A 5-year propensity-matched analysis of perioperative outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery can improve renal function in patients with comorbid chronic kidney disease (CKD) and obesity. Additionally, bariatric surgery can enhance outcomes following renal transplantation. The safety of bariatric surgery in patients with CKD has been debated in the literature. This study evaluates the frequency of perioperative complications associated with CKD. METHODS: The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) database was queried from 2015-2019. Patients were included if they had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and were stratified based on CKD status. An unmatched and propensity-matched analysis was performed comparing 30-day perioperative outcomes between the groups. RESULTS: A total of 717,809 patients included in this study, 5817(0.8%) had CKD, of whom 2266(0.3%) were on dialysis. 74.3% of patients with CKD underwent VSG with 25.7% underwent RYGB. Comparing RYGB to VSG, patients who underwent RYGB had a higher rate of deep organ space infection (0.7%vs.0.1%,p = 0.021) and re-intervention (5.0% vs. 2.2%,p < 0.001). Within the VSG cohort, a matched analysis was performed for those with CKD and without CKD. The CKD cohort had higher risk of complications such as bleeding (2.1%vs. 0.9%,p < 0.001), readmission (9.3%vs.4.9%,p < 0.001), reoperation (2.7%vs.1.3%,p < 0.001), and need for reintervention (2.2%vs.1.3%,p < 0.001). Notably, patients with CKD also had a higher mortality (0.6%vs.0.2%,p = 0.003). No difference was seen between patients with renal insufficiency and patients on dialysis. CONCLUSION: VSG has been the operation of choice in patients with CKD. Our results showed it is the safer option for patients with CKD compared to RYGB. Although this patient population does have an increased risk of adverse perioperative events, dialysis didn't affect the outcome. Bariatric surgeons who operate on patients with CKD should be well informed and remain vigilant given the increased perioperative risk. The risk is still considerably low, and the potential benefit on renal function and improvement in candidacy for renal transplant outweigh the risk. They should be considered as surgical candidates.

Battle of the buttress: 5-year propensity-matched analysis of staple-line reinforcement techniques from the MBSAQIP database.

BACKGROUND: Vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) has demonstrated to be safe; however, controversy remains on how to decrease major complications, particularly bleeding and leaks. There are variations in staple-line reinforcement techniques, including no reinforcement, oversewing, and buttressing. We sought to evaluate the effect of those methods on post-operative complications using the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation Quality Initiative Program (MBSAQIP) database. METHODS: The MBSAQIP was queried for patients who underwent VSG during 2015-2019. A propensity-matched analysis was performed between different staple-line reinforcement (SLR) methods, specifically No reinforcement (NR), Oversewing (OS), and Buttressing (BR). The primary outcome of interest was complications within 30 days. RESULTS: A total of 513,354 VSG cases were analyzed. The cohort was majority female (79.0%), with mean (SD) age of 44.2 ± 11.9 years and mean BMI of 45 ± 7.8 kg/m2. Frequency of SLR methods used was 54%BR, 25.6%NR, 10.8% BR + OS, and 9.8%OS. There were no differences in rate of leaks among SLR methods. Compared to NR, BR was associated with decreased rate of reoperations, overall bleeding, and major bleeding (p < 0.05) but prolonged operative time and length of stay (LOS) (p < 0.05). OS was associated with decreased overall bleeding (p < 0.05) but prolonged operative times and length of stay (p < 0.05) compared to NR. Compared to BR, OS was associated with increased operative times, LOS, and rates of post-operative ventilator use, pneumonia, and venous thrombosis (p < 0.05). Patients with bleeding were associated with lower rate of BR (56% vs 61%) and higher rate of NR (34% vs 28%) compared to patients with no bleeding. Bleeding was associated with a greater frequency of leaks (4.4% vs 0.3%), along with higher morbidity and mortality (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Of the reinforcement methods evaluated, BR and OS were both associated with decreased bleeding despite longer operative times. No method was found to significantly reduce incidence of leaks; however, bleeding was associated with increased incidence of leaks, morbidity, and mortality. The liberal use of SLR techniques is recommended for further optimization of patient outcomes after VSG.

Outcomes of Subtotal Parathyroidectomy Versus Total Parathyroidectomy With Autotransplantation for Tertiary Hyperparathyroidism: Multi-institutional Study.

OBJECTIVES: Due to the paucity of data and controversy regarding the preferred surgical approach for managing tertiary HPT, we sought to investigate the outcomes of different surgical approaches in managing this challenging disease. METHODS: We performed a multi-center retrospective study to include patients with tertiary HPT who underwent STPX or total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation (TPX-A). RESULTS: One hundred five patients had kidney transplant, and 43 were on dialysis. In the kidney transplant group, 61 patients underwent STPX, and 44 for TPX-A. Patients' demographics were not significantly different (48.61 ±â€Š9.31 vs 47.95 ±â€Š12.73 years, P = 0.759. The postoperative follow-up showed that the TPX-A cohort had a higher rate of hypoparathyroidism (N = 20, 45.45%) versus (N = 14, 22.95%) with the STPX cohort (P = 0.013). The cure among the TPX-A cohorts (84.09%) over the STPX cohort (73.77%) (P = 0.153). The long-term follow-up showed that the rate of developing temporary (N = 16, 41.03%) or permanent (N = 8, 20.51%) hypoparathyroidism was significantly higher among patients who underwent TPX-A over the patients who underwent STPX (N = 7, 17.95%), and (N = 4, 10.26%), respectively (P = 0.012). There was no statistical difference between the persistence (N = 3, 7.69%) or the recurrence (N = 2, 5.13%) of the HPT in the TPX-A cohort and the STPX cohort (N = 2, 5.13%). (N = 4, 10.26%), respectively, P = 0.644. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the largest multi-center study that compared different approaches for managing tertiary HPT. Showing that STPX is the better modality in patients diagnosed with tertiary HPT and had kidney transplants avoiding the risk of hypoparathyroidism.

