Risk adjusted EWMA control chart based on support vector machine with application to cardiac surgery data.

In the current study, we demonstrate the use of a quality framework to review the process for improving the quality and safety of the patient in the health care department. The researchers paid attention to assessing the performance of the health care service, where the data is usually heterogeneous to patient's health conditions. In our study, the support vector machine (SVM) regression model is used to handle the challenge of adjusting the risk factors attached to the patients. Further, the design of exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control charts is proposed based on the residuals obtained through SVM regression model. Analyzing real cardiac surgery patient data, we employed the SVM method to gauge patient condition. The resulting SVM-EWMA chart, fashioned via SVM modeling, revealed superior shift detection capabilities and demonstrated enhanced efficacy compared to the risk-adjusted EWMA control chart.

Using risk-adjusted cumulative sum to evaluate surgeon, divisional, and institutional outcomes-a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Few objective, real-time measurements of surgeon performance exist. The risk-adjusted cumulative sum is a novel method that can track surgeon-level outcomes on a continuous basis. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using risk-adjusted cumulative sum to monitor outcomes after colorectal operations and identify clinically relevant performance variations. METHODS: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program was queried to obtain patient-level data for 1,603 colorectal operations at a high-volume center from 2011 to 2020. For each case, expected risks of morbidity, mortality, reoperation, readmission, and prolonged length of stay were estimated using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program risk calculator. Risk-adjusted cumulative sum curves were generated to signal observed-to-expected odds ratios of 1.5 (poor performance) and 0.5 (exceptional performance). Control limits were set based on a false positive rate of 5% (α = 0.05). RESULTS: The cohort included data on 7 surgeons (those with more than 20 cases in the study period). Institutional observed versus expected outcomes were the following: morbidity 12.5% (vs 15.0%), mortality 2.5% (vs 2.0%), prolonged length of stay 19.7% (vs 19.1%), reoperation 11.1% (vs 11.3%), and 30-day readmission 6.1% (vs 4.8%). Risk-adjusted cumulative sum accurately demonstrated within- and between-surgeon performance variations across these metrics and proved effective when considering division-level data. CONCLUSION: Risk-adjusted cumulative sum adjusts for patient-level risk factors to provide real-time data on surgeon-specific outcomes. This approach enables prompt identification of performance outliers and can contribute to quality assurance, root-cause analysis, and incentivization not only at the surgeon level but at divisional and institutional levels as well.

Is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hierarchical Condition Category Risk Adjustment Model Satisfactory for Quantifying Risk After Spine Surgery?

BACKGROUND: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hierarchical condition category (HCC) coding is a risk adjustment model that allows for the estimation of risk-and cost-associated with health care provision. Current models may not include key factors that fully delineate the risk associated with spine surgery. OBJECTIVE: To augment CMS HCC risk adjustment methodology with socioeconomic data to improve its predictive capabilities for spine surgery. METHODS: The National Inpatient Sample was queried for spinal fusion, and the data was merged with county-level coverage and socioeconomic status variables obtained from the Brookings Institute. We predicted outcomes (death, nonroutine discharge, length of stay [LOS], total charges, and perioperative complication) with pairs of hierarchical, mixed effects logistic regression models-one using CMS HCC score alone and another augmenting CMS HCC scores with demographic and socioeconomic status variables. Models were compared using receiver operating characteristic curves. Variable importance was assessed in conjunction with Wald testing for model optimization. RESULTS: We analyzed 653 815 patients. Expanded models outperformed models using CMS HCC score alone for mortality, nonroutine discharge, LOS, total charges, and complications. For expanded models, variable importance analyses demonstrated that CMS HCC score was of chief importance for models of mortality, LOS, total charges, and complications. For the model of nonroutine discharge, age was the most important variable. For the model of total charges, unemployment rate was nearly as important as CMS HCC score. CONCLUSION: The addition of key demographic and socioeconomic characteristics substantially improves the CMS HCC risk-adjustment models when modeling spinal fusion outcomes. This finding may have important implications for payers, hospitals, and policymakers.

Manual Closed Reduction of Incarcerated Hernia: Is It Safe in the Emergency Department?

