It is time to define an organizational model for the prevention and management of infections along the surgical pathway: a worldwide cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

The objectives of the study were to investigate the organizational characteristics of acute care facilities worldwide in preventing and managing infections in surgery; assess participants' perception regarding infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, antibiotic prescribing practices, and source control; describe awareness about the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and IPC measures; and determine the role of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic on said awareness.

METHODS

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted contacting 1432 health care workers (HCWs) belonging to a mailing list provided by the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery. The self-administered questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary team. The survey was open from May 22, 2021, and June 22, 2021. Three reminders were sent, after 7, 14, and 21 days.

RESULTS

Three hundred four respondents from 72 countries returned a questionnaire, with an overall response rate of 21.2%. Respectively, 90.4% and 68.8% of participants stated their hospital had a multidisciplinary IPC team or a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship team. Local protocols for antimicrobial therapy of surgical infections and protocols for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis were present in 76.6% and 90.8% of hospitals, respectively. In 23.4% and 24.0% of hospitals no surveillance systems for surgical site infections and no monitoring systems of used antimicrobials were implemented. Patient and family involvement in IPC management was considered to be slightly or not important in their hospital by the majority of respondents (65.1%). Awareness of the global burden of AMR among HCWs was considered very important or important by 54.6% of participants. The COVID-19 pandemic was considered by 80.3% of respondents as a very important or important factor in raising HCWs awareness of the IPC programs in their hospital. Based on the survey results, the authors developed 15 statements for several questions regarding the prevention and management of infections in surgery. The statements may be the starting point for designing future evidence-based recommendations.

CONCLUSION

Adequacy of prevention and management of infections in acute care facilities depends on HCWs behaviours and on the organizational characteristics of acute health care facilities to support best practices and promote behavioural change. Patient involvement in the implementation of IPC is still little considered. A debate on how operationalising a fundamental change to IPC, from being solely the HCWs responsibility to one that involves a collaborative relationship between HCWs and patients, should be opened.

Developing the RIGHT extension statement for practice guideline protocols: the RIGHT-P statement protocol

Background: A protocol for a practice guideline can facilitate the guideline development process, ensure its transparency, and improve the quality of the guidelines. However, there are currently no reporting guideline for guideline protocols. Methods: We intend to develop an extension of the Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in HealThcare (RIGHT) statement for guideline protocols (RIGHT-P). We will follow the toolkit for developing a reporting guideline developed by the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research (EQUATOR) network. We will form a multidisciplinary international team of experts. The development of RIGHT-P will be conducted in 12 steps grouped in three stages over a two-year period. Results: The results of RIGHT-P statement will be presented in an article to be published later. Conclusion: This report describes the process of RIGHT-P statement development. We believe RIGHT-P will help guideline developers improve the reporting of guideline protocols and indirectly improve their quality and the quality of guidelines. Registration: We registered the protocol on the EQUATOR network.

WSES/GAIS/WSIS/SIS-E/AAST global clinical pathways for patients with skin and soft tissue infections

Skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs) encompass a variety of pathological conditions that involve the skin and underlying subcutaneous tissue, fascia, or muscle, ranging from simple superficial infections to severe necrotizing infections.

Together, the World Society of Emergency Surgery, the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery, the Surgical Infection Society-Europe, The World Surgical Infection Society, and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma have jointly completed an international multi-society document to promote global standards of care in SSTIs guiding clinicians by describing reasonable approaches to the management of SSTIs.

An extensive non-systematic review was conducted using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases, limited to the English language. The resulting evidence was shared by an international task force with different clinical backgrounds.

WSES project on decision support systems based on artificial neural networks in emergency surgery

The article is a scoping review of the literature on the use of decision support systems based on artificial neural networks in emergency surgery. The authors present modern literature data on the effectiveness of artificial neural networks for predicting, diagnosing and treating abdominal emergency conditions: acute appendicitis, acute pancreatitis, acute cholecystitis, perforated gastric or duodenal ulcer, acute intestinal obstruction, and strangulated hernia. The intelligent systems developed at present allow a surgeon in an emergency setting, not only to check his own diagnostic and prognostic assumptions, but also to use artificial intelligence in complex urgent clinical cases. The authors summarize the main limitations for the implementation of artificial neural networks in surgery and medicine in general. These limitations are the lack of transparency in the decision-making process; insufficient quality educational medical data; lack of qualified personnel; high cost of projects; and the complexity of secure storage of medical information data. The development and implementation of decision support systems based on artificial neural networks is a promising direction for improving the forecasting, diagnosis and treatment of emergency surgical diseases and their complications.

WSES/GAIS/SIS-E/WSIS/AAST global clinical pathways for patients with intra-abdominal infections

Intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are common surgical emergencies and have been reported as major contributors to non-trauma deaths in hospitals worldwide. The cornerstones of effective treatment of IAIs include early recognition, adequate source control, appropriate antimicrobial therapy, and prompt physiologic stabilization using a critical care environment, combined with an optimal surgical approach. Together, the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES), the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery (GAIS), the Surgical Infection Society-Europe (SIS-E), the World Surgical Infection Society (WSIS), and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) have jointly completed an international multi-society document in order to facilitate clinical management of patients with IAIs worldwide building evidence-based clinical pathways for the most common IAIs. An extensive non-systematic review was conducted using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases, limited to the English language. The resulting information was shared by an international task force from 46 countries with different clinical backgrounds. The aim of the document is to promote global standards of care in IAIs providing guidance to clinicians by describing reasonable approaches to the management of IAIs.

Anorectal emergencies: WSES-AAST guidelines

Anorectal emergencies comprise a wide variety of diseases that share common symptoms, i.e., anorectal pain or bleeding and might require immediate management. While most of the underlying conditions do not need inpatient management, some of them could be life-threatening and need prompt recognition and treatment. It is well known that an incorrect diagnosis is frequent for anorectal diseases and that a delayed diagnosis is related to an impaired outcome. This paper aims to improve the knowledge and the awareness on this specific topic and to provide a useful tool for every physician dealing with anorectal emergencies.The present guidelines have been developed according to the GRADE methodology. To create these guidelines, a panel of experts was designed and charged by the boards of the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) and American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) to perform a systematic review of the available literature and to provide evidence-based statements with immediate practical application. All the statements were presented and discussed during the WSES-AAST-WJES Consensus Conference on Anorectal Emergencies, and for each statement, a consensus among the WSES-AAST panel of experts was reached. We structured our work into seven main topics to cover the entire management of patients with anorectal emergencies and to provide an up-to-date, easy-to-use tool that can help physicians and surgeons during the decision-making process.

A pandemic recap: lessons we have learned

On January 2020, the WHO Director General declared that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The world has faced a worldwide spread crisis and is still dealing with it. The present paper represents a white paper concerning the tough lessons we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, an international and heterogenous multidisciplinary panel of very differentiated people would like to share global experiences and lessons with all interested and especially those responsible for future healthcare decision making. With the present paper, international and heterogenous multidisciplinary panel of very differentiated people would like to share global experiences and lessons with all interested and especially those responsible for future healthcare decision making.

Acute abdomen in the immunocompromised patient: WSES, SIS-E, WSIS, AAST, and GAIS guidelines

Immunocompromised patients are a heterogeneous and diffuse category frequently presenting to the emergency department with acute surgical diseases. Diagnosis and treatment in immunocompromised patients are often complex and must be multidisciplinary. Misdiagnosis of an acute surgical disease may be followed by increased morbidity and mortality. Delayed diagnosis and treatment of surgical disease occur; these patients may seek medical assistance late because their symptoms are often ambiguous. Also, they develop unique surgical problems that do not affect the general population. Management of this population must be multidisciplinary.This paper presents the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES), Surgical Infection Society Europe (SIS-E), World Surgical Infection Society (WSIS), American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST), and Global Alliance for Infection in Surgery (GAIS) joined guidelines about the management of acute abdomen in immunocompromised patients.

Intra-abdominal hypertension and hypoxic respiratory failure together predict adverse outcome - A sub-analysis of a prospective cohort

PURPOSE

To assess whether the combination of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH, intra-abdominal pressure ≥ 12 mmHg) and hypoxic respiratory failure (HRF, PaO2/FiO2 ratio < 300 mmHg) in patients receiving invasive ventilation is an independent risk factor for 90- and 28-day mortality as well as ICU- and ventilation-free days.

