Cluster randomized trial to evaluate the impact of team training on surgical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The application of safety principles from the aviation industry to the operating room has offered hope in reducing surgical complications. This study aimed to assess the impact on major surgical complications of adding an aviation-based team training programme after checklist implementation. METHODS: A prospective parallel-group cluster trial was undertaken between September 2011 and March 2013. Operating room teams from 31 hospitals were assigned randomly to participate in a team training programme focused on major concepts of crew resource management and checklist utilization. The primary outcome measure was the occurrence of any major adverse event, including death, during the hospital stay within the first 30 days after surgery. Using a difference-in-difference approach, the ratio of the odds ratios (ROR) was estimated to compare changes in surgical outcomes between intervention and control hospitals. RESULTS: Some 22 779 patients were enrolled, including 5934 before and 16 845 after team training implementation. The risk of major adverse events fell from 8·8 to 5·5 per cent in 16 intervention hospitals (adjusted odds ratio 0·57, 95 per cent c.i. 0·48 to 0·68; P < 0·001) and from 7·9 to 5·4 per cent in 15 control hospitals (odds ratio 0·64, 0·50 to 0·81; P < 0·001), resulting in the absence of difference between arms (ROR 0·90, 95 per cent c.i. 0·67 to 1·21; P = 0·474). Outcome trends revealed significant improvements among ten institutions, equally distributed across intervention and control hospitals. CONCLUSION: Surgical outcomes improved substantially, with no difference between trial arms. Successful implementation of an aviation-based team training programme appears to require modification and adaptation of its principles in the context of the the surgical milieu. Registration number: NCT01384474 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Pheochromocytoma revealed by acute heart failure. When should we operate? Presented at the ESES Congress, Gothenburg May 25-26, 2012.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of adrenalectomy on patients with pheochromocytoma diagnosed at the time of an acute heart failure (AHF). METHODS: We reported cases of patients who presented an AHF secondary to a pheochromocytoma during a period of 10 years. The diagnosis of AHF was defined by a left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 30 % or the use of circulatory assistance. They had adrenalectomy as emergency surgery or later. Morbidity and mortality of surgery were studied. RESULTS: Thirteen patients required an adrenalectomy for AHF secondary to pheochromocytoma. Four patients (31 %) had an adrenalectomy in emergency. Nine patients (69 %) had a delayed surgery with a median delay of 25 days (7-180). Eight patients had circulatory assistance (61 %). Five of them had a circulatory assistance and a delayed surgery (38 %), two of them had a circulatory assistance followed by emergency surgery (at 1.5 and 3 days) and one had emergency surgery immediately followed by circulatory assistance. Emergency surgery was performed by laparotomy in all cases and delayed surgery by laparoscopy for seven patients (54 %). Perioperative complications consisted in: one circulatory arrest, two bleedings requiring transfusion, one intestinal ischaemia, one haemoperitoneum with re-operation (day 8). One patient died on day 5. Post-operative course of patients with delayed surgery was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: AHF revealing a pheochromocytoma is a rare and serious event. Patients with emergency surgery have more complications than those with delayed surgery.

Screening of mutations in genes that predispose to hereditary paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas.

Thirty per cent of the paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas reported are hereditary. Mutations in SDHB, SDHC, SDHD, and more recently SDHAF2 and TMEM127 genes have been described in these hereditary tumors. We looked for mutations in these 5 genes in a series of 269 patients with paragangliomas and/or pheochromocytomas. The SDHB, SDHC, and SDHD genes were analyzed in a series of 269 unrelated index patients with paragangliomas and/or pheochromocytomas using dHPLC screening of point mutations followed by direct sequencing and Multiplex PCR Liquid Chromatography to detect large rearrangements confirmed by quantitative PCR. In a second phase, we adapted Multiplex PCR Liquid Chromatography to the SDHAF2 and TMEM127 genes. This method and direct sequencing were applied to 230 patients without the SDHB, C, D mutations. Of the 269 patients, 44 carried a mutation (16.3%). Thirty-seven different mutations were identified: 18 in SDHB (including 2 large deletions), 8 in SDHD, 6 in SDHC, 5 in TMEM127, and no mutations in SDHAF2. Thirteen mutations have not been published so far. An exhaustive study of the different genes is needed to make possible a familial genetic diagnosis in paraganglioma and pheochromocytoma hereditary syndromes. Although mutations in SDHC and TMEM127 are less frequent than mutations in SDHB and SDHD, they also have less evident clinical feature indicators. Analyzing SDHAF2 must be restricted to familial extra-adrenal paragangliomas. Multiplex PCR Liquid Chromatography is a sensitive, fast, and inexpensive method for screening large rearrangements, which are infrequent in these syndromes.

