Effect of stress-induced hyperglycemia on long-term mortality in non-diabetic patients with acute type A aortic dissection: a retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acute Type A Aortic Dissection (AAAD) is one of the most life-threatening diseases, often associated with transient hyperglycemia induced by acute physiological stress. The impact of stress-induced hyperglycemia on the prognosis of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction has been reported. However, the relationship between stress-induced hyperglycemia and the prognosis of AAAD patients remains uncertain. METHODS: The clinical data of 456 patients with acute type A aortic dissection were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups based on their admission blood glucose. Cox model regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between stress-induced hyperglycemia and the 30-day and 1-year mortality rates of these patients. RESULTS: Among the 456 patients, 149 cases (32.7%) had AAAD combined with stress-induced hyperglycemia (SIH). The results of the multifactor regression analysis of the Cox model indicated that hyperglycemia (RR = 1.505, 95% CI: 1.046-2.165, p = 0.028), aortic coarctation involving renal arteries (RR = 3.330, 95% CI: 2.237-4.957, p < 0.001), aortic coarctation involving superior mesenteric arteries (RR = 1.611, 95% CI: 1.056-2.455, p = 0.027), and aortic coarctation involving iliac arteries (RR = 2.034, 95% CI: 1.364-3.035, p = 0.001) were independent influences on 1-year postoperative mortality in AAAD patients. CONCLUSION: The current findings indicate that stress-induced hyperglycemia measured on admission is strongly associated with 1-year mortality in patients with AAAD. Furthermore, stress-induced hyperglycemia may be related to the severity of the condition in patients with AAAD.

Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality after neonatal heart surgery.

BACKGROUND: Cholestasis characterised by conjugated hyperbilirubinemia is a marker of hepatobiliary dysfunction following neonatal cardiac surgery. We aimed to characterise the incidence of conjugated hyperbilirubinemia following neonatal heart surgery and examine the effect of conjugated hyperbilirubinemia on post-operative morbidity and mortality. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of all neonates who underwent surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD) at our institution between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2020. Patient- and surgery-specific data were abstracted from local registry data and review of the medical record. Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia was defined as perioperative maximum conjugated bilirubin level > 1 mg/dL. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier survival function. RESULTS: Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia occurred in 8.5% of patients during the study period. Neonates with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia were more likely to be of younger gestational age, lower birth weight, and non-Caucasian race (all p < 0.001). Patients with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia were more likely to have chromosomal and non-cardiac anomalies and require ECMO pre-operatively. In-hospital mortality among patients with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia was increased compared to those without (odds ratio 5.4). Post-operative complications including mechanical circulatory support, reoperation, prolonged ventilator dependence, and multi-system organ failure were more common with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia (all p < 0.04). Patients with higher levels of conjugated bilirubin had worst intermediate-term survival, with patients in the highest conjugated bilirubin group (>10 mg/dL) having a 1-year survival of only 6%. CONCLUSIONS: Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia is associated with post-operative complications and worse survival following neonatal heart surgery. Cholestasis is more common in patients with chromosomal abnormalities and non-cardiac anomalies, but the underlying mechanisms have not been delineated.

Body mass index and risk of mortality in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Prior literature has demonstrated that bariatric surgery is a safe approach for patients with morbid obesity. However, the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and risk of mortality in these patients has not been fully elucidated. Primary objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between BMI and risk of mortality using data obtained from a national database, with a special focus on patients with BMI ≥ 70.0 kg/m2. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients with morbid obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) undergoing first-time bariatric surgery between 2015 and 2018 was performed using data from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. Primary outcome was intra-operative death or death within 30 days post-operatively. Patients were categorized into quartiles according to BMI. Multivariable analysis was performed to evaluate the association of BMI with risk of mortality. Relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) are provided as measures of strength of association and precision, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 463, 436 patients were included with a 30-day mortality rate of 0.11%. Mean BMI (SD) was 48.2 (7.3) kg/m2; 1.5% of patients had BMI ≥ 70.0 kg/m2. On multivariable analysis, highest quartile patients had a significantly higher risk of mortality than lowest quartile patients. For patients with BMI ≥ 70.0 kg/m2, the risk of mortality was more pronounced with an eightfold increase compared to the lowest quartile. In patients with BMI ≥ 70.0 kg/m2, although sleeve gastrectomy (SG) was the most common procedure, the risk of mortality was significantly higher in patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). CONCLUSIONS: BMI is associated with increased risk of 30-day mortality. The effect of BMI is more pronounced in patients with BMI ≥ 70.0 kg/m2. In these patients, RYGB is associated with increased risk of mortality compared to SG.

