RESUMEN
The coronavirus pandemic has brought about an economic and healthcare crisis. This has resulted in delays in virtually all areas of patient care and has forced clinicians to review and adapt their processes, in order to ensure patients continue to have access to timely and effective services. In the author's local Trust, this manifested in altered protocols, developed in order to maintain patient and staff safety while conducting invasive and potentially virus-spreading investigations. A new (temporary) standard operating procedure was developed in conjunction with Cancer Alliance South West to introduce the quantitative faecal immunochemical test (qFIT) as an indicator for diagnostic testing after the majority of diagnostic services were suspended or drastically reduced. Patients would then have their investigation(s) deferred on the basis of a negative result (<10 mcg Hb/g). This cohort (n=120) were revisited once diagnostic services were resumed and referred for CT examination. Audits carried out on the data showed that nine cancers had been identified in the negative qFIT population (lung, prostate, breast, bladder, small bowel carcinoid, oesophageal and three occurrences of caecal carcinoma. This article provides an overview of the experiences and outcomes of a colorectal 2-week-wait service in response to this global pandemic and how this experience will shape the service in the future.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Neoplasias Colorrectales/diagnóstico , Sangre Oculta , Derivación y Consulta/organización & administración , Listas de Espera , Estudios de Cohortes , HumanosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine by screening angiography the anatomy of the small arteries and their collaterals in colorectal resections in order to identify factors that might be implicated in anastomotic leak. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Anastomotic leak is more frequent following low anterior resection. Vascular compromise is frequently implicated but poorly understood as a mechanism. METHODS: High definition screening angiography was performed on 17 colorectal resection specimens. RESULTS: (1) The small arteries of the colon (the vasa recta that arise from the marginal artery) show variability in their spacing and in their collaterals based on their anatomical positions. At the splenic flexure and the proximal and mid descending colons, the vasa recta are spaced 2-cm apart and have few collaterals. At the right, transverse, distal descending and sigmoid colons, the vasa recta are spaced <1 cm apart and have more extensive collaterals. (2) The small arteries of the rectum are spaced <1 cm apart and also show variability in their collaterals based on their anatomical level. In the mid-to-upper rectum there are good collaterals between the small arteries within the mesorectum based upon the bifurcation of the superior rectal artery and its main branches. In the lower rectum, however, there are only a few and very variable intramural collaterals between the small arteries. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings, unrecognized disruption of small artery collaterals during colorectal resection might be implicated in anastomotic leak and in particular might explain the higher leak rate in low anterior resection.