The Lung Microbiome Predicts Mortality and Response to Azithromycin in Lung Transplant Recipients with Chronic Rejection.

Rationale: Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) is the leading cause of death after lung transplant, and azithromycin has variable efficacy in CLAD. The lung microbiome is a risk factor for developing CLAD, but the relationship between lung dysbiosis, pulmonary inflammation, and allograft dysfunction remains poorly understood. Whether lung microbiota predict outcomes or modify treatment response after CLAD is unknown. Objectives: To determine whether lung microbiota predict post-CLAD outcomes and clinical response to azithromycin. Methods: Retrospective cohort study using acellular BAL fluid prospectively collected from recipients of lung transplant within 90 days of CLAD onset. Lung microbiota were characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and droplet digital PCR. In two additional cohorts, causal relationships of dysbiosis and inflammation were evaluated by comparing lung microbiota with CLAD-associated cytokines and measuring ex vivo P. aeruginosa growth in sterilized BAL fluid. Measurements and Main Results: Patients with higher bacterial burden had shorter post-CLAD survival, independent of CLAD phenotype, azithromycin treatment, and relevant covariates. Azithromycin treatment improved survival in patients with high bacterial burden but had negligible impact on patients with low or moderate burden. Lung bacterial burden was positively associated with CLAD-associated cytokines, and ex vivo growth of P. aeruginosa was augmented in BAL fluid from transplant recipients with CLAD. Conclusions: In recipients of lung transplants with chronic rejection, increased lung bacterial burden is an independent risk factor for mortality and predicts clinical response to azithromycin. Lung bacterial dysbiosis is associated with alveolar inflammation and may be promoted by underlying lung allograft dysfunction.

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy before resection to avoid delay for early-stage lung cancer or oligometastases during the COVID-19 pandemic: Pathologic outcomes from the SABR-BRIDGE protocol.

BACKGROUND: During coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related operating room closures, some multidisciplinary thoracic oncology teams adopted a paradigm of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) as a bridge to surgery, an approach called SABR-BRIDGE. This study presents the preliminary surgical and pathological results. METHODS: Eligible participants from four institutions (three in Canada and one in the United States) had early-stage presumed or biopsy-proven lung malignancy that would normally be surgically resected. SABR was delivered using standard institutional guidelines, with surgery >3 months following SABR with standardized pathologic assessment. Pathological complete response (pCR) was defined as absence of viable cancer. Major pathologic response (MPR) was defined as ≤10% viable tissue. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients underwent SABR. Most common SABR regimens were 34 Gy/1 (29%, n = 21), 48 Gy/3-4 (26%, n = 19), and 50/55 Gy/5 (22%, n = 16). SABR was well-tolerated, with one grade 5 toxicity (death 10 days after SABR with COVID-19) and five grade 2-3 toxicities. Following SABR, 26 patients underwent resection thus far (13 pending surgery). Median time-to-surgery was 4.5 months post-SABR (range, 2-17.5 months). Surgery was reported as being more difficult because of SABR in 38% (n = 10) of cases. Thirteen patients (50%) had pCR and 19 (73%) had MPR. Rates of pCR trended higher in patients operated on at earlier time points (75% if within 3 months, 50% if 3-6 months, and 33% if ≥6 months; p = .069). In the exploratory best-case scenario analysis, pCR rate does not exceed 82%. CONCLUSIONS: The SABR-BRIDGE approach allowed for delivery of treatment during a period of operating room closure and was well-tolerated. Even in the best-case scenario, pCR rate does not exceed 82%.

Understanding Racial Differences in Lung Cancer Surgery Through a Statewide Quality Collaborative.