Performance and usability of pre-operative prediction models for 30-day peri-operative mortality risk: a systematic review.

Estimating pre-operative mortality risk may inform clinical decision-making for peri-operative care. However, pre-operative mortality risk prediction models are rarely implemented in routine clinical practice. High predictive accuracy and clinical usability are essential for acceptance and clinical implementation. In this systematic review, we identified and appraised prediction models for 30-day postoperative mortality in non-cardiac surgical cohorts. PubMed and Embase were searched up to December 2022 for studies investigating pre-operative prediction models for 30-day mortality. We assessed predictive performance in terms of discrimination and calibration. Risk of bias was evaluated using a tool to assess the risk of bias and applicability of prediction model studies. To further inform potential adoption, we also assessed clinical usability for selected models. In all, 15 studies evaluating 10 prediction models were included. Discrimination ranged from a c-statistic of 0.82 (MySurgeryRisk) to 0.96 (extreme gradient boosting machine learning model). Calibration was reported in only six studies. Model performance was highest for the surgical outcome risk tool (SORT) and its external validations. Clinical usability was highest for the surgical risk pre-operative assessment system. The SORT and risk quantification index also scored high on clinical usability. We found unclear or high risk of bias in the development of all models. The SORT showed the best combination of predictive performance and clinical usability and has been externally validated in several heterogeneous cohorts. To improve clinical uptake, full integration of reliable models with sufficient face validity within the electronic health record is imperative.

Risk model for mortality associated with esophagectomy via a thoracic approach based on data from the Japanese National Clinical Database on malignant esophageal tumors.

PURPOSE: Postoperative complications after esophagectomy can be severe or fatal and impact the patient's postoperative quality of life and long-term outcomes. The aim of the present study was to develop the best possible model for predicting mortality and complications based on the Japanese Nationwide Clinical Database (NCD). METHODS: Data registered in the NCD, on 32,779 patients who underwent esophagectomy via a thoracic approach for malignant esophageal tumor between January, 2012 and December, 2017, were used to create a risk model. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality rate after esophagectomy was 1.0%, and the operative mortality rate was 2.3%. Postoperative complications included pneumonia (13.8%), anastomotic leakage (13.2%), recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (11.1%), atelectasis (4.9%), and chylothorax (2.5%). Postoperative artificial respiration for over 48 h was required by 7.8% of the patients. Unplanned intubation within 30 postoperative days was performed in 6.2% of the patients. C-indices evaluated using the test data were 0.694 for 30-day mortality and 0.712 for operative mortality. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a good risk model for predicting 30-day mortality and operative mortality after esophagectomy based on the NCD. This risk model will be useful for the preoperative prediction of 30-day mortality and operative mortality, obtaining informed consent, and deciding on the optimal surgical procedure for patients with preoperative risks for mortality.

Night-time surgery for type a aortic dissection: Immediate or delaying?