Quality monitoring in thyroid surgery using the Shewhart control chart.

BACKGROUND: A control chart can help to interpret and reduce sources of variability in patient safety by continuously monitoring indicators. The aim of this study was to monitor the outcome of thyroid surgery using control charts. METHODS: Patients who had thyroid surgery during 2006-2007 were included in the study. Safety was monitored based on postoperative complications of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and hypocalcaemia. Indicators were extracted prospectively from the hospital information system and plotted each month on a P-control chart. Performance of the surgical team was also measured retrospectively for 2004-2005 (baseline period) to compare surgical outcomes before and after control chart implementation. Electromyographic monitoring of recurrent laryngeal nerves was not used, nor was calcium or vitamin D given routinely. RESULTS: The outcomes of 1114 thyroid procedures were monitored. Although the proportion of patients with recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was similar for baseline and monitored periods (6.4 and 7.2 per cent respectively), there was a 35.3 per cent decrease in hypocalcaemia after implementation of control charts (P < 0.001). Complications almost doubled during a period when one surgeon was away and operating room renovations took place. CONCLUSION: Outcome monitoring in thyroid surgery using control charts is useful for identifying potential issues in patient safety.

Hospital volume influences the choice of operation for thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND: Many authors advocate total or near-total thyroidectomy for thyroid carcinoma. This study examined the relationship between hospital volume of thyroidectomies and choice of bilateral thyroidectomy for thyroid carcinoma. METHODS: Data were extracted from the administrative databases of all hospital discharge abstracts in the Rhône-Alpes area of France. The study population included inpatient stays from 1999 to 2004 with a diagnosis of thyroid disease (benign or malignant) and a procedural code for thyroid surgery. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with the extent of surgery (unilateral versus bilateral) for thyroid carcinoma. RESULTS: A total of 20 140 thyroidectomies were identified, including 4006 procedures for cancer. Compared with hospitals performing a high volume of procedures for all thyroid diseases (at least 100 annually), the risk of a unilateral procedure for thyroid cancer increased by 2.46 (95 per cent confidence interval 1.63 to 3.71) in low-volume hospitals (fewer than ten operations per year) and by 1.56 (1.27 to 1.92) in medium-volume centres (ten to 99 per year). CONCLUSION: There is a significant relationship between hospital volume and the decision to perform bilateral surgery for thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid cancer surgery should be performed by experienced surgical teams in high-volume centres.

Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma metastatic to the sigmoid colon.

Prognosis of differentiated thyroid cancer is favorable in the majority of cases. However, distant metastases occur in 10-15% of cases, predominantly in lungs and bones, especially in older patients exhibiting poorly differentiated forms or advanced stages. We report a case history of Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma metastasized to the sigmoid colon. To the best of our knowledge, this location has never been described before. This case history illustrates the difficulties of diagnosis and treatment in patients whose metastases do not concentrate radioiodine. The interest of different imaging modalities, including fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography scan and somatostatin receptor scintigraphy, is discussed.

[Indications for sternotomy in thyroid surgery. Evolution over 20 years' experience]. / Evolution des indications de la sternotomie en chirurgie thyroïdienne. A propos d'une expérience de 20 ans.

