The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database: Intraoperative Echocardiography Reporting.

OBJECTIVES: To identify trends in the reporting of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) data in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD) and the Adult Cardiac Anesthesiology (ACA) module by period, practice type, and geographic distribution, and to elucidate ongoing areas for practice improvement. DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: STS ACSD. PARTICIPANTS: Procedures reported in the STS ACSD between July 2017 and December 2021 in participating programs in the United States. INTERVENTIONS: None MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Intraoperative TEE is reported for 73% of all procedures in ACSD. Although the intraoperative TEE data reporting rate increased from 2017 to 2021 for isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery, it remained low at 62.2%. The reporting of relevant echocardiographic variables across a wide range of procedures has steadily increased over the study period but also remained low. The reporting in the ACA module is high for most variables and across all anesthesia care models; however, the overall contribution of the ACA module to the ACSD remains low. CONCLUSIONS: This progress report suggests a continued need to raise awareness regarding current practices of reporting intraoperative TEE in the ACSD and the ACA, and highlights opportunities for improving reporting and data abstraction.

Association Between Preoperative Hemodialysis Timing and Postoperative Mortality in Patients With End-stage Kidney Disease.

Importance: For patients with end-stage kidney disease treated with hemodialysis, the optimal timing of hemodialysis prior to elective surgical procedures is unknown. Objective: To assess whether a longer interval between hemodialysis and subsequent surgery is associated with higher postoperative mortality in patients with end-stage kidney disease treated with hemodialysis. Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective cohort study of 1 147 846 procedures among 346 828 Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage kidney disease treated with hemodialysis who underwent surgical procedures between January 1, 2011, and September 30, 2018. Follow-up ended on December 31, 2018. Exposures: One-, two-, or three-day intervals between the most recent hemodialysis treatment and the surgical procedure. Hemodialysis on the day of the surgical procedure vs no hemodialysis on the day of the surgical procedure. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was 90-day postoperative mortality. The relationship between the dialysis-to-procedure interval and the primary outcome was modeled using a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Of the 1 147 846 surgical procedures among 346 828 patients (median age, 65 years [IQR, 56-73 years]; 495 126 procedures [43.1%] in female patients), 750 163 (65.4%) were performed when the last hemodialysis session occurred 1 day prior to surgery, 285 939 (24.9%) when the last hemodialysis session occurred 2 days prior to surgery, and 111 744 (9.7%) when the last hemodialysis session occurred 3 days prior to surgery. Hemodialysis was also performed on the day of surgery for 193 277 procedures (16.8%). Ninety-day postoperative mortality occurred after 34 944 procedures (3.0%). Longer intervals between the last hemodialysis session and surgery were significantly associated with higher risk of 90-day mortality in a dose-dependent manner (2 days vs 1 day: absolute risk, 4.7% vs 4.2%, absolute risk difference, 0.6% [95% CI, 0.4% to 0.8%], adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.14 [95% CI, 1.10 to 1.18]; 3 days vs 1 day: absolute risk, 5.2% vs 4.2%, absolute risk difference, 1.0% [95% CI, 0.8% to 1.2%], adjusted HR, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.19 to 1.31]; and 3 days vs 2 days: absolute risk, 5.2% vs 4.7%, absolute risk difference, 0.4% [95% CI, 0.2% to 0.6%], adjusted HR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.04 to 1.13]). Undergoing hemodialysis on the same day as surgery was associated with a significantly lower hazard of mortality vs no same-day hemodialysis (absolute risk, 4.0% for same-day hemodialysis vs 4.5% for no same-day hemodialysis; absolute risk difference, -0.5% [95% CI, -0.7% to -0.3%]; adjusted HR, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.84-0.91]). In the analyses that evaluated the interaction between the hemodialysis-to-procedure interval and same-day hemodialysis, undergoing hemodialysis on the day of the procedure significantly attenuated the risk associated with a longer hemodialysis-to-procedure interval (P<.001 for interaction). Conclusions and Relevance: Among Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage kidney disease, longer intervals between hemodialysis and surgery were significantly associated with higher risk of postoperative mortality, mainly among those who did not receive hemodialysis on the day of surgery. However, the magnitude of the absolute risk differences was small, and the findings are susceptible to residual confounding.

Accuracy of administrative database estimates of national surgical volume: Solid organ transplantation in the National Inpatient Sample.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the accuracy of procedural coding in the National Inpatient Sample, in part because it is challenging to validate population-level estimates. METHODS: We evaluated the accuracy of the National Inpatient Sample by comparing estimates of solid organ transplantation to known national transplant volumes from the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network. RESULTS: The mean deviation of National Inpatient Sample point estimates from true transplant volume for the study period was 17.5 ± 20.8%. The mean deviation of point estimates from 2005 to 2011 was 26.4 ± 22.8% compared to 4.9 ± 6.3% from 2012 to 2016 (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Although future National Inpatient Sample transplantation research may be limited by the inability to subgroup procedures by donor type, surgical procedure coding of solid organ transplantation within the National Inpatient Sample appears to be accurate and reliable for generating national estimates, particularly after the National Inpatient Sample redesign in 2012.

Impact of the Addition of Examples to the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification System.

Examples of comorbidities for the widely used American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA-PS) classification system were developed and approved in 2014. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with 4 comorbidities included in the examples as warranting a specific minimum ASA-PS class. For each comorbidity subgroup, we used interrupted time-series models to compare ASA-PS underclassification for the periods before (2011-2014) and after (2015-2017) the introduction of examples. Rates of underclassification ranged from 4.8% to 38.7%. We observed no evidence of a significant impact on ASA-PS classification with the introduction of examples in 2014.

A Population-Based Analysis of Intraoperative Cardiac Arrest in the United States.

BACKGROUND: A new billable code for intraoperative cardiac arrest was introduced with the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, classification system. Using a national administrative database, we performed a retrospective analysis of intraoperative cardiac arrest in the United States. METHODS: Hospital admissions involving patients ≥18 years of age who underwent operating room procedures in 2016 were identified using the National Inpatient Sample. The primary outcome was the incidence of intraoperative cardiac arrest. Secondary outcomes included total cost of admission, in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and identification of risk factors associated with intraoperative cardiac arrest. Clinical risk factors were evaluated with multivariable logistic regression models using sampling weights and adjustment for clustering by strata. RESULTS: Of 35,675,421 admissions in 2016 in the United States, 9,244,861 admissions were identified in patients ≥18 years of age who underwent at least one operating room procedure. An estimated 5230 hospital admissions involved intraoperative cardiac arrest, yielding an estimated incidence of 5.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.3-6.0) per 10,000 hospital admissions. Admissions involving an intraoperative cardiac arrest had a 35.7% in-hospital mortality, compared with 1.3% for admissions without intraoperative cardiac arrest. Intraoperative cardiac arrest was associated with a 15.44-fold (95% CI, 12.74-18.70; P < .001) increase in the risk-adjusted odds of in-hospital mortality and an additional $13,184 (95% CI, 9600-16,769; P < .001) of total admission costs. Selected factors independently associated with increased risk-adjusted odds of intraoperative cardiac arrest included: black or missing race; cardiac, thoracic, or vascular surgery; congestive heart failure; pulmonary circulation disorders; peripheral vascular disease; end-stage renal disease; and fluid and electrolyte disorders. CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based study of intraoperative cardiac arrest in the United States, admissions involving an intraoperative cardiac arrest were rare but were associated with high in-hospital mortality.

