BackgroundThere is currently conflicting evidence surrounding the effects of obesity on postoperative outcomes. Previous studies have found obesity to be associated with adverse events, but others have found no association. The aim of this study was to determine whether increasing body mass index (BMI) is an independent risk factor for development of major postoperative complications.MethodsThis was a multicentre prospective cohort study across the UK and Republic of Ireland. Consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal surgery over a 4‐month interval (October–December 2014) were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was the 30‐day major complication rate (Clavien–Dindo grade III–V). BMI was grouped according to the World Health Organization classification. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to adjust for patient, operative and hospital‐level effects, creating odds ratios (ORs) and 95 per cent confidence intervals (c.i.).ResultsOf 7965 patients, 2545 (32·0 per cent) were of normal weight, 2673 (33·6 per cent) were overweight and 2747 (34·5 per cent) were obese. Overall, 4925 (61·8 per cent) underwent elective and 3038 (38·1 per cent) emergency operations. The 30‐day major complication rate was 11·4 per cent (908 of 7965). In adjusted models, a significant interaction was found between BMI and diagnosis, with an association seen between BMI and major complications for patients with malignancy (overweight: OR 1·59, 95 per cent c.i. 1·12 to 2·29, P = 0·008; obese: OR 1·91, 1·31 to 2·83, P = 0·002; compared with normal weight) but not benign disease (overweight: OR 0·89, 0·71 to 1·12, P = 0·329; obese: OR 0·84, 0·66 to 1·06, P = 0·147).ConclusionOverweight and obese patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal malignancy are at increased risk of major postoperative complications compared with those of normal weight.

Only four early years postgraduate surgical training posts in the UK meet nationally approved minimum quality standards. Specific recommendations are made to improve training in this cohort and to bolster recruitment and retention into Higher Surgical Training.

Objective: Menière's disease can be a debilitating condition but in most cases the symptoms are controlled by lifestyle changes and medical management. However, some patients remain symptomatic despite medical treatment and have the option of more invasive surgical treatments. Surgical intervention for Menière's includes a range of interventions from grommet insertion, intratympanic steroids/Gentamicin, endolymphatic sac decompression, labyrinthectomy, and vestibular neurectomy. A recently described technique involves the occlusion of all three semi-circular canals as an alternative in intractable Menière's disease. Study Design: This is a case series of three patients who underwent triple canal occlusion for the treatment of intractable Menière's disease. Setting: Patients were selected from those who were referred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, a tertiary referral center. Patients: Patients who were severely symptomatic despite medical treatment who were considering ablative therapy were offered the option of triple canal occlusion as an alternative. Intervention: We report a series of Menière's patients treated by triple canal occlusion, describe the rationale behind this intervention, the surgical technique, and preliminary results. Main Outcome Measure: Each patient was followed up for a minimum of 2 years following the procedure. The main outcomes measures were the class of vertigo control and hearing threshold levels according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery guidelines. Results: Of the three patients, two were men and one was woman, the age range was 45 years to 61 years old. Two patients with unilateral disease achieved class A control whereas one patient with bilateral disease achieved class B control. Two patients who underwent the procedure had little or no effect to their hearing on the treated side however one patient suffered a 30 dB hearing loss on the operative side. Conclusions: Based on our limited experience and the early reports in the literature we consider that there are potential patient benefits for triple canal occlusion for intractable Menière's disease as an alternative to vestibular neurectomy due to the reduced morbidity and long-term efficacy.

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