From October 1984 to August 2005, 11,452 thyroidectomies were performed; 52 (0.45%) required a sternotomy. The patients included 32 women and 20 men. Sternotomy was total in 27 patients (52%) and partial in 25 (48%). Thirty patients (58%) had a benign goitre with intrathoracic extension, and 22 patients (42%) had thyroid malignancy. In 8 cases, the procedure was a reintervention. There were no post-operative deaths. Complications directly related to the sternotomy occurred in four patients (10%) and included one subcutaneous abscess, two cases of chylothorax (one requiring re-operation), and one pneumothorax. One patient developed a tight pseudoarthrosis of the sternotomy at eighteen months which caused neither pain nor functional disability. In comparing the first with the second decade of this study, we find that the incidence of sternotomy has not changed but that the indications have evolved. Initially sternotomy was indicated for benign intrathoracic goitres. More recently, thyroidectomy for malignancy, particularly in cases of re-operation, has been the major indication. Sternotomy is only rarely indicated in thyroid surgery. It adds moderately to hospital stay but does not increase morbidity when compared to the cervical approach.

[Rectal amputation by pure perineal approach with laparoscopic colostomy: a palliative therapeutic option for low rectal or anal cancers for elderly patients with multiple comorbidities]. / Amputation du rectum par voie périnéale pure avec colostomie coelio-assistée: une option thérapeutique palliative pour les cancers du bas rectum ou de l'anus chez le sujet âgé ou multitaré.

Rectal syndrome caused by locoregional evolution of low rectal cancers and anal cancers is prevented and treated by surgical resection. But, for old patients with multiple tares, carcinologic surgical resection as abdominoperineal amputation can not be considered. Management of rectal syndrome becomes a therapeutic challenge. We reported a prospective serie of 5 patients more than 80 years old with multiple tares, treated by rectal amputation by pure perineal approach with laparoscopic colostomy. This surgery avoided for all patients trying rectal symptoms and maintained acceptable quality of life with fast coming back at home. The palliative treatment of low rectal cancers or anal cancers combining rectal amputation by pure perineal approach with laparoscopic colostomy may be an interesting therapeutic option for patients who cannot undergoing aggressive carcinologic surgical treatment.

[Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: aggressive radical resection and cervical reconstruction. A case report]. / Chirurgie d'exérèse élargie et reconstruction cervicale pour cancer anaplasique de la thyroïde. A propos d'un cas.

STUDY AIM: Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid is a rare but highly malignant tumor. The goal of this study was to present the case of a patient who underwent a multimodal treatment and to analyze prognosis factors. PATIENT AND METHODS: We present the case of a patient treated in 1996 for an anaplasic thyroid carcinoma with cervical cutaneous invasion. The initial surgical procedure was a total thyroidectomy extended to the anterior cervical skin associated to bilateral neck dissection. The patient underwent a differed reconstruction with musculocutaneous latissimus dorsi flap. Management was then supplemented by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. RESULTS: This patient is free of tumor 9 years after this multimodal management. She does not present any functionary sequela and plastic results of the reconstruction is considered as very satisfactory. CONCLUSION: Anaplastic carcinoma is one of more aggressive neoplasm affecting humans. This case report suggests that multimodality therapy, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy may offer hope for long-term survival. A musculocutaneous latissimus dorsi flap is a reliable solution to cover this large cervical defect.

[Gastropleural fistula presenting with a pyopneumothorax in pregnancy]. / Pyopneumothorax révélant une fistule gastropleurale.

INTRODUCTION: Gastropleural fistula has only rarely been described in the literature, typically presenting with evidence of left-sided pleural infection. CASE REPORT: The diagnosis may be suggested by the occurrence of chest pain and repeated vomiting with the diagnosis confirmed by microbiological examination of the pleural fluid and appropriate radiological investigations. The fistula occurs most frequently after abdominal or anterior thoracic surgery. Generally, surgical repair should be performed urgently but in the case that we describe occurring during pregnancy, surgery was delayed for 10 weeks until a caesarean section could be performed. CONCLUSION: In the presence of left-sided basal pleuritic chest pain in the context of a possible gap in the diaphragm the diagnosis of gastropleural fistula should be considered. Treatment is usually a medico-surgical emergency.

[Impact of laparoscopy on the management of adrenal diseases. A retrospective study of 220 patients]. / Evolution de la prise en charge de la pathologie surrénalienne depuis l'avènement de la laparoscopie. Une étude rétrospective de 220 patients.

