Interaction of Insurance and Neighborhood Income on Operative Colorectal Cancer Outcomes Within a National Database.

INTRODUCTION: Sociodemographic disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) surgical patients are known. Few studies, however, have examined the intersection of insurance type and median household income (MHI). METHODS: In this retrospective analysis of the National Inpatient Sample from 2000 to 2019, all CRC surgery patients between 50 and 64 y old were included. Patients were further stratified based on insurance type (commercial, Medicaid, and uninsured) as well as county-level MHI quartiles. Outcomes included nonelective surgery (primary outcome), inpatient mortality, complications, and blood transfusions. Multivariate logistic regression adjusted for sociodemographic variables, medical comorbidities, and hospital-level factors. RESULTS: Of 108,606 patients, 80.5% of patients had commercial insurance, while 5.8% were uninsured. On multivariate analysis, Medicaid or no insurance, especially when living in a lower-income community, were associated with significantly higher odds of nonelective surgery (ORs: 1.11-4.54). There was a stepwise effect on nonelective surgery by insurance type (uninsured with lower odds than insured) and MHI (each lower quartile had higher odds). There were similar trends for inpatient blood transfusions, but there were no significant differences in mortality or complications. CONCLUSIONS: Especially when considered together, noncommercial insurance and lower MHI were associated with worse outcomes in CRC patients. Insurance was more protective than MHI against worse outcomes. These findings among a screening-aged cohort have policy planning implications for insurance expansions and healthcare funding allocations. Further research is needed to understand the complex underlying mechanisms that create this interaction between insurance and MHI.

Decreased Emergency Cholecystectomy and Case Fatality Rate, Not Explained by Expansion of Medicaid.

INTRODUCTION: Population data on longitudinal trends for cholecystectomies and their outcomes are scarce. We evaluated the incidence and case fatality rate of emergency and ambulatory cholecystectomies in New Jersey (NJ) and whether the Medicaid expansion changed trends. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective population cohort design was used to study the incidence of cholecystectomies and their case fatality rate from 2009 to 2018. Using linear and logistic regression we explored the trends of incidence and the odds of case fatality after versus before the January 1, 2014 Medicaid expansion. RESULTS: Overall, 93,423 emergency cholecystectomies were performed, with 644 fatalities; 87,239 ambulatory cholecystectomies were performed, with fewer than 10 fatalities. The 2009 to 2018 annual incidence of emergency cholecystectomies dropped markedly from 114.8 to 77.5 per 100,000 NJ population (P < 0.0001); ambulatory cholecystectomies increased from 93.5 to 95.6 per 100,000 (P = 0.053). The incidence of emergency cholecystectomies dropped more after than before Medicaid expansion (P < 0.0001). The odds ratio for case fatality among those undergoing emergency cholecystectomies after versus before expansion was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.72-0.99). This decrease in case fatality, apparent only in those over age 65, was not explained by the addition of Medicaid. CONCLUSIONS: A marked decrease in the incidence of emergency cholecystectomies occurred after Medicaid expansion, which was not accounted for by a minimal increase in the incidence of ambulatory cholecystectomies. Case fatality from emergency cholecystectomy decreased over time due to factors other than Medicaid. Further work is needed to reconcile these findings with the previously reported lack of decrease in overall gallstone disease mortality in NJ.

Inaccurate Ethnicity and Race Classification of Hispanics Following Trauma Admission.

