Impact of a New Helicopter Base on Transport Time and Survival in a Rural Adult Trauma Population.

BACKGROUND: Significant disparities in access to prompt helicopter transport exist among rural trauma populations. We evaluated the impact of an additional helicopter base on transport time and mortality in a rural adult trauma population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with trauma transported by helicopter from scene to a level one trauma center between 2014 and 2018. A new rural helicopter base added to the trauma center's catchment area in 2016 served as the transition time for an interrupted time series analysis. Patients injured in this base's county and adjoining counties were analyzed. Baseline characteristics were compared with a Student's t-test and Pearson's chi-squared test. Cox and linear regression models evaluated the new base's effect on mortality and transport time, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 332 patients were analyzed: 120 (36.1%) transported before the addition of the new helicopter base and 212 (63.9%) transported after. Patients transported after the addition of the base had higher injury severity score (13.7 versus 10.1, P < 0.001) and were more likely to receive blood en route (19.3% versus 6.7%, P = 0.005). After the addition of the base, there was a decreased hazard ratio for mortality (hazard ratio 0.26, 95% confidence interval: 0.11-0.65, P = 0.004) with no significant change in transport time (-36.7 min, P = 0.071) for the area. CONCLUSIONS: Local helicopter transport units may confer improved survival for the injured patient. This study demonstrates the important role of helicopter transport within a regional trauma system and the impact that expanded access to rapid air transport can have on mortality.

Impact of advanced practice providers (nurse practitioners and physician assistants) on surgical residents' critical care experience.

BACKGROUND: Teaching hospitals often employ advanced practice providers (nurse practitioners and physician assistants or APPs) to counteract residents' work-hour restrictions. With increased utilization of APPs in labor-intense areas, such as intensive care units (ICUs), APPs may have an impact on resident education and experience. No studies have investigated the direct role an APP plays on the training experience of a surgical resident in the ICU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An institutional review board-approved survey was emailed to residents in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited general surgery programs. Surveys asked about demographics, residency and/or ICU characteristics, and the effects of APPs on patient care, workflow, and educational experience. Regression analysis determined predictors of resident perception. RESULTS: A total of 354 of 1178 residents responded to the survey (30%). Some residents felt that nurses calling APPs preferentially for patient-care issues interfered with education (17%) and residents' ability to follow patients (12%) and was associated with overall detrimental effects to ICU experience on regression (odds ratio, 3.7; confidence interval, 1.5-9.1). Most residents reported positive effects of APPs, such as reduced resident workload (79.8%), teaching protocols and/or guidelines (60.3%), enhanced patient care (60.3%), and enhanced communication (50.5%). When asked how APPs affected their overall ICU experience, 48.4% reported positive effects, 20.6% reported "no effect," and 31% reported detrimental effects. CONCLUSIONS: Only a minority of residents perceived that APPs detract from training, particularly those who felt excluded when nurses preferentially contact APPs with patient-care issues. APPs have the potential to enhance training and ICU experience, as reflected in many of the responses. Strategies to maintain direct nurse and resident communication might preserve residents' perception of the educational value of APPs.

Disparities in trauma: the impact of socioeconomic factors on outcomes following traumatic hollow viscus injury.

BACKGROUND: This piece aims to examine the relationships between hollow viscus injury (HVI) and socioeconomic factors in determining outcomes. HVI has well-defined injury patterns with complex postoperative convalescence and morbidity, representing an ideal focus for identifying potential disparities among a homogeneous injury population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review included patients admitted to a level I trauma center with HVI from 2000-2009, as identified in the Trauma Registry of the American College of Surgeons. Patients with concomitant significant solid organ or vasculature injury were excluded. US Census (2000) median household income by zip code was used as socioeconomic proxy. Demographic and injury-related variables were also included. Endpoints were mortality and outcomes associated with HVI morbidity. RESULTS: A total of 933 patients with HVI were identified and 256 met inclusion criteria. There were 23 deaths (9.0%), and mortality was not associated with race, gender, income, or payer source. However, lower median household income was significantly associated with longer intervals to ostomy takedown (P = 0.032). Additionally, private payers had significantly lower rates of anastomotic leak (0% [0/73] versus 7.1% [13/183], P = 0.019) and fascial dehiscence (5.5% [4/73] versus 16.9% [31/183], P = 0.016), while self-payers had significantly higher rates of abscess formation, both overall (24% [24/100] versus 10.2% [16/156], P = 0.004) and among penetrating injuries (27.4% [23/84] versus 13.6% [12/88], P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic status may not impact overall mortality among trauma patients with hollow viscus injuries, but private insurance appears to be protective of morbidity related to anastomotic leak, fascial dehiscence, and abscess formation. This supports that socioeconomic disparity may exist within long-term outcomes, particularly regarding payer source.

