Implementation of an opioid reduction toolkit in pancreatectomy patients significantly increases patient awareness of safe practice and decreases amount prescribed and consumed.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative opioid abuse following surgery is a major concern. This study sought to create an opioid reduction toolkit to reduce the number of narcotics prescribed and consumed while increasing awareness of safe disposal in pancreatectomy patients. METHODS: Prescription, consumption, and refill request data for postoperative opioids were collected from patients receiving an open pancreatectomy before and after the implementation of an opioid reduction toolkit. Outcomes included safe disposal practice awareness for unused medication. RESULTS: 159 patients were included in the study: 24 in the pre-intervention and 135 in the post-intervention group. No significant demographic or clinical differences existed between groups. Median morphine milliequivalents (MMEs) prescribed were significantly reduced from 225 (225-310) to 75 (75-113) in the post-intervention group (p < 0.0001). Median MMEs consumed were significantly reduced from 109 (111-207) to 15 (0-75), p < 0.0001), as well. Refill request rates remained equivalent during the study (Pre: 17% v Post: 13%, p = 0.9) while patient awareness of safe disposal increased (Pre: 25% v Post: 62%, p < 0.0001). DISCUSSION: An opioid reduction toolkit significantly reduced the number of postoperative opioids prescribed and consumed after open pancreatectomy, while refill request rates remained the same and patients' awareness of safe disposal increased.

Extracorporeal life support and cardiopulmonary bypass for central airway surgery: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Major airway surgery can pose a complex problem to perioperative central airway management. Adjuncts to advanced ventilation strategies have included cardiopulmonary bypass, veno-arterial, or veno-venous extracorporeal life support. We performed a systematic review to assess the existing evidence utilizing these strategies. METHODS: An electronic search was conducted to identify studies written in English reporting the use of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) during central airway surgery. Thirty-six articles consisting of 78 patients were selected and patient-level data were analyzed. RESULTS: Median patient age was 47 [IQR: 34-53] and 59.0% (46/78) were male. Indications for surgery included central airway or mediastinal cancer in 57.7% (45/78), lesion or injury in 15.4% (12/78), and stenosis in 12.8% (10/78). Support was initiated pre-operatively in 9.9% (7/71) and at the time of induction in 55.3% (42/76). It was most commonly used at the time of tracheal resection/repair [93.2% (68/73)], intubation of the tracheal stump [94.4% (68/72)], and re-anastomosis [94.2% (65/69)]; 13.7% (10/73) patients were supported post-operatively. The most commonly performed surgery was tracheal repair or resection in 70.3% (52/74). Median hospital stay was 12 [8, 25] days and in-hospital mortality was 7.9% (6/76). There was no significant difference in survival between the three groups (p = .54). CONCLUSIONS: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation offers versatility in timing, surgical approach, and ECLS runtime that makes it a viable addition to the surgical armamentarium for treating complex central airway pathologies.

Development and Validation of a Prediction Model for Stroke, Cardiac, and Mortality Risk After Non-Cardiac Surgery.

Background Commonly used cardiovascular risk calculators do not provide risk estimation of stroke, a major postoperative complication with high morbidity and mortality. We developed and validated an accurate cardiovascular risk prediction tool for stroke, major cardiac complications (myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest), and mortality after non-cardiac surgery. Methods and Results This retrospective cohort study included 1 165 750 surgical patients over a 4-year period (2007-2010) from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database. A predictive model was developed with the following preoperative conditions: age, history of coronary artery disease, history of stroke, emergency surgery, preoperative serum sodium (≤130 mEq/L, >146 mEq/L), creatinine >1.8 mg/dL, hematocrit ≤27%, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class, and type of surgery. The model was trained using American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data from 2007 to 2009 (n=809 880) and tested using data from 2010 (n=355 870). Risk models were developed using multivariate logistic regression. The outcomes were postoperative 30-day stroke, major cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, or stroke), and 30-day mortality. Major cardiac complications occurred in 0.66% (n=5332) of patients (myocardial infarction, 0.28%; cardiac arrest, 0.41%), postoperative stroke in 0.25% (n=2005); 30-day mortality was 1.66% (n=13 484). The risk prediction model had high predictive accuracy with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for stroke (training cohort=0.869, validation cohort=0.876), major cardiovascular events (training cohort=0.871, validation cohort=0.868), and 30-day mortality (training cohort=0.922, validation cohort=0.925). Surgery types, history of stroke, and coronary artery disease are significant risk factors for stroke and major cardiac complications. Conclusions Postoperative stroke, major cardiac complications, and 30-day mortality can be predicted with high accuracy using this web-based predictive model.

