Outcomes of Patients Discharged to Skilled Nursing Facilities After Acute Care Hospitalizations.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate previously independent older patients discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and identify risk factors for failure to return home and death and development of a predictive tool to determine likelihood of adverse outcome. BACKGROUND: Little is known about the likelihood of return to home, and higher than expected mortality rates in SNFs have recently been described, which may represent an opportunity for quality improvement. METHODS: Retrospective cohort of older hospitalized patients discharged to SNFs during 2007 to 2009 in 5 states using Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services linked minimum data set data from SNFs. We assessed mortality, hospital readmission, discharge to home, and logistic regression models for predicting risk of each outcome. RESULTS: Of 416,997 patients, 3.8% died during the initial SNF stay, 28.6% required readmission, and 60.5% were ultimately discharged home. Readmission to a hospital was the strongest predictor of death in the years after SNF admission (unadjusted hazard ratio, 28.2; 95% confidence interval, 27.2-29.3; P < 0.001). Among all patients discharged to SNFs, 7.8% eventually died in an SNF and overall 1-year mortality was 26.1%. Risk factors associated with mortality and failure to return home were increasing age, male sex, increasing comorbidities, decreased cognitive function, decreased functional status, parenteral nutrition, and pressure ulcers. CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of older patients discharging to SNFs never return home. A better understanding of the natural history of patients sent to SNFs after hospitalization and risk factors for failure to return to home, readmission, and death should help identify opportunities for interventions to improved outcome.

Ketorolac Use and Postoperative Complications in Gastrointestinal Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between ketorolac use and postoperative complications. BACKGROUND: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may impair wound healing and increase the risk of anastomotic leak in colon surgery. Studies to date have been limited by sample size, inability to identify confounding, and a focus limited to colon surgery. METHODS: Ketorolac use, reinterventions, emergency department (ED) visits, and readmissions in adults (≥ 18 years) undergoing gastrointestinal (GI) operations was assessed in a nationwide cohort using the MarketScan Database (2008-2012). RESULTS: Among 398,752 patients (median age 52, 45% male), 55% underwent colorectal surgery, whereas 45% had noncolorectal GI surgery. Five percent of patients received ketorolac. Adjusting for demographic characteristics, comorbidities, surgery type/indication, and preoperative medications, patients receiving ketorolac had higher odds of reintervention (odds ratio [OR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.32), ED visit (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.37-1.51), and readmission within 30 days (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.18) compared to those who did not receive ketorolac. Ketorolac use was associated with readmissions related to anastomotic complications (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.06-1.36). Evaluating only admissions with ≤ 3 days duration to exclude cases where ketorolac might have been used for complication-related pain relief, the odds of complications associated with ketorolac were even greater. CONCLUSIONS: Use of intravenous ketorolac was associated with greater odds of reintervention, ED visit, and readmission in both colorectal and noncolorectal GI surgery. Given this confirmatory evaluation of other reports of a negative association and the large size of this cohort, clinicians should exercise caution when using ketorolac in patients undergoing GI surgery.

Structure, process, and outcomes in skilled nursing facilities: understanding what happens to surgical patients when they cannot go home. A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The surgical population is aging, and greater numbers of surgical patients are being discharged to skilled nursing facilities. Post-acute care is a poorly understood but very important aspect of our healthcare system. METHODS: This systematic review examines the current body of literature surrounding the structural, process of care, and outcomes measurements for patients in skilled nursing facilities. English language articles published between 1998 and 2011 that purposed to examine nursing facility structure, process of care, and/or outcomes were included. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: Abstracts (2129) were screened and 102 articles were reviewed in full. Twenty-nine articles were included in the qualitative synthesis. The role of the care setting and care delivery in contributing to outcomes has not been well studied, and no strong conclusions can be made. This area of care currently represents a "black box" to practicing surgeons. An understanding of these factors maybe instrumental to determining future directions for research to maximize positive outcomes for these patients.

Moving beyond survival as a measure of success: understanding the patient experience of necrotizing soft-tissue infections.