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate whether surgery performed during night compared with daytime were associated with an increased risk of operative mortality of type A aortic dissection (TAAD) patients. METHODS: A total of 2015 TAAD patients who underwent surgical repair were collected from two cardiovascular centers from Jan 2015 to Jan 2021. According to the start time of surgery, patients were divided into daytime group (06:01 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.) and night-time group (06:01 p.m. to 06:00 a.m.), and retrospective analyses were performed between them. RESULTS: The operative mortality of night-time group (12.2%, 43/352) was dramatically higher than daytime group (6.9%, 115/1663; p = 0.001). There was significant difference between night-time and daytime groups in terms of 30-days mortality (5.8% vs 10.8%; p = 0.001) and in-hospital mortality (3.5% vs 6.0%; p = 0.03). The night-time group had a longer duration of intensive care unit stay (4 vs two; days; p < 0.001) and ventilation support (34 vs 19; hours; p < 0.001), compared with daytime group. The risk factors for operative mortality were night-time surgery (odds ratio [OR], 1.545; p = 0.027), age (odds ratio, 1.152; p < 0.001), total arch replacement (OR, 2.265; p < 0.001) and previous aortic surgery (OR, 2.376; p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Night-time surgical repair may be associated with higher operative mortality of patients with TAAD. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to offer emergency surgery at night-time for such patients who were more likely to present disastrous complications with delayed surgical intervention, as outcomes indicate acceptable operative mortality.

Essential risk factors for operative mortality in elderly esophageal cancer patients registered in the National Clinical Database of Japan.

BACKGROUND: With the aging of society and increasingly longer of life expectancy, elderly patients with esophageal cancer are more commonly encountered. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for operative mortality after esophagectomy in elderly patients. METHODS: We used data from the National Clinical Database of Japan. After cleaning the data, 10,633 records obtained from 861 hospitals were analyzed. A risk model for operative mortality was developed using risk factors from the entire study population. Then, odds ratios (OR) were compared between age categories using this risk model. RESULTS: In this study, 1959 (18.4%) patients were ≥ 75 years (defined as "elderly" in this study). Eighteen variables, including T4b, N2-N3, and M1 in the TNM classification, were included in the risk model for operative mortality. The ORs increased in age categories < 65, 65-74, and ≥ 75 years for N2-N3 (1.172, 1.200, and 1.588, respectively), and M1 (2.189, 3.164, and 4.430, respectively). Based on these results, we also focused on residual tumors, which are caused by extensive tumor development. The operative mortality in the elderly group with residual tumors increased to more than twice than that in the non-elderly groups (15.9 vs. 5.5 or 6.5%) and was much higher than that in elderly patients without residual tumors (15.9 vs. 4.6%). CONCLUSION: We should carefully select the treatment for elderly patients with highly advanced tumors, which result in N2-N3 and M1, to avoid unfavorable short-term outcomes. In addition, R0 resection is important in preventing operative mortality among elderly patients.

Limitations in resectability of colorectal liver metastases 2020 - A systematic approach for clinicians and patients.

Colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) affect over 50 % of all patients with colorectal cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer in the western world. Resection of CRLM may provide cure and improves survival over chemotherapy alone. However, resectability of CLRM has to be decided in multidisciplinary tumor boards and is based on oncological factors, technical factors and patient factors. The advances of chemotherapy lead to the abolition of contraindications to resection in favor of technical resectability, but somatic mutations and molecular subtyping may improve selection of patients for resection in the future. Technical factors center around anatomy of the lesions, volume of the remnant liver and quality of the liver parenchymal. Multiple strategies have been developed to overcome volume limitations and they are reviewed here. The least investigated topic is how to select the right patients among an elderly and frail patient population for the large variety of technical options specifically for bi-lobar CRLM to keep 90-day mortality as low as possible. The review is an overview over the current state-of-the art and a systematic guide to the topic of resectability of CRLM for both clinicians and patients.

Surgical outcomes of post-infarct ventricular septal defect repair: Insights from the UK national adult cardiac surgery audit database.

