Pre-diagnostic delays caused by gastrointestinal investigations do not affect outcomes in pancreatic cancer.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas are poor prognostic cancers accounting for 3% of all cancer cases in the UK. They often present late in the course of the disease process with non-specific symptoms, including gastro-intestinal(GI) symptoms. Delays in diagnosis occur when investigations are carried out in a primary care setting for GI symptoms.

Routine histological examination of epidermoid cysts; to send or not to send?

Backround: The diagnosis of epidermoid cyst is seldom in doubt, and associated malignancy extremely rare, yet it is commonplace for the lesion to be sent to the pathology laboratory for analysis. The aim of this study was to evaluate our current practice with regards to diagnostic accuracy among clinicians, and assess risk of not routinely sending suspected epidermoid cysts for histological examination. Potential cost savings were also estimated and calculated.

A dual-valve system to minimize loss of pneumoperitoneum in laparoscopic surgery.

Background And Objectives: Loss of visualization of the surgical field due to pneumoperitoneum deflation when CO2 insufflator cylinders become empty can occur at key moments during laparoscopic surgery. The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of intraoperative cylinder exhaustion in the United Kingdom, determine its impact on patient safety, and design and test a novel device to minimize the phenomenon.

Methods: We performed a national cross-sectional survey of U.