Postoperative Telehealth Visits Reduce Emergency Department Visits and 30-Day Readmissions in Elective Thoracic Surgery Patients.

BACKGROUND: Preventing postoperative 30-day readmissions requires an investment in patient care. The use of postdischarge telehealth visits to prevent potential adverse events or hospital visits has been shown in previous studies. PURPOSE: We aim to determine the impact of postoperative telehealth visits (PTV) on reducing emergency department visits (EDV) and readmissions within 30 days postdischarge (30DR). METHODS: All elective thoracic surgery patients opted-in or opted-out of PTV. Postoperative telehealth visits assessed patients' overall health status and addressed patient concerns. Patients were also seen at their postoperative clinic follow-up. Emergency department visits and 30DR were recorded. RESULTS: Three hundred fourty-one patients were included-295 and 46 patients opted-in and opted-out of PTV. Opting-out of PTV, being discharged with chest tubes or drains, and the inability to perform activities of daily living at their postoperative follow-up were associated with increased EDV (OR = 8.7, 5.3, 6.3; p ≤ .05) and 30DR (OR = 5.1, 6.3, 7.1; p ≤ .05). CONCLUSION: Postoperative telehealth visits were able to reduce EDV and 30DR in our study, although further studies establishing the range of interventions that can be feasibly provided remotely should be performed to identify limitations of these PTV. IMPLICATIONS: Telehealth could be used postoperatively to reduce EDV and 30DR, improving quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare delivery to patients.

Racial Disparities in Rates of Surgery for Esophageal Cancer: a Study from the National Cancer Database.

BACKGROUND: Treatment guidelines for stage I-III esophageal cancer indicate that management should include surgery in appropriate patients. Variations in utilization of surgery may contribute to racial differences observed in survival. We sought to identify factors associated with racial disparities in surgical resection of esophageal cancer and evaluate associated survival differences. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with stage I-III esophageal cancer from 2004 to 2015 were identified using the National Cancer Database. Matched patient cohorts were created to reduce confounding. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with receipt of surgery. Multi-level modeling was performed to control for random effects of individual hospitals on surgical utilization. RESULTS: A total of 60,041 patients were included (4402 black; 55,639 white). After 1:1 matching, there were 5858 patients evenly distributed across race. For all stages, significantly fewer black than white patients received surgery. Black race independently conferred lower likelihood of receiving surgery in single-level multivariable analysis (OR (95% CI); stage I, 0.67 (0.48-0.94); stage II, 0.76 (0.60-0.96); stage III, 0.62 (0.50-0.76)) and after controlling for hospital random effects. Hospital-level random effects accounted for one third of the unexplained variance in receipt of surgery. Risk-adjusted 1-, 3-, and 5-year mortality was higher for patients who did not undergo surgery. CONCLUSION: Black patients with esophageal cancer are at higher risk of mortality compared to white patients. This increased risk may be influenced by decreased likelihood of receiving surgical intervention for resectable disease, in part because of between-hospital differences. Improving access to surgical care may improve disparities in esophageal cancer survival.

Development and Validation of a Web-Based Prediction Model for AKI after Surgery.

Background: AKI after surgery is associated with high mortality and morbidity. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a risk prediction tool for the occurrence of postoperative AKI requiring RRT (AKI-dialysis). Methods: This retrospective cohort study had 2,299,502 surgical patients over 2015-2017 from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database (ACS NSQIP). Eleven predictors were selected for the predictive model: age, history of congestive heart failure, diabetes, ascites, emergency surgery, hypertension requiring medication, preoperative serum creatinine, hematocrit, sodium, preoperative sepsis, and surgery type. The predictive model was trained using 2015-2016 data (n=1,487,724) and further tested using 2017 data (n=811,778). A risk model was developed using multivariable logistic regression. Results: AKI-dialysis occurred in 0.3% (n=6853) of patients. The unadjusted 30-day postoperative mortality rate associated with AKI-dialysis was 37.5%. The AKI risk prediction model had high area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC; training cohort: 0.89, test cohort: 0.90) for postoperative AKI-dialysis. Conclusions: This model provides a clinically useful bedside predictive tool for postoperative AKI requiring dialysis.

