Management of sleeve gastrectomy leakage: case report

Treatment of postoperative gastric fistula complicated by local and systemic infection is difficult and controversial, particularly when treating obese patients with multiple prior surgical procedures. A 41-year-old male patient was transferred to our hospital to be admitted in the Intensive Care Unit with respiratory failure and postoperative sepsis, after being submitted to bariatric surgery. He had been through four subsequent surgical procedures: 1- a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy; 2- an exploratory laparotomy for unproven suspected subphrenic abscess; 3- a laparotomy with splenectomy and peritoneal drainage for splenic and peri-splenic abscess; 4-celiotomy and lavage for purulent peritonitis. Due to persistent clinical and analytical deterioration, and suspicion of left subphrenic abscess and digestive fistula, we proceeded to: identification and drainage of the abscess, adhesiolysis, identification of fistula orifice at the cardiac incisure (methylene blue and perioperative endoscopy), placement of a Pezzer tube for directed and controlled fistulization, Shirley’s drain in the subphrenic space for continuous lavage, jejunostomy for enteral nutrition. Under clinical and imaging control (esophageal transit, fistulography and computed tomography with water-soluble contrasts) he was started on a water diet 2 months after and the Shirley’s drain was later removed. Patient was discharged two and a half months after the intervention, maintaing the Pezzer tube and under enteral nutrition by jejunostomy. Oral feeding started in the 3rd postoperative month and jejunostomy and Pezzer probes were removed. Patient was asymptomatic at seven-month postoperative outpatient appointment.

UCLA Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract 2.0 Reflux Scale correlates with impaired Esophageal Scintigraphy findings in Systemic Sclerosis

Objective The University of California Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium gastrointestinal tract 2.0 (UCLA GIT 2.0) questionnaire is a self-reported tool measuring gastrointestinal (GI) quality of life in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. Scarce data are available on the correlation between patient reported GI symptoms and motility dysfunction as assessed by esophageal transit scintigraphy. Methods We evaluated the UCLA GIT 2.0 reflux scale in SSc patients admitted to our clinic and undergoing esophageal transit scintigraphy, and correlated their findings. Results Thirty-one SSc patients undergoing esophageal transit scintigraphy were included. Twentyseven were female, 8 with diffuse cutaneous subset; 26/31 (84%) patients had a delayed transit and an abnormal esophageal emptying activity. Mean (SD) emptying activity percentage was higher in patients with none-to-mild GIT 2.0 reflux score [81.1 (11.5)] than in those with the moderate [55.7 (17.8), p = 0.003] and severe-to-very-severe scores [55.8 (19.7), p = 0.002]. The 26 (84%) SSc patients with delayed esophageal transit had a higher GIT 2.0 reflux score (p=0.04). Percentage of esophageal emptying activity negatively correlated with the GIT 2.0 reflux score (r = - 0.68, p < 0.0001) while it did not correlate with the other scales and the total GIT 2.0 score. Conclusion SSc patients with impaired esophageal scintigraphy findings have a higher GIT 2.0 reflux score. The UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0 is a complementary tool for objective measurement of esophageal involvement which can be easily administered in day-to-day clinical assessment.

Better Medicines for Older Patients: Considerations between Patient Characteristics and Solid Oral Dosage Form Designs to Improve Swallowing Experience

Oral drug administration provided as solid oral dosage forms (SODF) remains the major route of drug therapy in primary and secondary care. There is clear evidence for a growing number of clinically relevant swallowing issues (e.g., dysphagia) in the older patient population, especially when considering the multimorbid, frail, and polymedicated patients. Swallowing impairments have a negative impact on SODF administration, which leads to poor adherence and inappropriate alterations (e.g., crushing, splitting). Different strategies have been proposed over the years in order to enhance the swallowing experience with SODF, by using conventional administration techniques or applying swallowing aids and devices. Nevertheless, new formulation designs must be considered by implementing a patient centric approach in order to efficiently improve SODF administration by older patient populations. Together with appropriate SODF size reductions, innovative film coating materials that can be applied to SODF and provide swallowing safety and efficacy with little effort being required by the patients are still needed. With that in mind, a literature review was conducted in order to identify the availability of patient centric coating materials claiming to shorten esophageal transit times and improve the overall SODF swallowing experience for older patients. The majority of coating technologies were identified in patent applications, and they mainly included well-known water soluble polymers that are commonly applied into pharmaceutical coatings. Nevertheless, scientific evidence demonstrating the benefits of given SODF coating materials in the concerned patient populations are still very limited. Consequently, the availability for safe, effective, and clinically proven solutions to address the increasing prevalence of swallowing issues in the older patient population is still limited.

