Development and evaluation of an objective laparoscopic assessment tool: LapPass®.

Introduction: Laparoscopic surgery is technically challenging and assessment of competency is necessary to ensure patient safety and guide training. We report on the development of LapPass®, an accessible objective simulation assessment tool with credentialing potential. We provide a preliminary evaluation of its usability and aspects of validity.

30-Day Morbidity and Mortality of Bariatric Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Multinational Cohort Study of 7704 Patients from 42 Countries.

Background: There are data on the safety of cancer surgery and the efficacy of preventive strategies on the prevention of postoperative symptomatic COVID-19 in these patients. But there is little such data for any elective surgery. The main objectives of this study were to examine the safety of bariatric surgery (BS) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to determine the efficacy of perioperative COVID-19 protective strategies on postoperative symptomatic COVID-19 rates.

Index Admission Emergency Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy and Common Bile Duct Exploration: Results From a Specialist Center in the United Kingdom.

Background: The incidence of common bile duct (CBD) stones is between 10% to 18% in people undergoing cholecystectomy for gallstones. Laparoscopic exploration of the CBD is now becoming routine practice in the elective setting, however its safety and efficacy in emergencies is poorly understood.

Methods: We analyzed our results for index emergency admission laparoscopic cholecystectomy within a specialist center in the United Kingdom.

Impact of straight to test pathways on time to diagnosis in oesophageal and gastric cancer.

Background: Cancer survival in the UK has doubled in the last 40 years; however, 1-year and 5-year survival rates are still lower than other countries. One cause may be a delay between referral into secondary care and subsequent investigation. We set out to evaluate the impact of a straight to test pathway (STTP) on time to diagnosis for upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer.

Effects of short-term energy restriction on liver lipid content and inflammatory status in severely obese adults: Results of a randomized controlled trial using 2 dietary approaches.

Short-term very-low-energy diets (VLEDs) are used in clinical practice prior to bariatric surgery, but regimens vary and outcomes of a short intervention are unclear. We examined the effect of 2 VLEDs, a food-based diet (FD) and a meal-replacement plan (MRP; LighterLife UK Limited, Harlow, UK), over the course of 2 weeks in a randomized controlled trial. We collected clinical and anthropometric data, fasting blood samples, and dietary evaluation questionnaires.