Incidence of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiography after Subtotal Fenestrating and Reconstituting Cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy (SC) is used for the difficult cholecystectomy, but published experience with resource use for SC is limited. We hypothesized that the need for advanced resources are common after SC. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective review of laparoscopic cholecystectomies between 2017 and 2021 at a large center. SC cases were identified using a medical record tool. Baseline characteristics were assessed with Student's t -test and chi-square test. Primary outcome was endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) within 60 days. Secondary outcomes were reconstituted SC on postoperative ERC and length of stay (LOS). Uni- and multivariable logistic regression were used for binary outcomes. Multiple linear regression was used for LOS. Covariates included were age, sex, BMI, and American Society of Anesthesiology class. RESULTS: A total of 1,222 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed between 2017 and 2021. Of these, 87 (7%) were SC. Male (p < 0.001) and older (p < 0.001) patients were more likely to undergo SC. Odds of postoperative ERC were higher in the SC group (odds ratio 9.79, 95% CI 5.90 to16.23, p < 0.001). There was no difference in preoperative ERC (17% vs 21%, p = 0.38). Reconstituting SC had lower odds of postoperative ERC (odds ratio 0.12, 95% CI 0.023 to 0.58, p = 0.009). LOS was 1.81 times higher in the SC group (p ≤ 0.001). Postoperative ERC was not associated with LOS (p = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: We present one of the largest single-center series of SC. Patients who underwent SC are more likely to be male, older, have higher American Society of Anesthesiology class, and have increased LOS. SC should be performed when access to ERC and interventional radiology is available. In the absence of these adjuncts, reconstituting SC decreases the need for early ERC, but long-term outcomes are unknown.

The impact of post-operative enteral nutrition on duodenal injury outcomes: A post hoc analysis of an EAST multicenter trial.

BACKGROUND: Leak following surgical repair of traumatic duodenal injuries results in prolonged hospitalization and oftentimes nil per os(NPO) treatment. Parenteral nutrition(PN) has known morbidity; however, duodenal leak(DL) patients often have complex injuries and hospital courses resulting in barriers to enteral nutrition(EN). We hypothesized EN alone would be associated with 1)shorter duration until leak closure and 2)less infectious complications and shorter hospital length of stay(HLOS) compared to PN. METHODS: This was a post-hoc analysis of a retrospective, multicenter study from 35 Level-1 trauma centers, including patients >14 years-old who underwent surgery for duodenal injuries(1/2010-12/2020) and endured post-operative DL. The study compared nutrition strategies: EN vs PN vs EN + PN using Chi-Square and Kruskal-Wallis tests; if significance was found pairwise comparison or Dunn's test were performed. RESULTS: There were 113 patients with DL: 43 EN, 22 PN, and 48 EN + PN. Patients were young(median age 28 years-old) males(83.2%) with penetrating injuries(81.4%). There was no difference in injury severity or critical illness among the groups, however there were more pancreatic injuries among PN groups. EN patients had less days NPO compared to both PN groups(12 days[IQR23] vs 40[54] vs 33[32],p = <0.001). Time until leak closure was less in EN patients when comparing the three groups(7 days[IQR14.5] vs 15[20.5] vs 25.5[55.8],p = 0.008). EN patients had less intra-abdominal abscesses, bacteremia, and days with drains than the PN groups(all p < 0.05). HLOS was shorter among EN patients vs both PN groups(27 days[24] vs 44[62] vs 45[31],p = 0.001). When controlling for predictors of leak, regression analysis demonstrated EN was associated with shorter HLOS(ß -24.9, 95%CI -39.0 to -10.7,p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: EN was associated with a shorter duration until leak closure, less infectious complications, and shorter length of stay. Contrary to some conventional thought, PN was not associated with decreased time until leak closure. We therefore suggest EN should be the preferred choice of nutrition in patients with duodenal leaks whenever feasible. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Does scene physiology predict helicopter transport trauma admission?

