Complication profile in a cochlear implantation- surgical audit in a large study population of low socio-economic status in a developing country.

OBJECTIVES: To audit surgical complications and their management in cochlear implant (CI) recipients in a tertiary care referral otorhinolaryngology center in South India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hospital data on 1,250 CI surgeries performed from June 2013 to December 2020 was reviewed. This is an analytical study with data collected from medical records. The demographic details, complications, management protocols and relevant literature were reviewed. Patients were divided into the following five age groups: 0-3 years, 3-6 years, 6-13 years, 13-18 years and above 18 years. Complications were divided into major and minor and complication occurrence was divided into peri-operative, early post-operative, and late post-operative, and the results were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall major complication rate was 9.04% (including 6.0% due to device failure). If the device failure rate was excluded, the major complication rate was 3.04%. The minor complication rate was 6%. DISCUSSION: CI is the gold standard in the management of patients with severe to profound hearing loss with minimal benefit from conventional hearing aids. Experienced tertiary care CI referral and teaching centers manage complicated implantation cases. Such centers typically audit their surgical complications, providing important reference data for young implant surgeons and newer centers. CONCLUSION: Although not bereft of complications, the list of complications and its prevalence is sufficiently low to warrant the advocacy of CI worldwide, including developing countries with low socio-economic status.

More than 30 Years of POSSUM: Are Scoring Systems Still Relevant Today for Colorectal Surgery?

BACKGROUND: The Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and Morbidity (POSSUM) weights the patient's individual health status and the extent of the surgical procedure to estimate the probability of postoperative complications and death of general surgery patients. The variations Portsmouth-POSSUM (P-POSSUM) and colorectal POSSUM (CR-POSSUM) were developed for estimating mortality in patients with low perioperative risk and for patients with colorectal carcinoma, respectively. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the significance of POSSUM, P-POSSUM, and CR-POSSUM in two independent colorectal cancer cohorts undergoing surgery, with an emphasis on laparoscopic procedures. METHODS: For each patient, an individual physiological score (PS) and operative severity score (OS) was attributed to calculate the predicted morbidity and mortality, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the possible correlation between the subscores and the probability of postoperative complications and mortality. RESULTS: The POSSUM equation significantly overpredicted postoperative morbidity, and all three scoring systems considerably overpredicted in-hospital mortality. However, the POSSUM score identified patients at risk of anastomotic leakage, sepsis, and the need for reoperation. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between the subscores and the probability of postoperative complications and mortality, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the three scoring systems are too imprecise for the estimation of perioperative complications and mortality of patients undergoing colorectal surgery in the present day. Since the subscores proved valid, a revision of the scoring systems could increase their reliability in the clinical setting.

Efficacy and Safety Profile of 25-Gauge Pars Plana Vitrectomy in Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment in Pakistan: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Introduction This study aims to evaluate the primary anatomical success and visual outcomes of 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (25g PPV) in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in Pakistan. Design This is a five-year retrospective, interventional cohort study conducted at tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan from October 2013 to October 2018. Methods This is a retrospective, interventional cohort study of 418 consecutive patients with RRD who underwent 25g PPV. All surgeries were performed by two experienced surgeons at tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. Consecutive patients who underwent 25g PPV surgery as the treatment for RRD from October 2013 to October 2018 were included. We excluded patients who had a history of previous retinal surgery or did not complete the 4-8 weeks of primary outcome visit. We used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA) for statistical analysis. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results We identified 452 patients through the coding system of our hospitals who underwent 25g PPV surgery for RRD during the study period. A total of 441 patient files were reviewed for the study, of which 418 patients met the criteria for final analysis. The mean age was 49 ± 15.8 years. There was a higher number of males (n = 284, 67.9%). In our study, 186 (44.4%) patients were phakic at the time of presentation. The macula was detached in 361 (86.4%) patients. At the primary outcome visit (4-8 weeks of follow-up), the primary anatomical success rate was 89.47%. The most common cause of failure was proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) (n = 20), followed by missed breaks (n = 5). Conclusions The surgical outcomes of RRD with 25g PPV surgery in our study were similar to the outcomes reported in the developed world. We propose a prospective multicenter national study to prospectively evaluate the risk factors for RRD surgical failure in the Pakistani population.

Improving operative documentation in colorectal cancer surgery: synoptic notes pave the way forward.