BACKGROUND: Persistent racial disparities in lung cancer incidence, treatment, and survival are well documented. Given the importance of surgical resection for lung cancer treatment, racial disparities in surgical quality were investigated using a statewide quality collaborative. METHODS: This retrospective study used data from the Michigan Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons General Thoracic database, which includes data gathered for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database at 17 institutions in Michigan. Adult patients undergoing resection for lung cancer between 2015 and 2021 were included. Propensity score-weighting methodology was used to assess differences in surgical quality, including extent of resection, adequate lymph node evaluation, 30-day mortality, and 30-day readmission rate between white and black patients. RESULTS: The cohort included 5073 patients comprising 357 (7%) black and 4716 (93%) white patients. The black patients had significantly higher unadjusted rates of wedge resection than the white patients, but after propensity score-weighting for clinical factors, wedge resection did not differ from lobectomy (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-1.49; P = 0.67). The black patients had fewer lymph nodes collected (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.77; 95% CI, 0.73-0.81; P < 0.0001) and lymph node stations sampled (IRR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.84-0.94; P < 0.0001). The black patients did not differ from the white patients in terms of mortality (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.19-2.34; P = 0.55) or readmission (OR, 0.79; 95 % CI, 0.49-1.27; P = 0.32). The black patients had longer hospital stays (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.14; P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: In a statewide quality collaborative that included high-volume centers, black patients received a less extensive lymph node evaluation, with fewer non-anatomic wedge resections performed, and a more limited lymph node evaluation with lobectomy.

Quantitative assessment of gastric ischemic preconditioning on conduit perfusion in esophagectomy: propensity score weighting study.

BACKGROUND: Gastric ischemic preconditioning prior to esophagectomy has been studied as a method to improve gastric conduit perfusion and reduce anastomotic complications, without conclusive results. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of gastric ischemic preconditioning in terms of post-operative outcomes and quantitative gastric conduit perfusion. METHODS: Patients who underwent an esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction between January 2015 and October 2022 at a single high-volume academic center were reviewed. Patient characteristics, surgical approach, post-operative outcomes, and indocyanine green fluorescence angiography data (ingress index for arterial inflow and ingress time for venous outflow, and the distance from the last gastroepiploic branch to the perfusion assessment point) were analyzed. Two propensity score weighting methods were used to investigate whether gastric ischemic preconditioning reduces anastomotic leaks. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the conduit perfusion quantitatively. RESULTS: There were 594 esophagectomies with gastric conduit performed, with 41 having a gastric ischemic preconditioning. Among 544 with cervical anastomoses, leaks were seen in 2/30 (6.7%) in the ischemic preconditioning group and 114/514 (22.2%) in the control group (p = 0.041). Gastric ischemic preconditioning significantly reduced anastomotic leaks on both weighting methods (p = 0.037 and 0.047, respectively). Ingress index and time of the gastric conduit with ischemic preconditioning were significantly better than those without preconditioning (p = 0.013 and 0.025, respectively) after removing the effect of the distance from the last gastroepiploic branch to the perfusion assessment point. CONCLUSION: Gastric ischemic preconditioning results in a statistically significant improvement in conduit perfusion and reduction in post-operative anastomotic leaks.

Current Practices in Airway Stent Management: A National Survey of US Practitioners.

BACKGROUND: Despite a growing number of tracheobronchial stent types and indications, complications remain frequent, and high-quality evidence on practices to prevent stent-related complications is lacking. Understanding current management practice is a first step to designing prospective studies to assess whether specific practices aimed at mitigating stent-related complications improve patient-centered outcomes. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to understand current management strategies following tracheobronchial stenting. METHOD: We performed a nationwide survey of members of the American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (AABIP) and the General Thoracic Surgical Club (GTSC) who place airway stents. The electronic survey captured data on practitioners' demographics, practice setting, airway stent volume, and standard post-stent practices (if any) including the use of medications, mucus clearance devices, surveillance imaging, and surveillance bronchoscopy. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-eight physicians completed the survey. Respondents were majority male (75.4%) and had diverse training (50.0% completed interventional pulmonary fellowship; 18.1% thoracic surgery; 31.9% other stent training). Post-stent management strategies varied markedly across respondents; 75.4% prescribe at least one medication to prevent post-stent complications, 52.9% perform routine surveillance bronchoscopy in asymptomatic patients, 26.1% prescribe mucus clearance regimens, 16.7% obtain routine computed tomography scans in asymptomatic patients, and 8.3% routinely replace their stents prior to stent failure. CONCLUSIONS: In this national survey of practitioners who place airway stents, there was marked heterogeneity in post-stent management approaches. Further studies are needed to identify which, if any, of these strategies improve patient-centered outcomes.