BACKGROUND: Helicopter transport (HT) is necessary in the management of civilian trauma; however, its significant expense underscores the need to minimize overuse and inefficiency. Our objective was to determine whether on-scene physiologic criteria predict appropriate triage in HT trauma patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of patients flown from the injury scene to the emergency department of a level 1 trauma center by a university HT service from January 2006 to December 2010. Demographics, mechanism of injury, scene revised trauma score (RTS), travel distance, trauma alert level, payer status, emergency department and hospital disposition, and injury severity scores were queried from the electronic medical record and Trauma Registry of the American College of Surgeons with similar data on patients admitted because of trauma by ground transport for comparison. Proper triage criteria were defined through by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. RESULTS: We identified 2522 HT patients. Of these, 1491 (59%) were properly triaged and 1031 (41%) were overtriaged. Univariate analysis revealed that the mean scene RTS was significantly higher for over- versus proper triage (7.68 ± 0.67 and 6.97 ± 1.57 respectively, P < 0.001). Neither the scene RTS nor travel distance predicted the triage criteria in a regression model (odds ratio 0.37, 95% confidence interval 0.16-0.85, and odds ratio 0.67, 95% confidence interval 0.60-0.74, respectively). Compared with ground transport, admitted HT patients had significantly more blunt trauma, lower scene RTSs, higher injury severity scores, more intensive care unit and ventilator days, a longer length of stay, and a greater travel distance and were more likely to be intubated (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The physiological criteria did not predict the triage status in HT trauma patients. Although >40% of HT patients were overtriaged, they were more severely injured and required greater institutional resources than did the ground transport patients. Overtriage by a helicopter transport program might be appropriate.

The Safe Cholecystectomy: Evaluating the Use of Laparoscopic Subtotal Cholecystectomy Between Junior and Senior Faculty.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic Subtotal Cholecystectomy (SC) is a technique for performing safe cholecystectomy when excessive inflammation prevents exposure of the Critical View of Safety. Studies have evaluated outcomes and complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), with mixed results in terms of surgeon experience. It is unclear if the rate of SC is associated with experience. We hypothesized that the rate of SC would decrease as surgical experience increased. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of LC performed at an academic medical center. Demographics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. We performed a multivariable logistic regression to examine the relationship between years in practice and performance of SC. We performed a sensitivity analysis comparing those in their first year on faculty with all others. RESULTS: Between November 1, 2017, and November 1, 2021, there were 1222 LC performed. 771 patients (63%) were female. 89 patients (7.3%) underwent SC. There were no bile duct injuries requiring reconstruction. Controlling for age, sex, and ASA class, there was no difference in the rate of SC by years of experience (OR .98, 95% CI .94-1.01). In a sensitivity analysis comparing first-year faculty to those beyond their first year, there was also no difference (OR .76, 95% CI 0.42-1.39). DISCUSSION: We find no difference in the rate of performance of SC between junior and senior faculty. This reflects consistency, in keeping with best practice guidelines. This could be confounded by junior faculty requesting assistance during difficult operations. Further investigation into factors affecting decision-making may clarify this.

Multiyear experience with mobile online platform for documentation of acute care surgery fellows supervision.