BACKGROUND: Synoptic operative reports may improve reporting of key operative information. This study aimed to compare information included in synoptic reports with narrative notes following the introduction of a synoptic reporting system at a tertiary colorectal cancer referral centre. METHODS: A standardized synoptic template incorporating the operative fields in the Australasian Bi-National Colorectal Cancer Audit (BCCA) was introduced for colorectal cancer surgery at the host institution in 2017. Colorectal cancer patients were identified from a prospectively collected database to collate samples of synoptic and narrative operative reports for comparison. The primary outcome was reporting of colon and rectal cancer-specific quality measures. Synoptic reporting of quality measures by clinician grade and uptake of synoptic reporting were also measured. RESULTS: Five hundred and ninety-five operative reports were reviewed; 84% of all quality measures were included in synoptic reports and 43% in narrative reports describing colon cancer surgery (P <0.001). Synoptic reports describing rectal cancer surgery included 84% of quality measures with 40% reported in narrative reports (P <0.001). Reporting for most individual quality measures did not change depending on clinician experience. Synoptic reporting methods were used to document 80% of all colon cancer surgery and 84% of rectal cancer surgery. CONCLUSION: Synoptic operative reports were superior to narrative reports in documenting quality measures. Synoptic reporting facilitates simultaneous data capture and bulk upload for audits including the BCCA. Development of synoptic operative reports standardized across Australasian colorectal cancer centres should be further investigated as a tool to facilitate collaborative audit and research.

Its Not about the Destination, Its about the Journey-Plotting 50 Years of Changing Clinical Trends in Plastic Surgery in a Public Sector Teaching Hospital.

Background The year 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of plastic surgery department of our institution. We present an audit to plot the changing clinical trends in our work in the past five decades. Methods A single-center retrospective cohort study based on the department demographics was performed and compared across the decades from 1969 to 2019. Results In 1969, the relative proportion of reconstructive versus cosmetic surgery procedures was 94.32% versus 5.68%; in 2019 this was 76.25% and 23.75%, respectively. An increase of 22 times increase in outpatient registrations, 13.1 times in total surgeries, 642 times in trauma reconstruction, 290 times for hand surgeries, and 323 times for skin tumor surgeries was noted. Male patients (64.9%) increased every decade more than females (35.1%), mostly for trauma surgery and gynecomastia correction. Proportion of pediatric cleft patients have markedly decreased. Spectrum of surgical procedures have widened. Top five reconstructive surgeries in 2019 were limb trauma reconstruction, skin tumor surgeries, hand surgeries, arterio-venous fistula (AV) creation, and oculoplasty. The most common surgery performed was cleft lip surgery in 1969 and hand surgery in 2019. The top five cosmetic surgeries performed in 2019 were scar revisions, nevus excision, liposuction and gynecomastia correction, rhinoplasty, and otoplasty. Conclusions Data collection and archiving and periodic audits help us study changing trends in our field compared with the global trends. Knowing societal demands will help to improve the resident training in teaching hospitals.

Utilization of the iOS Shortcuts App to Generate a Surgical Logbook Tool: Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Surgical audit is an essential aspect of modern reflective surgical practice and is key to improving surgical outcomes. The surgical logbook is an important method of data collection for both personal and unit audits; however, current electronic data collection tools, especially mobile apps, lack the minimum recommended data fields. OBJECTIVE: This feasibility study details the creation of a free, effective surgical logbook tool with the iOS Shortcuts app and investigates the time investment required to maintain a surgical logbook with this tool. In addition, we investigate the potential utility of the Shortcuts app in creating medical data collection tools. METHODS: Using the iOS Shortcuts app, we created a shortcut "Operation Note," which collects surgical logbook data by using the minimum and extended audit data sets recommended by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. We practically assessed the feasibility of the tool, assessing the time requirement for entry, accuracy, and completeness of the entered data. RESULTS: The shortcut collected accurate and useful data for a surgical audit. Data entry took on average 65 seconds per case for the minimum data set, and 135 seconds per case for the extended data set, with a mean difference of 68 seconds (P<.001; 95% CI 61.6-77.7). CONCLUSIONS: This feasibility study demonstrates the utility of the iOS Shortcuts app in the creation of a surgical logbook and the time-consuming nature of data collection for surgical audit. Our iOS Operation Note shortcut is a free, rapid, and customizable alternative to currently available logbook apps and offers surgical trainees and consultants a method for recording surgical operations, complications, and demographic data.