BACKGROUND: Race and ethnicity are associated with disparate trauma outcomes. This study seeks to characterize accuracy of trauma registry classification of patient race and ethnicity and to identify factors associated with misclassification. METHODS: A prospective observational study of patients admitted to an urban Level 1 trauma center was conducted over a 6-mo period. Race and ethnicity data recorded in the trauma registry were compared to patients' self-identifying data obtained through in-person interviews. Logistic regression determined rates of discordant race and ethnicity between trauma registry and patient self-identification processes, and identified factors independently associated with misclassification. RESULTS: A total of 444 patients were recruited. 98 (22%) self-identified as Hispanic/Latino. 45 patients self-identifying as Hispanic (45.9%) had inaccurately recorded ethnicity in the trauma registry. There was an increased odds of ethnicity misclassification in younger patients (OR 0.97, P < 0.01) and Spanish-only speakers (OR 11.80, P < 0.001). A decreased odds was found in males (OR 0.43, P < 0.05). No factors increased odds of racial misclassification, while dual English/Spanish speakers (OR 0.05, P < 0.01) wereas found to have decreased odds. Neither ethnicity nor race misclassification was associated with clinical variables. New racial self-identification was observed with 75% of patients who self-identified ethnically as Hispanic also self-identifying racially as Hispanic. CONCLUSIONS: Hispanic trauma patients have racial and ethnic misclassifications regardless of clinical status. Racial and ethnic identification is not sufficiently captured by current standardized questionnaires. Accuracy of hospital level racial data is important for local and national policies to address trauma disparities.

Non-English Primary Language is Associated with Emergency Surgery for Diverticulitis.

BACKGROUND: Language barriers can limit access to care for patients with a non-English primary language (NEPL). The objective of this study was to define the association between primary language and emergency versus elective surgery among diverticulitis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of adult patients from the 2009-2014 New Jersey State Inpatient Database. Patients were included if they had primary language data and underwent a partial colon resection for diverticulitis. Primary language was dichotomized into NEPL versus English primary language (EPL). The primary outcome was surgical admission type - urgent/emergent (referred to as "emergency") versus elective. Descriptive and multivariable analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 9,453 patients underwent surgery for diverticulitis, of which 592 (6.3%) had NEPL. Among NEPL patients, 300 (51%) had Spanish as primary language and 292 (49%) had another non-Spanish primary language. Patients with NEPL and EPL were similar in age (median age 58 versus 59 years; P = 0.54) and sex (52% versus 53% female; P = 0.45). Patients with NEPL were less likely to have commercial insurance (45% versus 59%; P <0.001). On multivariable analysis, compared to patients with EPL, NEPL was associated with increased odds of emergency surgery for diverticulitis (OR 1.35; 95% Confidence Interval 1.13-1.62; P = 0.001) CONCLUSION: Patients with NEPL have higher odds of emergency versus elective surgery for diverticulitis compared to patients with EPL. Further research is needed to examine differences in referral pathways, patient-provider communication, and health literacy that may hinder access to elective surgery in patients with diverticulitis.

Trauma Service Utilization Increases Cost But Does Not Add Value for Minimally Injured Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Trauma care provides value to the critically injured. Our aim was to assess whether trauma team involvement adds value to the care of minimally injured patients and to define its costs. METHODS: Minimally injured patients admitted to a trauma center were propensity matched and compared by involvement versus no involvement of the trauma service (TS). Demographics, injury severity, complications, length of emergency department stay, mortality, and hospital costs and charges were studied. RESULTS: A total of 1253 patients were enrolled, with 308 propensity matched to the following groups: TS (n = 102) and no TS (n = 206). TS demonstrated a 30% increase in total charges and costs with no difference in complications. TS did demonstrate decreased time in the emergency department but had an increased delay to operation. Findings were similar when stratified for only lower extremity injuries. CONCLUSIONS: TS involvement for minimally injured patients does not increase value. Reducing TS involvement while avoiding trauma undertriage may reduce costs to the healthcare system without affecting outcomes.

Next Generation of Global Surgeons: Aligning Interest With Early Access to Global Surgery Education.

BACKGROUND: Although interest in global surgery is increasing among medical students,1 several questions remain unanswered such as: the association of demographics with said interest, the extent that global surgical burden education has been integrated into medical education, and the availability of global surgery electives. This study aimed to assess the current state of global surgery education in the United States (U.S.) to support recommendations for future curriculum development. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anonymous online survey was distributed to medical students currently enrolled in the U.S. Descriptive data were compiled regarding interest in and access to global surgery programs; demographic data were analyzed using chi-squared testing for categorical variables. RESULTS: A total of 754 students from 18 medical schools throughout the U.S. responded to the survey. Only complete responses were included in final analysis (n = 658). Most of the respondents (66%) reported interest in global surgery, with a higher proportion of those interested being in their preclinical years. However, the majority (79%) reported that global surgery issues are rarely or never addressed in their required curriculum. Over half of respondents were unaware of whether their school even offers such programs. CONCLUSIONS: Although interest in global surgery is on the rise among medical students, results suggest that many currently lack exposure to global surgery concepts in their medical education. To that end, early exposure may be most effective during the preclinical years, so that the next generation may align global surgery participation with clinical aspirations, with the ultimate goal of addressing global disparities.

