Analysis of adverse events in general surgery. Multicenter study.

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge of adverse events (AE) in acute care hospitals is a particularly relevant aspect of patient safety. Its incidence ranges from 3% to 17%, and surgery is related to the occurrence of 46%-65% of all AE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational, descriptive, retrospective, multicenter study was conducted with the participation of 31 Spanish acute-care hospitals to determine and analyze AE in general surgery services. RESULTS: The prevalence of AE was 31.53%. The most frequent types of AE were infectious (35%). Higher ASA grades, greater complexity and urgent-type admission are factors associated with the presence of AE. The majority of patients (58.42%) were attributed a category F event (temporary harm to the patient requiring initial or prolonged hospitalization); 14.69% of AE were considered severe, while 34.22% of AE were considered preventable. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of AE in General and GI Surgery (GGIS) patients is high. Most AE were infectious, and the most frequent AE was surgical site infection. Higher ASA grades, greater complexity and urgent-type admission are factors associated with the presence of AE. Most detected AE resulted in mild or moderate harm to the patients. About one-third of AE were preventable.

Advanced Lipoproteins and Lipidomic Profile in Plasma Determined by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Before and After Bariatric Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is related to cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) such as dyslipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension, which increase mortality. Basic lipid determinations could underestimate the true atherogenic risk of patients and the impact of bariatric surgery. The objective of the study is to demonstrate the change in the advanced molecular profile of lipoproteins determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in plasma after bariatric surgery, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Descriptive, observational, and prospective study in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Advanced lipid profile was analyzed in plasma from the immediate preoperative period and at the 18th postoperative month by sending samples and performing plasma magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the BiosferTreslab® laboratory. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were included. Average age of 46.3 years; 63.46% were women, 36.54% men. The average BMI was 43.57; the abdominal perimeter 133.50 cm; 32.6% were diabetics under medical treatment, 44.23% hypertensive, and 19.23% smokers; 86.53% of the patients presented alterations in at least one of the analytical parameters in the lipid study. Twenty-nine (55.7%) underwent banded gastric bypass (PGB), 19.23% underwent GBP, and 17.31% vertical gastrectomy. The rest were revision surgeries, two BPG-A and two biliopancreatic diversions after GV. All patients presented some improvement in advanced molecular profile of lipoproteins. Twenty percent of the patients normalized all the parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Bariatric surgery improves advanced molecular profile of lipoproteins, decreasing CVRF. Analysis of the characteristics of lipoprotein particles by NMR spectrometry is optimal for studying lipoprotein metabolism in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

Ligamentum Teres Cardiopexy Might Not Prevent Gastro-esophageal Reflux After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: Case Series.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is considered the gold standard procedure in patients with obesity and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), but in patients with preoperative hiatal hernia (HH) or GERD, who are unfit for RYGB, there are no clear guidelines. Ligamentum teres cardiopexy (LTC) has been proposed as an effective alternative. The purpose of this study was to analyze medium-term results of LTC procedure associated with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in patients with GERD or HH, according to the absence of pathologic acid reflux in esophageal 24 h pH monitoring test, symptom release, or PPI reduction. Five patients underwent LSG-LTC between March 2018 and October 2019. In one patient, the effectiveness of LTC as an anti-reflux procedure could not be assessed because of conversion to RYGB was required. After a follow-up period of 30 [24-42] months and excessive BMI loss of 62.74 ± 18.18%, GERD recurrence was observed in 75% of patients. The study was discontinued due to unsatisfactory preliminary results with LTC. Our results suggest that LTC might not prevent GERD after LSG in patients with preoperative GERD or HH.

Mechanical triangular esophagogastrostomy: Technical aspects and initial results.

INTRODUCTION: Esophageal cancer represents the eighth neoplasm worldwide. The therapeutic approach is interdisciplinary, with surgery being the most effective option. Several techniques have been proposed to perform esophagogastrostomy after esophagectomy, among them mechanical triangular esophagogastrostomy (MT), with a little experience published in the Western literature on the latter. The objective of this study is to describe the technical aspects and initial results of MT anastomosis. METHODS: A retrospective review of the patients who underwent esophagectomy according to the McKeown technique was performed, those in which MT anastomosis was implemented, between October 2017 and March 2020 in our hospital. RESULTS: 14 patients were included, with a mean age of 63 years. The mean operative time was 436 min (360-581), being diagnosed of anastomotic leak (AL) 3 of the 14 patients (21.4%), as well as 3 patients presented anastomotic stenosis (AS). The median stay was 20 days, without any death in the series. DISCUSSION: Multiple publications suggest the superiority in terms of AL and AS of the mechanical triangular anastomosis, which was also observed in our series, in which despite the small sample, a rapid improvement was observed in the indicators after the first cases. Therefore, this type of anastomosis may be a safe option for performing esophagogastric anastomosis after esophagectomy, being necessary more definitive conclusive studies.