OBJECTIVES: Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is becoming a progressively less frequent mechanical complication of myocardial infarction (MI). However, this event is still associated with high operative mortality. We aimed to describe the trends and the risk factors associated with surgical VSD repair outcomes and to provide a clinical benchmark for percutaneous VSD closure strategies. METHODS: Using the UK National Adult Cardiac Surgery Audit database, we identified 1010 patients undergoing surgical VSD repair from 1996 to 2018. The primary outcome was operative mortality. Mixed-model, multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors associated with operative mortality taking into account the variation related to the centre, the surgeon and the year of the operation. RESULTS: Both the number of surgical VSD repair and the mortality rate did not change significantly over the 23-year timeframe. Operative mortality was 38.9% overall and was higher when patients were operated within the first 6 h (75%) or the first 24 h (61.3%) from the index MI. Risk factors associated with higher odds of mortality were early surgery, older age, cardiogenic shock, renal failure, previous percutaneous coronary intervention and urgent/emergent operations. Moreover, the mortality rate was similar among patients undergoing isolated VSD repair and VSD repaired combined with surgical coronary revascularization alone or with concomitant mitral valve procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Post MI VSD remains a dreaded mechanical complication characterized by high surgical operative mortality. A delayed operation, whenever possible, appears to be the most beneficial strategy to reduce mortality.

An analysis of neonatal mortality following gastro-intestinal and/or abdominal surgery in a tertiary hospital in South Africa.

PURPOSE: Thirty-day, 6-month and 12-month post-operative mortality and assessment of factors associated with 30 day post-operative mortality were ascertained. METHOD: A retrospective medical record audit for neonates who underwent gastrointestinal or abdominal wall surgery within the neonatal period at a tertiary free standing paediatric hospital during the 12-year period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2018. RESULTS: The 30-day post-operative mortality rate was 83/762 (11%). Mortality resulted from: sepsis (74%), palliation due to ultra-short bowel length (12%), ventilation-associated pneumonia (10%), associated congenital cardiac lesions (3%) and intestinal failure-associated liver disease (1%). Surgery for necrotizing enterocolitis had the greatest 30-day post-operative mortality (28%). Most neonates (69%) who died were prematurely born. Mean age at surgery was ten days and mean age at death was six days. Abdominal compartment syndrome was noted post operatively in 15% patients. Risk factors for sepsis included central line-associated bloodstream infections (65%), respiratory tract infections (41%) and surgical complications [anastomotic breakdown (7%) and wound infection (24%)]. Mortality in patients from referral hospitals more than an hour's drive away was high (15/39, 38%). CONCLUSION: Mortality is double that of high-income countries, although significantly lower than most African settings. Strategic quality-improvement interventions are required to optimize outcomes.

Mortality After Elective Surgery: The Potential Role for Preoperative Palliative Care.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative optimization is increasingly emphasized for high-risk surgical patients. One critical component of this includes preoperative advanced care planning to promote goal-concordant care. We aimed to define a subset of patients that might benefit from preoperative palliative care consult for advanced care planning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined adult patients admitted from January 2016 to December 2018 to a university health system for elective surgery. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with death within 1 y, and presence of palliative care consults preoperatively. Chi-square analysis evaluated the impact of a palliative care consult on advanced care planning variables. RESULTS: Of the 29,132 inpatient elective procedures performed, there was a 2.0% mortality rate at 6 mo and 3.5% at 1 y. Those who died were more likely to be older, male, underweight (BMI <18), or have undergone an otolaryngology, neurosurgery or thoracic procedure type (all P-values < 0.05). At the time of admission, 29% had an advance directive, 90% had a documented code status, and 0.3% had a preoperative palliative care consult. Patients were more likely to have an advanced directive, a power of attorney, a documented code status, and have a do not resuscitate order if they had a palliative care consult (all P-values <0.05). The mortality rates and preoperative palliative care rates per procedure type did not follow similar trends. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative palliative care consultation before elective admissions for surgery had a significant impact on advanced care planning.

