UNASSIGNED: There are no standard guidelines regarding the number and size of chest tubes that should be selected after thoracic surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of adopting a drainage strategy with bi-pigtail catheters (BPCs) on patients undergoing lobectomy by uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS).
UNASSIGNED: A retrospective study was performed of patients undergoing uniportal lobectomy at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Cancer Hospital of Dalian University of Technology between August 2021 and August 2022. The patients were divided into the following two groups according to the drainage strategy adopted: (I) a traditional chest tube (TCT) group; and (II) a BPC group. The outcomes measured included postoperative complications, as measured by the Clavien-Dindo method, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores of the patients after surgery.
UNASSIGNED: In total, 868 patients underwent lung resection during the study period, after exclusion, the data of 470 patients who underwent uniport lobectomy were reviewed (235 in the TCT group, and 235 in the BPC group). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of baseline data (P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications (7.7% vs. 19.1%) and postoperative VAS pain scores at 7-24 hours (3.3±1.0 vs. 3.7±1.5) and 25-48 hours (3.1±0.8 vs. 3.6±1.5) were significantly lower in the BPC group than the TCT group (all P<0.001). Additionally, the postoperative length of stay (4.6±1.5 vs. 5.4±4.5 days) and the collapse rate of the residual lung (19.2%±9.1% vs. 20.9%±9.6%) of the BPC group were better than those of the TCT group (P<0.05). The results of univariable and multivariable analyses showed that a drainage strategy with a TCT was an independent risk factor for decreased postoperative complications, and reduced moderate or severe pain scores at 7-24 and 25-48 hours after surgery.
UNASSIGNED: Our drainage strategy with BPCs decreased the incidence of postoperative complications and alleviated the postoperative pain of patients undergoing lobectomy by uniportal VATS and is safe and feasible.

UNASSIGNED: The combination of neoadjuvant immunotherapy and chemotherapy (NICT) has become a common treatment regimen for locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC). However, the safety and efficacy of radical gastrectomy following NICT (NICT-G) remain controversial. This study aimed to analyze the risk factors influencing postoperative complications (POCs) after NICT-G. Additionally, it aimed to construct a nomogram to provide a clinical reference for predicting POCs.
UNASSIGNED: This study included 177 patients who received NICT-G at the Chinese PLA General Hospital First Medical Center from January 2020 to January 2024. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the risk factors influencing POCs, and a nomogram model was constructed. To evaluate the discrimination and accuracy of the nomogram model, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the calibration curve were measured.
UNASSIGNED: In 177 patients who received NICT-G, the pathological complete response and major pathological response rates were 15.8% and 45.2%, respectively, whereas the rates of the overall and severe treatment-related adverse events were 71.8% and 15.8%, respectively. In addition, 43 (24.3%) patients developed overall POCs (Clavien-Dindo classification ≥ II). Univariable and multivariable logistic analyses showed that age ≥70 years, greater estimated blood loss, platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) ≤196, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) >1.33, non-R0 resection, and body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 kg/m2 were independent risk factors for overall POCs (p < 0.05). The nomogram model developed using the abovementioned variables showed that the AUC (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 0.808 (95% CI): 0.731-0.885 in predicting the POC risk. The calibration curves showed that the prediction curve of the nomogram was a good fit for the actual POCs (Hosmer-Lemeshow test: χ2 = 5.76, P = 0.451).
UNASSIGNED: The independent risk factors for overall POCs in the NICT-G were age ≥ 70 years, greater estimated blood loss, PLR ≤ 196, NLR > 1.33, non-R0 resection, and BMI < 18.5 kg/m2. The nomogram model developed based on the abovementioned indicators showed better accuracy in predicting the POC risk.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the impact of peritoneal drainage and its type on prognosis, encompassing postoperative recovery and complications, in pediatric patients (≤ 16 years old) following appendectomy based on the grade of appendicitis.
METHODS: In this retrospective study, we analyzed pediatric patients (≤ 16 years old) with appendicitis who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria in our center from January 2017 to January 2024 and classified them into grade I-V based on the grade of appendicitis, with V representing the most serious cases. The patients were grouped according to drainage status and type. The main clinical outcomes included postoperative rehabilitation indexes such as time to resume a soft diet, time to remove the drain, duration of postoperative antibiotic use and length of hospitalization (LOH), as well as postoperative complications including intra-abdominal abscess (IAA), ileus and wound infection (WI), and readmission within 30 days after surgery.