METHODS

Mechanically ventilated patients who had blood gas analyses performed and intra-abdominal pressure measured, were included from a prospective cohort. Subgroups were defined by the absence (Group 1) or the presence of either IAH (Group 2) or HRF (Group 3) or both (Group 4). Mixed-effects regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Ninety-day mortality increased from 16% (Group 1, n = 50) to 30% (Group 2, n = 20) and 27% (Group 3, n = 100) to 49% (Group 4, n = 142), log-rank test p < 0.001. The combination of IAH and HRF was associated with increased 90- and 28-day mortality as well as with fewer ICU- and ventilation-free days. The association with 90-day mortality was no longer present after adjustment for independent variables. However, the association with 28-day mortality, ICU- and ventilation-free days persisted after adjusting for independent variables.

CONCLUSIONS

In our sub-analysis, the combination of IAH and HRF was not independently associated with 90-day mortality but independently increased the odds of 28-day mortality, and reduced the number of ICU- and ventilation-free days.

T, Nigo Samuel L, Otuneme C, Prosper N, Umenze F, Boutros M, Caminsky N, Dumitra S, Garfinkle R, Morency D, Salama E, Banks A, Ferri L, He H, Katz A, Liberman AS, Meterissian S, Pang A, Parvez E, Agarwal A, Dare A, Hameed U, Osman F, Sequeira S, Coburn N, Dare A, Jaffer A, Karanicolas P, Mosseler M, Musselman R, Liu X, Yip CW, Garces-Otero JS, Guzman C, Sierra S, Uribe Valencia A, Cabrera Rivera PA, Camelo S, Gonzalez A, González-Orozco A, Mosquera Paz MS, Perez Rivera CJ, Gonzalez F, Isaza-Restrepo A, Nino- Torres L, Arias Madrid N, Mendoza Arango MC, Sierra S, Bake J, Tsandiraki J, Jemendžic D, Kocman B, Šuman O, Canic R, Jurišic D, Karakas I, Krizanovic Rupcic A, Pitlovic V, Samardžic J, Kopljar M, Bacic I, Domini E, Karlo R, Mihanovic J, Miljanic D, Simic A, Ahmed M, Al Nassrallah M, Altaf R, Amjad T, Eltoum R, Haidar H, Hassan A, Khalil O, Qasem M, Ramesh R, Sajith G, Wisal M, Žatecký J, Bujda M, Jirankova K, Paclik A, Abdallah A, Abdulgawad Almogy M, Ayman El-sawy E, ElFayoumy AM, Elghareeb N, Esmat NA, Fadel A, Habater A, Hamdy H, Hefni A, Kamal M, Mohamed Abobakr N, Sayed A, Shaker N, Taha E, Tharwat H, Zakaria O, Abdelmotaleb I, Al-Dhufri A, Al-Himyari HS, El sheikh E, Eldmaty A, Elkhalawy A, M.Elkhashen A, Magdy K, Mostafa S, Sadia HD, Saleh MM, Samir D, Yahia Mohamed Ali M, A. Nassar M, Abdelhady S, Abdelrazek A, Abdelsalam I, El-Sawy A, Essam E, Gadelkarim M, Ghaly K, Hassabalnaby M, Masarani R, Mohamed Shaaban N, Sabry A, Salem M, Soliman NA, Zahran D, Abou El.soud MR, Badr ET, Borham H, Elmeslemany N, Elsayed M, Elsherif F, Eslam S, Gaber G, Ibrahim S, Kamh Y, Mahmoud A, Mohamed SG, Morshedy E, Omar C, Salem Soliman F, Abdelkawy S, Abdelmohsen N, Abdelshakour M, Dahy A, Gamal N, Gamal M, Hasan A, Hetta H, Mousa N, Omar M, Rabie S, Saad M, Saleh B, Sayed Mohamed M, Shawqi M, Abdelhady Mousa H, Alnoury M, Elbealawy M, Elshafey A, Essam Ibrahim El Desouki Muhammad Ahmed M, Ghonaim M, Hgag F, Ibrahim M, Morsy M, Reda Loaloa M, Refaat A, Samir H, Shahien F, Sobhy M, Sroor F, Abdellatif E, Adel M, Afifi AA, Afifi E, Antaky M, Dawoud A, El Zoghby N, El-remaily A, Elzanfaly AA, Gadallah A, Gamal FA, Hashem O, Medhat Youssef S, Muhammad Attyah A, Munir M, Shazly O, Taha E, Wilson K, Adel S, Ali A, Eid E, Elhelow E, Elmahdy M, Elshatby B, Hossam el-din Zakaria A, Hossny A, Ibrahim E, M.Yonis A, Metwalli M, Yousry B, Zid E, A Yacoub M, Abdelhakim A, Abouelsoad N, Alkhatib M, Ashraf A, Ashraf A, Elazab Y, Elfanty M, Elkabir O, Elsayed M, Elshimy A, Elsobky H, Eskander J, Gad A, Hamsho W, Khaled Abdelwahed N, Magdy M, Moharam D, Osama A, Ramadan S, Roum R, Sayed T, Shehada T, Zidan AM, Abbas K, Ali A, Attia M, Balata M, El Nakeeb A, Elewaily MIE, Elfallal A, Elfeki H, Elkhadragy A, Emile S, Ezzat H, Hosni H, Mansour I, Omar W, Othman G, Sadek K, Shalaby M, Shehab-Eldeen N, Anas khalifa R, Badr H, Eldeep M, Eldeep A, Eldoseuky mohammed A, Khallaf S, Magdy Hegazy E, Mahmoud R, Mikhail P, Morsi M, Mowafy S, Raafat D, Safy A, Sera M, Sera AS, AbdAllah MSM, Abdelkader M, Abdou AO, Ahmed A, Gaafar S, Ibrahim negm F, Lapic M, Maher A, Mahmoud H, Mostafa A, Samir M, Samy F, Semeda N, Shalaby HI, El-taweel A, Galal Elnagar A, Hemidan AG, Hussein M, Kandil A, Moawad M, Nasser Hamamah AA, Soliman M, Abdelkhalek M, Abdelmaksoud Tawakel N, Abdelwahed AM, Abdou A, Atallah K, Elsherbeny MY, Emara E, Hamdy M, Hamdy O, Haron A, Ismail S, Metwally IH, Mohamed Hamed Elgaml N, Nassar A, Refky B, Sadek M, Saleh M, Yunes A, Zakaria M, Zuhdy M, Fayed N, Mohammed MMH, Kütner S, Melnik P, Seire I, Teras J, Ümarik T, Ainoa E, Eerola V, Koppatz H, Koskenvuo L, Sallinen V, Takala S, Katunin J, Kechagias A, Turunen A, Christou N, Mathonnet M, Lavoue V, Nyangoh Timoh K, Soulabaille L, Lesourd R, Merdrignac A, Sulpice L, André B, Chantalat E, Vaysse C, Dousset B, Gaujoux S, Martin G, Clonda O, Juodis D, Kienle K, Mravik A, Palmer S, Szabadhegyi G, Agbeko AE, Gyabaah S, Gyamfi FE, Naabo N, Owusu senior A, Yorke J, Owusu F, Abantanga F, Anyomih TTK, Muntaka AJM, Owusu Abem E, Sheriff M, Tabiri S, Wondoh PM, Balalis D, Korkolis D, Gkiokas G, Pantiora E, Theodosopoulos T, Ioannidis A, Konstantinidis K, Konstantinidou S, Machairas N, Paspala A, Prodromidou A, Chouliaras C, Papadopoulos K, Baloyiannis I, Mamaloudis I, Tzovaras G, Akrida I, Argentou MI, Germanos S, Iliopoulos E, Maroulis I, Skroubis G, Theofanis G, Chatzakis C, Ioannidis O, Loutzidou L, Kalles V, Karathanasis P, Michalopoulos N, Theodoropoulos C, Theodorou D, Triantafyllou T, Garoufalia Z, Hasemaki N, Kontos M, Kouraklis G, Kykalos S, Liakakos T, Mpaili E, Papalampros A, Schizas D, Syllaios A, Tampaki EC, Tsimpoukelis A, Antonopoulou MI, Deskou E, Manatakis DK, Papageorgiou D, Zoulamoglou M, Anthoulakis C, Margaritis M, Nikoloudis N, Campo V, Ceballos A, Flores MA, Giron W, Ko D, Martinez G, Recinos G, Rivera Lara V, Rueda N, Sanchez A, Tejeda Garrido JCG, Aguilera-Arevalo ML, Alvarez Rivera AE, Bamaca Ixcajoc EB, Barreda Zelaya LE, Chacòn-Herrera P, Corea Ruiz LM, Echeverria-Davila G, Garcia M, García D, Gutiérrez Mayen EF, José N, Mazariegos N, Méndez D, Paniagua Espinoza M, Baranyai Z, Bardos