Influence of reduced diffusing capacity and FEV1 on outcome after cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Impaired lung function is a well-known risk factor in cardiac surgery patients and reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1 ) is associated with increased mortality. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the influence of impaired diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) in unselected cardiac surgery patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of impaired DLCO and/or reduced FEV1 on post-operative mortality and morbidity in cardiac surgery patients. METHODS: In a prospective cohort study, 390 patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery underwent preoperative lung function test including spirometry and DLCO measurements. We defined reduced FEV1 as FEV1 below lower limit of normal (LLN) and impaired DLCO as DLCO <60% of predicted. RESULTS: Mortality within 1 year (90-570 days) was significantly higher in patients with impaired DLCO (12% vs 3%, P = .010) and with reduced FEV1 (9% vs 3%, P = .028). Mortality was higher in patients with impaired DLCO both in the presence and absence of FEV1  < LLN. In multivariate analysis, only impaired DLCO [OR: 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-7.5; P = .005] and age (OR: 1.1 per year, 95% CI 1.0-1.2; P = .001) were independent predictors of the combined outcome of mortality and prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Impaired DLCO was also associated with post-operative respiratory complications. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery, preoperative impaired FEV1 and DLCO were associated with increased mortality and morbidity. In multivariate analysis, only DLCO and age were independent predictors of a combined outcome of mortality and prolonged ICU stay.

Outcomes of pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis following mediastinal irradiation.

BACKGROUND: Pericardiectomy for postradiation constrictive pericarditis has been reported to generally have unfavorable outcomes. This study sought to evaluate surgical outcomes in a large cohort of patients undergoing pericardiectomy for radiation-associated pericardial constriction. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all patients (≥18 years) who underwent pericardiectomy for a diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis with a prior history of mediastinal irradiation from June 2002 to June 2019 was conducted. There were 100 patients (mean age 57.2 ± 10.1 years, 49% females) who met the inclusion criteria. Records were reviewed to look at the surgical approach, the extent of resection, early mortality, and late survival. RESULTS: The overall operative mortality was 10.1% (n = 10). The rate of operative mortality decreased over the study period; however, the test of the trend was not statistically significant (p = .062). Hodgkin's disease was the most common malignancy (64%) for which mediastinal radiation had been received. Only 27% of patients had an isolated pericardiectomy, and concomitant pericardiectomy and valve surgery were performed in 46% of patients. Radical resection was performed in 50% of patients, whereas 47% of patients underwent subtotal resection. Prolonged ventilation (26%), atrial fibrillation (21%), and pleural effusion (16%) were the most common postoperative complications. The overall 1, 5-, and 10-years survival was 73.6%, 53.4%, and 32.1%, respectively. Increasing age (hazard ratio, 1.044, 95% confidence interval 1.017-1.073) appeared to have a significant negative effect on overall survival in the univariate model. CONCLUSION: Pericardiectomy performed for radiation-associated constrictive pericarditis has poor long-term outcomes. The early mortality, though high (~10%), has been showing a decreasing trend in the test of time.

Estimates of the effects of centralization policy for surgery in Japan: does centralization affect the quality of healthcare for esophagectomies?

PURPOSE: This study compared the quality of healthcare before and after implementation of a policy restructuring the healthcare delivery system and estimated the impact of centralization. METHODS: We used the National Clinical Database to study patients undergoing esophagectomies from 2011 to 2016. We compared the effect of centralization based on the patient background, surgical mortality, and year of surgery. Difference-in-difference methods based on the generalized estimating equation logistic regression model were used for before-and-after comparisons after adjusting for patient-level expected surgical mortality. RESULTS: In total, 34,640 cases were identified. More cases with risk factors were noted in ultra-low-volume hospitals, where 38.4% of cases in underpopulated areas were treated, than in higher volume facilities, and the operative mortality, readmission within 30 days and length of stay were worse among patients treated in these hospitals. In centralized prefectures, the number of cases per hospital increased over time (7.2 in 2011 to 9.5 in 2016) while the crude operative mortality tended to decrease (3.4% in 2011 to 1.8% in 2016). The difference-in-difference estimator was 0.856 (95% confidence interval: 0.639-1.147, p = 0.298). CONCLUSION: The centralization of ultra-low-volume hospitals did not lead to a deterioration in the quality of care but rather an improving trend.

Pre-operative Diagnosis of Silent Coronary Ischaemia May Reduce Post-operative Death and Myocardial Infarction and Improve Survival of Patients Undergoing Lower Extremity Surgical Revascularisation.