Predictive Power of the "Trigger Tool" for the detection of adverse events in general surgery: a multicenter observational validation study.

BACKGROUND: In spite of the global implementation of standardized surgical safety checklists and evidence-based practices, general surgery remains associated with a high residual risk of preventable perioperative complications and adverse events. This study was designed to validate the hypothesis that a new "Trigger Tool" represents a sensitive predictor of adverse events in general surgery. METHODS: An observational multicenter validation study was performed among 31 hospitals in Spain. The previously described "Trigger Tool" based on 40 specific triggers was applied to validate the predictive power of predicting adverse events in the perioperative care of surgical patients. A prediction model was used by means of a binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of adverse events among a total of 1,132 surgical cases included in this study was 31.53%. The "Trigger Tool" had a sensitivity and specificity of 86.27% and 79.55% respectively for predicting these adverse events. A total of 12 selected triggers of overall 40 triggers were identified for optimizing the predictive power of the "Trigger Tool". CONCLUSIONS: The "Trigger Tool" has a high predictive capacity for predicting adverse events in surgical procedures. We recommend a revision of the original 40 triggers to 12 selected triggers to optimize the predictive power of this tool, which will have to be validated in future studies.

Multicentre cohort study of acute cholecystitis management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: To analyse acute cholecystitis (AC) management during the first pandemic outbreak after the recommendations given by the surgical societies estimating: morbidity, length of hospital stay, mortality and hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection rate. METHODS: Multicentre-combined (retrospective-prospective) cohort study with AC patients in the Community of Madrid between 1st March and 30th May 2020. 257 AC patients were involved in 16 public hospital. Multivariant binomial logistic regression (MBLR) was applied to mortality. RESULTS: Of COVID-19 patients, 30 were diagnosed at admission and 12 patients were diagnosed during de admission or 30 days after discharge. In non-COVID-19 patients, antibiotic therapy was received in 61.3% of grade I AC and 40.6% of grade II AC. 52.4% of grade III AC were treated with percutaneous drainage (PD). Median hospital stay was 5 [3-8] days, which was higher in the non-surgical treatment group with 7.51 days (p < 0.001) and a 3.25% of mortality rate (p < 0.21). 93.3% of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection at admission were treated with non-surgical treatment (p = 0.03), median hospital stay was 11.0 [7.5-27.5] days (p < 0.001) with a 7.5% of mortality rate (p > 0.05). In patients with hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection, 91.7% of grade I-II AC were treated with non-surgical treatment (p = 0.037), with a median hospital stay of 16 [4-21] days and a 18.2% mortality rate (p > 0.05). Hospital-acquired infection risk when hospital stay is > 7 days is OR 4.7, CI 95% (1.3-16.6), p = 0.009. COVID-19 mortality rate was 11.9%, AC severity adjusted OR 5.64 (CI 95% 1.417-22.64). In MBLR analysis, age (OR 1.15, CI 95% 1.02-1.31), SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 14.49, CI 95% 1.33-157.81), conservative treatment failure (OR 8.2, CI 95% 1.34-50.49) and AC severity were associated with an increased odd of mortality. CONCLUSION: In our population, during COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase of non-surgical treatment which was accompanied by an increase of conservative treatment failure, morbidity and hospital stay length which may have led to an increased risk hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection. Age, SARS-CoV-2 infection, AC severity and conservative treatment failure were mortality risk factors.

Mechanical triangular esophagogastrostomy: Technical aspects and initial results. / Esofagogastrostomía triangular mecánica: aspectos técnicos y resultados iniciales.