D, Benke M, Illes K, Kokas BA, Szabó R, Appukuttan A, Asok A, D.k V, Malik K, Ravishankaran P, Tapkire R, Moorthy G, Abraham J, Muthuvel R, Alapatt J, Kattepur A, Pareekutty N, Garod M, Harris C, Wanniang C, Gupta A, Nehra D, Parshad S, Acharya R, Badwe R, Bhandare M, Jain U, Kirti K, Nair N, Shrikhande S, Thakkar P, Anandan P, C S A, Holenarasipur Narasannaiah A, Jagarlamudi T, Kumar Venkatappa S, M R R, Manangi M, Raghavendra A, Rao KS, S V, Sajjan V, Shenoy A, Shivashankar Chikkanayakanahalli S, Tharanath K, V S, Adidharma P, Agarwal R, Amandito R, Anggita Gultom P, Arifin GR, Billy M, Elfizri Z, Fahira A, Felicia D, Gunardi TH, Johanna N, Nugrahadi NR, Panigoro SS, Rahmayanti S, Sihotang RC, Brata SY, Winoto H, Barati N, Karami M, Khorshidi H, Naderifar H, Abdulla MA, Coleman M, Doherty RJ, Hannon R, Murphy B, Stakelum A, Winter D, Aljohmani L, Farnan R, Seldon Y, Tan T, Varghese S, Alherz M, Ather M, Bajilan M, Graziadei V, Pilkington I, Quidwai O, Ridgway P, Shiwani H, Tahir AAR, Blunnie E, Burke D, Kennedy N, Macdonagh K, O'Neill M, Rooney S, Falco G, Ferrari G, Mele S, Nita GE, Ugoletti L, Zizzo M, Confalonieri G, Pesenti G, Tagliabue F, Baronio G, Ongaro D, Pata G, Compagnoni B, Salvadori R, Taglietti L, D'Alessandro N, Di Lascio P, Pascale G, Bortolasi L, Campagnaro T, Carlini M, Lisi G, Lombardi D, Pedrazzani C, Spoletini D, Turri G, Violi P, Altomare DF, Aquilino F, Musa N, Papagni V, Picciariello A, Vincenti L, Andreotti D, Occhionorelli S, Tondo M, Basso SMM, Cirelli R, Maino MEM, Piozzi GN, Picone E, Scaramuzzo R, Sinibaldi G, Amendola A, Anastasio L, Bucci L, Caruso E, Castaldi A, Di Maso S, Dinuzzi VP, Esposito G, Gaudiello M, Giglio MC, Greco PA, Luglio G, Manfreda A, Marra E, Mastella F, Pagano G, Peltrini R, Pepe V, Sacco M, Sollazzo V, Spiezio G, Cianchetti E, Menduni N, Carvello MM, Di Candido F, Spinelli A, Corsi F, Sorrentino L, Marino F, Asti ELG, Bonavina L, Rausa E, Asta M, Belli A, Bianco F, Cervone C, Delrio P, Falato A, Fares Bucci A, Guarino R, Pace U, Rega D, De Luca E, Gallo G, Sammarco G, Sena G, Vescio G, Santandrea L, Ugolini G, Zattoni D, Chetta N, Logrieco G, Vanella S, Garulli G, Zanini N, Bondurri A, Cammarata F, Colombo F, Foschi D, Lamperti GMB, Maffioli A, Sampietro GM, Yakushkina A, Zaffaroni G, Ansaloni L, Cicuttin E, Sibilla MG, Impellizzeri H, Inama M, Moretto G, Mochet S, Ponte E, Usai A, Mancini S, Sagnotta A, Solinas L, Bolzonaro E, Tamini N, Curletti G, Galleano R, Malerba M, Campanella S, Cocorullo G, Colli F, De Marco P, Falco N, Fontana T, Kamdem Mambou LJ, La Brocca A, Licari L, Randisi B, Rizzo G, Rotolo G, Salamone G, Tutino R, Venturelli P, Malabarba S, Sgrò A, Vella I, Cirillo B, Crocetti D, De Toma G, Lapolla P, Mingoli A, Sapienza P, Belvedere A, Bianchini S, Binetti M, Birindelli A, Tonini V, Podda M, Pulighe F, De Rosa M, Bono L, Borghi F, Geretto P, Giuffrida MC, Lauro C, Marano A, Pellegrino L, Salusso P, Sasia D, Campanelli M, Realis Luc A, Trompetto M, Cardia R, Cillara N, Giordano AN, Costanzo A, Giovilli MA, Turati L, Canonico S, Pellino G, Sciaudone G, Selvaggi F, Selvaggi L, Albsoul N, AlBsoul A, Alkhatib AA, Alsallaq O, Amarin JZ, Ayoub R, Bsisu I, El Muhtaseb MS, Jabaiti M, Melhem J, Nour I, Qwaider YZ, Salameh MH, Suleihat A, Suradi HH, Alammarin M, Aljaafreh A, Bani hani M, Bani hani Z, Bani Hani F, Fahmawee T, Hamouri S, Katanani C, Tawalbeh R, Tawalbeh T, Zawahrah H, Abou Chaar MK, Abusalem L, Al-Masri M, Al-Najjar H, Barghuthi L, Ahmed Z, Maulana A, Ngotho O, Kamau C, Stanley Mwenda A, Bosire F, Mwachiro E, Parker R, Simel I, Sylvester K, Althini AAM, Elbarouni S, Elbeshina AE, Gwea A, Malek A, Masoud Farag WA, Abdalei A, Abdel Malik AB, Abo-khammash A, Abuhlaiga M, Adnan N, Albaggar M, Alfitory A, Aljanfi A, Almuzghi F, Altumei Z, Alzabti F, Ashoushan H, Assalhi M, Azzubia J, Bnhameida S, Delhen M, Elshafei H, Elteir H, Esbaga F, Gobbi AA, Hamouda F, Hilan H, Ismail R, Jebran F, Kasbour M, Maderi G, Mohammad S, Mohammed B, Murtadi H, Mustafa H, Rajab M, Trenba S, Wafaa M, Al Sagheir E, Almigheerbi A, Alzahaf A, Bahroun SG, Ben Dallah N, Elshaibani M, Eswaye H, Karar M, Omar S, Younes E, Younes M, Zreeg D, Abujamra S, Ashour F, Elgammudi M, Omar F. Aljadidi W, Saddouh E, Sharif R, Alabuzidi A, Alwerfally A, Aribi S, Bibas F, Elfaituri T, Elhajjaji Y, Khaled A, Khalil W, Layas T, Soula E, Tarek A, Abu hallalah MFK, Abujamra S, Ahmed HA, Alsharef T, Ben Saoud AA, El Gharmoul T, Elhadi A, Elrais S, Shebani A, Zarti H, Zeiton A, Ambrazevicius M, Kaselis N, Stakyte M, Aliosin O, Cizauskaite A, Dailidenas S, Eismontas V, Kybransiene M, Nutautiene V, Samalavicius N, Simcikas D, Slepavicius A, Tamosiunas A, Ubartas N, Zeromskas P, Bradulskis S, Dainius E, Juocas J, Kubiliute E, Kutkevicius J, Opolskis A, Parseliunas A, Subocius A, Venskutonis D, Virbickaite E, Zuikyte D, Bogusevicius A, Buzaite K, Cepuliene D, Cesleviciene I, Cesna V, Gribauskaite J, Ignatavicius P, Jokubauskas M, Liugailaite M, Margelis E, Mazelyte R, Pankratjevaite L, Pažusis M, Rackeviciute A, Saladyte J, Škimelyte M, Šlenfuktas V, Sudeikyte M, Tamelis A, Vanagas T, Žumbakys Ž, Atkociunas A, Dulskas A, Kuliavas J, Birutis J, Paškevicius S, Šatkauskas M, Danys D, Jakubauskas M, Jakubauskiene L, Kryzauskas M, Lipnickas V, Makunaite G, Rasoaherinomenjanahary F, Rasolofonarivo H, Samison LH, Banda B, Malemia P, Msosa V, Ahmad Izzuddin AI, Das A, Gan YY, Shong Sheng T, Siaw JY, Ab Rahim MF, Abang Jamari DZH, Che Husin N, Kamarulzaman MY, Lim YP, Mohamed Kamil NA, Mohd Hassan MR, Mohd Sahid S, Mustafa J, Ng EHB, Wan Khazim WK, Chang Ern N, Lingeshan P, Sulaiman SE, Ang SE, Bin Mohamad Sithik MN, Cheong YJ, Deva Tata M, Jia Xian L, Kadravello A, Koh IE, Ng LY, Ng We Yong YJ, Palayan K, Sam CX, Siow Jin P, Tan Ern Hwei J, Tang Y, Ter AZ, Wong MPK, Zakaria AD, Zakaria Z, Henry F, Kalaiselvan T, Abd Karim MFS, Abdul Aziz MR, Abdul Aziz N, Khong TL, Lau PC, Lim HC, Roslani AC, Seak JCK, Wong SW, Wong LF, Yeen Chin L, Anyanwu MC, Borg E, Busuttil Z, Calleja T, Chircop KL, Cutajar R, Dimech AM, Ellul S, Galea J, Gascon Perai K, Gatt R, Kelman L, Micallef E, Nwolu F, Sammut K, Thompson J, Warwicker S, Zammit M, Cordera F, Cruz González E, Sánchez-García J, Barbosa Camacho FJ, Barrera López FJ, Zuloaga Fernandez del