RESULTS: A total of 385 pediatric patients with appendicitis were included in the study and divided into No-drainage (ND) group (n = 74), Passive drainage (PD) group (n = 246) and Active drainage (AD) group (n = 65) according to drainage status and type. Compared to the other two groups, the ND group had a significantly shorter time to resume a soft diet, duration of postoperative antibiotic use and LOH, and these differences were statistically significant. Similar findings were observed in grade I patients too (P < 0.05). In all cases examined here, the AD group had a significantly shorter time for drain removal compared to the PD group (3.04 [1-12] vs 2.74 [1-15], P = 0.049); this difference was also evident among grade I patients (2.80 [1-6] vs 2.47 [1-9], P = 0.019). Furthermore, within the same grade, only in grade IV did the AD group exhibit a shorter duration of postoperative antibiotic use compared to the PD group (4.75 [4-5] vs 8.33 [5-15], P = 0.009). Additionally, the LOH in the AD group was longer than that in the PD group (8.00 [4-13] vs 4.75 [4-5], P = 0.025). Among all cases, the ND group exhibited significantly lower incidences of overall complications and WI compared to the other two groups (P < 0.05). Additionally, the incidence of IAA in the ND group was significantly lower than that in the PD group (0% vs 5.3%, P = 0.008 < 0.0167). Furthermore, although there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of overall complications, IAA, ileus, and WI between the PD and AD groups during grade ≥ II analysis (P > 0.05), a higher readmission rate within 30 days was observed in the PD group compared to the AD group; however, these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that a higher grade of appendicitis was associated with an increased risk of overall complications and IAA as well as a longer duration of postoperative antibiotic use and LOH.
CONCLUSIONS: The appendicitis grade is a crucial indicator for predicting postoperative IAA and LOH. In patients with grade I appendicitis, peritoneal drainage, even if active drainage, is not recommended; For patients with grade ≥ II appendicitis, active drainage may be more effective than passive drainage in reducing the duration of postoperative antibiotic use and LOH.

OBJECTIVE: Postoperative delirium (POD) is one of the most frequent complications after surgery which is closely associated with many adverse outcomes, including high mortality and low quality of life. This study aims to carry out a bibliometric analysis of POD and its risk factors from 2012 to 2022 to reveal the research status and hot spots.
METHODS: This study is a bibliometric and visualized analysis.
METHODS: Relevant publications between 2012 and 2022 were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database. CiteSpace software (v6.1. R2, Drexel University), VOSviewer software (v1.6.18, Leiden University), and the Online Analysis Platform of Literature Metrology were used to analyze research attributes. These publications were used to analyze research attributes, including countries, journals, institutions, authors, keywords, and burst detection, to predict trends and hot spots.
RESULTS: We included a total of 1,324 related documents from 2012 to 2022. The literature on POD has increased significantly since 2016. The United States and Harvard University were the leading literature publishing country (436/1324, 32.9%) and institution (112/1324, 8.5%). Anesthesia and Analgesia was the most frequently published journal. Keywords analysis with VOSviewer revealed that the keywords could be divided into five clusters, including anesthesia techniques, cardiac surgery, risk factors, intraoperative anesthesia monitoring, and postoperative cognitive dysfunction. We included a total of 198 POD risk factors documents, and the literature on POD risk factors increased. The People\'s Republic of China and Harvard University were the leading literature publishing country (53/198, 26.8%) and institution (12/198, 6.1%). Elderly, hip surgery, frailty, postoperative pain, cardiac surgery, dementia, and depression are keywords that are risk factors for POD.
CONCLUSIONS: The number of literature on POD in the field of anesthesia has increased significantly. Risk factors and anesthesia techniques are still key areas of research. Encephalogram, the use of sedatives, and perioperative nursing may be the new research focus. Older adults, hip fractures, cardiac surgery, liver transplants, dementia, and depression are hot words in the field of POD risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to clarify the metastatic patterns of subcarinal, right and left recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and to investigate appropriate strategies for lymph node dissection.
METHODS: Patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma receiving esophagectomy from December 2020 to April 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Risk factors for subcarinal, right and left recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes metastasis were determined by chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis. We visualized the metastasis rates of these specific lymph nodes based on the different clinicopathological characteristics. Correlation between subcarinal, right and left recurrent laryngeal lymph nodes metastasis and postoperative complications were also analyzed.
RESULTS: A total of 503 thoracic esophageal squamous carcinoma patients who underwent esophagectomy were enrolled. The metastasis rates of subcarinal, right and left recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes were 10.3%, 10.3%, and 10.9%, respectively. The lymphovascular invasion status and tumor location were the significant predictors for subcarinal and right recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes metastasis, respectively (P < 0.001 and P = 0.013). For left recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node metastasis, younger age (P = 0.020) and presence of lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.009) were significant risk factors. Additionally, pulmonary infection is the most frequent postoperative complication in patients with dissection of subcarinal, right and left recurrent laryngeal lymph nodes. There was no significant difference in the incidence of anastomotic leakage (P = 0.872), pulmonary infection (P = 0.139), chylothorax (P = 0.702), and hoarseness (P = 0.179) between the subcarinal lymph node dissection cohort and the reservation cohort. The incidence of hoarseness significantly increased in both right (P = 0.042) and left (P = 0.010) recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes dissection cohorts compared by the reservation cohorts, with incidence rates of 5.9% and 6.7%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The metastasis rates of subcarinal, right and left recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were all over 10%. The dissection of subcarinal lymph nodes does not increase postoperative complications risk, while recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes dissection significantly increases the incidence of hoarseness. Thus, lymph node dissection of subcarinal lymph nodes should be conducted routinely, while recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes dissection may be selectively performed in specific patients.