BACKGROUND: There is currently no standard for documenting supervision of acute care surgery (ACS) fellows. To accomplish this goal, we developed a web-based survey that is accessible via mobile platform. We hypothesize that our mobile access survey is an effective, reproducible tool for assessing fellow clinical performance. METHODS: A retrospective review from 2016 to 2022 of all data captured in an encrypted database on all ACS fellows at our institution was performed. Supervision was defined as: Type 1 direct face-to-face, Type 2a immediately available in-house, Type 2b available after notification via phone with remote electronic medical record access, and Type 3 retrospective review. Data were collected by supervising faculty using a web-based clinical performance survey created by fellowship program leadership. Survey data collected included clinical summary, trainee, proctoring faculty, clinical service, operative/nonoperative, supervision type, Zwisch autonomy scale, time to input data, and graduate medical education milestone performance. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 883 proctoring events were identified, including the majority as Type 1 (97.4%). Trauma comprised 64% of evaluations. Fifty-two percent of the proctoring events were surgical cases. Complexity was graded as average (77%), hardest (16%), basic (7%). Guidance included supervision only, 491 of 666 (74%), with 26% requiring faculty intervention. Fellow performance was graded as average (66%), above average (31%), and below average/critical deficiency (3%). Graduate medical education performance was available for 247 of 883 interactions identifying 31 events with potential for improvement. Average evaluation completion time: 2 minutes (n = 134). CONCLUSION: A mobile web-based survey is a convenient and reliable tool for documenting ACS fellow clinical activity and was effectively used by all ACS faculty to record supervision. A combination of clinical and objective data is useful to determine ACS fellows' performance and to provide targeted education and remediation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level IV.

Early Femoral Access by Acute Care Surgeons: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Prevent Maternal Exsanguination in Placenta Accreta Spectrum.

Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) use has expanded to the obstetric condition of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). Early reports of REBOA for PAS describe prophylactic catheter deployment. We developed a multidisciplinary approach to PAS, with early femoral artery access and selective REBOA deployment. We compared morbidity, mortality, and blood loss before and after implementation of our multidisciplinary protocol for PAS. Prior to, femoral access was obtained only emergently, and maternal death occurred in 2/3 cases (66%). Following protocol implementation, there was one maternal death (6%). There were no access-related complications. We have not yet needed to deploy the REBOA during PAS cases. In contrast to urgent hemorrhage control or prophylactic REBOA deployment, routine early femoral arterial access and selective REBOA deployment as part of a multidisciplinary team approach is a novel strategy for managing PAS. Our experience suggests most PAS cases do not require prophylactic REBOA deployment.

Establishing a core outcomes set for massive transfusion: An Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma modified Delphi method consensus study.

BACKGROUND: The management of severe hemorrhage has changed significantly over recent decades, resulting in a heterogeneous description of diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes in the literature, which is not suitable for data pooling. Therefore, we sought to develop a core outcome set (COS) to help guide future massive transfusion (MT) research and overcome the challenge of heterogeneous outcomes reporting. METHODS: Massive transfusion content experts were invited to participate in a modified Delphi study. For Round 1, participants submitted a list of proposed core outcomes. In subsequent rounds, panelists used a 9-point Likert scale to score proposed outcomes for importance. Core outcomes consensus was defined as >85% of scores receiving 7 to 9 and <15% of scores receiving 1 to 3. Feedback and aggregate data were shared between rounds. RESULTS: From an initial panel of 16 experts, 12 (75%) completed three rounds of deliberation to reevaluate variables not achieving predefined consensus criteria. A total of 64 items were considered, with 4 items achieving consensus for inclusion as core outcomes: blood products received in the first 6 hours, 6-hour mortality, time to mortality, and 24-hour mortality. CONCLUSION: Through an iterative survey consensus process, content experts have defined a COS to guide future MT research. This COS will be a valuable tool for researchers seeking to perform new MT research and will allow future trials to generate data that can be used in pooled analyses with enhanced statistical power. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic Test or Criteria; Level V.

Outcomes among trauma patients with duodenal leak following primary versus complex repair of duodenal injuries: An Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma multicenter trial.