An Investigation into the Relationship between Xanthan Gum Film Coating Materials and Predicted Oro-Esophageal Gliding Performance for Solid Oral Dosage Forms

Oral drug therapy is generally provided in the form of solid oral dosage forms (SODF) that have to be swallowed and move throughout the oro-esophageal system. Previous studies have provided evidence that the oro-esophageal transit of SODF depends on their shape, size, density, and surface characteristics. To estimate the impact of SODF surface coatings during esophageal transit, an in vitro system was implemented to investigate the gliding performance across an artificial mucous layer. In this work, formulations comprised of different slippery-inducing agents combined with a common film forming agent were evaluated using the artificial mucous layer system. Xanthan gum (XG) and polyethylene glycol 1500 (PEG) were applied as film-forming agents, while carnauba wax (CW), lecithin (LE), carrageenan (CA), gellan gum (GG) and sodium alginate (SA), and their combination with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), were applied as slippery-inducing components. All tested formulations presented lower static friction (SF) as compared to the negative control (uncoated disc, C, F0), whereas only CW/SLS-based formulations showed similar performance to F0 regarding dynamic friction (DF). The applied multivariate analysis approach allowed a higher level of detail to the evaluation and supported a better identification of excipients and respective concentrations that are predicted to improve in vivo swallowing safety.

374 VIDEO ESOPHAGOGRAM CORRELATES OF DYSPHAGIA IN PATIENTS WITH NORMAL LOWER ESOPHAGEAL SPHINCTER

Dysphagia is a common foregut symptom. However, there is poor association between non-obstructive dysphagia and esophageal body peristaltic parameters in patients with normal lower esophageal sphincters (LES). The objective of this retrospective study was to study bolus transit patterns noted on barium esophagogram in patients experiencing dysphagia. Methods After IRB approval, we queried our esophageal database for patients with normal manometric LES. Jackhammer esophagus, esophageal spasm, previous foregut surgery, and unavailable foregut symptom questionnaires were exclusion criteria. Patients were grouped based on reported dysphagia: 0 = None; 1 = Mild; 2 = Moderate; 3 = Severe/very severe. All barium esophagograms were re-evaluated. Bolus esophageal transit time was studied with patients in both upright and prone positions, using live time stamps at bolus entry/exit. “Barium residue” was defined as persistent contrast on the esophageal wall after bolus exit. “Retrograde escape” referred to barium escaping proximally from the bolus into previously cleared esophagus. ANOVA and χ2 were used. Results In all, 150 patients met inclusion criteria. 76 (50.1%) were women. Mean age and body mass index were 58.4 ± 14.7 years and 22.9 ± 10.4 kg/m2, respectively. The number of patients in each dysphagia group (0, 1, 2, and 3) were 82(54.7%), 29(19.3%), 25(16.7%) and 14(9.3%), respectively. The difference in mean bolus transit time among dysphagia groups was statistically significant in prone-position swallows (39.3 ± 36.7, 75 ± 74.8, 98.8 ± 85 and 69.6 ± 43.7 seconds; p &lt; 0.001) but not in upright-position swallows (14.6 ± 22, 12.4 ± 8.1, 14.3 ± 8.8 and 12.6 ± 8.2 seconds; p = 0.929; Fig. 1). The prevalence of residual contrast and retrograde escape in prone swallows were comparable among patients reporting dysphagia (p = 0.444, p = 0.173). Conclusion Bolus transit time in prone-position barium swallows is simple to assess, and correlates with dysphagia reported by patients with normal lower esophageal sphincters. However, further studies with comprehensive dysphagia score are needed.

Aging Effects on Esophageal Transit Time in the Upright Position During Videofluoroscopy

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine age-related effects on esophageal transit times (ETT) among healthy adult participants. Methods: A total of 175 healthy, non-dysphagic participants underwent a modified barium swallow study (MBSS), and ETT was recorded for two standardized swallowing tasks. Differences across age groups were determined using Kruskal–Wallis test. Relationships between an Esophageal Clearance (Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile Component 17) score and ETT were also explored. Results: No significant differences were observed in ETT across age groups for nectar-thickened liquid ( P = .335) or pudding ( P = .231) consistencies. No significant differences were observed between males and females in ETT for either the nectar ( P = .112) or pudding trial ( P = .817). For nectar, the mean ETT for patients with Component 17 scores of 2 or greater were significantly higher than that of participants with a score of 0 ( P < .0001). For pudding, participants with a score >0 demonstrated significantly higher mean ETT compared to participants with a score of 0 (with P = .0008 and P < .0001, respectively). Conclusion: Study findings failed to support age-related or sex-related differences in ETT for two standardized swallowing tasks administered during a MBSS in healthy individuals. The normative values following a standardized protocol in this study provide guidance in clinical interpretation of esophageal function.