COVID-19 pandemic: implications on the surgical treatment of gastrointestinal and hepatopancreatobiliary tumours in Europe Editor In the context of the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, the field of surgical oncology demands careful crisis management considering the overall importance of timely treatment1,2. Based on an online survey (Google Forms; Google LLC, Mountain View, California, USA) conducted among university-affiliated surgical departments throughout Europe, we offer a multicentre perspective on the instantaneous performance of gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) tumour surgery. Ninety-five surgeons from 79 surgical departments in 20 European countries completed the survey. The survey revealed an alarming status quo. Some 59 per cent of participants stated that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a strong or very strong impact on ongoing treatment of their patients (Fig. 1a). A decrease in patient referral since onset of the viral outbreak was observed by 90 per cent of respondents. Twentynine per cent reported a decrease of more than 60 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic standard (Fig. 1b). In addition to a re-evaluation of hospital capacities, the excessive workload of general practitioners, the role of the media and general recommendations to avoid person-to-person contact, including medical appointments, have to be reconsidered3. It can be assumed that telemedical options are not offered sufficiently (only 12 per cent of respondents reported telemedical options for all outpatient appointments)4. Moreover, almost one-third reported that Fig 1 Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: Cancelling elective procedures on the day of surgery presents a constant problem in all higher-level medical facilities, and the research of causes, consequences and possible solutions is the duty of every facility in order to enhance the quality of healthcare services. Methods: This prospective study included all patients that were scheduled for surgery from March 2016 to November 2018 in the operating rooms at our Department of Surgery, including both performed and cancelled cases. Cases by different surgical departments (general surgery, gynecology, orthopedics, urology, plastic surgery, ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology) were all included. Results: Out of 8201 planned elective procedures from March 2016 to November 2018 at the General Hospital “Abdulah Nakas”, 7825 cases were performed and 376 cases (4.58%) were cancelled on the day of surgery. The most common reasons for cancelling a surgical procedure on the day of surgery were: lack of time to perform surgery, (33.51%), surgery cancelled due to medical/anesthetic reasons, (31.38%), surgical procedure cancelled by the surgeon on the day of surgery, (11.97%). Conclusion: This study has shown that the percentage of elective cases cancelled on the day of surgery at our institution stands at an acceptable 4.58%. The most common reasons for case cancellation on the day of surgery were identified. The majority of reasons for cancellation were avoidable, which means that appropriate steps could contribute to lowering the percentage of cancelled elective cases and an improved quality of healthcare services.

We present chest wall reconstruction with titanium mesh in a patient who underwent sternal resection due to solitary plasmacytoma (SP). A 35 year old female was admitted to The Thoracic Surgery Department of University Clinical Center Tuzla with pain and tender upper-sternal swelling.

Background: The frequency of severe chest injuries are increased. Their high morbidity is followed by systemic inflammatory response. The efficacy of pharmacological blockade of the response could prevent complications after chest injures. Aim: The aim of the study was to show an inflammatory response level, its prognostic significant and length of hospital stay after chest injures opiate analgesia treatment. Methods: Sixty patients from Department of Thoracic Surgery with severe chest injures were included in the prospective study. With respect of non opiate or opiate analgesia treatment, the patients were divided in two groups consisted of 30 patients. As a inflammatory markers, serum values of leukocytes, neutrophils, C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen in three measurements: at the time of admission, 24hours and 48 hours after admission, were followed. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between the examined groups in mean serum values of neutrophils (p=0.026 and p=0.03) in the second and the third measurement, CRP (p=0.05 and 0.25) in the second and the third measurement and leukocytes in the third measurement (p=0.016). 6 patients in group I and 3 in group II had initial stage of pneumonia, 13 patients in group I and 6 in group II had atelectasis and 7 patients from group I and 4 from group II had pleural effusion. The rate of complications was lower in group of patient who were under opiate analgesia treatment but without significant difference. The length of hospital stay for the patients in group I was 7.3±1.15 days and for the patients in group II it was 6.1±0.87 days with statistically significant difference p=0.017. Conclusion: The opiate analgesia in patients with severe chest injures reduced level of early inflammatory response, rate of intra hospital complications and length of hospital stay.