Valle CJ, Acosta E, González Espinoza IR, Moreno P, Cortes-Flores AO, Fuentes Orozco C, Gonzalez Ojeda A, Corro Díaz González S, Martinez L, Ramos-De la Medina A, Mosqueda Amador B, Novoa A, Olazo Espejo DA, Jimenez A, Lopez Rosales F, Vanoye EG, Garcia Gonzalez LA, Miranda-Ackerman RC, Solano-Genesta M, Alvarez-Cano A, Romero-Garza HH, Medina-Franco H, Mejía-Fernández L, Salgado-Nesme N, Vergara-Fernandez O, Gutiérrez-Mota GM, Hernandez Vera FX, Llantada Lopez A, Morgan Villela G, Ramirez Padilla FDJ, Tapia Marin W, Martínez Maldonado M, Sánchez Suárez R, Troche JM, Benyaiche C, Outani O, Amine S, Benkabbou A, Majbar AM, Mohsine R, Rafik A, Oung T, Tin MM, Borowski DW, Plarre P, Borowski DW, Plarre P, Alberga A, Sluiter N, Tuynman J, Blok R, Cömert D, Hompes R, Kalff M, Stellingwerf ME, Tanis P, van Berge Henegouwen M, van Praag EM, Wisselink D, Gerhards M, Lopes Cardozo J, Westerduin E, de Jonge J, van Geloven A, van Schilt K, den Boer F, Stoots S, Vlek S, Adams J, Al-Busaidi IS, Budd G, Choi SI, Chu MJJ, Ganugapati A, McKinstry L, Pascoe R, Richards S, Rosser K, Stevenson A, White R, Farik S, Kwun J, Murad A, Cowan S, Hall T, Hayton M, Malam Sani L, Oumarou Garba S, Adamou H, Amadou Magagi I, Habou O, Aliyu H, Daniyan M, Sholadoye TT, Abdullahi L, Anyanwu LJ, Mohammad Mohammad A, Muhammad AB, Sheshe AA, Suleiman I, Adesina A, Awolowo A, Onuoha C, Salami O, Taiwo O, Taiwo A, Kache S, Makama JG, Sale D, Abiola O, Ajao A, Ajiboye A, Etonyeaku A, Olaogun J, Adebanjo A, Adesanya O, Afolayan MO, Balogun O, Makanjuola A, Nwokocha S, Ojewola RW, Olajide TO, Aderounmu A, Adesunkanmi AR, Adisa A, Agbakwuru A, Akeem Aderogba A, Alatise OI, Arowolo O, Lawal O, Mohammed T, Ndegbu C, Olasehinde O, Wuraola F, Akinkuolie A, Etonyeaku A, Mosanya A, Ayandipo O, Elemile P, Lawal TA, Ali SANI S, Garba S, Hauwa SANI R, Olori S, Onyebuashi H, Umoke I, Adenuga A, Adeyeye A, Habeeb O, Lawal B, Nasir A, Aahlin EK, Kjønås D, Myrseth E, Abbasy J, Alvi A, Saleem O, Afzal A, Nazir A, Farooq M, Liaqat A, Naqi SA, Raza A, Sarfraz M, Sarwar M, Banglani M, Munir A, Sehrish R, Ayub B, Sayyed R, Altaf A, Ayub S, Qureshi AU, Saeed K, Syed B, Akbar SA, Anwer AW, Khan RN, Khan AI, Khattak S, Mohtasham S, Parvaiz MA, Syed AA, Ansari AB, Shahzad N, Khaliq T, Rashid I, Waqar SH, Abu Al-saleem H, Abu Alqumboz A, Alqadi M, Amro A, Assa R, Awesat E, Ayyad R, Hammad M, Haymony A, Hijazi B, Hmeidat B, Lahaseh R, Qawasmi A, Rajabi A, Shehada M, Shkokani S, Yaghi Y, Yaghi N, AlZohour M, Farid M, Habes YM, Juba W, Nubani Y, Rabee A, Sa'deh M, Abed S, Al basos I, Alswerki M, Ashour D, Awad I, Diab S, El Jamassi A, El-Kahlout S, Elhout S, Hajjaj ANK, Hasanain D, Nabil hajjaj B, Obaid M, Saikaly E, Salhi A, Al-Tammam H, Almasri M, Baniowda M, Beshtawi D, Horoub A, Misk R, Mohammad B, Qasrawi R, Sholi T, Abu-Nimeh S, Abu-srour A, Abukhalaf SA, Adawi S, Alsalameh B, Ayesh K, Elqadi M, Hammouri A, Karim Mustafa F, Marzouqa N, Melhem S, Miqdad D, Mohamad B, Rawhi M, Abu Ahammala AB, Abu Ataya A, Abu Jayyab I, Al-Shwaikh S, Alagha O, Alasttal M, Awadallah H, Elblbessy M, Fares J, Jarbou A, Mahfouz I, Albahnasawi MA, Abo mahadi A, Abuelhatal H, Abuelqomboz A, Almoqayyad A, Alwali A, Balaawi R, Hamouda M, Humeid M, Jedyan A, Mahmoud Abu hamam T, Matar G, Salem A, Samra T, Shaheen N, Shihada K, A.Nemer A, Abu Al Amrain M, Abu Alamrain A, Abu Jamie N, Abu-Rous MR, Alfarra N, AlTaweel M, Alwhaidi N, Hamed R, Saqqa B, Shaheen A, Aljaber D, Aljaberi L, Alwaheidi M, Jawaada A, Khaldi H, Qahoush R, Qari J, Saadeh R, Salim A, Yacoub A, Abbas A, Abu shua`ib R, Abu Zainah B, AbuSirrees M, Babaa B, Barhoush O, Belal qadomi A, Daraghmeh L, Haji R, Khatatbeh A, Khatib L, Qarariah S, Quzmar Y, Safadi K, Salameh R, Hassan M, Herzallah S, Massad L, Nazzal A, Nazzal R, Escobar D, Machain V GM, Rodriguez Gonzalez A, Chachaima Mar JE, Chinchihualpa Paredes NO, Cuba V, Lopez W, Niquen Jimenez MM, Sanchez Bartra NA, Sapallanay Ojeda O, Sequeiros D, Toscano Pacheco A, Vergara M, Abarca S, Alcorta R, Borda-Luque G, Eusebio Zegarra IE, Luján López C, Marrufo M, Mogrovejo C, Nomura A, Rodríguez Angeles Y, Vidal Meza MR, Zavala G, Castillo Arrascue JN, Hidrogo Cabrera JC, Larrea vera JJM, Osorio M, Ylatoma Díaz EA, Fontanilla MA, Fuentes JR, Salazar AL, Dominguez G, Lopez MP, Macalindong S, Onglao MA, Ramirez A, Sacdalan MD, Tampo MM, Uy GL, Mangahas J, Yabut K, Cañete JP, Cansana BE, Castro EJ, Lipana MK, Roxas MF, Zara VJ, Chrol M, Franczak P, Orlowski M, Budzynski P, Budzynski A, Bury P, Czerwinska A, Dworak J, Dziedzic J, Kisielewski M, Kulawik J, Lasek A, Major P, Malczak P, Migaczewski M, Pedziwiatr M, Pisarska M, Radkowiak D, Rubinkiewicz M, Rzepa A, Skoczylas T, Stanek M, Truszkiewicz K, Wierdak M, Winiarski M, Zarzycki P, Zub-Pokrowiecka A, Kowalewski P, Roszkowski R, Waledziak M, Tomé M, Patrocinio S, Guerreiro I, Almeida F, de Sousa X, Monteiro N, Costa Santos MT, de Oliveira D, Lopes Serra M, Morgado D, Neves C, Oliveira AC, Pimentel A, Silva S, Carvalho M, Carvalho L, Magalhães J, Matos L, Monteiro T, Ramos C, Santos V, Barbosa J, Costa-Maia J, Devezas V, Fareleira A, Fernandes C, Gonçalves D, Mora H, Morais M, Silva de Sousa F, Catarino Santos S, Logrado A, Tojal A, Amorim E, Cunha MF, Fazenda A, Melo Neves JP, Sampaio da Nóvoa Gomes Miguel II, Veiga D, Azevedo J, Cardoso Louro H, Leite M, Azevedo J, Bairos Menezes M, Gama B, Brito D, Cruz Martins MC, Graça e Magalhães A, Longras AC, Lourenço R, Matos D, Castro L, Policarpo F, Romano J, Leite M, Monteiro C, Pinto D, Duarte M, Fortuna Martins S, Oliveira M, Galvão D, Martins L, Silva A, Taranu V, Vieira B, Neves J, Oliveira S, Ribeiro H, Cinza M, Felix R, Machado A, Oliveira J, Patrício J, Pedroso de Lima R, Pereira M, Rocha Melo M, Velez C, Abreu da Silva A, Claro M, Costa Santos D, Ferreira A, Capote H, Rosado D, Taré F, Nogueira O, Ângelo M, Baiao JM, Guimarães A, Marques J, Nico Albano M, Silva M, Valente da Costa A, Vieira Caroço T, Almeida Braga S, Capunge I, Fragoso M, Guimarães J, Pinto B, Ribeiro J, Angel M, Fialho G, Guerrero M, Campos Costa F, Cardoso D, Cardoso V, Alves M, Estalagem I, Louro T, Marques C, Martelo R, Morgado M, Canotilho R, Correia AM, Martins P, Peyroteo M, Gomes J, Monteiro R, Romano M, Alves DM, Peixoto R, Quintela C, Jervis