The need to collect, aggregate, and analyze global anesthesia and surgery data.

In the Sustainable Development Goals era, there is a new awareness of the need for an integrated approach to healthcare interventions and a strong commitment to Universal Health Coverage. To achieve the goal of strengthening entire health systems, surgery, as a crosscutting treatment modality, is indispensable. For any health system strengthening exercise, baseline data and longitudinal monitoring of progress are necessary. With improved data capabilities, there are unparalleled possibilities to map out and understand systems, integrating data from many sources and sectors. Nevertheless, there is also a need to prioritize among indicators to avoid information overload and data collection fatigue. There is a similar need to define indicators and collection methodology to create standardized and comparable data. Finally, there is a need to establish data pathways to ensure clear responsibilities amongst national and international institutions and integrate surgical metrics into existing mechanisms for sustainable data collection. This is a call to collect, aggregate, and analyze global anesthesia and surgery data, with an account of existing data sources and a proposed way forward.

RéSUMé: À l'époque des objectifs du développement durable, on constate une nouvelle sensibilisation au besoin d'une approche intégrée dans les interventions en soins de santé et un fort engagement en faveur d'une couverture médicale universelle. Pour atteindre l'objectif du renforcement de systèmes entiers de santé, la chirurgie en tant que modalité thérapeutique transversale est indispensable. Pour toute activité de renforcement du système de santé, des données de référence et un suivi longitudinal des progrès sont nécessaires. Avec de meilleures données, il existe des possibilités sans équivalent de cartographier et de comprendre les systèmes, en intégrant des données provenant de multiples sources et secteurs. Néanmoins, il est également nécessaire de prioriser les indicateurs pour éviter une surcharge d'informations et une fatigue dans la collecte des données. Il existe un besoin similaire de définition des indicateurs et de la méthodologie de collecte afin de créer des données standardisées et comparables. Enfin, il est nécessaire d'établir des cheminements de données pour garantir des responsabilités claires entre les institutions nationales et internationales et intégrer les paramètres chirurgicaux dans les mécanismes existants pour une collecte durable des données. Ceci est un appel à la collecte, au regroupement et à l'analyse de données globales en anesthésie et en chirurgie avec un compte rendu des sources de données existantes et une proposition d'avancée.

Exploring residents' interest and career aspirations in global surgery.

BACKGROUND: Surgical residents increasingly seek global surgery (GS) experiences during training. Understanding their motives and goals is important to develop the optimal educational programs. A survey for surgical residents was developed to explore this interest. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey administered in 2016 to residents in three surgical programs within the same academic institution assessed interest, prior global health experience, preferred training opportunities, and career goals in GS. RESULTS: Seventy-four surgical residents responded (78%) with 82% expressing interest in GS and 86% motivated by a desire for volunteerism. International electives (65%) and volunteer missions (49%) were the preferred experiences during residency over longer commitments such as advanced degrees. A majority of residents planned to incorporate GS into their career (76%) most commonly by volunteering on missions (70%) with a smaller group aiming for a career in GS (13%). Residents with prior global health experience (n = 27, 36%) showed greater interest in GS (96% versus 72%, P = 0.02) and a commitment after residency (93% versus 68%, P = 0.02), and trended toward greater interest in GS careers (22% versus 6%, P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Institutional interest in GS remains high among surgical residents, motivated primarily by a desire for volunteerism. Following training, most residents plan to participate in short-term volunteer commitments, though a small group envisions GS as part of their long-term career goals. Prior global health experience is associated with interest in GS both in the present and long term. Providing these experiences early may be a strategy to support academic interest.

The interactive effect of fungicide residues and yeast assimilable nitrogen on fermentation kinetics and hydrogen sulfide production during cider fermentation.