BACKGROUND: Emergency surgical repair is the standard approach to the management of an incarcerated abdominal wall hernia (IAWH). In cases of very high-risk patients, manual closed reduction (MCR) of IAWH may prevent the need for emergency surgery. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety, success rate, and complications of MCR in the management of IAWH conducted in an emergency department. METHODS: The data of all patients who underwent MCR between 2012 and 2018 were retrospectively collected. Patient demographics, presenting symptoms, clinical parameters, and management during the hospitalization were retrieved from the medical charts. RESULTS: Overall, 548 patients underwent MCR during the study period. The success rate was 25.4% (139 patients). One patient had a complication that required a laparotomy 2 days after his discharge. A recurrent incarceration occurred in 23%, 60% of them underwent successful repeated MCR and the others underwent emergency surgery. Six patients (1.4%) had a bowel perforation after a failed MCR. CONCLUSIONS: MCR can be performed safely in the emergency department and should be consider as an option to treat IAWH, especially in high operative risk patients.

Association between prehospital transfer distance and surgical mortality in emergency thoracic aortic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether there is an association between prehospital transfer distance and surgical mortality in emergency thoracic aortic surgery. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study using a national clinical database in Japan was conducted. Patients who underwent emergency thoracic aortic surgery from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016, were included. Patients with type B dissection were excluded. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between prehospital transfer distance and surgical mortality. In addition, an instrumental variable analysis was performed to address unmeasured confounding. RESULTS: A total of 12,004 patients underwent emergency thoracic aortic surgeries at 495 hospitals. Surgical mortality was 13.8%. The risk-adjusted mortality odds ratio for standardized distance (mean 12.8 km, standard deviation 15.2 km) was 0.94 (95% confidence interval, 0.87-1.01; P = .09). Instrumental variable analysis did not reveal a significant association between transfer distance and surgical mortality as well. CONCLUSIONS: No significant association was found between surgical mortality and prehospital transfer distance in emergency thoracic aortic surgery cases. Suspected cases of acute thoracic aortic syndrome may be transferred safely to distant high-volume hospitals.

Prevention and management of spinal cord ischemia following aortic surgery: A survey of contemporary practice.

OBJECTIVE: Spinal cord ischemia (SCI) is a devastating complication of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. We aim to characterize current practices pertaining to SCI prevention and treatment across Canada. METHODS: Two questionnaires were developed by the Canadian Thoracic Aortic Collaborative and the Canadian Cardiovascular Critical Care Society targeting aortic surgeons and intensivists. A list of experts in the management of patients at risk of SCI was developed, with representation from each of the Canadian centers that perform complex aortic surgery. RESULTS: The response rate was 91% for both intensivists (21/23), and from cardiac and vascular surgeons (39/43). Most surgeons agreed that staging is important during endovascular repair of extent II thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (60%) but not for open repair (34%). All of the surgeons felt prophylactic lumbar drains were effective in reducing SCI, whereas only 66.7% of intensivists felt that lumbar drains were effective (P < .001). There was consensus among surgeons over when to employ lumbar drains. A majority of surgeons preferred to keep the hemoglobin over 100 g/L if the patient demonstrated loss of lower-extremity function, whereas most intensivists felt a target of 80 g/L was adequate (P < .001). Management of perioperative antihypertensives, use of intraoperative adjuncts, and management of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in the presence of a lumbar drain, were highly variable. CONCLUSIONS: We observed some consensus but considerable variability in the approach to SCI prevention and management across Canada. Future studies focused on the areas of variability may lead to more consistent and improved care for this high-risk population.

Results of transcarotid compared with transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

