Despite rapid advances in colorectal surgery, morbidity and mortality rates in elective gastrointestinal surgery play a significant role. For decades, there have been tempestuous discussions on preventative measures to minimize the risk of anastomotic dehiscence. When mechanical bowel preparation before an elective procedure, one of the key hypotheses, was introduced into practice, it was assumed that it would decrease the number of infectious complications and anastomotic dehiscence. The advancements in antibiotic treatment supported the concomitant administration of oral antibiotics and mechanical bowel preparation. In the prospective study conducted at our clinic, we performed left-side colorectal procedures without prior mechanical preparation. All patients enrolled in the study underwent the surgery and were observed in the 3rd Surgical Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, from January 2019 to January 2020. As a control group, we used a similar group of patients with MBP. Our observed group included 87 patients with tumors in the left part of their large intestine (lineal flexure, descendent colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum). Dixon laparoscopic resection was performed in 26 patients. Sigmoid laparoscopic resection was performed in 27 patients. In 12 patients, the procedure was started laparoscopically but had to be converted due to adverse anatomical conditions. The conservative approaches mostly included Dixon resections (19 patients), sigmoid colon resections (5 patients), left-side hemicolectomies (6 patients), and Miles’ tumor resections, with rectal amputation (4 patients). Our study highlighted the fact that MBP does not have an unequivocal benefit for patients with colorectal infection, which has an impact on the development of anastomotic dehiscence.

Background: This retrospective study is the only one in the last 10 years from central Europe and provides a current picture of prevalence, new diagnostic modalities, new methods of surgical treatment, and also offers new insights into post-operative care. Triceps tendon rupture is the least reported among all the tendon injuries in the literature. In general, effective treatments for tendon injuries are lacking because the understanding of tendon biology lags behind that of the other components of the musculoskeletal system. Tendon tissue has a low number of cells and growth hormones and thus a lack of natural healing ability. Understanding the links between the mechanical and biological parameters involved in tendon development, homeostasis, and repair is a prerequisite for the identification of effective treatments for chronic and acute tendon injuries. Methods: The authors statistically evaluated the set of patients with this diagnosis in the largest University Hospital in Slovakia over the last 10 years. Results: Between 2014 and 2023, 23 patients with distal triceps tendon ruptures (DTTR) were treated at University Hospital. In some years not a single patient with this diagnosis underwent surgery, reinforcing the idea that DTTR may be either rare or underdiagnosed. The incidence in our region is 0.46 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The average age of patients was 57.7 years, with a male predominance of 90%. Less than half of the patients (43.5%) underwent surgical intervention, and the median time from injury to surgery was less than 10 days. This rapid timeline indicates a high standard of medical care, given the semi-elective nature of the surgery and the need for MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) confirmation of tendon rupture exceeding 50% of the fibers before proceeding with surgery. The three standard surgical techniques were employed in approximately equal proportions. Conclusions: This study suggests that none of the methods is currently preferred, and that the choice of the technique was largely determined by perioperative findings and the surgeon’s discretion. Post-operative complications were minimal, with only one patient experiencing any issues after surgery.

Background and Objectives: The use of the HeartMate 3 (HM3) ventricular assist device (VAD) as a bridge to transplant is rising notably in pediatric patients with end-stage heart disease. This study reports a single-centre experience with the HM3 device in pediatric patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective clinical data review (including procedural, perioperative and follow-up parameters) of pediatric patients (n = 5, aged 10–16 years) supported with HM3 VAD at our institution between January 2022 and October 2025. Results: During this period, five pediatric patients (median age of 13 years [range 10–16, IQR 10–14.5]; median weight of 41.5 kg [24–75 IQR 32–62]) underwent HM 3 implantation. The Pedimacs profiles ranged from 1 to 2. Two patients with Pedimacs profile 1 received a temporary left ventricular assist device preoperatively for hemodynamic stabilization. The median intensive care unit stay was 47 days (range 21–54, IQR 28–50.5). Right ventricular dysfunction occurred in four patients and was managed conservatively in three, while one required intraoperative implantation of a temporary CentriMag right ventricular assist device. Two patients remain on device support, while three patients were successfully bridged to heart transplantation. No mortality was observed, and none of the patients experienced pump-related complications. Conclusions: The use of the HeartMate 3 is a safe and effective treatment strategy for successful bridging to heart transplantation. Right ventricular dysfunction is a common and clinically significant complication, but it can be effectively managed with appropriate measures.

Magnetically powered micro- and nanorobots have emerged as remotely controlled carriers and tools for minimally invasive medicine. Their performance is governed by magnetic torque and force, low-Reynolds-number hydrodynamics, interactions with biological interfaces and the ability to localize and control devices in real time. This review links these physical principles to helical swimmers, surface rollers, flexible swimmers, magnetic assemblies and biohybrid systems. We evaluate experimental evidence for drug delivery, tumour targeting, cell transport, thrombus-related interventions and localized manipulation, carefully distinguishing benchtop demonstrations from animal studies and clinically relevant integrated systems. We further examine the coupled challenges of magnetic-field generation, navigation in blood and mucus, imaging, dose delivery, materials safety, biodegradation and retrieval. A microrobot becomes medically useful only when propulsion, localization and therapeutic function remain effective within the same physiological environment. Consequently, the most plausible early applications combine a well-defined access route, a constrained anatomical target, compatible imaging and a clear advantage over existing delivery or interventional approaches. Finally, we outline benchmarks for reproducibility, biological fate and clinical translation. Twenty-three fully worked examples connect magnetic forces and torques to locomotion, actuator requirements, localization uncertainty, feedback control and drug exposure; their hypothetical inputs and simplifying assumptions are stated explicitly to support reproducible teaching and preliminary design. In this review, “micro- and nanorobots” is an inclusive small-scale robotics term: we report the complete device dimensions and explicitly identify micrometre- and millimetre-scale platforms, even when their magnetic or functional constituents are nanoscale.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of low vascular ligation on oncological outcomes in upper and middle rectal cancer surgery. Despite significant progress in colorectal surgery, many questions remain unanswered, and there is ongoing debate about optimal management. One of the key issues is the height of vascular ligation of arteria mesenterica inferior (IMA) during rectal resection. Many believe that high vascular ligation is beneficial from an oncological point of view in terms of survival. However, the available data indicate that the height of ligation is not decisive in terms of its oncological impact, as the number of lymph nodes harvested (minimum are 12 lymph nodes) with high vascular ligation is not significantly greater than the number harvested with low vascular ligation. Methods: This study identified and followed all stage I–III/b rectal cancer patients with a tumor in the upper or middle rectum who underwent abdominal surgery with curative intent between 2013 and 2017 at the 3rd Surgical Clinic of Comenius University in Bratislava. In this study we included 96 patient, consisting of 44 females and 52 males and they were subdivided into two groups based on the tumor's distance from the anus: the first group included upper rectal tumors (12-16 cm from the anus), and the second group included middle rectal tumors (6-12 cm from the anus). Preoperative tumor evaluation included a physical examination with a digital rectal exam and anoscopy, serum CEA and CA19-9, total colonoscopy with biopsy, pelvic MRI, and CT. The primary outcome was cancer-specific survival, while the secondary outcomes included overall and relative survival, locoregional and distant recurrence, and lymph node harvest. Results: The study evaluated 96 patients with rectal tumors located in the upper and middle parts of the rectum who underwent MRI examination followed by surgical resection. In all the patients, due to anatomical conditions, a low vascular ligation was performed with subsequent anastomosis. Conclusion: In this study, low ligation did not influence any patient-oriented oncological outcomes in comparison with the literature. The literature suggests that high vascular ligation can harvest more lymph nodes (1-2), but it does not affect survival. Therefore, the height of the ligation should be determined during surgery.