OBJECTIVE: Patients undergoing peripheral vascular surgery have increased risk of death and myocardial infarction (MI), which may be due to unsuspected (silent) coronary ischaemia. The aim was to determine whether pre-operative diagnosis of silent ischaemia using coronary computed tomography (CT) derived fractional flow reserve (FFRCT) can facilitate multidisciplinary care to reduce post-operative death and MI, and improve survival. METHODS: This was a single centre prospective study with historic controls. Patients with no cardiac symptoms undergoing lower extremity surgical revascularisation with pre-operative coronary CTA-FFRCT testing were compared with historic controls with standard pre-operative testing. Silent coronary ischaemia was defined as FFRCT ≤ 0.80 distal to coronary stenosis with FFRCT ≤ 0.75 indicating severe ischaemia. End points included cardiovascular (CV) death, MI, and all cause death through one year follow up. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between CT angiography (CTA-FFRCT) (n = 135) and control (n = 135) patients with regard to age (66 ± 8 years), sex, comorbidities, or surgery performed. Coronary CTA showed ≥ 50% stenosis in 70% of patients with left main stenosis in 7%. FFRCT revealed silent coronary ischaemia in 68% of patients with severe ischaemia in 53%. The status of coronary ischaemia was unknown in the controls. At 30 days, CV death and MI in the CTA-FFRCT group were not statistically significantly different from controls (0% vs. 3.7% [p = .060] and 0.7% vs. 5.2% [p = .066], respectively). Post-operative coronary revascularisation was performed in 54 patients to relieve silent ischaemia (percutaneous coronary intervention in 47, coronary artery bypass graft in seven). At one year, CTA-FFRCT patients had fewer CV deaths (0.7% vs. 5.9%; p = .036) and MIs (2.2% vs. 8.1%; p = .028) and improved survival (p = .018) compared with controls. CONCLUSION: Pre-operative diagnosis of silent coronary ischaemia in patients undergoing lower extremity revascularisation surgery can facilitate multidisciplinary patient care with selective post-operative coronary revascularisation. This strategy reduced post-operative death and MI and improved one year survival compared with standard care.

Fenestrated or branched endovascular aortic repair for postdissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.

OBJECTIVE: Fenestrated or branched endovascular aortic repair (FB-EVAR) usually represents the last stage in endovascular treatment of postdissection aneurysm after thoracic endograft coverage of entry tear and false lumen embolization. METHODS: The study was a retrospective analysis of all patients with postdissection thoracoabdominal aneurysm treated with FB-EVAR in a single center. Short-term outcomes included technical success, operative mortality, and morbidities. Midterm outcomes included secondary intervention, false lumen thrombosis rate, aneurysm size regression, and subsequent survival. RESULTS: Twenty patients (95% male with a mean age of 64 ± 9 years) were treated between January 2014 and December 2017. The technical success was 100%. There was one death (5%) within 30 days. Postoperative complications included two patients with spinal cord ischemia (10%; one partial and one full). The median follow-up period was 12 months (range, 0-31 months). A secondary intervention was required in six patients, including thoracic stent graft relining for type III endoleak (n = 2), covered stent relining for junctional leak between main body and renal stent (n = 2), and iliac false lumen embolization (n = 2). Twelve patients completed the 1-year follow-up computed tomography angiogram, and their mean aneurysm diameters were 71 ± 18, 66 ± 19, and 62 ± 19 mm preoperatively, immediate postoperatively, and at 1 year, respectively; the corresponding false lumen thrombosis rates were 0% (0/20), 58% (7/12), and 92% (11/12), respectively. One more patient died during follow-up from a non-aneurysm-related cause. The estimated overall survival rates were 95 ± 5%, 88 ± 8%, and 88 ± 8% at 6, 12, and 18 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: FB-EVAR was feasible for postdissection thoracoabdominal aneurysm. Despite the associated perioperative risk and high probability of planned or unplanned reintervention, the procedure led to favorable aortic remodeling with false lumen thrombosis and aneurysm regression.

