Provider Perceptions Regarding Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Surgical Patients with Frailty.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the perceptions of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and geriatricians regarding perioperative CPR in surgical patients with frailty. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The population of patients undergoing surgery is growing older and more frail. Despite a growing focus on goal-concordant care, frailty assessment, and debate regarding the appropriateness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in patients with frailty, providers' views regarding frailty and perioperative CPR are unknown. METHODS: We performed qualitative thematic analysis of transcripts from semi-structured interviews of anesthesiologists (8), surgeons (10), and geriatricians (9) who care for high-risk surgical patients at two academic medical centers in Boston, MA. The interview guide elicited clinicians' understanding of frailty, approach to decision-making regarding perioperative CPR, and perceptions of perioperative CPR in frail surgical patients. RESULTS: We identified 5 themes: perceptions of perioperative CPR in patients with frailty vary by provider specialty; judgments regarding appropriateness of CPR in surgical patients with frailty are typically multifactorial and include patient goals, age, comorbidities, and arrest etiology; resuscitation in patients with frailty is sometimes associated with moral distress; biases such as ableism and ageism may skew clinicians' perceptions of appropriateness of perioperative CPR in patients with frailty; and evidence to guide risk stratification for patients with frailty undergoing perioperative CPR is inadequate. CONCLUSIONS: Anesthesiologists, surgeons, and geriatricians offer different accounts of frailty's relevance to judgments regarding CPR in surgical patients. Divergent views regarding frailty and perioperative CPR may impede efforts to deliver goal-concordant care and suggest a need for research to inform risk stratification, predict patient-centered outcomes, and understand the role of potential biases such as ageism and ableism.

Beyond the Do-not-resuscitate Order: An Expanded Approach to Decision-making Regarding Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Older Surgical Patients.

American Society of Anesthesiologists guidelines recommend that anesthesiologists revisit do-not-resuscitate orders preoperatively and revise them if necessary based on patient preferences. In patients without do-not-resuscitate orders or other directives limiting treatment however, "full code" is the default option irrespective of clinical circumstances and patient preferences. It is time to revisit this approach based on (1) increasing understanding of the power of default options in healthcare settings, (2) changing demographics and growing evidence suggesting that an expanding subset of patients is vulnerable to poor outcomes after perioperative cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and (3) recommendations from multiple societies promoting risk assessment and goal-concordant care in older surgical patients. The authors reconsider current guidelines in the context of these developments and advocate for an expanded approach to decision-making regarding CPR, which involves identifying high-risk elderly patients and eliciting their preferences regarding CPR irrespective of existing or presumed code status.

Outcomes for individuals turned down for living kidney donation.

BACKGROUND: A better understanding of the consequences of being turned down for living kidney donation could help transplant professionals to counsel individuals considering donation. METHODS: In this exploratory study, we used survey instruments and qualitative interviews to characterize nonmedical outcomes among individuals turned down for living kidney donation between July 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013. We assembled a comparator group of kidney donors. RESULTS: Among 83 turned-down donors with contact information at a single center, 43 (52%) participated in the study (median age 53 years; 53% female; 19% black). Quality of life, depression, financial stress, and provider empathy scores were similar between individuals turned down for donation (n = 43) and donors (n = 128). Participants selected a discrete choice response to a statement about the overall quality of their lives; 32% of turned-down donors versus 7% of donors (P < 0.01) assessed that their lives were worse after the center's decision about whether they could donate a kidney. Among turned-down donors who reported that life had worsened, 77% had an intended recipient who was never transplanted, versus 36% among individuals who assessed life as the same or better (P = 0.02). In interviews, the majority of turned-down donors reported emotional impact, including empathy, stress, and other challenges, related to having someone in their lives with end-stage kidney disease. CONCLUSIONS: Generic instruments measuring quality of life, depression, financial stress, and provider empathy revealed no significant differences between kidney donors and turned-down donors. However, qualitative interviews revealed preliminary evidence that some turned-down donors experienced emotional consequences. These findings warrant confirmation in larger studies.

Transforming Living Kidney Donation with a Comprehensive Strategy.

Matthew Allen and Peter Reese argue that evidence-based efforts should be implemented to expand living kidney donation.

Accuracy of frailty instruments in predicting outcomes following perioperative cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is associated with increased 30-day mortality and non-home discharge following perioperative cardiac arrest. We estimated the predictive accuracy of frailty when added to baseline risk prediction models. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study using 2015-2020 NSQIP data for 3048 patients aged 50+ undergoing non-cardiac surgery and resuscitation on post-operative day 0 (i.e., intraoperatively or postoperatively on the day of surgery), baseline models including age, sex, ASA physical status, preoperative sepsis or septic shock, and emergent surgery were compared to models that added frailty indices, either RAI or mFI-5, to predict 30-day mortality and non-home discharge. Predictive accuracy was characterized by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC), integrated calibration index (ICI), and continuous net reclassification index (NRI). RESULTS: 1786 patients (58.6%) died in the study cohort within 30 days, and 38.6% of eligible patients experienced non-home discharge. The baseline model showed good discrimination (AUC-ROC 0.77 for 30-day mortality and 0.74 for non-home discharge). AUC-ROC and ICI did not significantly change after adding frailty for 30-day mortality or non-home discharge. Adding RAI significantly improved NRI for 30-day mortality and non-home discharge; however, the magnitude was small and difficult to interpret, given other results including false positive and negative rates showing no difference in predictive accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating frailty did not significantly improve predictive accuracy of models for 30-day mortality and non-home discharge following perioperative resuscitation. Thus, demonstrated associations between frailty and outcomes of perioperative resuscitation may not translate into improved predictive accuracy. When engaging patients in shared decision-making regarding do-not-resuscitate orders perioperatively, providers should acknowledge uncertainty in anticipating resuscitation outcomes.

Evaluation of Retrospective Patient Preference on Extent of Resection of Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas.

BACKGROUND: Neurosurgeons treat nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas by surgical resection. Based on the adherence of the tumor to the normal pituitary gland, operative risks may include hormone replacement therapy for postoperative hypopituitarism with gross total resection that injures the gland or recurrent tumor with subtotal resection and purposeful avoidance of gland manipulation. None of the patients presented in this article had a preoperative preference regarding extent of resection. This study aimed to evaluate postoperative patient preferences regarding extent of resection. METHODS: Adult patients who underwent resection of adenomas between 2015 and 2023 were retrospectively reviewed and surveyed. After surgery, participating patients were asked for their preference regarding 100% tumor resection with lifelong daily hormone replacement therapy versus 90% tumor resection with a chance of recurrence in the hypothetical situation where the neurosurgeon encounters tumor adherent to the normal gland. RESULTS: Of the 73 patients included, 54 (74.0%) responded to the survey, with the majority (36 [66.7%]) preferring 90% resection with the chance of tumor recurrence. Tumor recurrence (odds ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval 2.1-2.5, P = 0.03) and steroid avoidance (odds ratio 2.2, 95% confidence interval 2.0-2.4, P = 0.04) were the 2 variables that were significant predictors of patient preference in multivariate regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Although patients may not have the preoperative insight or experience to have a strong conviction regarding the extent of adenoma resection, the consequences following surgery clearly influence their preference. Most patients in our study, including patients with gross total resection and especially patients who experienced side effects of steroid therapy, preferred subtotal resection with the chance of tumor recurrence over hormone replacement therapy.

Clinical trial: comparative effectiveness of cephalexin plus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole versus cephalexin alone for treatment of uncomplicated cellulitis: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) is the most common organism isolated from purulent skin infections. Antibiotics are usually not beneficial for skin abscess, and national guidelines do not recommend CA-MRSA coverage for cellulitis, except purulent cellulitis, which is uncommon. Despite this, antibiotics targeting CA-MRSA are prescribed commonly and increasingly for skin infections, perhaps due, in part, to lack of experimental evidence among cellulitis patients. We test the hypothesis that antibiotics targeting CA-MRSA are beneficial in the treatment of cellulitis. METHODS: We performed a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial from 2007 to 2011. We enrolled patients with cellulitis, no abscesses, symptoms for <1 week, and no diabetes, immunosuppression, peripheral vascular disease, or hospitalization (clinicaltrials.gov NCT00676130). All participants received cephalexin. Additionally, each was randomized to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or placebo. We provided 14 days of antibiotics and instructed participants to continue therapy for ≥1 week, then stop 3 days after they felt the infection to be cured. Our main outcome measure was the risk difference for treatment success, determined in person at 2 weeks, with telephone and medical record confirmation at 1 month. RESULTS: We enrolled 153 participants, and 146 had outcome data for intent-to-treat analysis. Median age was 29, range 3-74. Of intervention participants, 62/73 (85%) were cured versus 60/73 controls (82%), a risk difference of 2.7% (95% confidence interval, -9.3% to 15%; P = .66). No covariates predicted treatment response, including nasal MRSA colonization and purulence at enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients diagnosed with cellulitis without abscess, the addition of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole to cephalexin did not improve outcomes overall or by subgroup. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT00676130.

Frailty and Outcomes Following Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for Perioperative Cardiac Arrest.

Importance: Frailty is associated with mortality following surgery and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for in-hospital cardiac arrest. Despite the growing focus on frailty as a basis for preoperative risk stratification and concern that CPR in patients with frailty may border on futility, the association between frailty and outcomes following perioperative CPR is unknown. Objective: To determine the association between frailty and outcomes following perioperative CPR. Design, Setting, and Participants: This longitudinal cohort study of patients used the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, including more than 700 participating hospitals in the US, from January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2020. Follow-up duration was 30 days. Patients 50 years or older undergoing noncardiac surgery who received CPR on postoperative day 0 were included; patients were excluded if data required to determine frailty, establish outcome, or perform multivariable analyses were missing. Data were analyzed from September 1, 2022, through January 30, 2023. Exposures: Frailty defined as Risk Analysis Index (RAI) of 40 or greater vs less than 40. Outcomes and Measures: Thirty-day mortality and nonhome discharge. Results: Among the 3149 patients included in the analysis, the median age was 71 (IQR, 63-79) years, 1709 (55.9%) were men, and 2117 (69.2%) were White. Mean (SD) RAI was 37.73 (6.18), and 792 patients (25.9%) had an RAI of 40 or greater, of whom 534 (67.4%) died within 30 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression adjusting for race, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, sepsis, and emergency surgery demonstrated a positive association between frailty and mortality (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.35 [95% CI, 1.11-1.65]; P = .003). Spline regression analysis demonstrated steadily increasing probability of mortality and nonhome discharge with increasing RAI above 37 and 36, respectively. Association between frailty and mortality following CPR varied by procedure urgency (AOR for nonemergent procedures, 1.55 [95% CI, 1.23-1.97]; AOR for emergent procedures, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.68-1.37]; P = .03 for interaction). An RAI of 40 or greater was associated with increased odds of nonhome discharge compared with an RAI of less than 40 (AOR, 1.85 [95% CI, 1.31-2.62]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this cohort study suggest that although roughly 1 in 3 patients with an RAI of 40 or greater survived at least 30 days following perioperative CPR, higher frailty burden was associated with increased mortality and greater risk of nonhome discharge among survivors. Identifying patients who are undergoing surgery and have frailty may inform primary prevention strategies, guide shared decision-making regarding perioperative CPR, and promote goal-concordant surgical care.

Preoperative Code Status Discussion Workflows: Targets for Improvement in Multidisciplinary Pathways.