INTRODUCTION: Esophageal cancer represents the eighth neoplasm worldwide. The therapeutic approach is interdisciplinary, with surgery being the most effective option. Several techniques have been proposed to perform esophagogastrostomy after esophagectomy, among them mechanical triangular esophagogastrostomy, with a little experience published in the Western literature on the latter. The objective of this study is to describe the technical aspects and initial results of triangular esophagogastrostomy anastomosis. METHODS: A retrospective review of the patients who underwent esophagectomy according to the McKeown technique was performed, those in which triangular esophagogastrostomy anastomosis was implemented, between October 2017 and March 2020 in our hospital. RESULTS: A total of 14 patients were included, with a mean age of 63 years. The mean operative time was 436minutes (360-581), being diagnosed of anastomotic leak 3 of the 14 patients (21.4%), as well as 3 patients presented anastomotic stenosis. The median stay was 20 days, without any death in the series. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple publications suggest the superiority in terms of anastomotic leak and anastomotic stenosis of the mechanical triangular anastomosis, which was also observed in our series, in which despite the small sample, a rapid improvement was observed in the indicators after the first cases. Therefore, this type of anastomosis may be a safe option for performing esophagogastric anastomosis after esophagectomy, being necessary more definitive conclusive studies.

Perforación intestinal por citomegalovirus durante un Síndrome de Reconstitución Inmune / Intestinal Perforation for Cytomegalovirus in Immune Reconstitution Syndrome

RESUMEN El síndrome de reconstitución inmune se produce debido a un aumento de la inmunocompetencia en pacientes previamente inmunocomprometidos. La situación es frecuente tras iniciar un tratamiento antirretroviral de alta eficacia, en pacientes con infección por el virus de inmunodeficiencia humana. En determinados casos, puede conllevar un empeoramiento paradójico de una infección previa. El citomegalovirus, es un germen oportunista que, en el seno de un síndrome de reconstitución inmune, puede dar lugar a perforación intestinal multifocal y peritonitis secundaria de difícil tratamiento. Es más frecuente en pacientes con recuento de linfocitos cooperadores inferior a 50 células/mm3 al iniciar el tratamiento antirretroviral. El objetivo es comunicar dicha situación a través, de un caso clínico para facilitar su sospecha lo más pronto posible, y realizar un tratamiento adecuado. Presentamos el caso de un paciente con virus de inmunideficiencia humana de reciente diagnóstico, en tratamiento con terapia antirretroviral de alta eficacia, que acude a urgencias con abdomen agudo secundario a perforación por citomegalovirus. La infección conlleva importante morbimortalidad, siendo imprescindible un diagnóstico temprano e iniciar precozmente el tratamiento antiviral intravenoso, asociado generalmente a tratamiento quirúrgico(AU)

ABSTRACT Immune reconstitution syndrome occurs due to increased immunocompetence in previously immunocompetent patients. The condition is frequent in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection who have started a highly active antiretroviral therapy. In certain cases, the syndrome can lead to a paradoxical worsening of a previous infection. Cytomegalovirus is an opportunistic germ that, during an immune reconstitution syndrome, can lead to multifocal intestinal perforation and secondary peritonitis, in cases that are difficult to treat. The syndrome is more frequent in patients with CD4 lymphocyte count below 50/mm3 at the time of starting antiretroviral treatment. The objective is to communicate this situation through a clinical case presentation in order to facilitate suspicion as soon as possible, and to carry out appropriate treatment. We present the case of a patient with a recently diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus, under treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy, who attended the emergency department with an acute abdomen secondary to perforation due to cytomegalovirus. Infection carries significant morbidity and mortality, and early diagnosis is essential and intravenous antiviral treatment should be started early, generally associated with surgical treatment(AU)

Detection of adverse events in general surgery using the " Trigger Tool" methodology.

INTRODUCTION: Surgery is one of the high-risk areas for the occurrence of adverse events (AE). The purpose of this study is to know the percentage of hospitalisation-related AE that are detected by the «Global Trigger Tool¼ methodology in surgical patients, their characteristics and the tool validity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective, observational study on patients admitted to a general surgery department, who underwent a surgical operation in a third level hospital during the year 2012. The identification of AE was carried out by patient record review using an adaptation of «Global Trigger Tool¼ methodology. Once an AE was identified, a harm category was assigned, including the grade in which the AE could have been avoided and its relation with the surgical procedure. RESULTS: The prevalence of AE was 36,8%. There were 0,5 AE per patient. 56,2% were deemed preventable. 69,3% were directly related to the surgical procedure. The tool had a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 93,6%. The positive predictive value was 89% and the negative predictive value 92%. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of AE is greater than the estimate of other studies. In most cases the AE detected were related to the surgical procedure and more than half were also preventable. The adapted «Global Trigger Tool¼ methodology has demonstrated to be highly effective and efficient for detecting AE in surgical patients, identifying all the serious AE with few false negative results.