BACKGROUND: Fungicide residues on fruit may adversely affect yeast during cider fermentation, leading to sluggish or stuck fermentation or the production of hydrogen sulfide (H2 S), which is an undesirable aroma compound. This phenomenon has been studied in grape fermentation but not in apple fermentation. Low nitrogen availability, which is characteristic of apples, may further exacerbate the effects of fungicides on yeast during fermentation. The present study explored the effects of three fungicides: elemental sulfur (S0 ) (known to result in increased H2 S in wine); fenbuconazole (used in orchards but not vineyards); and fludioxonil (used in post-harvest storage of apples). RESULTS: Only S0 led to increased H2 S production. Fenbuconazole (≥0.2 mg L-1 ) resulted in a decreased fermentation rate and increased residual sugar. An interactive effect of yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) concentration and fenbuconazole was observed such that increasing the YAN concentration alleviated the negative effects of fenbuconazole on fermentation kinetics. CONCLUSION: Cidermakers should be aware that residual fenbuconazole (as low as 0.2 mg L-1 ) in apple juice may lead to stuck fermentation, especially when the YAN concentration is below 250 mg L-1 . These results indicate that fermentation problems attributed to low YAN may be caused or exacerbated by additional factors such as fungicide residues, which have a greater impact on fermentation performance under low YAN conditions. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Preparing Global Trauma Nurses for Leadership Roles in Global Trauma Systems.

Trauma leads to 5.7 million annual deaths globally, accounting for 25%-33% of global unintentional deaths and 90% of the global trauma burden in low- and middle-income countries. The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery and the World Health Organization assert that emergent and essential surgical capacity building and trauma system improvement are essential to address the global burden of trauma. In response, the Rutgers Global Surgery program, the School of Nursing and Medicine, and the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital faculty collaborated in the first Interprofessional Models in Global Injury Care and Education Symposium in June 2016. This 2-week symposium combined lectures, high-fidelity simulation, small group workshops, site visits to Level I trauma centers, and a 1-day training course from the Panamerican Trauma Society. The aim was to introduce global trauma nurses to trauma leadership and trauma system development. After completing the symposium, 10 nurses from China, Colombia, Kenya, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay were surveyed. Overall, 88.8% of participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the program and 100% stated being very satisfied with trauma lectures. Symposia, such as that developed and offered by Rutgers University, prepare nurses to address trauma within system-based care and facilitate trauma nursing leadership in their respective countries.

Patulin contamination of hard apple cider by Paecilomyces niveus and other postharvest apple pathogens: Assessing risk factors.

Hard apple cider is considered to be a low-risk product for food spoilage and mycotoxin contamination due to its alcoholic nature and associated food sanitation measures. However, the thermotolerant mycotoxin-producing fungus Paecilomyces niveus may pose a significant threat to hard cider producers. P. niveus is known to infect apples (Malus xdomestica), and previous research indicates that it can survive thermal processing and contaminate finished apple juice with the mycotoxin patulin. To determine if hard apple cider is susceptible to a similar spoilage phenomenon, cider apples were infected with P. niveus or one of three patulin-producing Penicillium species and the infected fruits underwent benchtop fermentation. Cider was made with lab inoculated Dabinett and Medaille d'Or apple cultivars, and patulin was quantified before and after fermentation. Results show that all four fungi can infect cider apples and produce patulin, some of which is lost during fermentation. Only P. niveus was able to actively grow throughout the fermentation process. To determine if apple cider can be treated to hinder P. niveus growth, selected industry-grade sanitation measures were tested, including chemical preservatives and pasteurization. High concentrations of preservatives inhibited P. niveus growth, but apple cider flash pasteurization was not found to significantly impact spore germination. This study confirms that hard apple cider is susceptible to fungal-mediated spoilage and patulin contamination. P. niveus is an important concern for hard apple cider producers due to its demonstrated thermotolerance, survival in fermentative environments, and resistance to sanitation measures.

Trends in visits, imaging, and diagnosis for emergency department abdominal pain presentations in the United States, 2007-2019.