Quantitative perfusion assessment of gastric conduit with indocyanine green dye to predict anastomotic leak after esophagectomy.

Impaired gastric conduit perfusion is a risk factor for anastomotic leak after esophagectomy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of intraoperative quantitative assessment of gastric conduit perfusion with indocyanine green fluorescence angiography as a predictor for cervical esophagogastric anastomotic leak after esophagectomy. Indocyanine green fluorescence angiography using the SPY Elite system was performed in patients undergoing a transhiatal or McKeown esophagectomy from July 2015 through December 2020. Ingress (dye uptake) and Egress (dye exit) at two anatomic landmarks (the tip of a conduit and 5 cm from the tip) were assessed. The collected data in the leak group and no leak group were compared by univariate and multivariable analyses. Of 304 patients who were evaluated, 70 patients developed anastomotic leak (23.0%). There was no significant difference in patients' demographic between the groups. Ingress Index, which represents a proportion of blood inflow, at both the tip and 5 cm of the conduit was significantly lower in the leak group (17.9 vs. 25.4% [P = 0.011] and 35.9 vs. 44.6% [P = 0.019], respectively). Ingress Time, which represents an estimated time of blood inflow, at 5 cm of the conduit was significantly higher in the leak group (69.9 vs. 57.1 seconds, P = 0.006). Multivariable analysis suggested that these three variables can be used to predict future leak. Variables of gastric conduit perfusion correlated with the incidence of cervical esophagogastric anastomotic leak. Intraoperative measurement of gastric conduit perfusion can be predictive for anastomotic leak following esophagectomy.

Landmark Trials in the Surgical Management of Mesothelioma.

The treatment of mesothelioma has evolved slowly over the last 20 years. While surgery as a standalone treatment has fallen out of favor, the importance of multimodality treatment consisting of combinations of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery have become more common in operable, fit patients. In this review, we discuss trials in surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation that have shaped contemporary multimodality treatment of this difficult malignancy, and we touch on the new and emerging immunotherapeutic and targeted agents that may change the future treatment of this disease. We also review the multimodality treatment regimens, with particular attention to trimodality therapy and neoadjuvant hemithoracic radiation strategies.

Surgical Morbidity of Full-Thickness Chest Wall Resection for Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Study of a National Database.

BACKGROUND: Full-thickness chest wall resection (FTCWR) is an underused modality for treating locally advanced primary or recurrent breast cancer invading the chest wall, for which little data exist regarding morbidity and mortality. We examined the postoperative complication rates in breast cancer patients undergoing FTCWR using a large multinational surgical outcomes database. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. All patients undergoing FTCWR for breast cancer between 2007 and 2016 were identified (n = 137). Primary outcome measures included 30-d postoperative morbidity, composite respiratory complications, and hospital length of stay (LOS). The secondary aim was to compare the postoperative morbidity of FTCWR to those of patients undergoing mastectomy. One-to-one coarsened exact matching was conducted between two groups, which were then compared with respect to morbidity, mortality, reoperations, readmissions, and LOS. RESULTS: The overall rate of postoperative morbidity was 11.7%. Two patients (1.5%) had respiratory complications requiring intubation. Median hospital LOS was 2 d. In the coarsened exact matching analysis, 122 patients were included in each of the two groups. Comparison of matched cohorts demonstrated an overall morbidity for the FTCWR group of 11.5% compared with 8.2% for the mastectomy group (8.2%) (P = 0.52). CONCLUSIONS: FTCWR for the local treatment of breast cancer can be performed with relatively low morbidity and respiratory complications. This is the largest study looking at postoperative complications for FTCWR in the treatment of breast cancer. Future studies are needed to determine the long-term outcomes of FTCWR in this patient population.