Pilot Audit of Trichiasis Surgery Outcomes Using a Mobile App in the Republic of Chad.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to assess the feasibility of a mobile data collection app for use in trichiasis surgical audits in the Melfi and Mangalme districts of the Guera region of the Republic of Chad and to perform a cost analysis to determine if the auditing mechanism could be implemented nationally. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent trichiasis surgery 6 months prior and who had follow-up 7-14 days after surgery were included in the study. Each surgeon had a sample of 20% of operated eyelids; nine surgeons with data for ≥20 eyelids were included. A trichiasis recurrence rate of ≥25% suggested that the surgeon needed retraining. Smartphones captured data using the data collection app, which transmitted data to an online server. Direct costs and supervision costs were collated and summed. RESULTS: There were 916 eyelids operated on; 170 patients (269 eyelids, 29% follow-up rate) participated in the audit. Twenty participants (11.8%) had recurrence. The mean recurrence rate among surgeons was 8.3% (standard deviation: 0.07%; range: 0%-17.9%). None had a recurrence rate of ≥25%; thus, no retraining was necessary. The total cost of the audit was US$15,111.25 ($12,882.28 in direct costs and $2,228.97 in supervision costs). CONCLUSIONS: The simple, easy-to-use, and low-cost mobile auditing mechanism is a practical solution for conducting surgical audits in remote and resource-limited settings and is undergoing national scale-up by the Chadian trachoma elimination program.

Comparison of administrative data and the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data in a New South Wales Hospital.

BACKGROUND: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) is widely used in North America for benchmarking. In 2015, NSQIP was introduced to four New South Wales public hospitals. The aim of this study is to investigate the agreement between NSQIP and administrative data in the Australian setting; to compare the performance of models derived from each data set to predict 30-day outcomes. METHODS: The NSQIP and administrative data variables were mapped to select variables available in both data sets where coding may be influenced by interpretation of the clinical information. These were compared for agreement. Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the probability of adverse outcomes within 30 days. Models derived from NSQIP and administrative data were compared by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 2240 procedures over 21 months had matching records. Functional status demonstrated poor agreement (kappa 0.02): administrative data recorded only one (1%) patient with partial- or total-dependence as recorded by NSQIP data. The American Society of Anesthesiologists class demonstrated excellent agreement (kappa 0.91). Other perioperative variables demonstrated poor to fair agreement (kappa 0.12-0.61). Predictive model based on NSQIP data was excellent at predicting mortality but was less accurate for complications and readmissions. The NSQIP model was better in predicting mortality and complications (receiver operating characteristic curve 0.93 versus 0.87; P = 0.029 and 0.71 versus 0.64; P = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: There is poor agreement between NSQIP data and administrative data. Predictive models associated with NSQIP data were more accurate at predicting surgical outcomes than those from administrative data. To drive quality improvement in surgery, high-quality clinical data are required and we believe that NSQIP fulfils this function.

Systemic predictors of adverse events in a national surgical mortality audit: analysis of peer-review data from Australia and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality.

BACKGROUND: Peer review of surgical deaths can identify deficits in individual and systemic delivery of healthcare, ultimately informing quality improvement. METHODS: From 2008 to 2016, cases reported to the Australia and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality were analysed. Variables associated with peer-judged adverse events were sought. RESULTS: Of 21 045 cases evaluated, 24.8% incurred at least one adverse event judgement. The proportion of cases with reported adverse event significantly decreased over time. Following adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics, significant negative patient-related associations were advanced age, greater American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, and neurological and malignant comorbidities. Significant associations were also found with systemic or organizational factors, including state/territory, surgical specialty and hospital regionality. CONCLUSION: Examination of this peer-reviewed database revealed systemic or organizational predictors of adverse events that may have implications for quality improvement at an institutional or jurisdictional level. The extent to which these associations are due to the peer-review process itself should be the focus of further research.

Audit of Postoperative Surgical Intensive Care Unit Admissions.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to conduct an audit of Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) for identifying the admission risk factors and evaluating the outcomes of postoperative surgical patients. DESIGN: This was a prospective, observational study. SETTING: This study was conducted at SICU of a 1500-bedded tertiary care university hospital in Western India. SUBJECT AND METHODS: Two hundred and forty patients admitted to the SICU postoperatively over a period of 15 months. RESULTS: Planned and unplanned postoperative SICU admission rate was 4.45% and 0.09% of the 5284 patients operated. Indications for planned admissions included preoperative medical illnesses, anticipated blood loss, and anticipated mechanical ventilation while unpredicted intraoperative hypotension was the principal cause of unplanned admittance. Univariate analysis for two groups of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status indicated that advanced age, high American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) surgical risk, emergency surgery, planned admissions, and mortality were related to high ASA class. Analysis for ACC/AHA surgical risk showed association of high ACC/AHA surgical risk with advanced age, male gender, high ASA physical status, emergency surgery, planned admissions, and mortality. High mortality was observed in patients with SICU stay of >7 days (75.86%) and readmitted cases (72.73%). CONCLUSION: The need for postoperative critical care is significantly higher in males, elderly, patients with poor preoperative risk stratification scores, preexisting medical illness, major intraoperative hemorrhage, hypotension requiring inotropic support, perioperative respiratory problems and patients undergoing abdominal, trauma, and emergent surgeries. A larger study inclusive of other surgical subspecialties would aid in optimal decision-making for admissions to the SICU.

Challenges of kidney paired donation transplants involving multiple donor and recipient surgeons across Australia.

BACKGROUND: The Australian kidney paired donation program adopted the principles of within-chain simultaneous live donor surgery and of organ transport, with the requirement of keeping cold ischemia time (CIT) to <12 h. Whether these principles could be adhered to and what impact on transplant outcome they might have is unknown. METHODS: We evaluated the logistic challenges and outcomes of the first 100 kidney transplants performed in the Australian kidney paired donation program. RESULTS: Within 4 years, 17 donor surgeons at 12 centres were involved in 37 chain exchange surgeries. Sixteen kidneys were transplanted at the same hospital and 84 required transport to the recipient hospital. Mean (±SD) within chain anaesthetic induction time variability was 8 ± 18 min and mean individual surgeon operating time was 115 ± 44 min. In two cases, delays during donor surgery resulted in increased CIT by 1 h because of deferred transport. CIT was 2.6 ± 0.6 h for non-shipped and 6.8 ± 2.8 h for shipped kidneys, four kidneys had CIT of 12-14 h. Immediate allograft function was observed in 85% of recipients, with no difference between shipped and non-shipped kidneys. There were only two cases of delayed graft function requiring temporary dialysis; both had CIT <7 h. There was no difference in serum creatinine at 1 month between non-shipped and shipped kidneys (105 ± 26 versus 112 ± 50 µmol/L) and allograft survival at 1 year was 97%. CONCLUSION: The study provided a favourable audit of kidney transplant activity, despite challenges of simultaneous surgery, organ transport coordination and prolonged CIT. The decision to ship donor kidneys rather than the donor was demonstrated to be feasible and safe.

National surgical mortality audit may be associated with reduced mortality after emergency admission.

BACKGROUND: The Western Australian Audit of Surgical Mortality was established in 2002. A 10-year analysis suggested it was the primary driver in the subsequent fall in surgeon-related mortality. Between 2004 and 2010 the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons established mortality audits in other states. The aim of this study was to examine national data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) to determine if a similar fall in mortality was observed across Australia. METHOD: The AIHW collects procedure and outcome data for all surgical admissions. AIHW data from 2005/2006 to 2012/2013 was used to assess changes in surgical mortality. RESULTS: Over the 8 years surgical admissions increased by 23%, while mortality fell by 18% and the mortality per admission fell by 33% (P < 0.0001). A similar decrease was seen in all regions. The mortality reduction was overwhelmingly observed in elderly patients admitted as an emergency. CONCLUSION: The commencement of this nation-wide mortality audit was associated with a sharp decline in perioperative mortality. In the absence of any influences from other changes in clinical governance or new quality programmes it is probable it had a causal effect. The reduced mortality was most evident in high-risk patients. This study adds to the evidence that national audits are associated with improved outcomes.

Portsmouth physiological and operative severity score for the Enumeration of Mortality and morbidity scoring system in general surgical practice and identifying risk factors for poor outcome.

BACKGROUND: Estimation of the outcome is paramount in disease stratification and subsequent management in severely ill surgical patients. Risk scoring helps us quantify the prospects of adverse outcome in a patient. Portsmouth-Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the Enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity (P-POSSUM) the world over has proved itself as a worthy scoring system and the present study was done to evaluate the feasibility of P-POSSUM as a risk scoring system as a tool in efficacious prediction of mortality and morbidity in our demographic profile. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Validity of P-POSSUM was assessed prospectively in fifty major general surgeries performed at our hospital from May 2011 to October 2012. Data were collected to obtain P-POSSUM score, and statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: Majority (72%) of patients was male and mean age was 40.24 ± 18.6 years. Seventy-eight percentage procedures were emergency laparotomies commonly performed for perforation peritonitis. Mean physiological score was 17.56 ± 7.6, and operative score was 17.76 ± 4.5 (total score = 35.3 ± 10.4). The ratio of observed to expected mortality rate was 0.86 and morbidity rate was 0.78. DISCUSSION: P-POSSUM accurately predicted both mortality and morbidity in patients who underwent major surgical procedures in our setup. Thus, it helped us in identifying patients who required preferential attention and aggressive management. Widespread application of this tool can result in better distribution of care among high-risk surgical patients.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in New Zealand: a validation of the Australasian Vascular Audit.

BACKGROUND: In New Zealand (NZ), there are two major sources of operative data for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair: the Australasian Vascular Audit (AVA) and the National Minimum Data Set (NMDS). Since the introduction of the AVA in NZ, there has not been any attempt at the validation of outcome data. The aims of this study were to report the outcomes of AAA repair and validate the AAA data captured by AVA using the NMDS. METHODS: AAA procedures performed in NZ from January 2010 to December 2014 were extracted from the AVA and NMDS. Patients identified from the AVA had their survival status matched to the NMDS. Only primary AAA procedures were included for the analysis, with re-interventions and graft infections excluded. Demographical, risk factors and outcome data were used for validation. RESULTS: The number of patients undergoing primary AAA procedure from AVA and NMDS was 1713 and 2078, respectively. The AVA inpatient mortality for elective and rupture AAA was 1.6 and 32.2%, respectively. The NMDS 30-day mortality from AAA was 2.5 and 31.5%. Overall, 1604 patients were available for matching, and the NMDS correctly reported 98.1% of endovascular aneurysm repair and 94.2% of elective AAA repairs; however, there were major differences in comorbidity reporting between the data sets. CONCLUSION: Both data sets were incomplete, but combining administrative (NMDS) and clinical (AVA) data sets provided a more accurate assessment of mortality figures. More than 80% of AAA repairs are captured by AVA, but further work to improve compliance and comorbidity documentation is required.

Hospital-wide implementation of an electronic-workflow solution aiming to make surgical practice improvement easy.

BACKGROUND: In measuring quality of health-care delivery, digital infrastructure is essential. The aim at this tertiary centre was to create a hospital-wide workflow system that collected data prospectively as part of daily practice. METHODS: In moving towards an electronic health record, a hospital-wide integrated workflow system was introduced in 2013, which electronically managed the perioperative patient journey while simultaneously facilitating surgical audit. Analysis of its implementation was carried out presenting early outcomes using general surgery as an example. RESULTS: Theatre-bookings (44 953) were made with compliance approaching 90% for all services. Of 7179 general surgical operations over 24 months, 5785 (80%) had an operation note created using the new system. Cumulative summation of uptake of synoptic operative reporting (SOR) for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) was 81% with documentation being superior in terms of antibiotic use and steps to safe cholecystectomy (P < 0.001). A LC SOR took 4 min to complete (interquartile ranges 2-5 min, n = 425) and was immediately available on the day of surgery compared to narrative operative reports taking 2 days (interquartile ranges 1-5 days, n = 174) (P < 0.001). From July 2014 to November 2015, 557 (10%) complications were recorded for 5749 general surgical operations with 99% of complications being reviewed. CONCLUSION: The rapid and sustained uptake of both theatre-bookings and SOR likely reflect high end-user satisfaction with the system. Service metrics indicate a significant improvement in the time of delivery. The ability to seamlessly complete the audit cycle at an individual, department and hospital level has been achieved.

One Year Audit of In Patient Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dhaka Dental College Hospital.

