Background
Per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) represents a Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) approach to Heller myotomy. Even though we are now entering an exponential phase of ...growth with a large number of centers interested in POEM, published data to guide them are limited. As part of the July 2012 NOSCAR meeting, a conference was organized to review POEM and develop a consensus document. Authors SNS and TS who chaired the NOSCAR panel recognized the dearth of published data, which also may lag the rapid developments in POEM. Therefore, they undertook a survey of early POEM adopters around the world to rapidly obtain global, extensive, and current data on POEM. The raw survey data were made available to NOSCAR panel participants to assist with their presentations. We summarize the salient findings of the survey.
Methods
A comprehensive POEM survey was created and tested. The final survey instrument consisted of 197 questions that covered all aspects of POEM, including operator discipline, prior training, patient selection, setting, technique preference, results, adverse events, regulatory requirements, and perspectives on the future. An automated online response collector was used.
Results
The International Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy Survey (IPOEMS) involved 16 expert centers, 7 in North America, 5 in Asia, 4 in Europe, including all high-volume centers (≥30 POEMs per center), as of July 2012. These centers had performed 841 POEMs. There were modest variations among centers in technique and periprocedural management, but all centers uniformly reported excellent efficacy and safety outcomes.
Conclusions
The international POEM survey provides a “global snapshot” of the experience of early adopters. The excellent outcomes over a large cumulative volume of procedures are in line with those of published small series and lend further support to the notion that POEM represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of achalasia.
Endoscopic-retrograde-cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is now a vital modality with primarily therapeutic and occasionally solely diagnostic utility for numerous biliary/pancreatic disorders. It has a ...significantly steeper learning curve than that for other standard gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopies, such as esophagogastroduodenoscopy or colonoscopy, due to greater technical difficulty and higher risk of complications. Yet, GI fellows have limited exposure to ERCP during standard-three-year-GI-fellowships because ERCP is much less frequently performed than esophagogastroduodenoscopy/colonoscopy. This led to adding an optional year of training in therapeutic endoscopy. Yet many graduates from standard three-year-fellowships without advanced training intensely pursue independent/unsupervised ERCP privileges despite inadequate numbers of performed ERCPs and unacceptably low rates of successful selective cannulation of desired (biliary or pancreatic) duct. Hospital credentialing committees have traditionally performed ERCP credentialing, but this practice has led to widespread flouting of recommended guidelines (
., planned privileging of applicant with 20% successful cannulation rate, or after performing only 7 ERCPs); and intense politicking of committee members by applicants, their practice groups, and potential competitors. Consequently, some gastroenterologists upon completing standard fellowships train and learn ERCP "on the job" during independent/unsupervised practice, which can result in bad outcomes: high rates of failed bile duct cannulation. This severe clinical problem is indicated by publication of ≥ 12 ERCP competency studies/guidelines during last 5 years. However, lack of mandatory, quantitative, ERCP credentialing criteria has permitted neglect of recommended guidelines. This work comprehensively reviews literature on ERCP credentialing; reviews rationales for proposed guidelines; reports problems with current system; and proposes novel criteria for competency. This work advocates for mandatory, national, written, minimum, quantitative, standards, including cognitive skills (possibly assessed by a nationwide examination), and technical skills, assessed by number performed (≥ 200-250 ERCPs), types of ERCPs, success rate (approximately ≥ 90% cannulation of desired duct), and letters of recommendation by program director/ERCP mentor. Mandatory criteria should ideally not be monitored by a hospital committee subjected to intense politicking by applicants, their employers, and sometimes even competitors, but an independent national entity, like the National Board of Medical Examiners/American Board of Internal Medicine.