The Pathway to Low Outlier Status in Venous Thromboembolism Events: An Analysis of Pancreatic Surgery in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Purpose: Our institution's hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery service (HPBS) has demonstrated low rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE). We sought to determine whether the HPBS's regimented multimodal VTE prophylaxis pathway, which includes the use of mechanical prophylaxis, pharmacological prophylaxis, and ambulation, plays a role in achieving low VTE rates. Methods: We compared pancreatic surgeries in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) participant user file with our institution's data from 2011 to 2016 using univariate, multivariate, and matching statistics. Results: Among 36,435 NSQIP operations, 850 (2.3%) underwent surgery by the HPBS. The HPBS achieved lower VTE rates than the national cohort (2.0% vs. 3.5%, p = 0.018). Upon multivariate analysis, having an operation performed by the HPBS independently conferred lower odds of VTE incidence in the matched cohort (odds ratio = 0.530, p = 0.041). Conclusions: We identified an independent correlation between the HPBS and decreased VTE incidence, which we believe to be due to strict adherence to and team participation in a high risk VTE prophylaxis pathway, including inpatient pharmacological prophylaxis, thromboembolic deterrent stockings, sequential compression devices, and mandatory ambulation.

Asymptomatic Trauma Patients Screened for Venous Thromboembolism Have a Higher Risk Profile with Lower Rate of Pulmonary Embolism: A Five-Year Single-Institution Experience.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is linked to reimbursements and publicly reported metrics. Some hospitals discourage venous duplex ultrasound (VDUS) screening in asymptomatic trauma patients because they often find higher rates of DVT. We aim to evaluate the association between lower extremity (LE) VDUS screening and pulmonary embolism (PE) in trauma patients. Trauma patients admitted to an urban Level-1 trauma center between 2010 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. We characterized the association of asymptomatic LE VDUSs with PE, upper extremity DVT, proximal LE DVT, and distal LE DVT by univariate and multivariable logistic regression controlling for confounders. Of the 3959 trauma patients included in our study-after adjusting for covariates related to patient demographics, injury, and procedures-there was a significantly lower likelihood of PE in screened patients (odds ratio (OR) = 0.02, P < 0.001) and a higher rate of distal LE DVT (OR 11.1, P = 0.004). Screening was not associated with higher rates of proximal LE DVT after adjustment for covariates (OR = 1.8, P = 0.193). PE was associated with patient transfer status, pelvis fracture, and spinal procedures in unscreened patients. After adjusting for covariates, we have shown that LE VDUS asymptomatic screening is associated with lower rates of PE in trauma patients and not associated with higher rates of proximal LE DVT. Our detailed institutional review of a large cohort of trauma patients over five years provides support for ongoing asymptomatic screening and better characterizes venous thromboembolism outcomes than similarly sized purely administrative data reviews. As a retrospective cohort study with a large sample size, no loss to follow-up, and a population with low heterogeneity, this study should be considered as level III evidence for care management.

Early Discharge Does Not Increase Readmission Rates After Minimally Invasive Anatomic Lung Resection.

OBJECTIVE: Enhanced recovery pathways reduce length of stay and costs following lung resection. However, many fear that early discharge may lead to increased hospital readmissions. In this study, we aimed to determine whether early discharge was associated with increased readmission following anatomic lung resection. METHODS: Using the lung resection database approved by our institutional review board, we identified all patients undergoing minimally invasive lobectomy and segmentectomy between January 2010 and March 2017 at our institution, where an enhanced recovery pathway is well established. Thirty-day readmissions were compared between patients with short- and average length of stay, defined as 1 to 2 days and 3 to 5 days, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis of patients matched by propensity scores was performed to determine odds of 30-day readmission for each group. Significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 296 patients met inclusion criteria. Unadjusted analysis revealed a 3-fold increased rate of readmission in the group with average length of stay (9%, n = 12) versus the group with short length of stay (3%, n = 5; P < 0.01). At baseline, patients with average length of stay had increased rates of preoperative chemotherapy (13%, n = 18 vs. 4%, n = 6; P < 0.01) and radiation (12%, n = 16 vs. 3%, n = 5). Patients with average length of stay also had higher rates of lobectomy (95%, n = 127 vs. 86%, n = 140; P = 0.02) and postoperative complications (31%, n = 41 vs. 4%, n = 7; P < 0.01). On multivariable analysis, patients with average length of stay had a 2.3-fold greater odds of readmission, which was not statistically significant (OR = 2.33; 95% CI, 0.60 to 9.02; P = 0.22). CONCLUSIONS: Early discharge following minimally invasive anatomic lung resection does not increase the risk of hospital readmission in patients treated within an enhanced recovery pathway.