OBJECTIVE: Soon after its introduction in 1992, laparoscopic adrenalectomy became the gold standard in the surgical management of most adrenal tumors. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of laparoscopy on surgical indications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1994 and 2003, 220 adrenalectomies were performed, 179 among them by a laparoscopic approach. There were 137 females and 83 males. The mean age was 53 years (range 15-83 years). RESULTS: The indications of adrenalectomy were: Cushing syndrome 18%, pheochromocytoma 31%, Conn syndrome 16%, incidentaloma 21%, and malignant tumours 13%. Laparoscopic approach was performed in 81% of the cases and the conversion rate was 11%. There were 3 postoperative deaths (2 after laparoscopy). The mean hospital stay was 7.6 days in the laparoscopic group, and 13.6 days in the open surgery group. CONCLUSIONS: This study is consistent with the findings of the literature supporting that there are no indications for the open procedure in case of small benign lesions. The video-asisted adrenalectomy had not changed the management of the adrenal incidentaloma. Today, the laparoscopic approach seems to be adapted also for malignant disease.

Is it possible to limit the risks of thyroid surgery?

OBJECTIVE: Inferior laryngeal nerve (ILN) palsy and hypocalcemia remain the two most frequent major complications after thyroid surgery. Their occurrences may be explained by the influence of factors related to the patient, the surgical procedure, thyroid pathology, or the surgeon's technique. This study aims To assess whether systematically following a rigorous surgical technique during thyroidectomy affects postoperative complications and long-term patient recovery. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional study of prospectively collected data in five high-volume referral centers enrolling all patients who underwent thyroid surgery between April 2008 and December 2009. Inferior laryngeal nerve (ILN) palsy and hypocalcemia were systematically assessed during hospitalization based on objective criteria. A six-month follow-up was conducted in cases of early complications. Multivariate regression models were computed to quantify their relationship with potential risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 3574 thyroid procedures were completed. Non-visualization of the ILN during dissection and a large thyroid mass were major risk factors for permanent ILN palsy (OR, 4.17 and 2.61, p<0.01) and persistent complications after initial injury (OR, 4.17 and 2.42, p<0.05). The presence of thyroiditis on the surgical specimen was an independent risk factor for permanent hypoparathyroidism and poor recovery after initial dysfunction (OR, 1.76 and 1.88, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Thorough meticulous technique in thyroid surgery is a determinant of ILN function but fails to prevent persistent hypoparathyroidism.

Drainage after thyroidectomy: a randomized clinical trial.

A randomized clinical trial of surgical drainage in thyroid surgery was performed on 97 patients. Morbidity was not significantly different between both groups. The length of hospital stay was shorter in the undrained group. However, this RCT is not an indication of the value of drainage after thyroid surgery because the series is too small. Using a meta-analysis of the RCTs reported it is possible to show that to drain is not useful.

The advantages of palliative resection in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

A series of 223 resections for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma performed from 1975 to 1982 (70% were palliative or cleaning resections) is presented. Postoperative mortality and morbidity are not significantly different after palliative resection from those after curative resection. The long-term results are encouraging and clearly superior to those obtained with other medical and surgical palliative therapies. These findings lead the authors to support the use of palliative resection for esophageal carcinoma, except in cases of cervical tumors with a poor prognosis.

[Bucco-pharyngeal and esophageal localizations in Crohn's disease]. / Localisations bucco-pharyngée et oesophagienne de la maladie de Crohn.

A case of upper esophageal stenosis associated with pharyngeal lesions in Crohn's disease is reported. The esophageal stricture was intractable by endoscopic dilatation. This patient was managed successfully by total esophagectomy. The left colon was used to replace the esophagus through a posterior mediastinal route. Histologically, the lesions were epithelioid granulomas with ulcerative fissurations and submucosal lymphoid nodules and were suggestive of Crohn's disease involving the upper esophagus and pharynx only. Similar cases involving only the upper digestive tract with pathologic proof have not yet been reported in the literature.

[Treatment of peptic stenosis of the esophagus. Conservative techniques (author's transl)]. / Traitement conservateur des sténoses peptiques de l'oesophage.

