Specialization and centralization influence the quality of rectal cancer surgery, mainly local recurrence rates and survival after low anterior resection.

The obturator hernia is a rare type of hernia which usually presents in thin, elderly women. The preoperative diagnosis is typically difficult, with non-specific signs and symptoms which result in a delay in the diagnosis. It can also be an incidental finding at exploratory laparotomy for a patient with intestinal obstruction. The treatment is surgical. A series of four females with obturator hernia is presented. All patients presented with a history of intestinal obstruction and the hernia was diagnosed preoperatively by computed tomography. All patients underwent a preperitoneal mesh repair with a favourable outcome. The diagnosis and the surgical approach are discussed.

IntroductionLaparoscopic Nissen operation with mesh reinforcement remains being the most popular operation for large hiatal hernia repair. Complications related to mesh placement have been widely described. Cardiac complications are rare, but have a fatal outcome if they are misdiagnosed.Presentation of casesWe sought to outline our institutional experience of three patients who developed cardiac complications following a laparoscopic Nissen operation for large hiatal hernia repair.DiscussionLaparoscopic hiatoplasty and Nissen fundoplication are safe and effective procedures for the hiatal hernia repair, but they are not exempt from complications. Fixation technique and material used must be taken into account. We have conducted a review of the literature on complications related to these procedures.ConclusionIn the differential diagnosis of hemodynamic instability after laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair, cardiac tamponade and other cardiac complications should be considered.

Background Quality standards in postoperative outcomes have not yet been defined for gastric cancer surgery. Also, the effect of centralization of gastric cancer surgery on the improvement of postoperative outcomes continues to be debated. Short-term postoperative outcomes in gastric carcinoma patients in centers with low-volume of annual gastrectomies were assessed. The effect of age on major postoperative morbidity and mortality was also analyzed. Methods Patients with gastric or gastroesophageal junction Siewert III type carcinomas who underwent surgical treatment with curative intent between January 2013 and December 2016 were included. Data were obtained from the population-based surgical registry Esophagogastric Carcinoma Registry of the Comunitat Valenciana (RECEG-CV). The RECEG-CV gathers information on demographic characteristics and comorbidity, preoperative study and neoadjuvant treatment, surgical procedure, pathological study, postoperative outcomes, and follow-up. Seventeen hospitals belonging to the public network participated in this registry. Results Data from 591 patients were analyzed. Postoperative major morbidity occurred in 154 (26.1%) patients. Overall 30-day or in-hospital mortality, and 90-day postoperative mortality rates were 8.6% and 10.1% respectively. Failure-to-rescue was 39% and it was significantly higher in patients aged 75 years or older in comparison with younger patients (55.3% vs 23.1% p < 0.001). In the multivariable analysis, age ≥ 75 years (p = 0.029), laparoscopic approach (p = 0.005), and total gastrectomy (p = 0.005) were associated with major postoperative morbidity. Age ≥ 75 years (p = 0.027), pulmonary complications (p = 0.001), cardiac complications (p = 0.001), leakage (p = 0.003), and hemorrhage (p = 0.013) were associated with postoperative mortality. Conclusions Centralization of gastric adenocarcinoma treatment in centers with higher annual caseload should be considered to improve the short-term postoperative outcomes in low-volume centers. Patients aged 75 or older had a significantly increased risk of major postoperative morbidity and mortality, and higher failure-to-rescue.