BACKGROUND: Duodenal leak is a feared complication of repair, and innovative complex repairs with adjunctive measures (CRAM) were developed to decrease both leak occurrence and severity when leaks occur. Data on the association of CRAM and duodenal leak are sparse, and its impact on duodenal leak outcomes is nonexistent. We hypothesized that primary repair alone (PRA) would be associated with decreased duodenal leak rates; however, CRAM would be associated with improved recovery and outcomes when leaks do occur. METHODS: A retrospective, multicenter analysis from 35 Level 1 trauma centers included patients older than 14 years with operative, traumatic duodenal injuries (January 2010 to December 2020). The study sample compared duodenal operative repair strategy: PRA versus CRAM (any repair plus pyloric exclusion, gastrojejunostomy, triple tube drainage, duodenectomy). RESULTS: The sample (N = 861) was primarily young (33 years) men (84%) with penetrating injuries (77%); 523 underwent PRA and 338 underwent CRAM. Complex repairs with adjunctive measures were more critically injured than PRA and had higher leak rates (CRAM 21% vs. PRA 8%, p < 0.001). Adverse outcomes were more common after CRAM with more interventional radiology drains, prolonged nothing by mouth and length of stay, greater mortality, and more readmissions than PRA (all p < 0.05). Importantly, CRAM had no positive impact on leak recovery; there was no difference in number of operations, drain duration, nothing by mouth duration, need for interventional radiology drainage, hospital length of stay, or mortality between PRA leak versus CRAM leak patients (all p > 0.05). Furthermore, CRAM leaks had longer antibiotic duration, more gastrointestinal complications, and longer duration until leak resolution (all p < 0.05). Primary repair alone was associated with 60% lower odds of leak, whereas injury grades II to IV, damage control, and body mass index had higher odds of leak (all p < 0.05). There were no leaks among patients with grades IV and V injuries repaired by PRA. CONCLUSION: Complex repairs with adjunctive measures did not prevent duodenal leaks and, moreover, did not reduce adverse sequelae when leaks did occur. Our results suggest that CRAM is not a protective operative duodenal repair strategy, and PRA should be pursued for all injury grades when feasible. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management; Level IV.

Duration of time on intensive insulin therapy predicts severe hypoglycemia in the surgically critically ill population.

BACKGROUND: Hypoglycemia has emerged as a barrier to the practice of intensive insulin therapy. Current literature suggests that hypoglycemia occurs at variable rates and has different effects on outcomes in surgical and medical populations. We sought to determine the incidence, independent predictors, and effect on outcome of severe hypoglycemia (≤ 40 mg/dl) in a surgical population. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on all critically ill surgical patients treated with IIT from October 2004 to February 2007. Euglycemia (goal 80-110 mg/dl) was maintained using automated computerized titration of an insulin infusion. The primary outcome of interest was any episode of severe hypoglycemia (≤ 40 mg/dl). Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent predictors of developing severe hypoglycemia. RESULTS: A total of 60,298 data entries (1,118 patients) for glucose were analyzed. There were 64 severe hypoglycemic episodes in 52 patients (4.6% of the patients). There was a significant increase in deaths among patients who experienced at least one episode of hypoglycemia when compared with those who did not (26.9% vs. 15.3%, P = 0.03). Logistic regression revealed that the time spent on the protocol was the best predictor of developing a hypoglycemic event when controlling for other known risk factors of hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS: Intensive insulin therapy can be implemented with a low percentage of patients (4.6%) experiencing severe hypoglycemia. Mortality rate was higher for patients experiencing hypoglycemia. The duration of the time spent on the protocol was the best predictor of hypoglycemia, suggesting that hypoglycemia is a mathematic probability of prolonged illness, not a reflection of illness severity or demographic features.

Prior Antibiotic Exposure Is Associated With Reoperation After Elective Non-colorectal Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Recent antibiotic exposure has previously been associated with poor outcomes following elective surgery. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of prior recent antibiotic exposure in a multicenter cohort of Veterans Affairs patients undergoing elective non-colorectal surgery. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program, including elective, non-cardiovascular, non-colorectal surgery from 2013 to 2017. Outpatient antibiotic exposure within 90 days prior to surgery was identified from the Veterans Affairs outpatient pharmacy database and matched with each case. Primary outcomes included serious complication, any complication, any infection, or surgical site infection. Secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality, length of stay, and Clostridioides difficile infection. RESULTS: Of 21,112 eligible patients, 2885 (13.7%) were exposed to antibiotics within 90 days prior to surgery with a duration of 7 (IQR: 5-10) days and prescribed 42 (IQR: 21-64) days prior to surgical intervention. Compared to non-exposed patients, exposed patients had higher unadjusted complication rates, increased length of stay, and rates of return to the operating. Exposure was independently associated with return to the operating room (OR: 1.39; 99% CI: 1.05-1.84). CONCLUSIONS: Among Veterans, recent antibiotic exposure within 90 days of elective surgery was associated with a 39% increase in the odds of return to the operating room. Further work is needed to evaluate the effects of antibiotic exposure and dysbiosis on surgical outcomes.

