Introduction:the aim of this study was to analyze the status of the management of vascular risk factors (hypertension and diabetes) at hospital level (3, 4 and 5) in Murang'a County (Kenya) health system. Methods:between July and December 2018 we performed a joint intervention about the strategies for improving care management of hypertension and diabetic patients in Murang'a (Kenya). A survey based on the recommendations from WHO about management of diabetes and hypertension was completed for 9 health-care centers. The survey made use of a semi-structured questionnaire, while the units of analysis for the survey were households. Results:the number of patients recorded at medical registers with diabetes and hypertension registered in public hospitals in Murang'a County were 6628 (0.45%) and y 6694 (0.45%), respectively. In the surveyed health-care centers, no hospital use electrogram and only one had troponin test. No hospital stocked Isosorbide dinitrate and Glicerine trinitate to prevent chest pain in patients with a heart condition. Only 3 of the clinics performed visual acuity examination and no facility did neurologic examination for neuropathy complications. No public hospital had HbA1 and did microalbuminuria test available. Conclusion:it is necessary to improve to establish screening methods, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with hypertension and diabetes in Murang'a County at the various levels of health care.

Abstract Background The standard treatment for endemic goiter is usually total thyroidectomy. In low‐ and middle‐income countries, the management of thyroid disease, which is commonplace in fully developed countries, is not always possible. The purpose of this study is to establish a treatment algorithm to calculate the extent of thyroidectomy based on the risk factors of each patient. Methods This is a retrospective observational study conducted during the period between 2017 and 2019. A total of 287 patients with thyroid pathology were treated in Maragua Hospital (Kenya). The results of surgical treatment were analyzed after the implementation of an individualized treatment protocol. Results One hundred and sixty patients with different types of goiter underwent surgery: solitary nodule (54.4%), multi‐nodular goiter (30.6%), diffuse goiter (10.6%), and intrathoracic goiter (3.8%). The techniques used were hemithyroidectomy (78.8%), Dunhill thyroidectomy (9.4%), bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy (6.9%), and total thyroidectomy (3.1%). There was no mortality. The surgical morbidity rate was 16% (only one major complication (3b)). Two cases of dysphonia were resolved in the first week. There were three cases of symptomatic hypocalcaemia, two of which resolved in the first week and the other of which was definitive. The follow‐up at 6 months was 67%. The cancer rate found in the resection specimens was 5%. Discussion The implementation of individualized surgical protocols for thyroid surgery in sub‐Saharan Africa can improve outcomes. The cooperation projects can increase access to complex surgical treatment for patients with limited resources in low‐ and middle‐income countries.

Since the declaration of the pandemic, humanitarian medicine has been discontinued. Until now, there have been no general recommendations on how humanitarian surgical missions should be organized. Based on our experience in the field of humanitarian surgical missions to Sub-Saharan Africa, a panel of recommendations in times of COVID-19 was developed. The fields under study were as follows: (1) Planning of a multidisciplinary project; (2) Organization of the infrastructure; (3) Screening, management and treatment of SARS-COV-2; (4) Diagnostic tests for SARS-COV-2; (5) Surgical priorization and (6) Context of patients during health-care assistance. We applied a risk bias measurement to obtain a consensus among humanitarian health-care providers with experience in this field. A total of 94.36% of agreement were reached for the approval of the recommendations. Emergency surgery must be a priority, and elective surgery adapted. For emergency surgery, we established a priority level 1a (< 24 h) and 1b (< 72 h). For an elective procedure, according our American College of Surgeon adaptation score, process with more than 60 points should be reconsidered. Due to the low life expectancy in many African countries, we consider 45–50 years as age of risk. In case of SARS-COV-2 active infection or high clinical suspicion, the screening, management and treatment should be following the international guidelines adapted to duration of the stay, available infrastructure, size of the cooperation team and medical resources. Humanitarian surgical mission in times of COVID-19 is a challenge that must extrapolate the established recommendations to the local cooperation environment.

Right hemicolectomy is a very common surgery. Many studies compare different options for laparoscopic ileocolic anastomoses: intra- or extracorporeal; handsewn or stapled; side-to-side or end-to-side. However, there are no studies about the influence that peristalsis could have on this anastomosis. The aim of this study is to compare safety and feasibility of isoperistaltic and antiperistaltic anastomosis in terms of postoperative morbidity and mortality between both groups. The secondary endpoint is to compare long-term functional outcomes (chronic diarrhoea) and quality of life (GIQLI questionnaire) after a 1-year follow-up period.