MJ, Melo D, Pacheco A, Paixão V, Pedro V, Pimenta J, Pimenta de Castro J, Rocha A, Beuran M, Bratu MR, Ciubotaru C, Diaconescu B, Hostiuc S, Negoi I, Stoica B, NA NA, Anokhin E, Kuznetsov G, Oganezov G, Paramzin F, Romanova E, Rutkovskii V, Rutkovskii V, Shushval M, Zabiyaka M, Dzhumabaev K, Ivanov V, Mamedli Z, Achkasov S, Balkarov A, Nabiev E, Nagudov M, Rybakov E, Saifutdinova K, Sushkov O, Vardanyan A, Costas-Chavarri A, Joseph L, Ndayishimiye I, Allen Ingabire JC, Faustin N, Mutabazi AZ, Mvukiyehe JP, Nsengimana VJ, Uwakunda C, Abbas MM, Akeel N, Aljiffry M, Awaji K, Farsi A, Jamjoum G, Khoja A, Maghrabi A, Malibary N, Nassif M, Saleem A, Sultan A, Tashkandi W, Tashkandi H, Trabulsi N, Ba MB, Diallo AC, Ndong A, Cuk V, Jankovic U, Juloski J, Koh SZ, Koh F, Lee KC, Lee KY, Lee S, Leong WQ, Lieske B, Lui SA, Prakash P, Grosek J, Norcic G, Tomazic A, Fitchat N, Jaich R, Wineberg D, Koto MZ, Baiocchi D, Clarke D, Steenkamp CJ, Van Straten S, Bannister S, Boutall A, Chinnery G, Coccia A, Dell A, Karjiker P, Kloppers C, Loxton N, Mabogoane T, Malherbe F, Panieri E, Rayamajhi S, Spence R, van Wyngaard T, Warden C, Madiba TE, Moodley Y, Pillay N, Brooks S, Kruger C, Van Der Merwe LH, Gool F, Kariem M, Bougard H, Chu K, Kariem N, Noor F, Pillay R, Steynfaardt L, González González L, Marín Santos JM, Martín-Borregón P, Martínez Caballero J, Nevado García C, Rodriguez Fraga P, De Castro Parga G, Fernández Veiga MP, Garrido López L, Infante Pino H, Lages Cal I, López Otero M, Nogueira Sixto M, Paniagua García Señorans M, Rodríguez Fernández L, Ruano Poblador A, Rufo Crespo E, Sanchez-Santos R, Vigorita V, Alonso Batanero E, Asnel D, Cifrian Canales I, Contreras Saiz E, De Santiago Alvarez I, Díaz Vico T, Fernandez Arias S, Fernández Martínez D, García Bernardo C, García Flórez LJ, Garcia Gutierrez C, García Munar M, Márquez Zorrilla Molina CA, Merayo M, Michi Campos JL, Moreno Gijon M, Otero-Diez JL, Rodicio Miravalles JL, Solar-Garcia L, Suárez Sánchez A, Truan N, Alejandre Villalobos C, Caballero Díaz Y, Jimenez M, Montesdeoca D, Navarro-Sánchez A, Vega V, Beltrán de Heredia J, Gómez Z, Jezieniecki C, Legido Morán AP, Montes-Manrique M, Rodriguez-Lopez M, Ruiz Soriano M, Trujillo Díaz J, Vazquez Fernandez A, Argudo N, Pera M, Torrent Jansà L, García Domínguez M, Goded I, Roldón Golet M, Talal El-Abur I, Utrilla Fornals A, Zambrana Campos V, Aguilar Martinez MDM, Bosch M, García-Catalá L, Sánchez-Guillén L, Artigau E, Gomez Romeu N, Julià Bergkvist D, Espina Perez B, Morató O, Olona C, Diéguez B, Forero-Torres A, Losada M, Gomez-Abril S, Gonzálvez P, Martinez R, Navarro Martínez S, Payá-Llorente C, Pérez Rubio Á, Santarrufina Martinez S, Sebastián Tomás JC, Trullenque Juan R, Gegúndez Simón A, Maté P, Prieto-Nieto MI, Rubio-Perez I, Urbieta A, Vicario Bravo M, Abelló D, Frasson M, Garcia-Granero A, Abad Gurumeta A, Abad-Motos A, Lucena-de Pablo E, Nozal B, Ripollés-Melchor J, Salvachúa R, Ferrero E, Garcia-Sancho Tellez L, Ortega Vázquez I, Picardo AL, Rojo López JA, Zorrilla Matilla LP, Cagigas Fernandez C, Castanedo Bezanilla S, Estevez Tesouro J, Fernandez-Diaz MJ, García Cardo J, Gomez Ruiz M, Gonzalez-Tolaretxipi E, Jimeno Fraile J, Poch C, Rodriguez-Aguirre M, Troche Pesqueira N, Trugeda-Carrera MS, de la Torre J, Blanco-Colino R, Espin-Basany E, Espinosa-Bravo M, Morales Comas C, Reyes Afonso E, Rivero Déniz J, Siso Raber C, Verdaguer Tremolosa M, Chandrasinghe P, Kumarage S, Wijekoon Arachchilage N, Senanayake KJ, Abdalla Ahmed Elkamel A, A. Adam M, Saleh M, Blomme N, Thorell A, Wogensen F, Älgå A, Ansarei D, Celebioglu F, Heinius G, Nigard L, Pieniowski E, Ahlqvist S, Björklund I, Cengiz Y, Frånberg A, Håkansson M, Adamo K, Franklin O, Sund M, Wiberg R, Andersson Y, Chabok A, Nikberg M, Kugelberg A, Canonica C, Christoforidis D, Fasolini F, Gaffuri P, Giuliani M, Meani F, Popeskou SG, Pozza S, Wandschneider W, Peterer L, Widmer LW, Zimmermann B, Bakoleas P, Chanousi I, Charalampidou L, Grochola LF, Heid F, Ntaoulas S, Outos M, Peros G, Podolska-Skoczek H, Reinisch KB, Zielasek C, Clerc D, Demartines N, Gilgien J, Kefleyesus A, St-Amour P, Toussaint A, Alhimyar M, Alsaid B, Alyafi A, Alkhaledi A, Kouz B, Omarain A, Al-Sabbagh Y, Alkhatib H, Sara S, Alhaj A, Danial A, Kadoura L, Maa Albared S, Monawar Y, Nahas L, Abd B, Saad A, Wakkaf H, Bouaziz H, Bouzaiene H, Ghalleb M, Akaydin E, Akbaba AC, Atakul O, Baltaci E, Besli S, Burgu G, Cenal U, de Muijnck C, Demirkaya HC, Dogruoz A, Gezer ZI, Gündogdu Y, Kara M, Korkmaz HK, Kurtoglu GK, Ozben V, Ozmen BB, Pektas AM, Sel EK, Yenidünya N, Bengur FB, Oral BM, Yozgatli TK, Abdullayev S, Gunes ME, Sahbaz NA, Banaz T, Kargici K, Kuyumcu OF, Yanikoglu E, Yesilsancak M, Yilmaz D, Aktas MK, Rencuzogullari A, Isik A, Leventoglu S, Yalçinkaya A, Yüksel O, Kalayci MU, Kara Y, Sarici IS, Akin A, Alemdag GN, Arslan E, Baki BE, Bodur MS, Calik A, Candas Altinbas B, Cihanyurdu I, Erkul O, Gül B, Guner A, Köse B, Semiz A, Sevim S, Tayar S, Tomas K, Tüfek OY, Türkyilmaz S, Ulusahin M, Usta A, Yildirim R, Güler SA, Tatar OC, Varol E, Kirimtay B, Uysal M, Yildiz A, Kose E, Ciftci AB, Çolak E, Eraslan H, Kucuk GO, Yemez K, Lule H, Bienfait M, Lule H, Bua E, Doe M, Okalany N, Birindelli A, Basarab M, Bielosludtsev O, Freigofer M, Kolhanova K, Perepelytsia K, Romanukha K, Savenkov D, Siryi S, Tereshchenko M, Viacheslav N, Volovetskyi A, Kebkalo A, Tryliskyy Y, Tyselskiy V, Bruce E, Chow BL, Iddles E, McGuckin S, Newall N, Ramsay G, Sharma P, Stewart C, Wong J, Badran A, Bath M, Belais F, Butt E, Joshi K, Kapur M, Shaw M, Townson A, Williams CYK, Gray T, Greig R, Husain M, Murray E, Mustafa A, Asif A, Gokul A, Shah M, Akitikori MT, Charalabopoulos A, Davidson S, McNally S, Rupani S, Juma F, Mills SC, Muirhead L, Sellars K, Walsh U, Warren O, Chambers A, Hunt R, Teasdale E, Boyce S, Cornwall H, Tol I, Argyriou EO, Eardley N, Povey M, Aithie JMS, Irfan A, McGuigan MC, Starr R, Warren CR, Archibald J, Kirby G, Kisyov I, Khoo CK, Lee R, Photiou D, Davis R, Prasad U, Yang PZ, Bird J, Leung E, Summerour V, Currow C, Kiam J, Tan GJS, Muthusami A, Pegba-Otemolu I, Urbonas T, Nunoo-Mensah J, Smolskas E, Boddy A, Gravante G, Hunter D, Andrew D, Koh A, Thompson A, Adams L, Clements HA, De Silva K, Ekpete O, Haque