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) represent a devastating spectrum of disease with high case mortality and resource intensive care. Treatment consists of wide surgical debridement and often prolonged periods of intensive care unit care. Major complications are common. The severity of the disease and the aggressive treatment requirements put survivors at risk for significant long-term sequelae related to the trauma of both disease and treatment. Information about the postdischarge impact of NSTIs on survivors is extremely limited. Qualitative approaches are typically used to explore new phenomena and to capture individuals' thoughts, feelings, or interpretations of meaning and process. Therefore, qualitative methods are ideally suited for hypothesis generation to guide future quantitative study and ensure measured outcomes are patient-centered. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with survivors of NSTIs from a single regional referral center. Stratified purposive sampling was used to select interview candidates based on severity of illness. Descriptive thematic analysis was performed to identify major themes described by the patients. RESULTS: Interviews with 18 survivors identified three primary domains of experience: (1) individual factors, (2) relational factors, and (3) societal factors. These domains were split into the following two categories: factors effecting the disease process and recovery, and factors that were outcomes of the disease process. Each category yielded between one and seven themes. Themes identified included physical, psychological, relationship, and employment aspects. CONCLUSIONS: Patient's reported quality of life was significantly affected by their disease and recovery. The results demonstrate that many outcomes of importance for patients are not easily assessed by traditional measures of outcomes. This work illustrates the multidimensional nature of recovery from critical illness, and shows that it represents a massive transition period in the lives of survivors that affects the patient, their family, and the patient's ability to interact with society. Interviews with survivors ensure that the patient voice is heard before developing tools to assess long-term outcomes.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the risk for anastomotic failure: a report from Washington State's Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program (SCOAP).

IMPORTANCE: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have many physiologic effects and are being used more commonly to treat postoperative pain, but recent small studies have suggested that NSAIDs may impair anastomotic healing in the gastrointestinal tract. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between postoperative NSAID administration and anastomotic complications. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cohort study of 13,082 patients undergoing bariatric or colorectal surgery at 47 hospitals in Washington State from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2010, using data from the Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program linked to the Washington State Comprehensive Abstract Reporting System. EXPOSURE: NSAID administration beginning within 24 hours after surgery. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We used multivariate logistic regression modeling to assess the risk for anastomotic complications (reoperation, rescue stoma, revision of an anastomosis, and percutaneous drainage of an abscess) through 90 days after bariatric and colorectal surgery involving anastomoses. RESULTS: Of the 13,082 patients (mean [SD] age, 58.1 [15.8] years; 60.7% women), 3158 (24.1%) received NSAIDs. The overall 90-day rate of anastomotic leaks was 4.3% for all patients (151 patients [4.8%] in the NSAID group and 417 patients [4.2%] in the non-NSAID group; P=.16). After risk adjustment, NSAIDs were associated with a 24% increased risk for anastomotic leak (odds ratio, 1.24 [95% CI, 1.01-1.56]; P=.04). This association was isolated to nonelective colorectal surgery, for which the leak rate was 12.3% in the NSAID group and 8.3% in the non-NSAID group (odds ratio, 1.70 [95% CI, 1.11-2.68]; P=.01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Postoperative NSAIDs were associated with a significantly increased risk for anastomotic complications among patients undergoing nonelective colorectal resection. To determine the role of NSAIDs in colorectal surgery, future evaluations should consider specific formulations, the dose effect, mechanism, and other relevant outcome domains, including pain control, cardiac complications, and overall recovery.

Comparative effectiveness of skin antiseptic agents in reducing surgical site infections: a report from the Washington State Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSI) are an important source of morbidity and mortality. Chlorhexidine in isopropyl alcohol is effective in preventing central venous-catheter associated infections, but its effectiveness in reducing SSI in clean-contaminated procedures is uncertain. Surgical studies to date have had contradictory results. We aimed to further evaluate the relationship of commonly used antiseptic agents and SSI, and to determine if isopropyl alcohol has a unique effect. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a prospective cohort analysis to evaluate the relationship of commonly used skin antiseptic agents and SSI for patients undergoing mostly clean-contaminated surgery from January 2011 through June 2012. Multivariate regression modeling predicted expected rates of SSI. Risk adjusted event rates (RAERs) of SSI were compared across groups using proportionality testing. RESULTS: Among 7,669 patients, the rate of SSI was 4.6%. The RAERs were 0.85 (p = 0.28) for chlorhexidine (CHG), 1.10 (p = 0.06) for chlorhexidine in isopropyl alcohol (CHG+IPA), 0.98 (p = 0.96) for povidone-iodine (PVI), and 0.93 (p = 0.51) for iodine-povacrylex in isopropyl alcohol (IPC+IPA). The RAERs were 0.91 (p = 0.39) for the non-IPA group and 1.10 (p = 0.07) for the IPA group. Among elective colorectal patients, the RAERs were 0.90 (p = 0.48) for CHG, 1.04 (p = 0.67) for CHG+IPA, 1.04 (p = 0.85) for PVI, and 1.00 (p = 0.99) for IPC+IPA. CONCLUSIONS: For clean-contaminated surgical cases, this large-scale state cohort study did not demonstrate superiority of any commonly used skin antiseptic agent in reducing the risk of SSI, nor did it find any unique effect of isopropyl alcohol. These results do not support the use of more expensive skin preparation agents.