Characterizing the spectrum of body mass index associated with severe postoperative pulmonary complications in children.

PURPOSE: While high body mass index (BMI) is a recognized risk factor for pulmonary complications in adults, its importance as a risk factor for complications following pediatric surgery is poorly described. We evaluated the association between BMI and severe pediatric perioperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated pediatric patients (aged 2-17 years) undergoing elective procedures in the 2015 Pediatric National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP-P). Severe PPCs were defined as either pneumonia/reintubation within 3 days of surgery, or pneumonia/reintubation as an index complication within 7 days. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusting for patient factors and surgical case-mix tested associations between BMI class-using the Centers for Disease Control age- and sex-dependent BMI percentiles-and severe PPCs. RESULTS: Among 40,949 patients, BMI class was distributed as follows: 2740 (6.7%) were underweight, 23,630 (57.7%) normal weight, 6161 (15.0%) overweight, and 8418 (20.6%) obese. Overweight BMI class was not associated with PPCs in univariate analyses, but became statistically significant after adjustment [OR 1.84 (95% CI 1.07-3.15), p = 0.03], and persisted across multiple adjustment approaches. Neither underweight [OR 1.01 (95% CI 0.53-1.94), p = 0.97] nor obesity [OR 1.10 (95% CI 0.63-1.94), p = 0.73] were associated with PPCs after adjustment. CONCLUSION: Overweight pediatric patients have an elevated, previously underappreciated risk of severe PPCs. Contrary to prior studies, the present study found no greater risk in obese children, perhaps due to bias, confounding, or practice migration from "availability bias". Findings from the present study, taken with prior work describing pulmonary risks of obesity, suggest that both obese and overweight children may be evaluated for tailored perioperative care to improve outcomes.

Chest Wall Resection for Recurrent Breast Cancer in the Modern Era: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature on chest wall resection for recurrent breast cancer and evaluate overall survival (OS) and quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes. BACKGROUND: Full-thickness chest wall resection for recurrent breast cancer is controversial, as historically these recurrences have been thought of as a harbinger of systemic disease. METHODS: A systematic search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL identified 48 eligible studies, all retrospective, accounting for 1305 patients. The review is reported following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Primary end points were patient-centered QOL outcomes and OS; secondary outcomes included disease-free survival (DFS) and 30-day morbidity. Risk of bias was assessed using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies instrument and the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine's levels of evidence tool. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to create pooled estimates. Meta-regressions and sensitivity analyses were used to explore study heterogeneity by age, year of publication, risk of bias, and surgical intent (curative vs palliative). RESULTS: Studies consistently reported excellent OS and DFS in properly selected patients. Pooled estimates for 5-year OS in all studies and those from the past 15 years were 40.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 35.2-46.7) and 43.1% (95% CI 35.8-50.7), whereas pooled 5-year DFS was 27.1% (95% CI 16.6-41.0). Eight studies reported excellent outcomes related to QOL. Mortality was consistently low (<1%) and 30-day pooled morbidity was 20.2% (95% CI 15.3%-26.3%). Study quality varied, and risk of selection bias in included studies was high. CONCLUSIONS: Full-thickness chest wall resection can be performed with excellent survival and low morbidity. Few studies report on QOL; prospective studies should focus on patient-centered outcomes in this population.

Risk Prediction Accuracy Differs for Emergency Versus Elective Cases in the ACS-NSQIP.