S, Henderson S, Ibrahim B, Jayasinghe T, Livie J, Mailley K, Nair G, Tan D, Baggaley C, Dawidziuk A, Szyszka B, Barter C, Gandhi N, Hassell K, Hitchin S, Kelsall J, Nagy E, Nessa A, Whisker L, Yanni F, Ali M, Arora D, Hediwattege S, Kumarasinghe N, Rathore M, Tennakoon A, Ali Ahmad SM, Bajomo O, Nadira F, Celentano V, Bhangu A, Glasbey J, Griffiths E, Karri RS, Mak JKC, Nepogodiev D, Pipe M, Bhatti MI, Rabie M, Boyle C, Hamilton D, Mihuna A, Ng JCK, Nicholson G, Oliwa A, Pearson R, Rose A, Yong SQ, Boereboom C, Hanna M, Walter C, Greensmith TS, Mitchell R, Monaghan E, Crawford J, Moug S, Blackwell J, Boyd-Carson H, Herrod P, Al-Allaf O, Beattie M, Bullock C, Burman S, Clark G, Flamey N, Flannery O, Harding A, Kodiatt B, Lawday S, Mahapatra S, Mukundu Nagesh N, Ng M, Rye D, Yoong A, Clark L, Deans C, Edirisooriya M, Fairfield CJ, Harrison EM, Carrington EV, Wong TLE, Yusuf B, Chamberlain C, Duke K, Kmiotek E, Botes A, Condie N, Schrire T, Shah R, Thomas-Jones I, Yates C, Anthony N, Matthews E, Sahnan K, Tankel J, Tucker S, Winter Beatty J, Ziprin P, Duggan W, Kantartzi A, Sridhar S, Khaw RA, Srivastava P, Underwood C, Alves do Canto Brum H, Chopra S, Davis L, Hughes R, Tulley J, Alberts J, Athisayaraj T, Olugbemi M, Ahmad K, Chan C, Chapman G, Fleming H, Fox B, Grewar J, Hulse K, Rutherford D, Sinead M, Smith S, Speake D, Vaughan-Shaw PG, Christodoulides N, Kudhail S, Welch M, Husaini SM, Lambracos S, Anyanwu C, Suresh R, Thomas JS, Gleeson E, Platoff R, Saif A, Enumah Z, Etchill E, Gabre-Kidan A, Bernstein M, Carrano FM, Connors J, Lynn P, Melis M, Newman E, Foster DS, Perrone K, Titan A, Weiser TG, Ahmad S, Bafford ACM, Dal Molin M, Hanna N, Zafar SN, Hemmila M, Napolitano L, Wong JJ, Chandler J, Wood L, Wren S, Ottesen T, You L, Yu K, Arciénega Yañez MDP, Ferreira Fernandes M, González D, Cubas S, González MC, Zubiaurre V, Demolin R, Giroff N, Sciuto P, Campos M, Rodríguez Cantera G, Wagner G, Deepika G, Maimbo M, Simuchimba E, Bulaya A, Chibuye C, Chirengendure B, Kabale MR, Kabongo K, Linyama D, Munthali J, Mweso O, Pikiti F, Otieno J, Chan E, Lai LT, Blackman B, Richards S, Subramaniam S, Karim R, Kok N, Lee YD, Ali S, Sinha A, Corrigan R, Barnes N, Wong F, Dennis G, Jedamzik J, Phillips E, Piette W, Van hentenryck M, Koco H, Lawani S, Kassa MW, Santos Bezerra T, Gribnev P, Dimitrov D, Krastev P, Oum S, Bonghaseh DT, Al Farsi M, Alsharqawi N, Agarwal A, Acevedo V, Castillo Barbosa AC, Giron F, Leon Rodriguez JP, Kucan D, Rosko D, Barsic N, Župan D, Hegazi A, Truncíková V, Fryba V, Mohamed M, Sultan A, Nagi A, Rashad Temerik A, Elshawy ME, Mahmoud MI, Omar S, Anwar M, Rageh T, Elmokadem A, Gaballa K, Teppo S, Turunen A, Pengermä P, Ballouhey Q, Bergeat D, Weyl A, Hain E, Gyedu A, Yenli E, Osei-Poku D, Rompou VA, Zoikas A, Gaitanidis A, Koukis G, Perivoliotis K, Tavlas P, Galanos-Demiris K, Zografos G, Karavokyros I, Xanthopoulou G, Iordanidou E, Ayau F, Garcia A, Damján P, Wason D, B L A, Rangganata E, Kamath P, O'Connor DB, Pinto M, Perrone F, Tropeano FP, Troilo F, Bossi D, Scala D, Pulitanò L, Carella M, Pietrabissa A, Gori A, Giraudo G, De Simone V, Russo AA, Braccio B, Al-Taher R, Athamneh S, Parker A, Sawiee A, Kattia A, Salem M, Tababa O, Shaeeb Z, Syminas V, Jurgaitis J, Damuleviciene G, Svagzdys S, Poskus T, Razafimanjato NNM, Chieng Loo L, Tiong IC, Wan Muhmad WF, Vijeyan H, Li Ying T, Grech G, Arrangoiz R, Jimenez Ley VB, Arizpe D, Jimenez Ley VB, Lagunes Lara E, Castro López EV, Eaazim J, Gordinou de Gouberville M, Bastiaenen V, Rottier S, Nahab F, Ji MY, Seyoji M, Nwachukwu C, Emeghara O, Muhammed SE, Idowu A, Sowemimo O, Ogundoyin O, Akande O, Lott A, Nadeem M, Laghari AA, Loya A, Mushtaq H, Abdullah MT, Abuhilal B, Atawneh M, Hamdan H, Alhabil B, Srour A, Mousa I, Da Silva Medina L, Sacdalan MD, Lapitan MC, Sacdalan MD, Sacdalan MD, Bartosiak K, Ferreira P, Francisco V, Lemos R, Frutuoso L, Fernandes S, Fonseca T, Pereira J, Rachadell J, Torre A, Madeira Martins F, Carvalho AC, Rodrigues Ferreira J, Ribeiro da Silva B, Devesa H, Vieira A, Mónica I, Amaro M, Sousa D, Reia M, Louro J, Martins A, Dominguez J, Santos I, Freitas Oliveira NM, Pereira JC, Silva-Vaz P, Freire L, Escrevente R, Negoita VM, Shakhmatov D, Nezerwa Y, Radulovic R, Moore R, Obery G, Viljoen F, Mendes T, Suarez A, Moncada E, Fernandez-Hevia M, Curtis Martínez C, Gil Garcia JM, González Zunzarren M, Idris T, Eklöv K, Grahn O, Amin L, Blomqvist M, Ajani C, Kraus R, Seeger N, Willemin M, Rayya F, Ayash M, Msouti R, Kannas I, Abazid E, Esper A, Slim S, Kavcar AS, Aytac E, Dural AC, Ilker A, Eray IC, Kurnaz E, Altiner S, Tepe MD, Sahin C, Savli E, Innocent A, Babirye L, Diachenko A, Hordoskiy V, Curry H, Chau CYC, Robertson H, Mahmoud A, Lennon H, Loi L, Kirkham E, McCann C, Watts D, Gurung B, Wilson M, Tribedi T, Garofalo E, Zahra B, MacDonald S, Daniels I, Ng N, Khosla S, Olivier J, Yue SYP, Suresh G, Wellington J, Lorejo E, Mossaad M, Tryliskyy Y, Crutcher M, Alimi M, Baiu I, Abdou H, Conway A, Peck C, Wagner G, Perdomo Perez MA, Trostchansky I, Zulu S, Nakazwe M, Knight SR, Drake TM, Nepogodiev D, Fitzgerald JE, Ademuyiwa A, Alexander P, Ingabire JA, Al-Saqqa SW, Biccard BM, Borda-Luque G, Borowski DW, Burger S, Chu K, Clarke D, Costas-Chavarri A, Davies J, Donaldson R, Ede C, Garden OJ, Ghosh D, Glasbey J, Kingham TP, Salem HK, Anyomih TTK, Koto MZ, Lapitan MC, Lawani I, Lesetedi C, Aguilera-Arevalo ML, Mabedi C, Maimbo M, Magill L, Makinde Alakaloko F, Makupe A, Martin J, Ramos-De la Medina A, Monahan M, Moore R, Msosa V, Mulira S, Mutabazi AZ, Muller E, Musowoyo J, Adisa AO, Olory-Togbe JL, Pius R, Qureshi AU, Rayne S, Roberts T, Sacdalan MD, Shaw CA, Smart N, Smith M, Spence R, Van Straten S, Tabiri S, Tayler V, Weiser TG, Windsor J, Yorke J, Yepez R, Lilford R, Morton D, Bhangu A, Sundar S, Harrison EM, Runigamugabo E, Verjee A, Chen J, Daya L, El Aroussi N, Farina V, Gnintedeme Olivier T, Gonzales Nacarino M, Hammani A, Honjo S, Jacobs R, Kimura H, Litvin A, Nkoronko M, Nour I, Oscullo Yepez JJ, Pagano G, Pata F, Pin Hung W, Raj A, Romani Pozo A, Rommaneh M, Sassamela Fabiano SC, Shiroma Gago CM, Shu Yip S, Srinivas A, Sung CY, Tai A, Valle Aranda YC, Venturini S, Vervoort D, Wilguens Lartigue J. Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

BACKGROUND

80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality.

METHODS

This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494.

FINDINGS

Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70-8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39-8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11-3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26-11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08-7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications.

INTERPRETATION

Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications.

FUNDING

National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit.

Design and validation of a patient-reported outcome measure scale in acute pancreatitis: the PAN-PROMISE study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to develop and validate a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) in acute pancreatitis (AP) as an endpoint centred on the patient.

DESIGN

A PROM instrument (PAtieNt-rePoRted OutcoMe scale in acute pancreatItis, an international proSpEctive cohort study, PAN-PROMISE scale) was designed based on the opinion of patients, professionals and an expert panel. The scale was validated in an international multicentre prospective cohort study, describing the severity of AP and quality of life at 15 days after discharge as the main variables for validation. The COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments) methodology was applied. Both the design and validation stages considered the content and face validity of this new instrument; the metric properties of the different items, reliability (reproducibility and internal consistence), the construct, structural and criterion validity, responsiveness and interpretability of this scale.

RESULTS

PAN-PROMISE consists of a seven-item scale based on the symptoms that cause the most discomfort and concern to patients with AP. The validation cohort involved 15 countries, 524 patients. The intensity of symptoms changed from higher values during the first 24 hours to lower values at discharge and 15 days thereafter. Items converged into a unidimensional ordinal scale with good fit indices. Internal consistency and split-half reliability at discharge were adequate. Reproducibility was confirmed using test-retest reliability and comparing the PAN-PROMISE score at discharge and 15 days after discharge. Evidence is also provided for the convergent-discriminant and empirical validity of the scale.

CONCLUSION

The PAN-PROMISE scale is a useful tool to be used as an endpoint in clinical trials, and to quantify patient well-being during the hospital admission and follow-up.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03650062.

Acid suppression therapy, gastrointestinal bleeding and infection in acute pancreatitis - An international cohort study

BACKGROUND

Acid suppressing drugs (ASD) are generally used in acute pancreatitis (AP); however, large cohorts are not available to understand their efficiency and safety. Therefore, our aims were to evaluate the association between the administration of ASDs, the outcome of AP, the frequency of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and GI infection in patients with AP.

METHODS

We initiated an international survey and performed retrospective data analysis on AP patients hospitalized between January 2013 and December 2018.

RESULTS

Data of 17,422 adult patients with AP were collected from 59 centers of 23 countries. We found that 23.3% of patients received ASDs before and 86.6% during the course of AP. ASDs were prescribed to 57.6% of patients at discharge. ASD administration was associated with more severe AP and higher mortality. GI bleeding was reported in 4.7% of patients, and it was associated with pancreatitis severity, mortality and ASD therapy. Stool culture test was performed in 6.3% of the patients with 28.4% positive results. Clostridium difficile was the cause of GI infection in 60.5% of cases. Among the patients with GI infections, 28.9% received ASDs, whereas 24.1% were without any acid suppression treatment. GI infection was associated with more severe pancreatitis and higher mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Although ASD therapy is widely used, it is unlikely to have beneficial effects either on the outcome of AP or on the prevention of GI bleeding during AP. Therefore, ASD therapy should be substantially decreased in the therapeutic management of AP.