Triaging to a regional acute care surgery center: distance is critical.

BACKGROUND: In acute care surgery, predicting mortality is important to determine appropriate patient transfer to a regional emergency general surgery (EGS) center. We hypothesized that distance to a referral center and severity of illness (SOI) would be predictors of death. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected EGS registry from 2004 to 2008. The study population consisted of all patients discharged from the EGS service with an available home zip code in the registry. Study data included age, gender, length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) LOS, distance between our facility and patient home zip code, and need for operative management. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome/sepsis/shock, peritonitis, perforation, and acute renal failure were used as SOI indicators. Mortality at discharge was the primary outcome. Patients were stratified by survival and compared using non-parametric statistical tests. Logistic regression assessed the simultaneous contribution of age, SOI, and distance to risk of death. RESULTS: A total of 3,439 patients met study criteria. Females slightly outnumbered males (1,813, 52.7%) with a median age of 47 years. The overall LOS was 6.4 days±9.3 days, and 2,331 (67.8%) of the patients underwent operation. Mean distance was 41.5 miles±51.2 miles (median, 22.2). Overall mortality was 2.7%. Increasing distance, age, and presence of SOI indicators were associated with mortality in univariable analyses. In multivariable logistic regression controlling for patient age and SOI, increasing distance in miles was related to increased mortality (odds ratio, 1.005; p<0.001). This odds ratio equates to a doubling in odds of death for each 132 miles between our center and the patient's home zip code. CONCLUSION: Age, SOI, and distance from a regional referral center explain much of the variation in mortality and can be used for triage to regional EGS centers.

Colon anastomosis after damage control laparotomy: recommendations from 174 trauma colectomies.

BACKGROUND: Primary colonic anastomosis in trauma patients has been demonstrated to be safe. However, few studies have investigated this in the setting of damage control laparotomy. We hypothesized that colonic anastomosis for trauma patients requiring an open abdomen (OA) would have a higher anastomotic leak (AL) rate when compared with patients having an immediate abdominal closure following trauma laparotomy. METHODS: We performed a cohort comparison study of all trauma patients who underwent colectomy, between the years 2004 and 2009. Exclusion criteria were mortality within 24 hours of admission or colectomy for indications unrelated to injury. Data collected included age, gender, injury severity score, mechanism, length of stay, and mortality. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the relationship of OA to our primary outcome measure, AL. RESULTS: Totally, 174 patients met study criteria. Fecal diversion was performed in 58 patients, and colonic anastomosis was performed in the remaining 116 patients. Patients with OA had a clinically significant increase in AL rate compared with immediate abdominal closure (6% vs. 27%, p=0.002). Logistic regression demonstrated that OA was independently associated with AL, with OA patients having more than a sixfold increase in odds of AL compared with those who were closed (odds ratio=6.37, p=0.002, area under the receiver operator curve=0.72). Transfusion requirement and left-sided anastomosis were risk factors for leak. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a colonic anastomosis and an OA have an unacceptably high leak rate compared with those who undergo reconstruction with immediate closure. Given the significant risk of AL, colonic anastomosis should not be routinely performed in patients with OA.

Does regionalization of acute care surgery decrease mortality?