OBJECTIVES: The femoral artery is the preferred vascular access to perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, the optimal alternative approach has not been elucidated in patients who are not candidates for a transfemoral (TF) access. The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of TAVR performed by the transcarotid (TC) compared with the TF approach. METHODS: This was a single-center study that included 526 consecutive patients who underwent TAVR between 2015 and 2019. TC-TAVR was performed in 127 and TF-TAVR in 399 patients. Postprocedural and 30-day clinical events were evaluated according to main access (TC vs TF) using a multivariate logistic regression model. One-year survival and freedom from neurological events were also evaluated. RESULTS: The prevalence of diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, and peripheral vascular disease was higher in the TC group. In-hospital mortality (3.2% vs 2.0%, adjusted odds ratio, 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.47-7.15; P = .39), and 30-day stroke (2.4% vs 3.3%; odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.21-3.41; P = .81), were similar between groups as were other outcomes: procedural success (98.4% vs 97.0%; P = .52), 30-day cumulative mortality (4.8% vs 2.8%; P = .26), major vascular complication (2.4% vs 4.5%; P = .25), and major/life-threatening bleeding (4.7% vs 6.0%; P = .41) (TC vs TF, respectively). No differences were found among groups regarding survival or neurological events at 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The TC approach is a safe alternate-access strategy for TAVR, and is associated with similar outcomes compared with TF-TAVR, despite a higher disease burden in TC patients.

Surgical stabilization of severe chest wall injury following cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) contributes to significant chest wall injury similar to blunt trauma. With benefits realized for surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRFs) for flail injuries and severely displaced fractures following trauma, SSRF for chest wall injury following CPR could be advantageous, provided good functional and neurologic outlook. Experience is limited. We present a review of patients treated with SSRF at our institution following CPR. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing SSRF following CPR was performed between 2019 and 2020. Perioperative inpatient data were collected with outpatient follow-up as able. RESULTS: Five patients underwent SSRF over the course of the 2-year interval. All patients required invasive ventilation preoperatively or had impending respiratory. Mean age was 59 ± 12 years, with all patients being male. Inciting events for cardiac arrest included respiratory, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, pulseless electrical activity, and anaphylaxis. Time to operation was 6.6 ± 3 days. Four patients demonstrated anterior flail injury pattern with or without sternal fracture, with one patient having multiple severely displaced fractures. Surgical stabilization of rib fracture was performed appropriately to restore chest wall stability. Mean intensive care unit length of stay was 9.8 ± 6.4 days and overall hospital length of stay 24.6 ± 13.2 days. Median postoperative ventilation was 2 days (range, 1-15 days) with two patients developing pneumonia and one requiring tracheostomy. There were no mortalities at 30 days. One patient expired in hospice after a prolonged hospitalization. Disposition destination was variable. No hardware complications were noted on outpatient follow-up, and all surviving patients were home. CONCLUSION: Chest wall injuries are incurred frequently following CPR. Surgical stabilization of these injuries can be considered to promote ventilator liberation and rehabilitation. Careful patient selection is paramount, with surgery offered to those with reversible causes of arrest and good functional and neurologic outcome. Experience is early, with further investigation needed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, Level V.

Pretherapeutic estimated glomerular filtration rate predicts development of chronic kidney disease in patients receiving PSMA-targeted radioligand therapy.

BACKGROUND: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radioligand therapy (RLT) may be associated with renal toxicity. We aimed to identify predictive parameters for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) undergoing RLT. METHODS: In 46 mCRPC patients scheduled for Lu-177-PSMA-RLT, pretherapeutic estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR [ml/min/1.73 m2 ]), Tc-99m-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (Tc-99m-MAG3) clearance and baseline Ga-68-PSMA-ligand positron emission tomography (PET)-derived renal cortical uptake and PSMA-tumor volume (TV) were determined. We tested the predictive capability of these parameters and clinical risk factors for the occurrence of CKD (defined as CTCAE vers. 5.0 grade 2 or higher) during follow-up. RESULTS: After 4 ± 3 cycles of RLT average eGFR declined from 76 ± 17 to 72 ± 20 ml/min/1.73 m2 (p = 0.003). Increased estimated renal radiation dose (eRRD) was significantly associated with renal functional decline (p = 0.008). During follow-up, 16/46 (30.4%) developed CKD grade 2 (no grade 3 or higher). In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, pretherapeutic eGFR was highly accurate in identifying the occurrence of CKD vs no CKD with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.945 (p < 0.001; best threshold, 77 ml/min/1.73 m2 ), followed by Tc-99m-MAG3-derived tubular extraction rate (TER; AUC, 0.831, p < 0.001; best threshold, 200 ml/min/1.73 m2 ). Renal PET signal (p = 0.751) and PSMA-TV (p = 0.942), however, were not predictive. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed adverse renal outcome for patients with lower eGFR (p = 0.001) and lower scintigraphy-derived TER (p = 0.009), with pretherapeutic eGFR emerging as the sole predictive parameter in multivariate analysis (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Serious adverse renal events are not a frequent phenomenon after PSMA-targeted RLT. However, in patients developing moderate CKD after RLT, pretherapeutic eGFR is an independent predictor for renal impairment during follow-up.