OBJECTIVES: Abdominal pain is the most common reason for visit (RFV) to the emergency department (ED) for adults, yet no standardized diagnostic pathway exists for abdominal pain. Optimal management is age-specific; symptoms, diagnoses, and prognoses differ between young and old adults. Availability and knowledge of the effectiveness of various imaging modalities have also changed over time. We compared diagnostic imaging rates for younger versus older adults to identify practice patterns of abdominal imaging across age groups over time. METHODS: We analyzed weighted, nationally representative data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 2007-2019 for adult ED visits with a primary RFV of abdominal pain. We included 23,364 sampled visits, representing 123 million visits. RESULTS: From 2007 to 2019, total visits increased for ages 18-45 (p < 0.001), 46-64 (p < 0.001), and 65+ (p = 0.032). The percentage of visits with primary RFV of abdominal pain increased from 9.4% to 11.6% for ages 18-45, 7.8%-9.0% for ages 46-64, and 6.0%-6.5% for 65+. Computed tomography (CT) scan rates increased over time from 26.2% of all patients receiving a CT scan to 42.6%. Relative percentage change in abdominal CT scans was greatest for older adults, with a 30.3% increase, compared to 24.0% for middle-aged adults and 15.0% for young adults. Test positivity, defined as receiving an emergency general surgical diagnosis after CT or ultrasound, increased from 17.2% in 2007 to 22.9% in 2019 (p < 0.01). Of the older adults with abdominal pain in 2019, 13% received an X-ray only, which is neither sensitive nor specific for acute pathology in older adults. CONCLUSIONS: Despite more abdominal pain ED visits and increased imaging rates per visit, test positivity continues to rise. Our findings do not support claims that CT and ultrasound are being used less appropriately over time, but demonstrate widespread use of X-rays, which are potentially ineffective for abdominal pain.

Ten-Year Trends of Persistent Mortality With Gallstone Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study in New Jersey.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Recent trends in mortality with gallstone disease remain scarce in the United States. Yet multiple changes in clinical management, such as rates of endoscopy, cholecystectomy, and cholecystostomy, and insurance access at the state level, may have occurred. Thus, we evaluated recent secular trends of mortality with gallstone disease in New Jersey. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, cohort study of mortality from 2009 to 2018 using the National Center for Health Statistics, Restricted Mortality Files. The primary outcome was any death with an International Classifications of Disease, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis code of gallstone disease in New Jersey. Simple linear regression was used to model trends of incidence of death. RESULTS: 1580 deaths with diagnosed gallstone disease (dGD) occurred from 2009 to 2018. The annual trend of incidence of death was flat over 10 years. The incidence of death with dGD relative to all death changed only from 0.21% to 0.20% over 10 years. These findings were consistent also in 18 of 20 subgroup combinations, although the trend of death with dGD in Latinos 65 years or older increased [slope estimate 0.93, 95% confidence limit 0.42-1.43, P = .003]. CONCLUSION: The rate of death with dGD showed little change over the recent 10 years in New Jersey. This needs to be reproduced in other states and nationally. A closer examination of the changes in clinical care and insurance access is needed to help understand why they did not result in a positive change in this avoidable cause of death.

Use of a New Prevention Model in Acute Care Surgery: A Population Approach to Preventing Emergency Surgical Morbidity and Mortality.

Whether patients undergo the more morbid and costly emergent rather than an elective type of surgery, may depend on many factors. Since tertiary prevention (preventing poor outcomes from emergency surgery) carries a much higher mortality than secondary prevention (preventing emergency surgery) or primary prevention (preventing the disease requiring surgery), the overall United States mortality might be reduced significantly, if emergency surgery could be avoided via high-quality primary prevention and non-surgical therapy or increasing elective surgery at the expense of emergency procedures, e.g., secondary prevention. The practice and study of acute care surgery then has the potential to broaden from a focus on the patient in the hospital emergency and operating rooms to the patient who no longer requires either, whose disease is treated or prevented in his/her/their community.

Use of geospatial analysis for priority setting in surgical system investment in Guatemala.