In-Hospital mortality varies by procedure type among cirrhosis surgery admissions.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cirrhosis have increased peri-operative mortality risk relative to non-cirrhotic patients, however, the impact of surgical procedure category on this risk is poorly understood. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of cirrhosis surgery admissions using the National Inpatient Sample between 2012 and 2014 to estimate the adjusted odds of in-hospital mortality by surgical procedure category. RESULTS: In-hospital mortality differed by surgical procedure category. Relative to major orthopedic surgeries, major abdominal surgeries had the highest odds of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 8.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.96-11.49), followed by major cardiovascular surgeries (OR 3.45, 95% CI 2.33-5.09). There was also a significant interaction term, whereby elective/non-elective admission status impacted in-hospital mortality risk differently for each surgical procedure category (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In-hospital mortality varies substantially by surgical procedure type. Accounting for procedure type in models may improve risk prediction for peri-operative mortality in patients with cirrhosis.

Editor's Choice - Sex Specific Differences in the Management of Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess sex specific differences in 30 day mortality, length of hospital stay, and adverse neurological events following repair of intact degenerative descending thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs), by either thoracic endovascular (TEVAR) or open repair. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL databases were searched from 2005 to 2019, using ProQuest Dialog. The reviews were registered in PROSPERO (CRD42017020026) and performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The primary outcome was 30 day mortality; secondary outcomes were length of hospital stay and adverse neurological events. Forest plots with random effects meta-analysis to provide odds ratios (OR) were used for primary assessment. RESULTS: For TEVAR, seven studies were identified, including 2758 women and 4674 men; of these studies six were eligible for the primary outcome of 30 day mortality, including 1756 women and 2619 men. There were 94/1756 deaths in women and 82/2619 deaths in men, yielding a pooled 30 day mortality of 5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3-7) in women and 3% (95% CI 2-4) in men (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.29-2.38). Length of hospital stay was longer in women, with a standardised mean difference of 0.3 days (95% CI 0.14-0.47; six studies): meta-regression analysis did not identify the slightly older age of women as significant factor in these differences. Stroke rate was not different between the sexes. For open repair only a single study, with national coverage, was identified: this study reported similar 30 day mortality in men and women. CONCLUSIONS: In the management of intact degenerative descending TAAs, 30 day mortality after TEVAR appears to be much higher in women than men with no reasons for this difference identified. However, for open repair there is a lack of contemporary evidence owing to insufficient recent data.

The impact of post-hepatectomy liver failure on mortality: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is considered a main reason for death after major hepatectomy. The reported PHLF-related mortality differs largely and the data mainly originate from single centers. AIM: A retrospective, population-based register study was designed to evaluate the impact of PHLF on 90-day mortality after hepatectomy. METHOD: All patients who underwent liver resection in Sweden between 2005 and 2009 were retrospectively identified using the Swedish Hospital Discharge Registry. 30- and 90-day mortality were identified by linkage to the Registry of Causes of Death. Additional clinical data were obtained from the medical charts in all seven university hospitals in Sweden. PHLF was defined according to Balzan criteria (Bilirubin >50 µg/L and international normalized ratio >1.5) on postoperative day 5. RESULTS: A total of 2461 liver resections were performed (2194 in university hospitals). 30- and 90-day mortality were 1.3% and 2.5%, respectively. 90-day mortality at university hospitals was 2.1% (n = 46). In 41% (n = 19) of these patients, PHLF alone or in combination with multi-organ failure was identified as cause of death. Between the PHLF and non-PHLF group, there was no significant difference regarding age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists-classification, or preoperative chemotherapy. Cholangiocarcinoma as indication for surgery, need for vascular reconstruction and an extended resection were significantly overrepresented in the PHLF-group. Between groups, the incidence of 50:50 criteria differed significantly already on postoperative day 3. CONCLUSION: Overall mortality is very low after hepatectomy in Sweden. PHLF represents the single most important cause of death even in a population-based setting.

The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. METHODS: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32-0.77); P<0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88-1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62-0.92); P<0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61-0.88); P<0.01; I2=89%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine.