(i) To establish at a national level clinical outcomes from patients presenting with acute para-esophageal hernia (PEH); and (ii) to determine if a hospital volume-outcome relationship exists for the management of acute PEH. Currently, no clear guidelines exist regarding the management of acute PEH, and practice patterns are based upon relatively small case series. Patients admitted as an emergency for the treatment of acute PEH between 1997 and 2012 were included from the Hospital Episode Statistics database. The influence of hospital volume upon clinical outcomes was analyzed in unmatched and matched comparisons to control for patient age, medical comorbidities, and incidence of PEH hernia gangrene. Over the 16-year study period, 12,441 patients were admitted as an emergency with a PEH causing obstruction or gangrene. Of these, 90.8% patients were admitted with PEH with obstruction in the absence of gangrene and 9.2% with PEH with gangrene. The incidences of 30 and 90-day mortality were 7% and 11.5%, respectively, which did not decrease during the study period. Unmatched and matched comparisons showed, in high-volume centers, there were significant reductions in utilization of emergency surgery (8.8% vs 14.9%; P < 0.0001), 30-day (5.3% vs 7.8%; P < 0.0001), and 90-day mortality (9.3% vs 12.7%; P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis also confirmed high hospital volume was independently associated with reduced 30 and 90-day mortality from acute PEH. Acute PEH represents a highly morbid condition, and treatment in high-volume centers provides the appropriate multidisciplinary infrastructure to manage these complex patients reducing associated mortality.

Thoracotomy is a major cause of respiratory impairment, increasing the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC). Systems assessing ribcage kinematics may detect changes in chest expansion following thoracotomy and may thus aid in the development of patient-tailored chest physiotherapy. Hence, we aimed to identify studies assessing changes in chest wall movement following thoracotomy using objective measures. The Cochrane library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched to find relevant articles providing an objective assessment of chest wall movement following thoracotomy. Methodological quality of included studies concerning chest wall movement following thoracotomy was assessed by use of QUADAS-2 tool. A total of 12 articles were included for the assessment of chest wall changes following thoracotomy using objective measures. Four studies measured changes in the cross-sectional area of the ribcage and abdomen using the respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP), 1 study computed the chest wall compliance by monitoring the intra-pleural pressure, 3 studies measured changes in chest circumference with a simple tape measure and 4 articles performed a compartmental analysis of the chest wall volume by means of an optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP). There was no delay in the collection of data of the index test and reference standard, resulting in a low risk of bias for the flow and timing domain. Across all studies, participants underwent the same reference standard, resulting in a low risk of verification bias. Several objective measures were able to detect changes in chest wall displacement following thoracotomy and differed in the practical use and invasive nature. OEP allows a compartmental analysis of the chest wall volume. Hence, this system allows to assess chest wall movement changes following thoracotomy and the impact of different types of surgical approach. Furthermore, it could aid in the development of tailored physiotherapy.

Summary: Background: Ventral hernias pose a substantial challenge for surgeons. Even though minimally invasive surgery and hernia repair have evolved rapidly, there is no standardised method that has been widely accepted as standard of practice. Hybrid ventral hernia repair (HVR) is an alternative surgical approach, which has not been adopted widely to date. It combines laparoscopic mesh insertion with closure of the hernia defect. The aim of this retrospective cohort study is to evaluate short- and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing HVR. Methods: Between October 2012 and June 2016, 56 HVRs were performed at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College London. The medical records of these patients were reviewed retrospectively for demographics, comorbidities, previous surgeries, operative technique, complications and recurrences over a 3-year follow-up. Results: HVRs were performed by four surgeons. Mean age was 48 years with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 32.8 kg/m². 71.4% had incisional hernias and 28.6% had primary hernias. The number of hernia defects ranged from 1 to 4, with average defect size 42.9 cm² (range 8–200 cm²). Adhesiolysis was performed in 66.1% of patients. Recurrence occurred in 2 patients (3.6%), 16.1% of patients developed postoperative seroma, 0.3% had respiratory complications, 0.3% had paralytic ileus and 0.2% had urinary retention. Only 2 patients required epidural postoperatively, both had a defect size of 150.0 cm². There were no reoperations within 90 days. Mean length of hospital stay was 2 days (1–10 days). Over the follow-up period, 2 patients (3.6%) developed chronic pain. Conclusion: The hybrid technique is safe and feasible, and has important benefits including low rates of seroma formation, chronic pain and hernia recurrence. Future investigations may include randomised controlled trials to evaluate the benefits of VHR, with careful assessment of patient-reported outcome measures including quality of life and postoperative pain.