2020 update of the WSES guidelines for the management of acute colonic diverticulitis in the emergency setting

Acute colonic diverticulitis is one of the most common clinical conditions encountered by surgeons in the acute setting. An international multidisciplinary panel of experts from the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) updated its guidelines for management of acute left-sided colonic diverticulitis (ALCD) according to the most recent available literature. The update includes recent changes introduced in the management of ALCD. The new update has been further integrated with advances in acute right-sided colonic diverticulitis (ARCD) that is more common than ALCD in select regions of the world.

Hey surgeons! It is time to lead and be a champion in preventing and managing surgical infections!

Appropriate measures of infection prevention and management are integral to optimal clinical practice and standards of care. Among surgeons, these measures are often over-looked. However, surgeons are at the forefront in preventing and managing infections. Surgeons are responsible for many of the processes of healthcare that impact the risk for surgical site infections and play a key role in their prevention. Surgeons are also at the forefront in managing patients with infections, who often need prompt source control and appropriate antibiotic therapy, and are directly responsible for their outcome. In this context, the direct leadership of surgeons in infection prevention and management is of utmost importance. In order to disseminate worldwide this message, the editorial has been translated into 9 different languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, and Turkish).

Diagnosis and treatment of acute appendicitis: 2020 update of the WSES Jerusalem guidelines

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Acute appendicitis (AA) is among the most common causes of acute abdominal pain. Diagnosis of AA is still challenging and some controversies on its management are still present among different settings and practice patterns worldwide. In July 2015, the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) organized in Jerusalem the first consensus conference on the diagnosis and treatment of AA in adult patients with the intention of producing evidence-based guidelines. An updated consensus conference took place in Nijemegen in June 2019 and the guidelines have now been updated in order to provide evidence-based statements and recommendations in keeping with varying clinical practice: use of clinical scores and imaging in diagnosing AA, indications and timing for surgery, use of non-operative management and antibiotics, laparoscopy and surgical techniques, intra-operative scoring, and peri-operative antibiotic therapy.

METHODS

This executive manuscript summarizes the WSES guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AA. Literature search has been updated up to 2019 and statements and recommendations have been developed according to the GRADE methodology. The statements were voted, eventually modified, and finally approved by the participants to the consensus conference and by the board of co-authors, using a Delphi methodology for voting whenever there was controversy on a statement or a recommendation. Several tables highlighting the research topics and questions, search syntaxes, and the statements and the WSES evidence-based recommendations are provided. Finally, two different practical clinical algorithms are provided in the form of a flow chart for both adults and pediatric (< 16 years old) patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The 2020 WSES guidelines on AA aim to provide updated evidence-based statements and recommendations on each of the following topics: (1) diagnosis, (2) non-operative management for uncomplicated AA, (3) timing of appendectomy and in-hospital delay, (4) surgical treatment, (5) intra-operative grading of AA, (6) ,management of perforated AA with phlegmon or abscess, and (7) peri-operative antibiotic therapy.

Physiological parameters for Prognosis in Abdominal Sepsis (PIPAS) Study: a WSES observational study

BACKGROUND

Timing and adequacy of peritoneal source control are the most important pillars in the management of patients with acute peritonitis. Therefore, early prognostic evaluation of acute peritonitis is paramount to assess the severity and establish a prompt and appropriate treatment. The objectives of this study were to identify clinical and laboratory predictors for in-hospital mortality in patients with acute peritonitis and to develop a warning score system, based on easily recognizable and assessable variables, globally accepted.

METHODS

This worldwide multicentre observational study included 153 surgical departments across 56 countries over a 4-month study period between February 1, 2018, and May 31, 2018.

RESULTS

A total of 3137 patients were included, with 1815 (57.9%) men and 1322 (42.1%) women, with a median age of 47 years (interquartile range [IQR] 28-66). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 8.9%, with a median length of stay of 6 days (IQR 4-10). Using multivariable logistic regression, independent variables associated with in-hospital mortality were identified: age > 80 years, malignancy, severe cardiovascular disease, severe chronic kidney disease, respiratory rate ≥ 22 breaths/min, systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg, AVPU responsiveness scale (voice and unresponsive), blood oxygen saturation level (SpO₂) < 90% in air, platelet count < 50,000 cells/mm3, and lactate > 4 mmol/l. These variables were used to create the PIPAS Severity Score, a bedside early warning score for patients with acute peritonitis. The overall mortality was 2.9% for patients who had scores of 0-1, 22.7% for those who had scores of 2-3, 46.8% for those who had scores of 4-5, and 86.7% for those who have scores of 7-8.

CONCLUSIONS

The simple PIPAS Severity Score can be used on a global level and can help clinicians to identify patients at high risk for treatment failure and mortality.

Knowledge, awareness, and attitude towards infection prevention and management among surgeons: identifying the surgeon champion

Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of best practices of infection prevention and management, many surgeons worldwide fail to implement them. Evidence-based practices tend to be underused in routine practice. Surgeons with knowledge in surgical infections should provide feedback to prescribers and integrate best practices among surgeons and implement changes within their team. Identifying a local opinion leader to serve as a champion within the surgical department may be important. The “surgeon champion” can integrate best clinical practices of infection prevention and management, drive behavior change in their colleagues, and interact with both infection control teams in promoting antimicrobial stewardship.

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world.

METHODS

This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231.

FINDINGS

Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p<0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05-2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p<0·001).

INTERPRETATION

Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication.

FUNDING

DFID-MRC-Wellcome Trust Joint Global Health Trial Development Grant, National Institute of Health Research Global Health Research Unit Grant.

Raising concerns about the Sepsis-3 definitions

The Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery appreciates the great effort of the task force who derived and validated the Sepsis-3 definitions and considers the new definitions an important step forward in the evolution of our understanding of sepsis. Nevertheless, more than a year after their publication, we have a few concerns regarding the use of the Sepsis-3 definitions.

Prospective Observational Study on acute Appendicitis Worldwide (POSAW)

BACKGROUND

Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most common surgical disease, and appendectomy is the treatment of choice in the majority of cases. A correct diagnosis is key for decreasing the negative appendectomy rate. The management can become difficult in case of complicated appendicitis. The aim of this study is to describe the worldwide clinical and diagnostic work-up and management of AA in surgical departments.

METHODS

This prospective multicenter observational study was performed in 116 worldwide surgical departments from 44 countries over a 6-month period (April 1, 2016-September 30, 2016). All consecutive patients admitted to surgical departments with a clinical diagnosis of AA were included in the study.

RESULTS

A total of 4282 patients were enrolled in the POSAW study, 1928 (45%) women and 2354 (55%) men, with a median age of 29 years. Nine hundred and seven (21.2%) patients underwent an abdominal CT scan, 1856 (43.3%) patients an US, and 285 (6.7%) patients both CT scan and US. A total of 4097 (95.7%) patients underwent surgery; 1809 (42.2%) underwent open appendectomy and 2215 (51.7%) had laparoscopic appendectomy. One hundred eighty-five (4.3%) patients were managed conservatively. Major complications occurred in 199 patients (4.6%). The overall mortality rate was 0.28%.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study confirm the clinical value of imaging techniques and prognostic scores. Appendectomy remains the most effective treatment of acute appendicitis. Mortality rate is low.

2018 WSES/SIS-E consensus conference: recommendations for the management of skin and soft-tissue infections

Skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs) encompass a variety of pathological conditions that involve the skin and underlying subcutaneous tissue, fascia, or muscle, ranging from simple superficial infections to severe necrotizing infections. SSTIs are a frequent clinical problem in surgical departments. In order to clarify key issues in the management of SSTIs, a task force of experts met in Bertinoro, Italy, on June 28, 2018, for a specialist multidisciplinary consensus conference under the auspices of the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) and the Surgical Infection Society Europe (SIS-E). The multifaceted nature of these infections has led to a collaboration among general and emergency surgeons, intensivists, and infectious disease specialists, who have shared these clinical practice recommendations.

A Global Declaration on Appropriate Use of Antimicrobial Agents across the Surgical Pathway

This declaration, signed by an interdisciplinary task force of 234 experts from 83 different countries with different backgrounds, highlights the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance and the need for appropriate use of antibiotic agents and antifungal agents in hospitals worldwide especially focusing on surgical infections. As such, it is our intent to raise awareness among healthcare workers and improve antimicrobial prescribing. To facilitate its dissemination, the declaration was translated in different languages.