Emergency general surgery transfer to lower acuity facility: The role of right-sizing care in emergency general surgery regionalization.

BACKGROUND: Regionalization of emergency general surgery (EGS) has primarily focused on expediting care of high acuity patients through interfacility transfers. In contrast, triaging low-risk patients to a nondesignated trauma facility has not been evaluated. This study evaluates a 16-month experience of a five-surgeon team triaging EGS patients at a tertiary care, Level I trauma center (TC) to an affiliated community hospital 1.3 miles away. METHODS: All EGS patients who presented to the Level I TC emergency department from January 2020 to April 2021 were analyzed. Patients were screened by EGS surgeons covering both facilities for transfer appropriateness including hemodynamics, resource need, and comorbidities. Patients were retrospectively evaluated for disposition, diagnosis, comorbidities, length of stay, surgical intervention, and 30-day mortality and readmission. RESULTS: Of 987 patients reviewed, 31.5% were transferred to the affiliated community hospital, 16.1% were discharged home from the emergency department, and 52.4% were admitted to the Level I TC. Common diagnoses were biliary disease (16.8%), bowel obstruction (15.7%), and appendicitis (14.3%). Compared with Level I TC admissions, Charlson Comorbidity Index was lower (1.89 vs. 4.45, p < 0.001) and length of stay was shorter (2.23 days vs. 5.49 days, p < 0.001) for transfers. Transfers had a higher rate of surgery (67.5% vs. 50.1%, p < 0.001) and lower readmission and mortality (8.4% vs. 15.3%, p = 0.004; 0.6% vs. 5.0%, p < 0.001). Reasons not to transfer were emergency evaluation, comorbidity burden, operating room availability, and established care. No transfers required transfer back to higher care (under-triage). Bed days saved at the Level I TC were 693 (591 inpatients). Total operating room minutes saved were 24,008 (16,919, between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm). CONCLUSION: Transfer of appropriate patients maintains high quality care and outcomes, while improving operating room and bed capacity and resource utilization at a tertiary care, Level I TC. Emergency general surgery regionalization should consider triage of both high-risk and low-risk patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prospective comparative cohort study, Level II.

Timing is everything: Impact of combined long bone fracture and major arterial injury on outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Timing of extremity fracture fixation in patients with an associated major vascular injury remains controversial. Some favor temporary fracture fixation before definitive vascular repair to limit potential graft complications. Others advocate immediate revascularization to minimize ischemic time. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the timing of fracture fixation on outcomes in patients with concomitant long bone fracture and major arterial injury. METHODS: Patients with a combined long bone fracture and major arterial injury in the same extremity requiring operative repair over 11 years were identified and stratified by timing of fracture fixation. Vascular-related morbidity (rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, graft failure, extremity amputation) and mortality were compared between patients who underwent fracture fixation prerevascularization (PRE) or postrevascularization (POST). RESULTS: One hundred four patients were identified: 19 PRE and 85 POST. Both groups were similar with respect to age, sex, Injury Severity Score, admission base excess, 24-hour packed red blood cells, and concomitant venous injury. The PRE group had fewer penetrating injuries (32% vs. 60%, p = 0.024) and a longer time to revascularization (9.5 vs. 5.8 hours, p = 0.0002). Although there was no difference in mortality (0% vs. 2%, p > 0.99), there were more vascular-related complications in the PRE group (58% vs. 32%, p = 0.03): specifically, rhabdomyolysis (42% vs. 19%, p = 0.029), graft failure (26% vs. 8%, p = 0.026), and extremity amputation (37% vs. 13%, p = 0.013). Multivariable logistic regression identified fracture fixation PRE as the only independent predictor of graft failure (odds ratio, 3.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-14.33; p = 0.03) and extremity amputation (odds ratio, 3.924; 95% confidence interval, 1.272-12.111; p = 0.017). CONCLUSION: Fracture fixation before revascularization contributes to increased vascular-related morbidity and was consistently identified as the only modifiable risk factor for both graft failure and extremity amputation in patients with a combined long bone fracture and major arterial injury. For these patients, delaying temporary or definitive fracture fixation until POST should be the preferred approach. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, Level IV.

