Marcel Gatt

Randomized clinical trial of multimodal optimization of surgical care in patients undergoing major colonic resection

The aim of this trial was to compare multimodal optimization with conventional perioperative management in a consecutive series of patients undergoing a wide range of colorectal procedures.

Bacterial translocation studied in 927 patients over 13 years.

Bacterial translocation (BT) describes the passage of bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract to normally sterile tissues such as the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) and other internal organs. The clinical and pathophysiological significance of BT remains controversial. This report describes results obtained over a 13‐year period of study.

Review article: bacterial translocation in the critically ill--evidence and methods of prevention.

Delayed sepsis, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and multiorgan failure remain major causes of morbidity and mortality on intensive care units. One factor thought to be important in the aetiology of SIRS is failure of the intestinal barrier resulting in bacterial translocation and subsequent sepsis.

Compliance with enhanced recovery programmes in elective colorectal surgery

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols are often criticized for being difficult to implement outside clinical trials. This audit evaluated compliance with an ERAS protocol and compared it with that during a trial.

Changes in superior mesenteric artery blood flow after oral, enteral, and parenteral feeding in humans.

Objective:Alterations in splanchnic blood flow cause gut ischemia and may predispose to gut-derived sepsis. Increases in superior mesenteric artery (SMA) blood flow occur follow the oral ingestion of food, but the effects of enteral nutrition (EN) on splanchnic perfusion are poorly defined and those of parenteral nutrition (PN) are unknown in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in SMA flow in healthy controls and patients receiving adjuvant nutrition. Design:Qualitative before-after study. Setting:Intensive care and general wards at Scarborough Hospital, Scarborough, United Kingdom. Patients:Fourteen healthy volunteers and 20 consecutive hemodynamically stable patients receiving adjuvant nutrition. Interventions:Oral, EN, or PN after an overnight fast. Measurements and Main Results:Duplex ultrasonography was used to assess SMA flow after an overnight fast. Subjects were then rescanned 3 hrs later after commencement of the appropriate test feed so that postprandial flows could be determined. Of the 20 patients recruited, 10 were receiving EN (120 kcal) and 10 PN (175 kcal). Of the 14 volunteers, three received no feed before their second scan (controls), six received an oral meal (530 kcal), and five received EN (120 kcal). Changes in SMA flow within groups were assessed. The control (fasting) volunteers showed no change between the two scans (p = 1.000). All subjects fed intraluminally demonstrated significant increases in postprandial SMA blood flow. Conversely, all patients fed parenterally showed decreased postprandial SMA flows with a median (interquartile range) fasting SMA flow of 14.5 (4.8–24.8) mL/sec, which decreased to 6.1 (2.4–9.2) mL/sec postprandially (p = 0.013). Conclusions:Splanchnic flow is modulated by the route of feeding. The clinical significance of these findings requires further investigation as they may be important in the management of the critically ill patient, particularly in those with cardiovascular instability or any patient predisposed to gut ischemia.

Bedside postpyloric feeding tube placement: a pilot series to validate this novel technique.

Objective:Postpyloric feeding may facilitate tolerance to enteral nutrition (EN) and offers an alternative route of feed administration when prepyloric EN fails. However, this is constrained by the difficulty of establishing nasojejunal (NJ) tube placement, which may necessitate endoscopy or radiology with the inevitable delay in the instigation of treatment. A bedside technique of NJ tube insertion has, therefore, been developed to permit blind postpyloric intubation. The primary aim of this audit was to validate the success of bedside NJ tube placement using the described technique. Secondary end points included the time taken to establish EN and the value of aspirate pH as an indicator of tube tip placement. Design:Observational. Setting:District general hospital. Patients:Consecutive patients requiring EN. Measurements and Main Results:The time taken to insert the tubes, the success rates in achieving the required position, and the time between the decision to feed and commencement of EN were recorded. The pH of any aspirate obtained was related to tube tip placement. Tube position was confirmed radiologically before starting EN. A total of 43 NJ tubes were inserted in 32 patients. Successful postpyloric intubation was achieved in 35 of 43 patients (81%). The median time for tube insertion was 18 (14–30) minutes. Time from the decision to feed to commencement of EN was 6 (5–18) hours. Aspirates were obtained from 26 of 43 (60%) intubations. Gastric aspirate pH readings were obtained for 19 of 43 (44%) of these intubations. Radiology reliably demonstrated the position of the tube tip in all cases. Conclusions:By-the-bedside NJ tube placement is possible in more than 80% of patients. This may overcome delays in the commencement of feeds resulting from other methods of postpyloric tube placement. The use of aspirate pH on its own is not a reliable indicator of tube tip position.

Gastric colonization predisposes to septic morbidity in surgical patients: A prospective study

OBJECTIVE Several previous studies have suggested that pathological colonization of the proximal gastrointestinal (GI) tract may be associated with septic morbidity. However, the prevalence of this in surgical patients is unknown and there is little information on factors that might predispose to this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to assess the preoperative variables that are associated with pathological colonization of the proximal GI tract in surgical patients. METHODS Nasogastric aspirates were obtained from 502 surgical patients to identify abnormal colonization. Several preoperative variables were tested to identify association with pathological colonization of the proximal GI tract. Postoperative septic morbidity was recorded prospectively in all patients. RESULTS Enterobacteriaceae were identified in 78 of 502 patients (15.5%), 124 of 502 (24.7%) had multiple organisms, and 157 of 502 (31.3%) had Candida in the nasogastric aspirates. Age >70 y and emergency surgery were associated with presence of Enterobacteriaceae. Age >70 y was also associated with the presence of multiple organisms (with or without Enterobacteriaceae). Colonization with Enterobacteriaceae or presence of multiple organisms in the proximal GI tract was associated with postoperative septic morbidity. Preoperative total parenteral nutrition was associated with Candida colonization in the upper GI tract, but not with sepsis. CONCLUSION Pathological colonization of the proximal GI tract with Enterobacteriaceae or multiple organisms is associated with increased incidence of postoperative sepsis. Age >70 y and emergency surgery were the two preoperative variables associated with pathological colonization in surgical patients. Preoperative total parenteral nutrition is associated with fungal colonization but this is not associated with septic morbidity.