Disparity in age at lung cancer diagnosis between current and former smokers.

PURPOSE: In a previous study of smoking cessation in veterans with lung cancer, we noted as an incidental finding that current smokers were much younger than former smokers at diagnosis. To confirm and extend this observation, we analyzed the association of smoking status with age at diagnosis and survival of lung cancer patients. METHODS: The Jefferson Cancer Registry collects information on all cancer patients registered at this hospital. Information on smoking status has been recorded since 1995. We determined age at diagnosis and survival of current and former smokers with lung cancer. RESULTS: 5111 lung cancer cases were identified in the registry from 1995 to 2011 inclusive. Smoking status was recorded in 4687 cases (91.7%). Of these, 1859 (39.7%) were current, 2423 (51.7%) were former, and 405 (8.6%) were never smokers. There was a 6-year difference in median age at lung cancer diagnosis between the current (63 years) and former smokers (69 years) (P < 0.0001). The median survival was 12.1 months for current versus 14.5 months for former smokers (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm and extend our observation that among patients diagnosed with lung cancer, current smokers are younger than former smokers. The possible explanations include higher competing causes of death and increased risk of lung cancer among current smokers as well as increasing proportions of former smokers in older populations. Ongoing exposure to tobacco carcinogens may accelerate the development of lung cancer in continuing smokers. This provides more incentive for smokers to quit at the earliest age possible.

Adherence to Inpatient Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis: A Single Institution's Concurrent Review.

Hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism (VTE) affects morbidity and mortality and increases health care costs. Poor adherence to recommended prophylaxis may be a potential cause of ongoing events. This study aims to identify institutional adherence rates and barriers to optimal VTE prophylaxis. The authors performed patient and nurse interviews and a concurrent review of clinical documentation, utilizing a cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant tool, on a convenience sample of hospitalized patients. Adherence and agreement between different assessment modalities were calculated. Seventy-six patients consented for participation. Nurse documented adherence was 66% (29/44), 44% (27/61), and 89% (50/56) for mechanical, ambulatory, and chemoprophylactic prophylaxis, respectively. Patient report and nurse documentation showed moderate agreement for mechanical and no agreement for ambulatory adherence (κ = 0.51 and 0.07, respectively). Concurrent review using a cloud-based tool can provide robust, timely, and relevant information on adherence to recommended VTE prophylaxis. Iterative concurrent reviews can guide efforts to improve adherence and reduce rates of hospital-acquired VTE.

Algernon Brashear Jackson, M.D.: A Pioneer for Community and Minority Advocacy.

A historical vignette regarding Dr. Algernon Brashear Jackson, the first Black male graduate from Jefferson Medical College. It details his early life, medical school years, surgical training, and contributions to his local community and beyond as he paved the way for future doctors of color.

René Gerónimo Favaloro (1923-2000): A Man Who Struggled with Matters of the Heart.

René Gerónimo Favaloro prided himself on being a "simple country doctor." Born in La Plata, Argentina, Dr. Favaloro had an interest in Argentina's sociopolitical and healthcare systems beginning at a young age. He began his medical education at La Universidad Nacional de La Plata, graduating in 1949 with plans to continue his medical education in the field of surgery; however, in 1950, Dr. Favaloro temporarily resigned from his position as a surgeon to work as a country doctor in a small province of La Pampa, Argentina. It was during this time that Dr. Favaloro became acutely aware of the overwhelmingly poor state of the healthcare system in Argentina. In 1962, Dr. Favaloro redirected his focus back to his surgical interests and moved to the United States to work at the Cleveland Clinic, where he discovered the use of the saphenous vein graft for revascularization of the coronary arteries. Despite a productive medical career in the United States, Dr. Favaloro eventually brought his work back to Argentina, where his heart had always remained. Throughout the incredible milestones of his life, Dr. René Gerónimo Favaloro consistently remained a humble, gracious, and simple country doctor.

Gerald J. Marks, M.D., FACS (1925-), founder of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES).

This historical vignette describes the professional career of Gerald J. Marks, the founder of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and the International Federation of Societies of Endoscopic Surgeons. Dr. Marks is also the founding Associate Editor of Surgical Endoscopy, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017. Dr. Marks is a renowned colorectal surgeon, an accomplished watercolor artist, and a fascinating personality.