Endoscopic Distance and its Impact on Quantified Age-related Vocal Fold Atrophy Measures.

INTRODUCTION: The bowing index (BI) and normalized glottal gap area (NGGA) are used to quantify vocal fold morphology in ARVA; however, the influence of the distance between the flexible laryngoscope lens and the target area is not known. The goal is to test whether the endoscopic distance impacts vocal fold morphology measurements in patients with ARVA during flexible video laryngostroboscopy (VLS). METHOD: Patients with ARVA who underwent VLS were included. Images were classified into near (close to the petiole of the epiglottis) and far (below nasopharynx, with tongue base and entire epiglottis visible) conditions. BI was calculated using a mobile application, and NGGA was measured using ImageJ. RESULTS: This study included 23 patients; the mean age was 77 ± 7 years. Mean BI measured at the near distance was higher than far distances with a mean difference of 1.94 (95% CI: 0.92-2.96, p = 0.001). NGGA showed difference with changed distance -0.24 (95% CI: -0.48 to 0.01, p < 0.05).When stratifying patients into two groups based on median BI measurement, there was a statistically significant difference between near and far conditions, with increased BI in the near condition for patients above the median (p < 0.05), but no difference between the near and far condition for patients with BI below the median. CONCLUSION: The BI and NGGA were impacted by the endoscopic distance during flexible VLS. BI was significantly higher in the near condition compared with the far condition. The difference in BI between the near and far conditions was more pronounced when the vocal fold bowing was greater. These findings call for heightened awareness of measurement discrepancies secondary to the endoscopic distance during flexible laryngostroboscopy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2 Laryngoscope, 2024.

Efficacy and safety of balloon dilation of eustachian tube in children: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Eustachian tube dysfunction is a common condition that may lead to otitis media with effusion, hearing loss and developmental delays in children. We sought to determine the efficacy and safety of balloon dilation of the eustachian tube (BDET) in the pediatric population. DATA SOURCES: Original studies of BDET in a pediatric population were identified in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, Clinicaltrials.gov and CINAHL. METHODS: Outcomes of efficacy included audiometric findings and adverse events were summarized for each study. RESULTS: Seven articles were included involving 408 children with a mean age of 9.9 years old (95%CI 8.8, 11.1) and a mean follow up of 19.2 months (95%CI 15, 23). Type B tympanograms decreased after BDET from 64.2% (95%CI 53.3, 73.8) to 16.1% (95%CI 8.5, 28.4). Air-bone gap (ABG) decreased after BDET from a mean of 25.3 dB (95%CI 18.9, 31.6) to 10.2 dB (95%CI 8.9, 11.5). The pooled estimate of adverse events after BDET was 5.1% (95%CI 3.2, 8.1), the majority being self-limited epistaxis with no major adverse events reported. Three studies compared BDET to ventilation tube insertion; analysis of post-operative ABG showed a greater decrease in the BDET group (mean difference -6.4 dB; 95%CI -9.8, -3.1; p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Although there are no prospective randomized control trials, BDET ± tympanostomy tube placement may produce outcomes that are comparable to tympanostomy tube placement in the treatment of otitis media with effusion in the pediatric population. Most children undergoing the procedure are those with recalcitrant disease. The procedure is safe with the most common complication being epistaxis.

Altered mental status is a predictor of poor outcomes in COVID-19 patients: A cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Several studies have described typical clinical manifestations, including fever, cough, diarrhea, and fatigue with COVID-19 infection. However, there are limited data on the association between the presence of neurological manifestations on hospital admission, disease severity, and outcomes. We sought to investigate this correlation to help understand the disease burden. METHODS: We delivered a multi-center retrospective study of positive laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients. Clinical presentation, laboratory values, complications, and outcomes data were reported. Our findings of interest were Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, intubation, mechanical ventilation, and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 502 patients with a mean age of 60.83 ± 15.5 years, of them 71 patients (14.14%) presented with altered mental status, these patients showed higher odds of ICU admission (OR = 2.06, 95%CI = 1.18 to 3.59, p = 0.01), mechanical ventilation (OR = 3.28, 95%CI = 1.86 to 5.78, p < 0.001), prolonged (>4 days) mechanical ventilation (OR = 4.35, 95%CI = 1.89 to 10, p = 0.001), acute kidney injury (OR = 2.18, 95%CI = 1.28 to 3.74, p = 0.004), and mortality (HR = 2.82, 95%CI = 1.49 to 5.29, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: This cohort study found that neurological presentations are associated with higher odds of adverse events. When examining patients with neurological manifestations, clinicians should suspect COVID-19 to avoid delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis and lose the chance to treat and prevent further transmission.