and the patient’s comorbidity burden may impact timing of the definitive management—fundoplication. This study aims to examine referral patterns and co-morbidity status to identify factors that influence duration of time between GERD diagnosis and anti-reflux surgery.

METHODS: A retrospective, 10-year review was performed examining patients ages 18-64 with GERD who underwent Nissen fundoplication between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2020 at a single tertiary referral center. Patients with peptic stricture, esophageal adenocarcinoma, or Barrett’s esophagus with high grade dysplasia were excluded. Patient demographics and clinical variables were collected. Kaplan Meier estimates and linear regression analyses were performed to analyze the association between initial referral type and time to surgery, number of co-morbidities and time to surgery, PCP type and time to general surgery and/or GI referral, and number of co-morbidities and time to general surgery and/or GI referral.

RESULTS: A total of 426 patients were identified with 37 excluded. Analyses were performed of referrals to otolaryngology (ENT), gastroenterology (GI), or general surgery for ICD codes associated with GERD. Referral to ENT delayed time to surgical treatment by 1.3 years compared to those who were initially referred to GI or general surgery (3.4 vs 2.1 years) (p<0.05). A greater co-morbidity burden strongly delayed anti-reflux surgery from initial GERD diagnosis (p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis found that for each individual co-morbidity, the predicted time from GERD diagnosis to fundoplasty increased by 146 days (Fig. 1 and 2). This relationship was maintained when controlling for the association between number of comorbidities and time to either general surgery or GI referral (p < 0.001). There was no association found between type of PCP (MD, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) and time to referral (p = 0.72).

CONCLUSION: Our results emphasize the importance of deliberate referral practices for patients with GERD to minimize duration of reflux and mitigate potential complications. A large portion of ENT referrals are made for reflux symptoms, yet our data may indicate a need for a change to local referral patterns, as it suggests that initial referral to gastroenterology and/or general surgery may shorten the time to definitive treatment.

Kaplan Meier estimates showing time in days from GERD diagnosis to fundoplication (x-axis) and probability of having undergone fundoplication (y-axis) and influence of comorbidity burden.

Kaplan Meier estimates showing time in days from GERD diagnosis to fundoplication (x-axis) and probability of having undergone fundoplication (y-axis) and influence of comorbidity burden.

Lowess smoother plot showing a strongly positive correlation between co-morbidity burden (x-axis) and time in days between GERD diagnosis and fundoplication (y-axis).

Lowess smoother plot showing a strongly positive correlation between co-morbidity burden (x-axis) and time in days between GERD diagnosis and fundoplication (y-axis).

Conor O'Neill

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