Background: Diverticulosis of the small bowel is rare and, in most cases, discovered incidentally. However, diverticulitis and other complications are important to consider in the differential of an acute abdomen, especially in the elderly population. Case presentation: The patient was a 59-year-old female who presented with acute lower abdominal pain progressing to peritonitis. Computed tomography scan showed a large inflamed and perforated diverticulum on the mesenteric side of the jejunum. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a dilated proximal jejunum with a 5-cm inflamed and perforated mesenteric diverticulum. A small bowel resection with primary anastomosis was performed. Conclusions: Jejunal diverticulitis remains a diagnostic challenge. Although uncommon, owing to its high mortality rate, it is an important clinical entity to consider and requires timely management.

Introduction: Emergency departments (EDs) during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are perceived as possible sources of infection. The effects of COVID-19 on patients presenting to the hospital with surgical complaints remain uncertain. Methods: A single tertiary center retrospective study analysis compared the ED attendance rate and severity of patients with surgical complaints between March 2020 (COVID-19 outbreak) and pre-COVID-19 periods: February 2020 and the same 2 months in 2019 and 2018. Results: Overall, 6,017 patients were included. The mean daily ED visits of patients with nontrauma surgical complaints in the COVID-19 outbreak period declined by 27%–32% (P value <.01) compared with pre-COVID-19 periods. The log number of confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cases in Israel in March 2020 was negatively correlated with the number of ED visits (Pearson's r = −0.59, P < .01). The proportion of patients requiring hospitalization increased by up to 8% during the outbreak period (P < .01), and there was a higher proportion of tachycardic patients (20% versus 15.5%, P = .01). The percentage of visits to the ED by men declined by 5% (P < .01). The ED diagnosis distribution significantly changed during COVID-19 (P = .013), with an 84% decrease in the number of patients hospitalized for diverticular disease (P < .05). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 outbreak, the overall number of patients presenting at the ED with surgical complaints decreased significantly, and there was a higher admissions ratio. The extent to which the pandemic affects hospital ED attendance can help health care professionals prepare for future such events. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04338672

Background: Obesity among kidney transplant (KT) recipients can lead to metabolic comorbidity-associated deaths. This study compares post-KT survival between obese and non-obese patients and outcomes of living donor (LD) and deceased donor (DD) grafts. Methods: Between January 2005–May 2019, 1403 KT recipients from a single center were included in the study, as well as 314 patients (22.4%) with obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m²), 137 DD transplants, and 177 LD transplants. Of the 1089 (77.6%) in the control group (BMI ≤ 30 kg/m²), 384 were DD transplants and 705 LD transplants. The Kaplan–Meier method was used for survival analysis and a Cox regression was used to identify risk factors for graft loss and mortality. Propensity score matching analysis adjusting for age, IHD, and T2DM was performed. Results: The study group had higher incidence of obesity related comorbidities, delayed graft function and primary non function (p < 0.001). One-, 5-and 10-year patient and graft survival were lower in the study group (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis of graft survival according to type of graft shows a difference in the DD (p = 0.002) but not in the LD group (p = 0.220). However, mortality was higher in both groups (LD, p = 0.045; DD, p = 0.004). Risk factors for mortality were age, T2DM, IHD, and DD, and for graft failure: IHD, BMI, donor age, re-transplant, and DD. Propensity score analysis shows an odds ratio of 0.81 for graft failure and 0.93 for death in the study group (95% CI = 0.55, 1.21, p = 0.3 and CI = 0.59, 1.46, p = 0.7, respectively). Conclusions: Recipient age and metabolic comorbidities should be emphasized when evaluating patients with obesity. We suggest considering weight loss interventions using the new GLP-1 inhibitors and bariatric procedures in selected patients to prepare overweight patients for transplant.