Could the Pittsburgh Severity Score guide the treatment of esophageal perforation? Experience of a single referral center.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal perforation (EP) is characterized by high morbidity and mortality. The Pittsburgh Severity Score (PSS) is a scoring system based on clinical factors at the time of EP presentation, intended to guide treatment. The aim of the study is to verify PSS usefulness in stratifying EP severity and in guiding clinical decisions. METHODS: All patients referred to our unit for EP between January 2005 and January 2020 were enrolled. Patients were stratified according to their PSS into three groups (PSS ≤ 2, 3-5, and >5): the postoperative outcomes were compared. The predictive value of the PSS was evaluated by simple linear and logistic regression for the following outcomes: need for surgery, complications, in-hospital mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay, time to refeeding, and need for reintervention. RESULTS: Seventy-three patients were referred for EP (male/female, 46/27). Perforations were more frequently iatrogenic (41.1%) or spontaneous (38.3%). The median PSS was 4 (interquartile range, 2-6). Surgery was required in 60.3% of cases. Pittsburgh Severity Score was associated with ICU admission, hospital stay, need for surgery and reintervention, postperforation complications and mortality. After regression analysis, PSS was significantly predictive of postperforation complications (p < 0.01), in-hospital mortality (p = 0.01), ICU admission (p < 0.01), need for surgical treatment (p < 0.01), and need for reintervention (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Pittsburgh Severity Score is useful in stratifying patients in risk groups with different morbidity and mortality. It is also useful in guiding the therapeutic conduct, selecting patients for nonoperative management. Prospective studies are needed to confirm the role of the PSS in the treatment of esophageal perforation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Management, Therapeutic/Care; level IV.

Enoxaparin titrated by anti-Xa levels reduces venous thromboembolism in trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Trauma is a major risk factor for the development of a venous thromboembolism (VTE). After observing higher than expected VTE rates within our center's Trauma Quality Improvement Program data, we instituted a change in our VTE prophylaxis protocol, moving to enoxaparin dosing titrated by anti-Xa levels. We hypothesized that this intervention would lower our symptomatic VTE rates. METHODS: Adult trauma patients at a single institution meeting National Trauma Data Standard criteria from April 2015 to September 2019 were examined with regards to VTE chemoprophylaxis regimen and VTE incidence. Two groups of patients were identified based on VTE protocol-those who received enoxaparin 30 mg twice daily without routine anti-Xa levels ("pre") versus those who received enoxaparin 40 mg twice daily with dose titrated by serial anti-Xa levels ("post"). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to define statistically significant differences in VTE incidence between the two cohorts. RESULTS: There were 1698 patients within the "pre" group and 1406 patients within the "post" group. The two groups were essentially the same in terms of demographics and risk factors for bleeding or thrombosis. There was a statistically significant reduction in VTE rate (p = 0.01) and deep vein thrombosis rate (p = 0.01) but no significant reduction in pulmonary embolism rate (p = 0.21) after implementation of the anti-Xa titration protocol. Risk-adjusted Trauma Quality Improvement Program data showed an improvement in rate of symptomatic pulmonary embolism from fifth decile to first decile. CONCLUSION: A protocol titrating prophylactic enoxaparin dose based on anti-Xa levels reduced VTE rates. Implementation of this type of protocol requires diligence from the physician and pharmacist team. Further research will investigate the impact of protocol compliance and time to appropriate anti-Xa level on incidence of VTE. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/care management, Level IV.