Analysis of the quality of care in surgical treatment of colorectal cancer: national study. Follow-up results.

OBJECTIVES: Using the cases included in the Study on the quality of care in colorectal cancer conducted by the Spanish Association of Surgeons in 2008, we present follow-up data. METHOD: Multicenter, descriptive, longitudinal and prospective study of patients operated on a scheduled basis of colorectal cancer. 35 hospitals have contributed data on 334 patients. Follow-up data: survival, recurrence and complications. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 28.61±11.32 months. Follow-up by surgeon: 69.2%, tumor recurrence 23.6%, in 83.3% it was systemic; 28.2% underwent salvage surgery. Overall survival was 76.6%, disease-free survival 65.6% (26.49±11.90 months). Tumor related mortality was 12,6%. Percentage of ventral hernias was 5.8%, intestinal obstruction 3.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Quality and results of follow-up of patients operated on for CRC in Spain are similar to those reported in the Scientific literature. Areas for improvement: follow-up, earlier diagnosis, increase adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments and total mesorectal excision as standard surgery for rectal cancer.

[Analysis of the quality of surgical treatment of colorectal cancer, in 2008. A national study]. / Análisis de la calidad asistencial del tratamiento quirúrgico del cáncer colorrectal en 2008. Estudio de ámbito nacional.

OBJECTIVE: A national study conducted for the Spanish Association of Surgeons with the aim of analysing the surgical treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Spain and to compare it with scientific literature. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A multicentre, descriptive, prospective and longitudinal study of patients with CRC who were treated by elective surgery. A total of 50 hospitals in 15 Autonomous Regions took part, with 496 treated cases in 2008. A total of 88 variables were collected. RESULTS: The median age was 72 years, increase in ASA III patients; correct preoperative studies, 4% with no staging in the rectum. There was a tendency not to use the colon cleansing or to do it only one day. The percentage of complications is within the ranges in the literature, with the exception of surgical wound infections (19%). Mean of resected lymph nodes: 13.2; 4.3% no mesorectal resection. Mechanical anastomosis: 80.8%, 65.9% of the operations performed by a colorectal surgeon. Preoperative radiotherapy in 43.5% of rectal cancers. Chemotherapy: 32.9%. Laparoscopy: 35.1% of cases, conversion rate 13.8%. Use of antibiotics: 37.1%, blood transfusion: 20.6% and parenteral nutrition: 26.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment of CRC in Spain has a level of quality and peri-operative results similar to the rest of Europe. Compared to previous studies, it was observed that there were advances in preparation of the patient, preoperative studies, imaging techniques, and improvements in surgical techniques with adoption of mesorectal excision, appropriate lymphadenectomies and preservation of sphincters. There are areas for improvement, such as a reduction in surgical wound infections, increase use of protective stoma, appropriate use of antibiotics, parenteral nutrition or neoadjuvants and complete colonoscopies.

[Guidelines and clinical pathways. Is there really a difference?]. / Guías y vías clínicas, ¿existe realmente diferencia?

Quality Design Activities of Good Clinical Practice guidelines or protocols and clinical pathways (CP) include those clinical plans intended for the patients with a particular disease. They must be based on the clinical evidence, the analysis of the process, and the consensus of the professionals involved in the care of the patient. When these are introduced to surgical professionals, they usually say that they do not understand the the difference between CP and protocols or guidelines. In fact we are speaking quality design activities with the same objectives of decreasing the unjustified variability and helping in the decision making on a specific clinical problem. In this work we attempt to show the differences by defining what is understood by a clinical pathway and protocol or guideline.

[National project for the clinical management of healthcare processes. The surgical treatment of cholelithiasis. Development of a clinical pathway]. / Proyecto Nacional para la gestión clínica de procesos asistenciales. Tratamiento quirúrgico de la colelitiasis. Desarrollo de la vía clínica.