BACKGROUND: During the initial development of an Emergency General Surgery (EGS) service, severity of illness (SOI) can be expected to be high and should decrease as the service matures. We hypothesize that a matured regional EGS service would show decreasing mortality and length of stay (LOS) over time. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of a prospectively collected EGS registry data from 2004 to 2009. Patients were included if they had been discharged from the EGS service and were stratified by year of discharge. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome, sepsis, shock, peritonitis, perforation, and acute renal failure were used as markers of SOI. Patients were defined as high acuity if they had one or more of these SOI markers. Differences in mortality, LOS, intensive care unit admissions, SOI, charges, and distance were compared across and between years using nonparametric statistical tests (Fisher's exact, Wilcoxon rank-sum, and Kruskal-Wallis tests). RESULTS: A total of 3,439 patients met study criteria. The mean age was 47 years ± 17.5 years. The majority of the patients were female (1,813, 47.3%). The overall LOS was 6.4 days ± 9.4 days (median, 4 days). In all, 2,331 (67.8%) of the patients underwent operation. Over the course of the study period, the SOI indicators stabilized at between 13% and 17% of the patient population with at least one indicator. During that time period, mortality steadily decreased from 4.9% to 1.3% (p < 0.5). CONCLUSION: Despite consistently high SOI, a dedicated and matured EGS service demonstrated a decrease in mortality and LOS.

Regional ethics of surgeon resuscitation for organ transplantation after lethal injury.

BACKGROUND: Trauma patients may present with nonsurvivable injuries, which could be resuscitated for future organ transplantation. Trauma surgeons face an ethical dilemma of deciding whether, when, and how to resuscitate a patient who will not directly benefit from it. As there are no established guidelines to follow, we aimed to describe resuscitation practices for organ transplantation; we hypothesized that resuscitation practices vary regionally. METHOD: Over a 3-month period, we surveyed trauma surgeons practicing in Levels I and II trauma centers within a single state using an instrument to measure resuscitation attitudes and practices for organ preservation. Descriptive statistics were calculated for practice patterns. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 51% (31/60). Many (81%) had experience with resuscitations where the primary goal was to preserve potential for organ transplantation. Many (90%) said they encountered this dilemma at least monthly. All respondents were willing to intubate; most were willing to start vasopressors (94%) and to transfuse blood (84%) (range, 1 unit to >10 units). Of respondents, 29% would resuscitate for ≥24 hours, and 6% would perform a resuscitative thoracotomy. Respect for patients' dying process and future organ quality were the factors most frequently considered very important or important when deciding to stop or forgo resuscitation, followed closely by concerns about excessive resource use. CONCLUSION: Trauma surgeons' regional resuscitation practices vary widely for this patient population. This variation implies a lack of professional consensus regarding initiation and extent of resuscitations in this setting. These data suggest this is a common clinical challenge, which would benefit from further study to determine national variability, areas of equipoise, and features amenable to practice guidelines.

Glucose metabolism, not obesity, predicts mortality in critically ill surgical patients.

Our hypothesis was to determine if insulin resistance and hyperglycemia, rather than obesity, are predictive of mortality in the surgically critically ill. An observational study of an automated protocol in surgical and trauma intensive care units was performed. Two groups were created based on body mass index (BMI): Obese (OB) defined as BMI > or = 30 (n = 338) and nonobese defined as BMI < 30 (n = 885). Euglycemia was maintained using an automated protocol using an adapting multiplier, which we used as our marker of stress insulin resistance. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. One thousand, two hundred and twenty-three patients met criteria with 73,225 glucose values. The OB group required more insulin (4.5 U/hr vs 3.2 U/hr, P < or = 0.01) and had a higher mean multiplier (0.07 vs 0.06, P < 0.01) reflecting insulin resistance. There was no difference in mortality between OB and nonobese (11.6% vs 11.5%, P = 0.96). Logistic regression showed that insulin dose (odds ratio 0.864; 95% confidence interval 0.772-0.967, P = 0.01), and not BMI, was an independent predictor of survival in this population. Obesity is not an independent risk factor for mortality in the surgical critical care population. Insulin resistance and subsequent hyperglycemia are increased in obesity and are independent predictors of mortality.

Severe hypoglycemia while on intensive insulin therapy is not an independent predictor of death after trauma.

BACKGROUND: Fear of the adverse effects of hypoglycemia has limited the widespread application of intensive insulin therapy (goal, 80-110 mg/dL) in the trauma population. We hypothesized that severe hypoglycemia (SH;