CONTEXT: Discussion of perioperative code status is an important element of preoperative care and a component of the American College of Surgeons' Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) program. Evidence suggests code status discussions (CSDs) are not routinely performed and are inconsistently documented. OBJECTIVES: Because preoperative decision making is a complex process spanning multiple providers, this study aims to utilize process mapping to highlight challenges associated with CSDs and inform efforts to improve workflows and implement elements of the GSV program. METHODS: Using process mapping, we detailed workflows relating to (CSDs) for patients undergoing thoracic surgery and a possible workflow for implementing GSV standards for goals and decision-making. RESULTS: We generated process maps for outpatient and day-of-surgery workflows relating to CSDs. In addition, we generated a process map for a potential workflow to address limitations and integrate GSV Standards for Goals and Decision Making. CONCLUSION: Process mapping highlighted challenges associated with the implementation of multidisciplinary care pathways and indicated a need for centralization and consolidation of perioperative code status documentation.

Peri-procedural code status for transcatheter aortic valve replacement: Absence of program policies and standard practices.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about policies and practices for patients undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) who have a documented preference for Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) status at time of referral. We investigated how practices across TAVR programs align with goals of care for patients presenting with DNR status. METHODS: Between June and September 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews with TAVR coordinators from 52/73 invited programs (71%) in Washington and California (TAVR volume > 100/year:34%; 50-99:36%; 1-50:30%); 2 programs reported no TAVR in 2018. TAVR coordinators described peri-procedural code status policies and practices and how they accommodate patients' goals of care. We used data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry, stratified by programs' DNR practice, to examine differences in program size, patient characteristics and risk status, and outcomes. RESULTS: Nearly all TAVR programs (48/50: 96%) addressed peri-procedural code status, yet only 26% had established policies. Temporarily rescinding DNR status until after TAVR was the norm (78%), yet time frames for reinstatement varied (38% <48 h post-TAVR; 44% 48 h-to-discharge; 18% >30 days post-discharge). For patients with fluctuating code status, no routine practices for discharge documentation were well-described. No clinically substantial differences by code status practice were noted in Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality risk score, peri-procedural or in-hospital cardiac arrest, or hospice disposition. Six programs maintaining DNR status recognized TAVR as a palliative procedure. Among programs categorically reversing patients' DNR status, the rationale for differing lengths of time to reinstatement reflect divergent views on accountability and reporting requirements. CONCLUSIONS: Marked heterogeneity exists in management of peri-procedural code status across TAVR programs, including timeframe for reestablishing DNR status post-procedure. These findings call for standardization of DNR decisions at specific care points (before/during/after TAVR) to ensure consistent alignment with patients' health-related goals and values.

Cancellation of scheduled procedures as a mechanism to generate hospital bed surge capacity-a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The ability to generate hospital beds in response to a mass-casualty incident is an essential component of public health preparedness. Although many acute care hospitals' emergency response plans include some provision for delaying or cancelling elective procedures in the event of an inpatient surge, no standardized method for implementing and quantifying the impact of this strategy exists in the literature. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology to prospectively emergency plan for implementing a strategy of delaying procedures and quantifying the potential impact of this strategy on creating hospital bed capacity. METHODS: This is a pilot study. A categorization methodology was devised and applied retrospectively to all scheduled procedures during four one-week periods chosen by convenience. The categorization scheme grouped procedures into four categories: (A) procedures with no impact on inpatient capacity; (B) procedures that could be delayed indefinitely; (C) procedures that could be delayed by one week; and (D) procedures that could not be delayed. The categorization scheme was applied by two research assistants and an emergency medicine resident. All three raters categorized the first 100 cases to allow for calculation of inter-rater reliability. Maximal hospital bed capacity was defined as the 95th percentile weekday occupancy, as this is more representative of functional bed capacity than is the number of licensed beds. The main outcome was the number of hospital beds that could be created by postponing procedures in categories B and C. RESULTS: Maximal hospital bed capacity was 816 beds. Mean occupancy during weekdays was 759 versus 694 on weekends. By postponing Group B and C procedures, a mean of 60 beds (51 general medical/surgical and nine intensive care unit (ICU)) could be created on weekdays, and four beds (three general medical/surgical and one ICU) on weekends. This represents 7.3% and 0.49% of maximal hospital bed capacity and ICU capacity, respectively. In the event that sustained surge is needed, delaying all category B and C procedures for one week would lead to the generation of 1,235 hospital-bed days. Inter-rater reliability was high (kappa = 0.74) indicating good agreement between all three raters. CONCLUSIONS: For the institution studied, the strategy of delaying scheduled procedures could generate inpatient capacity with maximal impact during weekdays and little impact on weekends. Future research is needed to validate the categorization scheme and increase the ability to predict inpatient surge capacity across various hospital types and sizes.