INTRODUCTION: Because surgical treatment of gallstones is highly prevalent, this topic is particularly suitable for a national study aimed at determining the most important indicators and developing a clinical pathway. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the results obtained during the hospital phase of the process. To define the key indicators of the process. To design a clinical pathway for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multicenter, prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study was performed of patients who consecutively underwent surgery for gallstones in 2002. The sample size calculated with data provided by the National Institute of Statistics was 304 patients, which was increased by 45% to compensate for possible losses. Inclusion criteria consisted of elective cholecystectomy for gallstones, without preoperative findings suggestive of common duct stones. A database was designed (Microsoft Access 2000) with 76 variables analyzed in each patient. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were obtained from 37 hospitals with 426 patients. The mean age was 55.69 years, with a predominance of women (68.3%). The most frequent symptom was biliary colic (23%). A total of 20.3% of the patient had prior episodes of cholecystitis and 18% had a history of mild pancreatitis. Diagnosis was given by ultrasonography in 93.2% of the patients. Informed consent was provided by 93.2%. The intervention was performed on an inpatient basis in 96.1% and in the ambulatory setting in the remainder. Antibiotic and antithrombotic prophylaxis was administered in 78.9% and 75.1% of the patients respectively. The laparoscopic approach was used in 84.6%, with a conversion rate of 4.9%. Intraoperative cholangiography was performed in 17.8% of the patients and common duct stones were found in 7 patients. The most frequent complication was surgical wound infection (1.1%). Possible accidental lesion of the biliary tract occurred in 0.7% of the patients and was described as biliary fistula. There were four reinterventions: biliary fistula (1), hemoperitoneum (2) and cause unknown (1). The mean surgical time was 73.17 minutes, with a median of 60 minutes. Postoperative length of stay was 4.75 days in open surgery and 2.67 days in laparoscopic surgery. Ninety-nine percent of the patients were satisfied or highly satisfied with the healthcare received. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the process and review of the literature identified a series of areas requiring improvement, which were gathered in the clinical pathway developed. These areas consisted of increasing the number of patients with correctly indicated antibiotic and antithrombotic prophylaxis, increasing the percentage of patients providing informed consent and undergoing adequate preoperative tests, limiting intraoperative cholangiography to selected patients, and reducing the number of patients with an overall stay of 3 days.

[National project for the management of clinical processes. Surgical treatment of inguinal hernia]. / Proyecto nacional para la gestión clínica de procesos asistenciales. Tratamiento quirúrgico de la hernia inguina.

INTRODUCTION: The high prevalence of surgical treatment for inguinal hernia (especially in general surgery) prompted the Spanish Association of Surgeons to perform a national study to identify the most important indicators. OBJECTIVE: To analyze healthcare quality in elective surgery for inguinal hernia by evaluating scientific-technical quality, efficiency, effectiveness, and patient satisfaction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal, descriptive study from diagnosis to postoperative follow-up was performed. Patients who underwent surgery for unilateral or bilateral, primary or recurrent inguinal hernias were included. Exclusion criteria were emergency surgery and associated surgical procedures. Clinical indicators were selected after a literature review. RESULTS: Forty-six hospitals corresponding to 16 Autonomous Communities with a total of 386 patients participated in this study. The mean follow-up was 18 months. The mean age of the patients was 56.33 years and 88.3% were male. Half the patients (50.1%) were American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade I. A total of 95.6% did not comply with the protocol for preoperative tests of the Spanish Association of Surgeons. Antibiotic prophylaxis was used in 75.39% and thromboembolic prophylaxis was used in 40.04%. Ambulatory surgery was performed in 33.6%. Local anesthesia and sedation only were used in 16.36% of the patients. The most frequently used surgical procedures involved mesh repair (Lichtenstein 50%, Rutkow-Robbins 17.1%), laparoscopy was used in 5.2% of the patients, and the Shouldice technique was used in 8.5%. The mean length of hospital stay was 47.5 hours in inpatients and was 11.65 hours in patients who underwent ambulatory surgery. Notable among the complications was hematoma in 11.6%. Ninety-six percent of the patients were satisfied or highly satisfied. The most highly scored items in the satisfaction survey were those related to information, personal dealings with staff, and the staffs kindness. The lowest scored items dealt with punctuality and accessibility. Follow-up at 18 months showed a recurrence rate of 4.11% with a total recovery time estimated by patients of 7.26 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the process revealed areas for improvement and strong points. Strong points consisted of up-to-date choice of surgical technique. The most frequently used techniques were tension-free procedures and the Shouldice technique. The following areas for improvement were identified: adherence to protocols for preoperative evaluation, increased use of ambulatory surgery, local anesthesia and sedation, appropriate use of antibiotic and thromboembolic prophylaxis in selected patients and a reduction in the length of hospital stay in inpatients. Patient satisfaction with the treatment was acceptable.