COVID-19 infection is an ongoing catastrophic global pandemic with significant morbidity and mortality that affects most of the world population. Respiratory manifestations predominate and largely ...determine patient prognosis, but gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations also frequently contribute to patient morbidity and occasionally affect mortality. GI bleeding is usually noted after hospital admission and is often one aspect of this multisystem infectious disease. Although the theoretical risk of contracting COVID-19 from GI endoscopy performed on COVID-19-infected patients remains, the actual risk does not seem to be high. The introduction of PPE and widespread vaccination gradually increased the safety and frequency of performing GI endoscopy in COVID-19-infected patients. Three important aspects of GI bleeding in COVID-19-infected patients are (1) GI bleeding is often from mucosal erosions from mucosal infalammation that causes mild GI bleeding; (2) severe upper GI bleeding is often from PUD or stress gastritis from COVID-19 pneumonia; and (3) lower GI bleeding frequently arises from ischemic colitis associated with thromboses and hypercoagulopathy from COVID-19 infection. The literature concerning GI bleeding in COVID-19 patients is presently reviewed.
Background Per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) represents a natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery approach to Heller myotomy. Our center was the first to offer POEM outside of Japan, ...allowing us to accumulate what is likely the highest single-operator POEM volume in the United States. Objective To define the POEM learning curve of a gastroenterologist by using a larger data set and more detailed statistical analysis than used in 2 other reports of POEM performed by surgeons. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary-care academic medical center. Patients We analyzed the first 93 consecutive POEMs on patients with achalasia aged >18 years without contraindications to POEM performed by a single operator from October 2009 to November 2013. Interventions (1) Efficiency estimation via cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis, (2) mastery estimation via penalized basis-spline regression and CUSUM analysis, (3) correlation of operator experience with clinical outcomes (Eckardt score improvement, lower esophageal sphincter pressure reduction) and technical errors (accidental mucosotomy rate), and (4) unadjusted and adjusted regression analysis to assess how patient characteristics affected procedure time by using a generalized linear model. Main Outcome Measurements Clinical outcomes, procedure time, technical errors. Results Efficiency was attained after 40 POEMs and mastery after 60 POEMs. When we used the adjusted regression analysis, only case number (operator experience) significantly affected procedure time ( P < .0001). Improvements in clinical outcomes were excellent but not significantly affected by operator experience, as was the case with accidental mucosotomies. Procedure time was not significantly affected by age, sex, achalasia stage, baseline lower esophageal sphincter pressure, baseline Eckardt score, prior treatment of achalasia, prior botulinum toxin injection, incidence of accidental mucosotomies, length of myotomy, or type of knife used (all P > .05). Limitations Our analysis may underestimate the number of POEMs required to achieve mastery for operators with limited or no endoscopic submucosal dissection experience. Conclusion These results offer thresholds for efficiency and mastery of a single gastroenterologist operator that may guide the efforts of novice POEM operators.
The global coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant morbidity and mortality, thoroughly affected daily living, and caused severe economic disruption throughout the world. ...Pulmonary symptoms predominate and account for most of the associated morbidity and mortality. However, extrapulmonary manifestations are common in COVID-19 infections, including gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, such as diarrhea. Diarrhea affects approximately 10% to 20% of COVID-19 patients. Diarrhea can occasionally be the presenting and only COVID-19 symptom. Diarrhea in COVID-19 subjects is usually acute but is occasionally chronic. It is typically mild-to-moderate and nonbloody. It is usually much less clinically important than pulmonary or potential thrombotic disorders. Occasionally the diarrhea can be profuse and life-threatening. The entry receptor for COVID-19, angiotensin converting enzyme-2, is found throughout the GI tract, especially in the stomach and small intestine, which provides a pathophysiologic basis for local GI infection. COVID-19 virus has been documented in feces and in GI mucosa. Treatment of COVID-19 infection, especially antibiotic therapy, is a common culprit of the diarrhea, but secondary infections including bacteria, especially Clostridioides difficile, are sometimes implicated. Workup for diarrhea in hospitalized patients usually includes routine chemistries; basic metabolic panel; and a complete hemogram; sometimes stool studies, possibly including calprotectin or lactoferrin; and occasionally abdominal CT scan or colonoscopy. Treatment for the diarrhea is intravenous fluid infusion and electrolyte supplementation as necessary, and symptomatic antidiarrheal therapy, including Loperamide, kaolin-pectin, or possible alternatives. Superinfection with C difficile should be treated expeditiously. Diarrhea is prominent in post-COVID-19 (long COVID-19), and is occasionally noted after COVID-19 vaccination. The spectrum of diarrhea in COVID-19 patients is presently reviewed including the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, evaluation, and treatment.
