The Austin Hospital is a public teaching hospital in Melbourne's north-eastern suburb of Heidelberg, and is administered by Austin Health, along with the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital and the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre.
To compare perioperative, oncological, and survival outcomes of total gastrectomy (TG) versus subtotal gastrectomy (SG) in patients with locally advanced distal diffuse gastric adenocarcinoma treated with perioperative 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin and docetaxel (FLOT) chemotherapy. Diffuse distal gastric cancer is characterized by infiltrative growth patterns and early nodal metastasis. Whilst radical resection remains the cornerstone of curative treatment, the optimal extent of surgery with TG or SG, remains debated. This international multicenter cohort study analyzed data from patients with histologically confirmed diffuse gastric adenocarcinoma, located > 5 cm from the gastroesophageal junction. Endpoints included surgical margin status, nodal yield, perioperative morbidity, recurrence patterns, time-to-recurrence (TTR), and overall survival (OS). Outcomes were compared using multivariate analyses. In total, 188 (39.0
Importance:The effect of individualized high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and recruitment maneuvers, targeting a low driving pressure, on clinical outcomes in patients undergoing open abdominal surgery is uncertain. Objective:To compare driving pressure-guided high PEEP and recruitment maneuvers with standard low PEEP without recruitment maneuvers with respect to postoperative pulmonary complications. Design, Setting, and Participants:Randomized clinical trial of 1435 adults at increased risk for postoperative pulmonary complications who were scheduled for open abdominal surgery. The trial was conducted at 29 sites in 5 countries across Europe from April 2019 to December 2024; final follow-up was in March 2025. Statistical analysis was conducted in May 2025. Intervention:Patients were randomized to undergo intraoperative ventilation with driving pressure-guided high PEEP and recruitment maneuvers (n = 718) or to intraoperative ventilation with standard low PEEP (n = 717). All patients received low tidal volume ventilation. Main Outcomes and Measures:The primary outcome was a composite of pulmonary complications within the first 5 postoperative days, including severe respiratory failure, bronchospasm, suspected pulmonary infection, pulmonary infiltrates, aspiration pneumonitis, atelectasis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pleural effusion, cardiopulmonary edema, and pneumothorax. Among the 16 prespecified secondary outcomes, 4 concerned intraoperative complications, including hypotension (decrease in mean arterial pressure of >20% for >3 minutes) and desaturation (Spo2 <92% for >1 minute). Results:Among 1468 adults, 1435 (98%) completed the trial (median [IQR] age, 66 [57-74] years; 52% female). In the primary analysis population, the primary outcome occurred in 142 of 718 patients (19.8%) in the driving pressure-guided high PEEP group compared with 125 of 717 patients (17.4%) in the low PEEP group (absolute difference, 2.5% [95% CI, -1.5% to 6.4%]; P = .23). The incidence of hypotension (382 [54.0%] vs 317 [45.0%]) and use of vasoactive agents (224 [32.0%] vs 130 [18.8%]) was higher in the high PEEP group; the incidence of intraoperative desaturation (6 [0.8%] vs 20 [2.8%]) was higher in the low PEEP group. Conclusions and Relevance:Among patients at increased risk for postoperative pulmonary complications undergoing open abdominal surgery under general anesthesia, intraoperative ventilation with driving pressure-guided high PEEP and recruitment maneuvers, compared with a strategy with standard low PEEP, did not reduce postoperative pulmonary complications. Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03884543.
BACKGROUND:Apixaban and rivaroxaban are the oral anticoagulants most frequently used to treat acute venous thromboembolism. However, uncertainty remains about the difference in bleeding risk between the two medications. METHODS:In an international trial with a prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded end-point design, we assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, eligible patients with acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism or proximal deep-vein thrombosis to receive apixaban or rivaroxaban for 3 months. Apixaban was given at a dose of 10 mg twice daily for 7 days followed by 5 mg twice daily, and rivaroxaban was given at a dose of 15 mg twice daily for 21 days followed by 20 mg daily. The primary outcome was clinically relevant bleeding, a composite of major bleeding or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding, as defined according to the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, during the 3-month trial period. Secondary outcomes included death from any cause. RESULTS:A total of 2760 patients underwent randomization: 1370 to the apixaban group and 1390 to the rivaroxaban group. A primary-outcome event occurred in 44 of 1345 patients (3.3%) in the apixaban group and 96 of 1355 patients (7.1%) in the rivaroxaban group (relative risk, 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33 to 0.65; P<0.001). Death from any cause occurred in 1 patient (0.1%) in the apixaban group and in 4 patients (0.3%) in the rivaroxaban group (relative risk, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.03 to 2.26). Serious adverse events unrelated to bleeding or venous thrombosis occurred in 36 patients (2.7%) in the apixaban group and in 30 patients (2.2%) in the rivaroxaban group. CONCLUSIONS:Among patients with acute venous thromboembolism, the risk of clinically relevant bleeding was significantly lower with apixaban than with rivaroxaban during the 3-month treatment period. (Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and others; COBRRA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03266783.).
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a significant public health challenge in Australia, with poorer survival observed in non-metropolitan populations. This study investigated whether survival disparities persist between non-metropolitan and metropolitan patients if only those with early-stage HCC treated at metropolitan tertiary referral centres are considered. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study across ten Australian tertiary centres involving patients with a new diagnosis of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0 or A, recorded from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020. Residential postcodes were entered using the Modified Monash (MM) model to define metropolitan versus non-metropolitan residence. The primary endpoint was adjusted for all-cause mortality. Results: Our study included 854 patients (metropolitan n = 612, and non-metropolitan n = 242) with a median follow-up of 42.6 months. We found no significant survival or mortality differences between the two groups with the unadjusted Kaplan–Meier survival analysis (log-rank test p = 0.612) and with the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis (adjusted HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.64–1.34, p = 0.690). As expected, tumour burden, Child–Pugh Score, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) were significant predictors of mortality. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that previously observed survival disparities may stem from delayed diagnosis and reduced access to tertiary care in non-metropolitan regions and highlight the need for improved HCC surveillance and referral pathways, particularly for rural and Indigenous communities, to mitigate geographic inequities.