Peptic stenosis of the esophagus is no longer considered as an irreversible lesion. It may stabilize or even regress if gastro-esophageal reflux is suppressed. The treatment of these stenoses during the last decade has been progressively oriented towards conservative techniques, the only ones capable of conferring the necessary low degree of complexity on this type of surgery. The authors report their experience between 1965 and 1980 on 151 operations. Resection was performed in 1/3 of the cases and the remainder were treated conservatively, by either thoracic or abdominal routes. The route of choice is abdominal. Peroperative dilatation of the stenosis is done with a finger or a bougie. The anti-reflux configuration is a Nissen type fundoplicatio when the cardia can be lowered in the abdomen. If the cardia cannot be lowered because of a shortening of the esophagus, the authors utilize a complete wrapping of the gastric cone since 1969. This technique has been used 45 times, often in old and weak patients who would have tolerated no other procedure. Mortality was zero. Long-term results are satisfactory and longlasting in 75% of the cases. Secondary dilatations are sometimes (18%) necessary, especially during the first postoperative year. In case of failure, it remains possible to perform another conservative operation through the thoracic route. No late-arising adenocarcinoma has been observed in the stenotic zone.

[Cervical lymph node dissection and thyroid carcinoma]. / Curages cervicaux et cancers thyroïdiens.

After an anatomic recall of the cervical lymph node compartments we describe the surgical technique of the lymph node dissection in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. These lymphadenectomies should be associated with total thyroidectomy. Cervical lymph node dissection always concerns central compartment and is sometimes extended to the cervico lateral compartments. Lymphadenectomy of a compartment should be complete, reoperations leading to an important morbidity. The two main complications of cervical lymph node dissection are inferior laryngeal nerve palsy and hypoparathyroidism.

[Thyroid scintigraphy: its place in preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules?]. / La scintigraphie thyroïdienne: quelle place dans le bilan préopératoire des nodules thyroïdiens?

AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the real contribution of the thyroid radionuclid scanning in the preoperative evaluation of the thyroid nodules. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The authors prospectively studied 369 patients who underwent surgical intervention: 160 (43.4%) for isolated nodules and 209 (56.6%) for multinodular goiters. RESULTS: The scintigraphy of the thyroid was performed in 281 (76.2%) patients: 39 (13.8%) patients with nodules less than 1.5 cm in diameter and 242 (86.2%) patients with nodules more than 1.5 cm in diameter. In 234 patients (83.3%) the scintigraphic evaluation did not bring any utile information for the therapeutic decision. The scintigraphy proved its utility only in 47 patients, which represents 16.7% from the scintigraphic exams performed, or 12.7% from the patients that underwent a surgical procedure. CONCLUSIONS: In the presence of thyroid nodule or multinodular goiter, the scintigraphy is indicated only in decreased TSH level, suspicion of ectopic thyroid or retrosternal goiter.

[Acute pancreatitis after bilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy in patients with ectopic ACTH syndrome]. / Pancréatite aiguë après surrénalectomie bilatérale laparoscopique pour sécrétion ectopique d'ACTH.

Two cases of acute necrotizing pancreatitis after bilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy were observed in patients with an ectopic ACTH syndrome. Two reasons may be suspected: the difficulty of dissection in such patients and the specific morbidity in relation to hypercorticism.

[Treatment of sclerodermic esophagitis: value of duodenal diversion]. / Traitement de l'oesophagite sclérodermique: intérêt de la diversion duodénale.

Between 1985 and 1990, six patients were operated on using duodenal diversion for reflux esophagitis with scleroderma. Duodenal diversion was performed twice as initial procedure and 4 times as treatment of unsuccessful antireflux procedure performed ten years previously. Duodenal diversion was associated with truncal vagotomy. In cases of reoperation the initial reconstruction procedure was removed. An esophageal stricture was resected in one case. One patient with previous truncal vagotomy and pyloroplasty underwent supra papillary diversion. There was no postoperative death. The mean follow-up was 28 months with one patient lost to follow-up. For 4 patients, the postoperative weight gain was 10 per cent. Abnormalities of lower esophageal motility in scleroderma account for the poor results after classical antireflux procedures. In these cases duodenal diversion is indicated as primary treatment. In cases of reoperation removal of the initial anti-reflux device is required in association with duodenal diversion.