AIM To determine the efficiency and safety of talc pleurodesis in treating the malignant pleural effusion and recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax. METHODS The study included 54 patients with malignant pleural effusion and recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax, who underwent talc pleurodesis using the "talc slurry" method of pleural talc obliteration. RESULTS Pleurodesis was successful in 52 (96%) patients. The average duration of thoracic drainage was 4.4 days. Procedure complications included higher body temperature, pneumonia and pleural effusion separation. All of the patients had satisfying radiological findings at the point of discharge and three months later. There was no death outcome related to the procedure of pleurodesis itself. CONCLUSION Our study has proved the efficiency and simplicity of talc pleurodesis in treating symptomatic malignant pleural effusions and cases with recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax.Appropriate patient selection and compliance with surgical principles during the procedure make this method safe, efficient and successful in treating pleuropulmonal diseases. Large particle talc should be used for pleurodesis because of the minimum risk of complications.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The aim of the study is to assess the characteristics, TNM stage and survival rate of incidental gallbladder carcinoma in patients who underwent open cholecystectomy in regional clinical centre. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive cholecystectomies during four years period in surgery department and determined incidence, pathological stage and survival rate of incidental gallbladder cancer. Demographics data, surgical management, adjuvant therapy, death or last follow-up. We compared common characteristics and survival between pTis,1a-b and pT2-3 groups of patients who underwent cholecytectomy alone. RESULTS Gallbladder carcinoma was diagnosed in 21 patients of 3007 cholecystectomies (0.69%). The most of patients had abdominal pain, cholelithiasis and fever. Postoperative pathology showed 20 adenocarcinomas and 1 squamous carcinoma. Seven cases were stage I, 7 stage II, 5 stage III. There was no patient in pT4 stage. The mean age was 60.6 years range (43-75). The 4 patients with pTis and 3 patients with pT1 had a 5-year survival rate of 100%. Patients with pT2-3 GBC had 5-year survival rate 8.34%. We noticed significant difference between those two cancer groups p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of incidental gallbladder cancer in this study was 0.69%. The pT-stage is very important factor in overall survival those patients. All cases of pT2-3 incidental GBC should be considered for extended radical resection after cholecystectomy alone.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, clinical data and patterns of mediastinal lymph node metastasis (pN2) in non-small-cell lung cancer patients who underwent systematic mediastinal lymph node dissection (SMLND). We retrospectively studied 140 consecutive patients [125 male and 15 female, mean ages 54.61 +/- 9.23 years (range, 21-75)], underwent SMLND and major lung resections due to non-small lung cancer (NSCLC), from January 2005 till December 2009. Preoperative clinical staging for mediastinal lymph node metastasis was negative (cN0) in all patients. SMLND was defined as a complete removal of mediastinal lymph nodes. Clinicalpathological data were compared according to the pN stage. Lymph node metastasis to the mediastinum was confirmed in 13 (9.28%) patients. In squamous cell cancer pN2 were in 8 (5.71%) cases out of 82 cases with cN0. On the other side in the adenocarcinomas pN2 were in 5 (3.57%) cases out of 48 with cN0. Unvaried analysis revealed central tumor site as predictive factor for mediastinal lymph node involvement. The upper mediastinal compartment was infiltrated in 12 (8.57%) cases, middle in 8 (5.71%) and lower in 3 (2.14%) cases. Pneumonectomy was the most performed surgical procedure in pN2 patients. We concluded that SMLND improves pTNM staging in lung cancer patients who underwent major lung resections with central location of the tumour.

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a benign disease frequently found in younger and healthy-looking persons. It requires a surgical treatment in about 30-40% of cases. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been recently introduced as a reliable alternative method to the classic thoracotomy. The aim of this paper is to establish and compare the length of surgical procedure, pain intensity, number and kind of postsurgical complications during the procedure for the patients with PNTX treated by VATS in relation to the patients with PNTX treated by thoracotomy. This is a retrospective study. The patients are divided into two groups: the first group of 50 patients treated with VATS and the second group of 50 patients treated with thoracotomy. The results obtained show a significantly shorter surgery duration in the group of the patients treated with VATS in relation to the group of patients treated by thoracotomy (p < 0.01). Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is characterized by a significantly low intensity of postsurgical pain in relation to thoracotomy (p < 0.001). The number and kind of postsurgical complications are similar in both target groups (p > 0.05). Only one relapse occurred in the VATS group. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery improves patients' life quality in relation to the thoracotomy patients. The patients return to work, or to sport activities after a very short time because of minimal sequels. That is why this method represents an obvious socio-economic interest. Today, in the era of a great video-development, VATS method is a treatment of choice for PSP.