Clinical Outcomes of Robotic Assisted Partial Nephrectomy for Pathologic T3a Renal Masses With Venous Tumor Thrombus.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and early oncologic outcomes of pathologic T3a (pT3a) renal cell carcinoma with venous involvement treated with robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN), given that experience and outcomes in this group is limited. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of patients undergoing RPN from September 2009 to July 2020 was performed. Outcomes were captured from patients with pT3a disease with vein involvement. Clinical characteristics were analyzed using SPSS (IBM, Armonk, NY). Local recurrence-free survival and metastasis-free survival at 2 years were calculated from Kaplan-Meier survival curves. RESULTS: For 45 included patients, mean operative and warm ischemia times were 199.6 ± 47.3 minutes and 30.5 ± 10.5 minutes, with mean estimated blood loss of 324.9 ± 209.5 cc. Rates of transfusion, embolization, re-admission, and re-operation at 30 days were 8.9% (4/45), 2.2% (1/45), 11.1% (5/45), and 6.7% (3/45; cystoscopic stent placement), respectively. All tumors were malignant on pathology, with clear cell renal cell carcinoma being the most common (91.0%, n = 41). The positive margin rate was 6.7% (n = 3). Local recurrence occurred in 4.4% (n = 2) at a mean time of 5.2 ± 2.3 months. Four patients (8.9%) progressed to metastatic disease at a mean of 22.2 ± 23.0 months. At 2 years, local recurrence-free survival was 95.4% and metastasis-free survival was 95.3%. CONCLUSION: We present the largest known series of patients RPN for pT3a renal masses with venous tumor involvement. We found it both feasible and safe in the appropriate hands. Short term oncologic outcomes for these patients appear more favorable than historic literature suggested.

Spinal Versus General Anesthesia for Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate of High-risk Patients - A Propensity-score-matched-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare perioperative management and functional outcome of spinal anesthesia (SpA) to general anesthesia (GA) in high-risk patients treated for lower urinary tract symptoms with Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). METHODS: In the current retrospective analysis, a propensity-score-matching of patients treated for lower urinary tract symptom with HoLEP (n = 300) in SpA with ASA>2 (n = 100), GA with ASA>2 (GA-high-risk) (n = 100) or GA with ASA≤2 (GA-low-risk) (n = 100) was performed. The impact of anesthesiologic mode on perioperative anesthesiologic outcome, early functional outcome and treatment related adverse events (according to Clavien Dindo), was evaluated. RESULTS: Hypotensive episodes were significantly less frequent in the SpA-cohort (9%) compared to the GA-high-risk cohort (32%) and the GA low-risk cohort (22%) (each P <.05 respectively). SpA-patients showed a significantly shorter median time in post anesthesia care unit (PACU-time: 135 minutes; 120-166.5) compared to GA-high-risk patients (186 minutes; 154-189.5), with significant less referrals to Intermediate care unit (1% vs 9 %); (each P <.05). PACU-time (99 minutes) and Intermediate care unit referrals (0%) for GA-low-risk were lower than for both other cohorts. Postoperative requirement for analgesics was significantly lower in the SpA-cohort (2%), compared to both GA-cohorts (74% and 61% respectively; P <.05). No significant difference was found regarding early functional outcome or treatment related adverse events (p-range: 0.201-1.000). CONCLUSION: For patients undergoing HoLEP, SpA provides greater hemodynamic stability and allows faster overall postoperative recovery with preferable pain management. Yielding a comparable functional outcome, it is a safe and efficient alternative to GA in high-risk patients.

Comparison of management strategies for neonates with symptomatic tetralogy of Fallot and weight <2.5 kg.

OBJECTIVE: To compare management strategies for neonates <2.5 kg with tetralogy of Fallot and symptomatic cyanosis who either undergo staged repair (SR) (initial palliation followed by later complete repair) or primary repair (PR). METHODS: Consecutive neonates with tetralogy of Fallot and symptomatic cyanosis weighing <2.5 kg at initial intervention and between 2005 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed from the Congenital Cardiac Research Collaborative. Primary outcome was mortality and secondary outcomes included component (eg, initial palliation, complete repair, or primary repair) and cumulative (SR: initial palliation followed by later complete repair) hospital and intensive care unit lengths of stay, durations of ventilation, inotrope use, cardiopulmonary bypass time, procedural complications, and reintervention. Outcomes were compared with propensity score adjustments with PR as the reference group. RESULTS: The cohort included 76 SR (initial palliation: 53 surgical and 23 transcatheter) and 44 PR patients. The observed risk of overall mortality was similar between SR and PR groups (15.8% vs 18.2%: P = .735). The adjusted hazard of mortality remained similar between groups overall (hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-1.36; P = .214), as well as during short-term (<4 months: hazard ratio, 0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.13-1.09; P = .071) and midterm (>4 months: hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.30-5.79; P = .717) follow-up. Reintervention in the first 18 months was common in both groups (53.2% vs 48.4%; hazard ratio, 1.69; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-2.28; P = .072). Adjusted procedural complications and neonatal morbidity burden were overall lower in the SR group. Cumulative secondary outcome burdens largely favored the PR group. CONCLUSIONS: In this study comparing SR and PR treatment strategies for neonates with tetralogy of Fallot and symptomatic cyanosis and weight <2.5 kg, mortality and reintervention burden was high and independent of treatment strategy. Other potential advantages were observed with each approach.

