IntroductionThe 2008 National Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction Audit demonstrated marked variation in the practice and outcomes of breast reconstruction in the UK. To standardise practice and improve outcomes for patients, the British professional associations developed best-practice guidelines with specific guidance for newer mesh-assisted implant-based techniques. We explored the degree of uptake of best-practice guidelines within units performing implant-based reconstruction (IBBR) as the first phase of the implant Breast Reconstruction Evaluation (iBRA) study.MethodsA questionnaire developed by the iBRA Steering Group was completed by trainee and consultant leads at breast and plastic surgical units across the UK. Simple summary statistics were calculated for each survey item to assess compliance with current best-practice guidelines.Results81 units from 79 NHS Trusts completed the questionnaire. Marked variation was observed in adherence to guidelines, especially those relating to clinical governance and infection prevention strategies. Less than half (n = 28, 47%) of units obtained local clinical governance board approval prior to offering new mesh-based techniques and prospective audit of the clinical, cosmetic and patient-reported outcomes of surgery was infrequent. Most units screened for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus prior to surgery but fewer than 1 in 3 screened for methicillin-sensitive strains. Laminar-flow theatres (recommended for IBBR) were not widely-available with less than 1 in 5 units having regular access. Peri-operative antibiotics were widely-used, but the type and duration were highly-variable.ConclusionsThe iBRA national practice questionnaire has demonstrated variation in reported practice and adherence to IBBR guidelines. High-quality evidence is urgently required to inform best practice.

INTRODUCTION Patient-directed informationa vailable on the internet is not always regulated; it may be confusing and sometimes just overwhelming. We aimed to establish the proportion of patients undergoing two common surgical procedures, who searched the internet for information about their operations and to assess the usefulness of the information they received.PATIENTS AND METHODS At otal of 105 consecutive patients undergoing elective abdominal wall hernia repair (n =5 4) or laparoscopic cholecystectomy (n =5 1) in as ingle surgical firm were included in the study.P atients were counselled about their operation in pre-operative assessment clinics and standard trust information leaflets were provided without any mention of this study.P atients were then asked to complete aq uestionnaire on the morning of their operation.RESULTS All patients completed the questionnaire. Of the patients, 59% stated that they had access to the internet and 77% of these accessed the internet over 2haw eek. Of the patients with internet access, 31% used it to acquire additional information about their operations and 58% used internet search engines. Of the patients who searched the internet regarding their operations, 26% were confused and/or worried by the information they received. CONCLUSIONS As ignificant proportion of patients undergoing common surgical procedures used the internet and about onethird of them specifically sought information about their operation on the internet. Such information can cause worry and confusion in patients. Our study highlights the need for regulated, comprehensible, patient information on hospital websites to which patients should be directed. TAMHANKAR MAZARI EVERITTR AVI USE OF THE INTERNET BY PATIENTS UNDERGOING ELECTIVE HERNIA REPAIR OR CHOLECYSTECTOMYAnn RC oll Surg Engl 2009; 91:4 60-463

Background Prophylactic antibiotics are used in acellular dermal matrix-assisted implant-based breast reconstructions. However, there are no universally accepted guidelines regarding the best regimen. This retrospective, multicentre study was designed to compare the different prophylactic antibiotic regimens in these patients in three hospitals across two NHS trusts over a five-year period. Methods Case notes and electronic records were reviewed for all patients undergoing acellular dermal matrix-assisted implant-based breast reconstructions between January 2010 and December 2014. Prophylactic antibiotic regimens, duration of use, wound infection, implant loss, seroma and therapeutic antibiotic use was recorded. Patients were divided into groups based on prophylactic antibiotic regimen and actual duration of use. Intergroup analysis was performed using Stata 13.0. Implant loss due to infection was the primary outcome measure. Results A total of 105 patients had 122 breast reconstructions performed over the study period. Four prophylactic antibiotic regimens were identified: single dose (n = 20), three doses (n = 17), antibiotics for five–seven days (n = 51) and antibiotics until drains removed (n = 32). There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between the various regimens in implant loss, wound infection, therapeutic antibiotic prescription or seroma rates. Based on the actual duration of prophylactic antibiotics usage, three groups were identified: prophylactic antibiotics given for one day (n = 26), antibiotics for up to one week (n = 76) and for more than one week (n = 13). Again, no statistically significant difference was observed in the groups for any outcome measure. Conclusion The study demonstrated no difference in outcomes between different prophylactic antibiotic regimens in acellular dermal matrix-assisted implant-based breast reconstructions.

Introduction Studies have attempted to identify prognostic indicators for successful outcomes following bariatric surgery for obesity. The aim of this study was to determine whether the degree of obesity affects outcomes in patients who are morbidly obese (basal metabolic index, BMI, 40–49.9 kg/m2), super-obese (BMI 50–59.9 kg/m2) and super-super-obese (BMI greater than 60 kg/m2) undergoing restrictive or malabsorptive bypass procedures. Material and methods Retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database was undertaken to include all consecutive laparoscopic adjustable gastric bands (LAGB), laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies (LSG) and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) procedures since 2010. Patients with at least two years of follow-up were included. At each visit, the patient’s weight, BMI, excess weight loss and comorbidity status were recorded. Results A total of 353 patients (75% women) were included in the analysis; 65 (18.4%) underwent LAGB; 70 (19.8%) LSG and 218 (61.8%) LRYGB. At presentation, the median BMI for the morbidly obese sub-group was 47.2 kg/m2 for LAGB, 46.4 kg/m2 for LSG and 46.6 kg/m2 for LRYGB (P = 0.625); for the super-obese sub-group it was 53.2 kg/m2 for LAGB, 52.9 kg/m2 for LSG and 52.4 kg/m2 for LRYGB (P = 0.481); and for the super-super-obese sub-group 66.9 kg/m2 for (LAGB, 66.7 kg/m2 for LSG and 61.5 kg/m2 for LRYGB (P = 0.169). Percentage of excess weight loss at the end of two years was significantly higher in the morbidly obese and super-morbidly obese sub-groups undergoing LRYGB (median 68.5% and 69.5%, respectively; P < 0.001) than in the sub-groups undergoing LAGB and LSG. This was also reflected in the reduction of BMI achieved with bypass in the two sub-groups (P < 0.001). Complete diabetes remission was significantly higher in the morbidly obese and super-morbidly obese sub-groups undergoing LRYGB treatment (P < 0.05). Sleep apnoea, asthma and exercise tolerance had significantly improved in the super-morbidly obese undergoing LRYGB (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the three treatment groups in remission of hypertension; dyslipidaemia; gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and depression in all three BMI sub-groups. Conclusion The mid-term results for weight loss and resolution of obesity-related comorbidities is best achieved in super-obese patients undergoing LRYGB, without any significant increase in complications with this procedure as compared with LAGB and LSG.