BACKGROUND: Accurate risk estimation is essential when benchmarking surgical outcomes for reimbursement and engaging in shared decision-making. The greater complexity of emergency surgery patients may bias outcome comparisons between elective and emergency cases. OBJECTIVE: To test whether an established risk modelling tool, the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) predicts mortality comparably for emergency and elective cases. METHODS: From the ACS-NSQIP 2011-2012 patient user files, we selected core emergency surgical cases also common to elective scenarios (gastrointestinal, vascular, and hepato-biliary-pancreatic). After matching strategy for Common Procedure Terminology (CPT) and year, we compared the accuracy of ACS-NSQIP predicted mortality probabilities using the observed-to-expected ratio (O:E), c-statistic, and Brier score. RESULTS: In all, 56,942 emergency and 136,311 elective patients were identified as having a common CPT and year. Using a 1:1 matched sample of 37,154 emergency and elective patients, the O:E ratios generated by ACS-NSQIP models differ significantly between the emergency [O:E = 1.031; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.028-1.033] and elective populations (O:E = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.77-0.80, P < 0.0001) and the c-statistics differed significantly (emergency c-statistic = 0.927; 95% CI = 0.921-0.932 and elective c-statistic = 0.887; 95% CI = 0.861-0.912, P = 0.003). The Brier score, tested across a range of mortality rates, did not differ significantly for samples with mortality rates of 6.5% and 9% (eg, emergency Brier score = 0.058; 95% CI = 0.048-0.069 versus elective Brier score = 0.057; 95% CI = 0.044-0.07, P = 0.87, among 2217 patients with 6.5% mortality). When the mortality rate was low (1.7%), Brier scores differed significantly (emergency 0.034; 95% CI = 0.027-0.041 versus elective 0.016; 95% CI = 0.009-0.023, P value for difference 0.0005). CONCLUSION: ACS-NSQIP risk estimates used for benchmarking and shared decision-making appear to differ between emergency and elective populations.

Hospital-level Variation in Secondary Complications After Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether hospital rates of secondary complications could serve as a performance benchmark and examine associations with mortality. BACKGROUND: Failure to rescue (death after postoperative complication) is a challenging target for quality improvement. Secondary complications (complications after a first or "index" complication) are intermediate outcomes in the rescue process that may provide specific improvement targets and give us insight into how rescue fails. METHODS: We used American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data (2008-2012) to define hospital rates of secondary complications after 5 common index complications: pneumonia, surgical site infection (SSI), urinary tract infection, transfusion/bleed events, and acute myocardial infarction (MI). Hospitals were divided into quintiles on the basis of risk- and reliability-adjusted rates of secondary complications, and these rates were compared along with mortality. RESULTS: A total of 524,860 patients were identified undergoing one of the 62 elective, inpatient operations. After index pneumonia, secondary complication rates varied from 57.99% in the highest quintile to 22.93% in the lowest [adjusted odds ratio (OR), 4.64; confidence interval (CI), 3.95-5.45). Wide variation was seen after index SSI (58.98% vs 14.81%; OR, 8.53; CI, 7.41-9.83), urinary tract infection (38.41% vs 8.60%; OR, 7.81; CI, 6.48-9.40), transfusion/bleeding events (27.14% vs 12.88%; OR, 2.54; CI, 2.31-2.81), and acute MI (64.45% vs 23.86%, OR, 6.87; CI, 5.20-9.07). Hospitals in the highest quintile had significantly greater mortality after index pneumonia (10.41% vs 6.20%; OR, 2.17; CI, 1.6-2.94), index MI (18.25% vs 9.65%; OR, 2.67; CI, 1.80-3.94), and index SSI (2.75% vs 0.82%; OR, 3.93; CI, 2.26-6.81). CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-level rates of secondary complications (failure to arrest complications) vary widely, are associated with mortality, and may be useful for quality improvement and benchmarking.

Preoperative consent for patients with limited English proficiency.

BACKGROUND: Informed consent is important for limited English proficient (LEP) patients undergoing surgery, as many surgical procedures are complicated, making patient comprehension difficult even without language barriers. The study objectives were to (1) understand surgeons' preoperative consenting process with LEP patients, (2) examine how surgeons self assess their non-English language proficiency levels using a standardized scale, and (3) identify the relationship between self assessed non-English language proficiency and surgeons' self-reported use of interpreters during preoperative informed consent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A thirty-two item survey assessing surgeons' reported preoperative informed consent process, with questions related to demographics, level of medical training, non-English language skills and their clinical use, language learning experiences, and hypothetical scenarios with LEP patients. RESULTS: Surgeons who were not fluent in non-English languages reported they often used those limited skills to obtain informed consent from their LEP patients. Many surgeons reported relying on bilingual hospital staff members, family members, and/or minors to serve as ad-hoc interpreters when obtaining informed consent. If a professional interpreter was not available in a timely manner, surgeons more frequently reported using ad-hoc interpreters or their own nonfluent language skills. Surgeons reported deferring to patient and family preferences when deciding whether to use professional interpreters and applied different thresholds for different clinical scenarios when deciding whether to use professional interpreters. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons reported relying on their own non-English language skills, bilingual staff, and family and friends of patients to obtain informed consent from LEP patients, suggesting that further understanding of barriers to professional interpreter use is needed.

Surgeon unemployment: would practice sharing be a viable solution?

SUMMARY: Surgeon unemployment has become a crisis within Canadian surgery in recent years. Without dedicated governmental workforce planning, ensuring that new residency graduates can find employment will require new models of employment. Practice sharing, whereby a new graduate and a senior surgeon partner to divide their practices, allows the senior surgeon to wind down and the newer surgeon to ramp up. Importantly, this arrangement builds in formal mentoring, which is so important in the early years of starting a surgical practice. Practice sharing may be a solution for the workforce issues currently afflicting new surgical graduates across Canada.

Complication timing and association with mortality in the American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between timing of postoperative complications on mortality is unknown. We investigated the time-variable mortality risks of common surgical complications. METHODS: We identified patients undergoing nonemergent, in-patient surgery in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database during 2005-2011 who experienced any of 13 complications within 2 wk of surgery. "Expected timing" was defined as the median postoperative day of occurrence. Hazard ratios (HRs) for complications earlier or later than expected were calculated using Cox proportional hazards, adjusted for age, procedure, American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA), and functional status. A secondary analysis evaluated the effect of preceding complication burden on the relationship between complication timing and mortality. RESULTS: Among 77,443 patients experiencing complications, significantly higher mortality was observed with early wound infections (superficial HR 1.30, confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.70; deep HR 1.52, CI 1.07-2.16; and organ space HR 1.38, CI 1.11-1.70) despite adjustment for patient and operative factors and complication burden. Early cardiac arrest and unplanned intubation were associated with lower mortality, which persisted after adjustment (HR 0.59, CI 0.51-0.68; HR 0.38, CI 0.33-0.43, respectively). By contrast, late occurrence of acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia, and cerebrovascular accident was associated with significantly greater mortality risk (HR 1.41, CI 1.18-1.69; HR 1.37, CI 1.24-1.52; and HR 1.61, CI 1.31-1.98, respectively), but these associations became nonsignificant after adjustment for complication burden. CONCLUSIONS: Timing of complications plays an important role in mortality. Surgeons and trainees should be aware of these patterns and tailor their clinical care and monitoring practices to account for the implications of complication timing on mortality.

Barriers and Strategies for Effective Patient Rescue: A Qualitative Study of Outliers.

BACKGROUND: Organizational factors influencing failure-to-rescue (FTR)-or death after postoperative complications-are poorly understood. Case studies were conducted to generate hypotheses that could inform future FTR research and improvement strategies. METHODS: Publicly reported 2009-2011 data were used to identify 144 outlier hospitals with statistically better or worse FTR performance than the national average. Of these 144 hospitals, 7 were selected for case studies in a purposive sample. Outliers enabled a focus on the organizational factors and processes at the extremes of performance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2013 with key informants at each hospital, and transcripts were analyzed using the constant comparative method to identify emergent organizational behavioral themes. RESULTS: The 7 hospitals-4 high- and 3 low-performing-yielded 106 interviews. Critical barriers to effective rescue were ineffective communication, lack of psychological safety, staffing discontinuity, imbalance of shared ownership and individual responsibility, lack of appropriate training and education, and difficulty using current metrics. Participants also identified strategies to overcome these barriers-rapid response teams, flattening the hierarchy, escalation strategies, health information technology, structured communication tools, constant team structures, standardized care pathways, and organizational learning. CONCLUSION: FTR is a complex process that is viewed, defined, and acted on differently across and within organizations. Early recognition of patients deviating from normal recovery was enhanced in high-performing hospitals through the use of standardized postoperative recovery pathways and automated escalation protocols. Current FTR measures may be less actionable for the purposes of quality improvement.

Exploring the landscape of oesophageal discontinuity procedures and creation of cervical oesophagostomy in the modern era: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Oesophageal discontinuity remains a challenge for thoracic and foregut surgeons globally. Whether arising emergently after catastrophic oesophageal or gastric disruption or arising in the elective setting in the case of staged reconstruction for esophagectomy or long gap atresia in the paediatric population, comprehensive review of this patient population remains unexplored within the surgical literature.The goal of this scoping review is to map the landscape of literature exploring the creation and takedown of cervical oesophagostomy with the intent to answer four questions (1) What are the primary indications for oesophageal discontinuity procedures? (2) What are the disease-specific and healthcare utilisation outcomes for oesophageal discontinuity procedures? (3) What is the primary indication for reversal procedures? (4) What are the disease-specific and healthcare utilisation outcomes for reversal procedures? METHODS: This review will follow the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) framework for scoping reviews. Paediatric (<18 years old) and adult (>18 years old) patients, who have received a cervical oesophagostomy in the context of a gastrointestinal discontinuity procedure or those who have had reversal of a cervical oesophagostomy, will be included for analysis. We will search MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases for papers from 1990 until 2023. Interventional trials, prospective and retrospective observational studies, reviews, case series and qualitative study designs will be included. Two authors will independently review all titles, abstracts and full texts to determine which studies meet the inclusion criteria. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No ethics approval is required for this review. Results will be disseminated through scientific presentations and relevant conferences targeted for researchers examining upper gastrointestinal/foregut surgery. REGISTRATION DETAILS: This protocol is registered with Open Science Framework (osf.io/s3b4g).

Lung transplantation for lung cancer: A systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Lung transplant (LTx) is an accepted treatment for end-stage pulmonary failure. A small proportion of explanted lungs harbor incidentally identified nonsmall cell lung cancers (NSCLC). We review the literature on studies assessing LTx patients found to have NSCLC lung cancer in their explanted lungs, and perform a pooled analysis of outcomes. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. We included studies assessing outcomes of patients with incidentally identified NSCLC following LTx, or following LTx for diffuse lepidic adenocarcinoma as a primary indication. RESULTS: A total of 1404 articles were reviewed. 17 eligible studies were identified: 14 studies on incidental NSCLC (N = 169), 4 on diffuse lepidic adenocarcinoma (N = 70). Overall survival (OS) for patients with incidentally identified lung cancer at 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year was 60.8% (95%CI 43.7%-77.9%, I2 =81.8%), 25.5% (95%CI 1.6%-49.5%, I2 =93.6%), and 23.0% (95%CI 2.0%-44.0%, I2 =92.0%) respectively. When restricted to those with earlier stage disease, those with stage I or II NSCLC had better 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year OS at 72.7% (95%CI 57.2%-88.2%, I2 =67.3%), 41.6% (95%CI 14.0%-69.1%, I2 =89.1%), and 34.5% (95%CI 8.1%-61.0%, I2 =89.8%), respectively. A sensitivity analysis limited to stage I showed 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival of 73.0% (95%CI 56.3%-89.7%), 40.4% (95%CI 110.3%-70.6%), and 35.4% (95%CI 6.2%-64.5%), respectively. The 4 studies on diffuse lepidic adenocarcinoma were too heterogeneous for pooled analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We present a review and pooled analysis examining survival following LTx with incidentally identified NSCLC. Patients with earlier stage incidentally explanted NSCLC had better survival outcomes. OS in the stage I population approximates that of LTx without incidental NSCLC.