Population aging and emergency departments: visits will not increase, lengths-of-stay and hospitalizations will.

With US emergency care characterized as "at the breaking point," we studied how the aging of the US population would affect demand for emergency department (ED) services and hospitalizations in the coming decades. We applied current age-specific ED visit rates to the population structure anticipated by the Census Bureau to exist through 2050. Our results indicate that the aging of the population will not cause the number of ED visits to increase any more than would be expected from population growth. However, the data do predict increases in visit lengths and the likelihood of hospitalization. As a result, the aggregate amount of time patients spend in EDs nationwide will increase 10 percent faster than population growth. This means that ED capacity will have to increase by 10 percent, even without an increase in the number of visits. Hospital admissions from the ED will increase 23 percent faster than population growth, which will require hospitals to expand capacity faster than required by raw population growth alone.

The time burden of alcohol-based hand cleanser when using nonsterile gloves.

We quantified the time burden of alcohol-based handrub accompanying nonsterile-glove use among emergency physicians, through observation in controlled and clinical settings. We report gloving episodes per hour, gloving times with and without handrub, and handrub recommendations compliance. Handrub adds 46 seconds to each glove-use episode, and we provide national extrapolations.

Preferences for resuscitation and intubation among patients with do-not-resuscitate/do-not-intubate orders.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of do-not-resuscitate/do-not-intubate (DNR/DNI) orders in representing patient preferences regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and intubation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective survey study of patients with documented DNR/DNI code status at an urban academic tertiary care center that serves approximately 250,000 patients per year. From October 1, 2010, to October 1, 2011, research staff enrolled a convenience sample of patients from the inpatient medical service, providing them with a series of emergency scenarios for which they related their treatment preference. We used the Kendall τ rank correlation coefficient to examine correlation between degree of illness reversibility and willingness to be resuscitated. Using bivariate statistical analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis, we examined predictors of discrepancies between code status and patient preferences. Our main outcome measure was the percentage of patients with DNR/DNI orders wanting CPR and/or intubation in each scenario. We hypothesized that patients with DNR/DNI orders would frequently want CPR and/or intubation. RESULTS: We enrolled 100 patients (mean ± SD age, 78 ± 13.7 years). A total of 58% (95% CI, 48%-67%) wanted intubation for angioedema, 28% (95% CI, 20%-3.07%) wanted intubation for severe pneumonia, and 20% (95% CI, 13%-29%) wanted a trial resuscitation for cardiac arrest. The desire for intubation decreased as potential reversibility of the acute disease process decreased (Kendall τ correlation coefficient, 0.45; P<.0002). CONCLUSION: Most patients with DNR/DNI orders want CPR and/or intubation in hypothetical clinical scenarios, directly conflicting with their documented DNR/DNI status. Further research is needed to better understand the discrepancy and limitations of DNR/DNI orders.

Analysis of user behavior in accessing electronic medical record systems in emergency departments.

Electronic patient tracking and records systems in emergency departments often connect to hospital information systems, ambulatory patient records and ancillary systems. The networked systems may not be fully interoperable and clinicians need to access data through different interfaces. This study was conducted to describe the interactive behavior of clinicians working with partially interoperable clinical information systems. We performed 78 hours of observation at two emergency departments, shadowing five physicians, ten nurses and four administrative staff. Actions related to viewing or recording data in any system or on paper were recorded. Collected data were compared along clinical roles and contrasted with findings across the two hospital sites. The findings suggest that differences in the levels of interoperability may affect the ways physicians and nurses interact with the systems. When tradeoffs in functionality are necessary for connecting ancillary systems, the effects on clinicians and staff need to be considered.