Management of DOAC in Patients Undergoing Planned Surgery or Invasive Procedure: Italian Federation of Centers for the Diagnosis of Thrombotic Disorders and the Surveillance of the Antithrombotic Therapies (FCSA) Position Paper.

Patients on anticoagulant treatment are constantly increasing, with an estimated prevalence in Italy of 2% of the total population. About a quarter of the anticoagulated patients require temporary cessation of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) or vitamin K antagonists for a planned intervention within 2 years from anticoagulation inception. Several clinical issues about DOAC interruption remain unanswered: many questions are tentatively addressed daily by thousands of physicians worldwide through an experience-based balancing of thrombotic and bleeding risks. Among possible valuable answers, the Italian Federation of Centers for the diagnosis of thrombotic disorders and the Surveillance of the Antithrombotic therapies (FCSA) proposes some experience-based suggestions and expert opinions. In particular, FCSA provides practical guidance on the following issues: (1) multiparametric assessment of thrombotic and bleeding risks based on patients' individual and surgical risk factor, (2) testing of prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and DOAC plasma levels before surgery or invasive procedure, (3) use of heparin, (4) restarting of full-dose DOAC after high risk bleeding surgery, (5) practical nonpharmacological suggestions to manage patients perioperatively. Finally, FCSA suggests creating a multidisciplinary "anticoagulation team" with the aim to define the optimal perioperative management of anticoagulation.

Improved identification of severely injured pediatric trauma patients using reverse shock index multiplied by Glasgow Coma Scale.

BACKGROUND: The shock index pediatric age-adjusted (SIPA) predicts the need for increased resources and mortality among pediatric trauma patients without incorporating neurological status. A new scoring tool, rSIG, which is the reverse shock index (rSI) multiplied by the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), has been proven superior at predicting outcomes in adult trauma patients and mortality in pediatric patients compared with traditional scoring systems. We sought to compare the accuracy of rSIG to Shock Index (SI) and SIPA in predicting the need for early interventions in civilian pediatric trauma patients. METHODS: Patients (aged 1-18 years) in the 2014 to 2018 Pediatric Trauma Quality Improvement Program database with complete heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and total GCS were included. Optimal cut points of rSIG were calculated for predicting blood transfusion within 4 hours, intubation, intracranial pressure monitoring, and intensive care unit admission. From the optimal thresholds, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve were calculated from receiver operating characteristics analyses to predict each outcome and compared with SI and SIPA. RESULTS: A total of 604,931 patients with a mean age of 11.1 years old were included. A minority of patients had a penetrating injury mechanism (5.6%) and the mean Injury Severity Score was 7.6. The mean SI and rSIG scores were 0.85 and 18.6, respectively. Reverse shock index multiplied by Glasgow Coma Scale performed better than SI and SIPA at predicting early trauma outcomes for the overall population, regardless of age. CONCLUSION: Reverse shock index multiplied by Glasgow Coma Scale outperformed SI and SIPA in the early identification of traumatically injured children at risk for early interventions, such as blood transfusion within 4 hours, intubation, intracranial pressure monitoring, and intensive care unit admission. Reverse shock index multiplied by Glasgow Coma Scale adds neurological status in initial patient assessment and may be used as a bedside triage tool to rapidly identify pediatric patients who will likely require early intervention and higher levels of care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic, level III.