Background: Two-hour and 30 min travel times to a hospital capable of performing emergency general surgery and cesarean section are benchmarks for timely surgical access. This study aimed to estimate the population of Guatemala with timely access to surgical care and identify existing hospitals where the expansion of surgical services would increase access. Methods: The World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) Anesthesia Facility Assessment Tool (AFAT) previously identified 37 public Guatemalan hospitals that provide surgical care. Nine additional public non-surgical hospitals were also identified. Geospatial analysis was performed to estimate walking and driving geographic access to all 46 hospitals. We calculated the potential increase in access that would accompany the expansion of surgical services at each of the nine non-surgical hospitals. Findings: The percentage of the population with walking access to a surgical hospital within 30 min, 1 h, and 2 h are 5·1%, 12·9%, and 27·3%, respectively. The percentage of people within 30 min, 1 h, and 2 h driving times are 27·3%, 41·1%, and 53·1%, respectively. The median percentage of the population within each of Guatemala's 22 administrative departments with 2 h walking access was 19·0% [IQR 14·1-30·7] and 2 h driving access was 52·4% [IQR 30·5-62·8]. Expansion of surgical care at existing public Guatemalan hospitals in Guatemala would result in a minimal increase in overall geographic access compared to current availability. Interpretation: While Guatemala provides universal health coverage, geographic access to surgical care remains inadequate. Geospatial mapping and survey data work synergistically to assess surgical system strength and identify gaps in geographic access to essential surgical care. Funding: None.

Access to paediatric cardiac surgery in Colombia: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: Globally congenital heart disease mortality is declining, yet the proportion of infant deaths attributable to heart disease rises in Colombia and other middle-sociodemographic countries. We aimed to assess the accessibility of paediatric cardiac surgery (PCS) to children <18 years of age in 2016 in the South American country of Colombia. METHODS: In Bogotá, Colombia, a multi-national team used cross-sectional and retrospective cohort study designs to adapt and evaluate 4 health system indicators at the national level: first, the population with timely geographic access to an institution providing PCS; second, the number of paediatric cardiac surgeons; third, this specialized procedure volume and its national distribution; and fourth, the 30-day perioperative mortality rate after PCS in Colombia. RESULTS: Geospatial mapping approximates 64% (n = 9 894 356) of the under-18 Colombian population lives within 2-h drivetime of an institution providing PCS. Twenty-eight cardiovascular surgeons report performing PCS, 82% (n = 23) with formal training. In 2016, 1281 PCS procedures were registered, 90% of whom were performed in 6 of the country's 32 departments. National non-risk-adjusted all-cause 30-day perioperative mortality rate after PCS was 2.73% (n = 35). CONCLUSIONS: Colombia's paediatric population had variable access to cardiac surgery in 2016, largely dependent upon geography. While the country may have the capacity to provide timely, high-quality care to those who need it, our study enables future comparative analyses to measure the impact of health system interventions facilitating healthcare equity for the underserved populations across Colombia and the Latin American region.

Emergency surgery workforce and its inverse relationship with multidimensional poverty in Colombia.

PURPOSE: General surgeons, anesthesiologists, obstetricians and gynecologists (ob-gyns), and orthopedic surgeons are the vital disciplines to provide emergency surgery within a healthcare system. This paper aims to examine the relationship (if any) between multidimensional poverty (MDP) and GDP per-capita with the emergency surgery workforce density in Colombia. METHODS: We performed an ecological study, where the observation units were the 32 Colombian departments. The total numbers of general surgeons, anesthesiologists, ob-gyns, and orthopedic surgeons were obtained from the "Registro Unico Nacional de Talento Humano en Salud" (ReTHUS) registry. The 2020 population projections, the incidence of MDP and the GDP per capita were obtained from the Colombian National Administrative Department of Statistics. A spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated to measure the strength of the correlations between the surgical workforce density with MDP and GDP per-capita. RESULTS: There were significant moderate inverse linear correlations between the incidence of multidimensional poverty and workforce density. The correlation coefficients for the incidence of multidimensional poverty and the workforce density were - 0.5273, - 0.5620, - 0.4704, and - 0.4612 for surgeons, anesthesiologists, ob-gyns, and orthopedic surgeons, respectively. Conversely, the correlation coefficients for the GDP per-capita and the workforce density were 0.4045, 0.3822, 0.4404, and 0.3742 for surgeons, anesthesiologists, ob-gyns, and orthopedic surgeons, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study found that Colombian trauma and emergency surgery workforce density was inversely and directly correlated with multidimensional poverty and GDP per-capita levels, respectively. The relationship of these economic indicators with the surgical capacity deserves further investigation.

Validation of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Emergency General Surgery Grading System for Colorectal Resection: An EAST Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) has developed a grading system for emergency general surgery (EGS) conditions. We sought to validate the AAST EGS grades for patients undergoing urgent/emergent colorectal resection. METHODS: Patients enrolled in the "Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma Multicenter Colorectal Resection in EGS-to anastomose or not to anastomose" study undergoing urgent/emergent surgery for obstruction, ischemia, or diverticulitis were included. Baseline demographics, comorbidity severity as defined by Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), procedure type, and AAST grade were prospectively collected. Outcomes included length of stay (LOS) in-hospital mortality, and surgical complications (superficial/deep/organ-space surgical site infection, anastomotic leak, stoma complication, fascial dehiscence, and need for further intervention). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to describe outcomes and risk factors for surgical complication or mortality. RESULTS: There were 367 patients, with a mean (± SD) age of 62 ± 15 years. 39% were women. The median interquartile range (IQR) CCI was 4 (2-6). Overall, the pathologies encompassed the following AAST EGS grades: I (17, 5%), II (54, 15%), III (115, 31%), IV (95, 26%), and V (86, 23%). Management included laparoscopic (24, 7%), open (319, 87%), and laparoscopy converted to laparotomy (24, 6%). Higher AAST grade was associated with laparotomy (P = .01). The median LOS was 13 days (8-22). At least 1 surgical complication occurred in 33% of patients and the mortality rate was 14%. Development of at least 1 surgical complication, need for unplanned intervention, mortality, and increased LOS were associated with increasing AAST severity grade. On multivariable analysis, factors predictive of in-hospital mortality included AAST organ grade, CCI, and preoperative vasopressor use (odds ratio (OR) 1.9, 1.6, 3.1, respectively). The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma emergency general surgery grade was also associated with the development of at least 1 surgical complication (OR 2.5), while CCI, preoperative vasopressor use, respiratory failure, and pneumoperitoneum were not. CONCLUSION: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma emergency general surgery grading systems display construct validity for mortality and surgical complications after urgent/emergent colorectal resection. These results support incorporation of AAST EGS grades for quality benchmarking and surgical outcomes research.

Mesenteric venous thrombosis: A lethal complication of hyperglycemic crises.

PURPOSE: Although hyperglycemic crises can lead to a hypercoagulable state, few instances of associated mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) have been reported. Worsening abdominal pain in the context of shock requiring vasopressor support should prompt urgent further investigation. SUMMARY: A 44-year-old Hispanic male arrived at an emergency department with chief complaints of lethargy, polydipsia, and polyuria. His past medical history included type 2 diabetes, epilepsy, obesity, tobacco smoking, and noncompliance with his medications. On arrival the patient had a serum glucose concentration of >1,600 mg/dL, and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome (HHS) was diagnosed. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit with respiratory failure and subsequently developed shock refractory to fluid resuscitation, necessitating vasopressor support. On hospital day 4, a computerized tomogram obtained for investigation of increasing abdominal tenderness revealed superior MVT and pneumatosis intestinalis. Despite an emergency laparotomy and enterectomy, the patient ultimately succumbed on hospital day 41 due to recurrent pneumonia complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome and septic shock. CONCLUSION: Shock that is refractory to aggressive fluid resuscitation, necessitating pressor support, in the setting of HHS or diabetic ketoacidosis should prompt investigation for the underlying source of shock. Other etiologies, including hypovolemic, cardiogenic, and obstructive shock, should be considered; however, infection is the leading trigger of hyperglycemic crises. Although rarely reported, MVT should be considered in the diagnostic algorithm in the absence of an identified infectious source. Prompt investigation should include use of diagnostic modalities such as computed tomography to assess for MVT.