With increased life expectancy and the growing total population of elderly patients, there has been rise in the number of cases of acute appendicitis in elderly people. Although acute appendicitis is not the most typical pathological condition in the elderly, it is not uncommon. Most of these patients require surgical treatment, and as with any acute surgical pathology in advanced age, treatment possibilities are affected by comorbidities, overall health status, and an increased risk of complications. In this literature review we discuss differences in acute appendicitis in the elderly population, with a focus on clinical signs, diagnostics, pathogenesis, treatment, and results.

Background Ileus is common after elective colorectal surgery, and is associated with increased adverse events and prolonged hospital stay. The aim was to assess the role of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for reducing ileus after surgery. Methods A prospective multicentre cohort study was delivered by an international, student‐ and trainee‐led collaborative group. Adult patients undergoing elective colorectal resection between January and April 2018 were included. The primary outcome was time to gastrointestinal recovery, measured using a composite measure of bowel function and tolerance to oral intake. The impact of NSAIDs was explored using Cox regression analyses, including the results of a centre‐specific survey of compliance to enhanced recovery principles. Secondary safety outcomes included anastomotic leak rate and acute kidney injury. Results A total of 4164 patients were included, with a median age of 68 (i.q.r. 57–75) years (54·9 per cent men). Some 1153 (27·7 per cent) received NSAIDs on postoperative days 1–3, of whom 1061 (92·0 per cent) received non‐selective cyclo‐oxygenase inhibitors. After adjustment for baseline differences, the mean time to gastrointestinal recovery did not differ significantly between patients who received NSAIDs and those who did not (4·6 versus 4·8 days; hazard ratio 1·04, 95 per cent c.i. 0·96 to 1·12; P = 0·360). There were no significant differences in anastomotic leak rate (5·4 versus 4·6 per cent; P = 0·349) or acute kidney injury (14·3 versus 13·8 per cent; P = 0·666) between the groups. Significantly fewer patients receiving NSAIDs required strong opioid analgesia (35·3 versus 56·7 per cent; P < 0·001). Conclusion NSAIDs did not reduce the time for gastrointestinal recovery after colorectal surgery, but they were safe and associated with reduced postoperative opioid requirement.

Acute necrotising pancreatitis is a complex disease with high morbidity and mortality rates. In cases of infected necrosis, treatment consists of a step-up approach involving endoscopic or mini-invasive surgical methods. In some cases, there are extremely rare complications. In addition, the underlying comorbidities worsen the course of the disease. We report a case of a 32-year-old male with acute necrotising pancreatitis complicated with recurrent retroperitoneal abscesses, sepsis, iatrogenic pylephlebitis, exacerbation of underlying Crohn’s disease, and the outcome of the treatment was successful. During the period of hospitalisation, one ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage, two computed tomography-guided punctures of the retroperito-neal space (percutaneous and transhepatic) and five video-assisted retroperitoneal debridement procedures were carried out. The patient was discharged after 185 days of hospitalisation.

Background Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of major gastrointestinal surgery with an impact on short- and long-term survival. No validated system for risk stratification exists for this patient group. This study aimed to validate externally a prognostic model for AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery in two multicentre cohort studies. Methods The Outcomes After Kidney injury in Surgery (OAKS) prognostic model was developed to predict risk of AKI in the 7 days after surgery using six routine datapoints (age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker). Validation was performed within two independent cohorts: a prospective multicentre, international study (‘IMAGINE’) of patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery (2018); and a retrospective regional cohort study (‘Tayside’) in major abdominal surgery (2011–2015). Multivariable logistic regression was used to predict risk of AKI, with multiple imputation used to account for data missing at random. Prognostic accuracy was assessed for patients at high risk (greater than 20 per cent) of postoperative AKI. Results In the validation cohorts, 12.9 per cent of patients (661 of 5106) in IMAGINE and 14.7 per cent (106 of 719 patients) in Tayside developed 7-day postoperative AKI. Using the OAKS model, 558 patients (9.6 per cent) were classified as high risk. Less than 10 per cent of patients classified as low-risk developed AKI in either cohort (negative predictive value greater than 0.9). Upon external validation, the OAKS model retained an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) curve of range 0.655–0.681 (Tayside 95 per cent c.i. 0.596 to 0.714; IMAGINE 95 per cent c.i. 0.659 to 0.703), sensitivity values range 0.323–0.352 (IMAGINE 95 per cent c.i. 0.281 to 0.368; Tayside 95 per cent c.i. 0.253 to 0.461), and specificity range 0.881–0.890 (Tayside 95 per cent c.i. 0.853 to 0.905; IMAGINE 95 per cent c.i. 0.881 to 0.899). Conclusion The OAKS prognostic model can identify patients who are not at high risk of postoperative AKI after gastrointestinal surgery with high specificity. Presented to Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT) International Conference 2018 (Edinburgh, UK), European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) International Conference 2018 (Nice, France), SARS (Society of Academic and Research Surgery) 2020 (Virtual, UK).

Although the risk of persistent biliary duct injury is low, cholecystectomy is one of the most commonly performed procedures worldwide. The occurrence of bile duct injury (BDI) results in complicated reconstructions, prolonged hospitalisation, repeated diagnostic examinations, and a high risk of long-term complications, leading to cost increase. A wide range of diagnostic methods are used to identify the damage and the associated complications. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of iatrogenic post-cholecystectomy BDI on the amount of diagnostic imaging and hospital re-admission rate. The retrospective cross-sectional study included the analysis of records of 38 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, referred to the Diagnostic Radiology Institute, Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, who underwent diagnostic imaging. Among those who had iatrogenic BDI due to cholecystectomy, 57.9% (22 patients) underwent abdominal ultrasonography, 47.4% (18 patients) underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, 47.4% (18 patients) underwent percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTCA), 44.7% (17 patients) underwent computed tomography, 42.1% (16 patients) underwent magnetic resonance imaging, 13.2% (five patients) underwent US-guided puncture after cholecystectomy, and 15.8% (six patients) underwent fistulography. 18.4% (seven patients) were re-admitted to hospital once due to post-cholecystectomy complications, 34.2% (13 patients) twice, 15.8% (six patients) three times, 5.3% (two patients) four times, 13.2% (five patients) five times, 2.6% (one patient) seven times, 2.6% (one patient) ten times, 5.3% (two patients) eleven times and 2.6% (one patient) was re-admitted twenty-five times. Statistically significant strong correlation between hospital re-admission rate and PTCA (rs = 0.682, p < 0.001) was found. Iatrogenic post-cholecystectomy BDI significantly affects repeated diagnostic imaging and the hospital re-admission rate and, therefore, negatively affects hospital economics and patient welfare.