Effects of Preoperative COVID-19 Status on Emergent or Urgent Colectomy Outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been described as eliciting a powerful immune response. The association of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection with diseases requiring emergent or urgent colectomies may exacerbate the risk of surgical complications. We investigated the effect of preoperative COVID-19 infection on the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent a nonelective colectomy in 2021. METHODS: We queried the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Targeted Colectomy database for all of the patients who underwent a colectomy in 2021 and filtered for patients classified as "Urgent" or "Emergent." Two groups were created based on preoperative COVID-19 status: COVID+ (n = 242) and COVID- cohorts (n = 11,049). Several clinical variables were compared. RESULTS: Before filtering for urgent/emergent operations, a large percentage of COVID+ patients were found to have undergone an urgent or emergency colectomy (68.36% vs 25.05%). Preoperatively, these patients were more likely to be taking steroids (21.49% vs 12.41%) or have a bleeding issue requiring a transfusion (19.42% vs 11.00%). A larger percentage of infected patients returned to the operating room (14.05% vs 8.13%) and had a hospital stay >30 days (18.18% vs 5.35%). COVID-19 infection was associated with a higher rate of mortality (14.05% vs 8.08%) but did not independently predict it (odds ratio 1.25, P = 0.233), with all P ≤ 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Urgent or emergent colectomy patients who were COVID-19+ preoperatively were more likely to present with comorbidities, which, along with the recent viral infection, contributed to markedly worse clinical outcomes, including an increased rate of mortality.

Effects of COVID-19 Status on Hip Fracture Surgical Outcomes: An ACS NSQIP Study.

BACKGROUND: Studies have indicated that patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus fare worse clinically after a traumatic injury, especially those who are older and have other comorbidities. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to understand the effects of Corona Virus Disease 19 (COVID-19) diagnosis on patients undergoing surgery for hip fractures. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of the 2021 American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Targeted Hip Fracture database for patients who underwent surgery. Two cohorts were formed based on patients' preoperative COVID-19 status, as tested within 14 days prior to the operation. Several clinical factors were compared. RESULTS: The COVID-positive cohort consisted of 184 patients, all of whom had a laboratory-confirmed or clinically suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, while the COVID-negative cohort consisted of 12,211 patients with no infection. A lower proportion of COVID-positive patients had an emergent operation compared to the COVID-negative cohort (58.70% vs. 73.09%, p < .001). Preoperatively, the COVID-positive cohort showed higher rates of coagulopathy/bleeding disorders (22.83% vs. 14.12%), congestive heart failure (16.30% vs. 9.84%), diabetes mellitus (28.26% vs. 19.24%), and dementia (42.39% vs. 28.07%), with p ≤ .005 for all. Postoperatively, a higher proportion of COVID-positive patients died (9.78% vs. 5.40%) or had pneumonia (8.70% vs. 3.65%), hospital readmission within 30 days (10.87% vs. 6.76%), and pressure sores (8.15% vs. 4.55%), with p ≤ .033 for all. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of COVID-19 in hip fracture patients was associated with higher rates of postoperative complications, including mortality, when compared to COVID-negative patients, indicating the severity of the viral infection.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Colectomy Outcomes for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

OBJECTIVES: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). These two chronic inflammatory conditions can differ in severity, presentation, and anatomical localization, and can greatly affect quality of life if not managed properly. Given the many healthcare challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, we studied the effects of the pandemic and corresponding changes to medical resources on surgical outcomes for patients with IBD. METHODS: Deidentified data from patients who underwent a colectomy for CD or UC were collected from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database of the American College of Surgeons. We analyzed clinical factors and surgical outcomes between 2019 and 2020. RESULTS: Patients with IBD were more likely to have lost >10% of their body mass before the operation in 2020. Operations for patients with UC were significantly shorter in the first year of the pandemic. Patients with CD were less likely to have a urinary tract infection or sepsis postoperatively in 2020, whereas patients with UC were more likely to require a repeat operation. Interestingly, both patient populations were less likely to undergo an emergency operation in 2020 than in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Colectomy outcomes for patients with CD in 2020 were similar or improved in comparison with those seen in 2019, whereas colectomies for UC saw a statistically but not clinically significant increase in the rate of repeat operations. Overall, these patients seem to have been well managed despite the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic-induced strain on the healthcare system.

COVID-19 Pandemic Effects on Clinical Outcomes of Hip Fractures Among Pediatric and Adult Patients.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the distribution and outcomes of hip fractures in pediatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical outcomes of both pediatric and adult patients who underwent hip fracture surgeries and determine the effects of changes surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Both pediatric and adult surgical hip fracture cases were analyzed from the pandemic year (2020) and the control year (2019) using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. RESULTS: Between the prepandemic (control) and pandemic years, a total of 2,438 pediatric and 28,180 adult cases were compared. Pediatric patients had similar perioperative characteristics and outcomes between the two years. Significantly fewer hip fractures were reported among adults during the pandemic (p < .001). Preoperatively, more adult patients had ventilator dependence (p = .020), transfusions (p = .029), and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (p < .001) in 2020. Adult operations were more likely to be emergent in 2020 (p < .001) and adults had more severe disease states. Length of stay (p < .001) and the time from operation to discharge (p < .001) were significantly longer for the adult cohort in 2020. Mortality was also higher for adults during the first year of the pandemic (p = .003), and superficial surgical site infections became more common (p = .036). CONCLUSION: Pediatric hip fracture patients had similar clinical outcomes between 2019 and 2020. Adults with hip fractures presented in more serious clinical conditions, which resulted in higher mortality in 2020. Further studies could better clarify the reasons as to why adult hip fracture patients had markedly worse clinical course during the COVID year than pediatric patients.

Racial Disparities in Clinical Outcomes of Emergency Colectomies for Diverticulitis.

OBJECTIVES: The literature suggests that there are ongoing racial disparities in healthcare outcomes between patients in White and non-White populations. As such, we examined the outcomes of patients who underwent an emergency colectomy for diverticulitis. METHODS: We identified 4841 White and 590 non-White patients, which include Black/African American and Asian patients, using the 2016-2019 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases. We compared Black/African American and Asian patients with White patients for differences in surgical outcomes. RESULTS: Non-White patients had more comorbidities than White patients (P < 0.05). These patients underwent longer operations, developed more postoperative complications, and were more likely to have lengths of stay >30 days. When controlling for all of the covariates in multivariate logistic regression models, White race was independently associated with a 22.14% lower odds of a hospital stay >30 days compared with non-White patients (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, non-White patients developed more complications than did White patients and had longer hospitalizations. These disparities represent a more complex societal issue that cannot be managed perioperatively alone.

Assessment of Risk Factors for Iatrogenic Genitourinary Injuries During a Proctectomy.

BACKGROUND: It is critical to avoid iatrogenic injuries affecting genitourinary organs in order to prevent postoperative urinary or sexual dysfunction, which lead to lengthier recovery and possibly reoperation. METHODS: Using the 2016-2019 American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) Targeted Proctectomy Database, we collated 2577 patients with non-metastatic rectal cancer who underwent a laparoscopic or open proctectomy. Univariate analysis was used to identify differences in perioperative factors and genitourinary injuries (GUIs) between operative approaches, and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for sustaining an intraoperative GUI. RESULTS: The rates of preoperative comorbidities were significantly higher among patients who received an open operation. The proportion of GUIs was also significantly higher in this patient population. Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that patients who underwent a laparoscopic proctectomy were associated with a 51.4% lower risk of sustaining a GUI. Furthermore, >10% body weight loss in the past 6 months and ASA class 3 status were independently associated with a higher risk of GUI regardless of operation type. CONCLUSION: Patients who undergo a laparoscopic proctectomy are associated with a lower risk of GUI. On the other hand, patients with >10% body weight loss and ASA class 3: Severe Systemic Disease were associated with a higher risk of GUI.

The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mastectomy Outcomes for Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Single center studies have shown that during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many patients had surgical procedures postponed or modified. We studied how the pandemic affected the clinical outcomes of breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomies in 2020. METHODS: Using the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database, we compared clinical variables of 31,123 and 28,680 breast cancer patients who underwent a mastectomy in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Data from 2019 served as the control, and data from 2020 represented the COVID-19 cohort. RESULTS: Fewer surgeries of all kinds were performed in the COVID-19 year than in the control (902,968 vs. 1,076,411). The proportion of mastectomies performed in the COVID-19 cohort was greater than in the control year (3.18% vs. 2.89%, <0.001). More patients presented with ASA level 3 in the COVID-19 year vs. the control (P < .002). Additionally, the proportion of patients with disseminated cancer was lower during the COVID-19 year (P < .001). Average hospital length of stay (P < .001) and time from operation to discharge were shorter in the COVID vs. control cohort (P < .001). Fewer unplanned readmissions were seen in the COVID year (P < .004). CONCLUSION: The ongoing surgical services and mastectomies for breast cancer during the pandemic produced similar clinical outcomes to those seen in 2019. Prioritization of resources for sicker patients and the use of alternative interventions produced similar results for breast cancer patients who underwent a mastectomy in 2020.

Comparing carotid endarterectomies with or without shunting in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.

BACKGROUND: Recent research shows that placement of an intraluminal shunt during a carotid endarterectomy (CEA) can be associated with postoperative complications. Therefore, we compared CEA operations with or without shunting to further analyze their clinical outcomes. METHODS: From the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database, 13,736 cases between 2016 and 2019 were analyzed to compare adult symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid stenosis patients who underwent a CEA operation, with or without shunt placement. RESULTS: Rates of stroke with a neurological deficit (p = 0.012), myocardial infarction (p = 0.021), and urinary tract infection (p = 0.030) were higher among symptomatic patients with shunting. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that risk of CNI was higher among both symptomatic (93.63%, p < 0.001) and asymptomatic (69.58%, p = 0.001) patients with shunting, irrespective of confounding variables. CONCLUSION: Shunting was found to be associated with higher rates of postoperative complications in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patient populations.

A Single-Institution Comparison of Robot-Assisted and Conventional Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgeries.

There has been ongoing discussion regarding the superiority of robotic laparoscopic surgery (RLS) over conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS) in many surgical subspecialties. We therefore sought to elucidate if RLS is associated with more favorable clinical outcomes than CLS among patients who underwent colorectal surgery. Using data from a high-volume single institution in New Jersey, we identified 145 patients who underwent an elective RLS or CLS sigmoid resection for colon cancer or diverticulitis in 2019 and 2020. We analyzed operation time, hospitalization cost, complications, readmissions, reoperations, and lymph node retrieval. Operation time and operation to discharge time were not significantly different among patients undergoing surgery for colon cancer (P > .05), but operation time was found to be longer in diverticulitis patients (P = .03). Additionally, RLS was significantly more costly ($86,003 ± $3520 vs. $68,277 ±$1,168, P < .001) for patients with diverticulitis. Our data demonstrate that the benefit of RLS over CLS in colon resections for diverticulitis and colon cancer is not evident due to the increased costs associated with RLS procedures.