The novel coronavirus pandemic of COVID-19 has emerged as a highly significant recent threat to global health with about 600,000,000 known infections and more than 6,450,000 deaths worldwide since ...its emergence in late 2019. COVID-19 symptoms are predominantly respiratory, with mortality largely related to pulmonary manifestations, but the virus also potentially infects all parts of the gastrointestinal tract with related symptoms and manifestations that affect patient treatment and outcome. COVID-19 can directly infect the gastrointestinal tract because of the presence of widespread angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors in the stomach and small intestine that can cause local COVID-19 infection and associated inflammation. This work reviews the pathopysiology, clinical manifestations, workup, and treatment of miscellaneous inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract other than inflammatory bowel disease.
Background EUS-guided liver biopsy by Trucut yields variable specimen adequacy at high cost, limiting its utility. A modified EUS-guided technique with reliable adequacy could be a viable alternative ...to standard techniques in cost-effective clinical settings. Objective To describe our experience with EUS-guided liver biopsy by 19-gauge FNA, non-Trucut, needle in a cost-effective setting: patients with abnormal liver test results of unclear etiology referred for EUS to exclude biliary obstruction in whom an unrevealing EUS would have prompted a next-step liver biopsy by the referring physician. Design Prospective case series. Setting Tertiary-care teaching hospital. Patients Consecutive patients with abnormal liver tests referred for EUS. Interventions EUS-guided liver biopsy by 19-gauge FNA needle (non-Trucut). Main Outcome Measurements Diagnostic yield, specimen adequacy, and complications. An adequate specimen was defined as a length of 15 mm or longer and 6 or more complete portal tracts (CPTs). Results Between July 2008 and July 2011, 22 of 31 consecutive patients meeting inclusion criteria underwent unrevealing EUS with same-session EUS-guided liver biopsy by 19-gauge FNA needle. A median of 2 FNA passes (range 1-3) yielded a median specimen length of 36.9 mm (range 2-184.6 mm) with a median of 9 CPTs (range 1-73 CPTs). EUS-guided liver biopsies yielded a histologic diagnosis and adequate specimens in 20 of 22 patients (91%). Expanded experience led to improved specimen adequacy. There were no complications. Limitation Small study size. Conclusions EUS-guided liver biopsy by using a 19-gauge FNA needle appears to be feasible and safe and provides excellent diagnostic yield and specimen adequacy.
Per-oral endoscopic myotomy(POEM)represents a natural orifice endoscopic surgery(NOTES)approach to laparoscopy Heller myotomy(LHM).POEM is arguably the most successful clinical application of ...NOTES.The growth of POEM from a single center in 2008 to approximately 60 centers worldwide in 2014 with several thousand procedures having been performed attests to the success of POEM.Initial efficacy,safety and acid reflux data suggest at least equivalence of POEM to LHM,the previous gold standard for achalasia therapy.Adjunctive techniques used in the West include impedance planimetry for real-time intraprocedural luminal assessment and endoscopic suturing for challenging mucosal defect closures during POEM.The impact of POEM extends beyond the realm of esophageal motility disorders as it is rapidly popularizing endoscopic submucosal dissection in the West and spawning offshoots that use the submucosal tunnel technique for a host of new indications ranging from resection of tumors to pyloromyotomy for gastroparesis.
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