BACKGROUND: The world wide pattern of oral and maxillofacial surgical conditions has rarely been reported despite its significance in ensuring quality of care. A large number of patients are managed surgically in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery department of Dhaka Dental College Hospital but there has been no surgical audit to identify the potential problems in patient care. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the pattern of oral and maxillofacial conditions in patients of maxillofacial surgery of Dhaka Dental College Hospital, which would provide valuable information to build up the focus of attention, to develop a future strategy plan, to improve its clinical care and extend the academic and research field. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective survey of oral and maxillofacial surgical cases managed at the inpatient Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dhaka Dental College Hospital. All admitted patients from 1st January, 2012 to 31st December, 2012 were included in this study. The patients' data were retrieved from the wards registers and patient records. The data were recorded as age, sex, occupation, geographic distribution, diagnosis, treatment done and operation name. These were studied to assess the prevalence of age, sex, diseases and the name of the treatment offered. Analysis of major groups of diagnosis on the basis of age and sex was also studied. Mortality was also recorded. RESULTS: Between 1st January, 2012 and 31st December, 2012 a total of 768 patients were treated. Among them 494 patients were male while 274 were female, male female ratio was 1.80:1. The majority of the patients were from Dhaka division. The mean age of the patients was 33.20 years; peak age group was 15-30 years. The most common diagnosis was maxillofacial injuries (35 %), followed by oral squamous cell carcinoma (22 %) and odontogenic tumours and hamartomas (11 %). Maxillo-mandibular fixation or wiring was the main modality of treatment. The mortality rate was 0.26 % of total patients. CONCLUSIONS: The department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dhaka Dental College Hospital is a busy centre for specialized maxillofacial services in Bangladesh. A good number of patients with a wide range of oral and maxillofacial surgical conditions are managed here. Maxillofacial injury and oral cancer are the two most common conditions encountered here.

Surgical audit of outcome of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair at Vitreoretinal unit JPMC in year 2014.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair at Vitreoretinal unit of Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre Karachi in year 2014. METHODS: One hundred and three eyes of one hundred and three patients, who underwent three ports parsplana vitrectomy + band + silicone oil, three ports pars plana vitrectomy + silicone oil, three ports pars plana vitrectomy + C3F8 for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair, at Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, were included in this observational prospective study. Parsplana vitrectomy was done using 23G vitrectomy system. Duration of study was one year. Removal of silicone oil (ROSO) was done on the basis of completely flat retina at least for eight weeks or because of complications due to silicone oil. Patients were followed up post operatively on day one and after one week and then at four weekly interval till the end of the study. RESULTS: Anatomical success was achieved in 91 eyes (88.3%). However in 12 eyes (11.7%) retina redetached after removal of silicone oil. Functional success achievement of visual acuity of 3/60 or better was achieved in 85 (82.5%) of eyes post operatively after removal of silicone oil or absorption of gas C3F8 as the case may be. CONCLUSION: Re-detachment is common after removal of silicone oil and incidence of re-detachment is related to the degree of preoperative PVR and location of breaks. Re-detachment occurs more commonly if the breaks are inferiorly located as compared to the superior ones.

Cataract Surgery Audit at a Private Hospital in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: To assess the visual outcomes following cataract surgeries at a Private Eye Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This was a cohort study of cataract surgeries performed from January to June 2014. Preoperative data were collected on patient demographics presenting and best corrected distance visual acuity (BCVA) and ocular comorbidity. Data were also collected on the type of surgery, type of intraocular lens (IOLs) implanted, and complications. BCVA and refractive status at 6-8 weeks postoperatively were noted. The predictors of vision ≥ 6/18 were identified. RESULTS: Four hundred eyes of 400 patients underwent cataract surgery. There were 235 (59%) males. Presenting preoperative vision was < 6/60 in 52 (13%) eyes. There were 395 (99%) eyes that underwent IOL implantation following phacoemulsification and 4 eyes received a sulcus fixated IOL. A single piece aspheric IOL was implanted in 358 (90%) eyes and a toric IOL was implanted in 31 (8%) eyes. Postoperative BCVA was classified as a "good outcome" (≥ 6/18) in 320 (80%) and a "poor outcome" (< 6/60) in 24 (6%) eyes. Young age (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.97, P = 0.01), male (adjusted OR = 2.4, P = 0.002), and ocular co-morbidities (adjusted OR = 0.2, P < 0.001) were predictors of vision ≥ 6/18. Complications included a dropped nucleus and a posterior capsular tear in 2 eyes each. Two hundred and fifty-two (63%) eyes were emmetropic or intentionally myopic for distance. Astigmatism < 2 D was present in 264 (66%) eyes and astigmatism > 2 D was present in 33 (8%) eyes. CONCLUSION: The recent trend of intentional overcorrection in one eye following modern cataract surgery in order to provide some functional near vision indicates that benchmark for success in getting "good visual outcomes" postoperatively (vision of ≥ 6/18) may need to be revised.