Objectives: Some perianal pathologies require aggressive surgery that will need techniques to allow to re-establish the integrity of the perianal region. The purpose is to analyze short and long term results after perineal reconstruction with V-Y flaps.Methods: A retrospective review of prospectively collected database was conducted at Virgen de la Arrixaca's Hospital in Murcia (Espana) between January 2000 and December 2013. The study includes all patients who underwent a perineal reconstruction with V-Y flaps. Demographic and surgical data and short-/long-term morbidity was recorded.Results: 10 patients were included, 6 males and 4 females. The average age was 58,1 +/- 17,4 years. Surgical indication included both malignant and benign pathologies. Operating time was 143,5 +/- 41,3 min. R0 resection was performed in all cases although histopathological analysis showed involvement of the deeper margin in 3 cases. Length of hospital stay was 7,8 +/- 7,6 days. Regarding complications: 6 patients had partial dehiscence of the flap. None of the patients lost the flap completely. The most frequent late complication was anal stenosis (n=4). Follow up showed total continence in 7 patients. Two patients had variable fecal andor flatus incontinence. A colostomy was made in one case due to severe incontinence.Conclusions: V-Y flaps are an effective and feasible technique to cover large perianal defects after aggressive surgeries. However, this technique is not free of postoperative morbidity. (C) 2016 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Background/Aims: The management of locally advanced rectal cancer has changed substantially over the last few decades with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The aim of the present study is to compare the results between neoadjuvant post-treatment rectoscopy and the anatomopathological findings of the surgical specimen. Patients and Methods: We conducted a prospective study of 67 patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the rectum (stages II and III). Two groups were established: One with complete clinical response (cCR) and one without (non-cCR), based on the findings at rectoscopy. Assessment of tumor regression grade in the surgical specimen was determined using Mandard's tumor regression scale. Results: Seventeen patients showed a cCR. Thirty-five biopsies were negative and 32 were positive for mailgnancy. All the cCR patients had a negative biopsy (P < 0.0001). All 32 positive biopsies revealed the presence of adenocarcinoma, and of the 35 negative biopsies, 18 had no malignancy and 17 were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma (P < 0.0001). Sixteen of the 17 cCR patients showed a complete pathological response and one patient showed the presence of adenocarcinoma. Of the 50 non-cCR patients 48 revealed the presence of adenocarcinoma and two had absence of malignancy. According to the Mandard classification, 16 of the 17 cCR patients were grade I and 1 grade II; 2 non-cCR patients were grade I, 7 grade II, 13 grade III, 19 grade IV, and 9 grade V. Conclusions: Endoscopic and histological findings could be determinants in the assessment of response to neoadjuvant treatment.

OBJECTIVES:Some perianal pathologies require aggressive surgery that will need techniques to allow to re-establish the integrity of the perianal region. The purpose is to analyze short and long term results after perineal reconstruction with V-Y flaps.METHODS:A retrospective review of prospectively collected database was conducted at Virgen de la Arrixaca's Hospital in Murcia (España) between January 2000 and December 2013. The study includes all patients who underwent a perineal reconstruction with V-Y flaps. Demographic and surgical data and short-/long- term morbidity was recorded.RESULTS:10 patients were included, 6 males and 4 females. The average age was 58,1±17,4 years. Surgical indication included both malignant and benign pathologies. Operating time was 143,5±41,3min. R0 resection was performed in all cases although histopathological analysis showed involvement of the deeper margin in 3 cases. Length of hospital stay was 7,8±7,6 days. Regarding complications: 6 patients had partial dehiscence of the flap. None of the patients lost the flap completely. The most frequent late complication was anal stenosis (n=4). Follow up showed total continence in 7 patients. Two patients had variable fecal and/or flatus incontinence. A colostomy was made in one case due to severe incontinence.CONCLUSIONS:V-Y flaps are an effective and feasible technique to cover large perianal defects after aggressive surgeries. However, this technique is not free of postoperative morbidity.

BACKGROUND:Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is considered the gold standard for the treatment of morbid obesity. There is no consensus over ideal limb length when the bypass is created and published studies do not take into account the influence of the common limb (CL) on weight loss. The objective was to study the influence of the common limb after RYGB. The setting was the Virgen de la Arrixaca University Clinical Hospital in Murcia, Spain.MATERIAL AND METHODS:This prospective study includes 151 patients undergoing laparoscopic RYGB surgery for morbid obesity. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to their body mass index. The small intestine (SI) was measured using micro forceps so that the percentage of common limb (%CL) could then be compared against the total SI in each patient. The percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) in relation to the %CL was calculated at 3, 12, and 24 months. A series of tests was conducted simultaneously to analyze nutritional deficiencies and their relation to the %CL.RESULTS:The total jejunoileal segment and the %CL in the groups of both obese and super-obese patients had no influence on the %EWL in either group for any of the periods studied. The patients with a %CL<50% had greater nutritional deficiencies in the follow-up period and required supplements and more frequent laboratory tests.CONCLUSIONS:The %CL has no effect on weight loss in RYGB patients. A lower %CL is related to greater nutritional deficiencies.

INTRODUCTION:The treatment of rectal cancer via laparoscopy is controversial due to its technical complexity. Several randomized prospective studies have demonstrated clear advantages for the patient with similar oncological results to those of open surgery, although during the learning of this surgical technique there may be an increase in complications and a worse prognosis. OBJECTIVE:Our aim is to analyze how the learning curve for rectal cancer via laparoscopy influences intra- and postoperative results and oncological markers. A retrospective review was conducted of the first 120 patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for rectal neoplasia. The operations were performed by the same surgical team with a wide experience in the treatment of open colorectal cancer and qualified to perform advanced laparoscopic surgery. We analyzed sex, ASA, tumour location, neoadjuvant treatment, surgical technique, operating time, conversion, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, number of lymph nodes, stage and involvement of margins. RESULTS:Significant differences were observed with regard to surgical time (224 min in the first group, 204 min in the second group), with a higher rate of conversion in the first group (22.5%) than in the second (11.3%). No significant differences were noted for rate of conservative sphincter surgery, length of hospital stay, post-surgical complications, number of affected/isolated lymph nodes or affected circumferential and distal margins. CONCLUSIONS:It is possible to learn this complex surgical technique without compromising the patient's safety and oncological outcome.