Beyond Low Tidal Volume Ventilation: Treatment Adjuncts for Severe Respiratory Failure in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Despite decades of research, the acute respiratory distress syndrome remains associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This Concise Definitive Review provides a practical and evidence-based summary of treatments in addition to low tidal volume ventilation and their role in the management of severe respiratory failure in acute respiratory distress syndrome. DATA SOURCES: We searched the PubMed database for clinical trials, observational studies, and review articles describing treatment adjuncts in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients, including high positive end-expiratory pressure strategies, recruitment maneuvers, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, neuromuscular blockade, prone positioning, inhaled pulmonary vasodilators, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, glucocorticoids, and renal replacement therapy. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Results were reviewed by the primary author in depth. Disputed findings and conclusions were then reviewed with the other authors until consensus was achieved. DATA SYNTHESIS: Severe respiratory failure in acute respiratory distress syndrome may present with refractory hypoxemia, severe respiratory acidosis, or elevated plateau airway pressures despite lung-protective ventilation according to acute respiratory distress syndrome Network protocol. For severe hypoxemia, first-line treatment adjuncts include high positive end-expiratory pressure strategies, recruitment maneuvers, neuromuscular blockade, and prone positioning. For refractory acidosis, we recommend initial modest liberalization of tidal volumes, followed by neuromuscular blockade and prone positioning. For elevated plateau airway pressures, we suggest first decreasing tidal volumes, followed by neuromuscular blockade, modification of positive end-expiratory pressure, and prone positioning. Therapies such as inhaled pulmonary vasodilators, glucocorticoids, and renal replacement therapy have significantly less evidence in favor of their use and should be considered second line. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation may be life-saving in selected patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome but should be used only when other alternatives have been applied. CONCLUSIONS: Severe respiratory failure in acute respiratory distress syndrome often necessitates the use of treatment adjuncts. Evidence-based application of these therapies in acute respiratory distress syndrome remains a significant challenge. However, a rational stepwise approach with frequent monitoring for improvement or harm can be achieved.

The Timing of Early Antibiotics and Hospital Mortality in Sepsis.

RATIONALE: Prior sepsis studies evaluating antibiotic timing have shown mixed results. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between antibiotic timing and mortality among patients with sepsis receiving antibiotics within 6 hours of emergency department registration. METHODS: Retrospective study of 35,000 randomly selected inpatients with sepsis treated at 21 emergency departments between 2010 and 2013 in Northern California. The primary exposure was antibiotics given within 6 hours of emergency department registration. The primary outcome was adjusted in-hospital mortality. We used detailed physiologic data to quantify severity of illness within 1 hour of registration and logistic regression to estimate the odds of hospital mortality based on antibiotic timing and patient factors. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The median time to antibiotic administration was 2.1 hours (interquartile range, 1.4-3.1 h). The adjusted odds ratio for hospital mortality based on each hour of delay in antibiotics after registration was 1.09 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.13) for each elapsed hour between registration and antibiotic administration. The increase in absolute mortality associated with an hour's delay in antibiotic administration was 0.3% (95% CI, 0.01-0.6%; P = 0.04) for sepsis, 0.4% (95% CI, 0.1-0.8%; P = 0.02) for severe sepsis, and 1.8% (95% CI, 0.8-3.0%; P = 0.001) for shock. CONCLUSIONS: In a large, contemporary, and multicenter sample of patients with sepsis in the emergency department, hourly delays in antibiotic administration were associated with increased odds of hospital mortality even among patients who received antibiotics within 6 hours. The odds increased within each sepsis severity strata, and the increased odds of mortality were greatest in septic shock.

Variability and relative contribution of surgeon- and anesthesia-specific time components to total procedural time in cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Decreasing variability in time-intensive tasks during cardiac surgery may reduce total procedural time, lower costs, reduce clinician burnout, and improve patient access. The relative contribution and variability of surgeon control time (SCT) and anesthesia control time (ACT) to total procedural time is unknown. METHODS: A total of 669 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery were enrolled. Using linear regression, we estimated adjusted SCTs and ACTs, controlling for patient and procedural covariates. The primary endpoint compared overall SCTs and ACTs. The secondary endpoint compared the variability in adjusted SCTs and ACTs. Sensitivity analyses quantified the relative importance of the specific surgeon and anesthesiologist in the adjusted linear models. RESULTS: The median SCT was 4.1 hours (interquartile range [IQR], 3.4-4.9 hours) compared to a median ACT of 1.0 hours (IQR, 0.8-1.2 hours; P < .001). Using linear regression, the variability in adjusted SCT among surgeons (range, 1.8 hours) was 3.5-fold greater than the variability in adjusted ACT among anesthesiologists (range, 0.5 hour; P < .001). The specific surgeon and anesthesiologist accounted for 50% of the explanatory power of the predictive model (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: SCT variability is significantly greater than ACT variability and is strongly associated with the surgeon performing the procedure. Although these results suggest that SCT variability is an attractive operational target, further studies are needed to determine practitioner specific and modifiable attributes to reduce variability and improve efficiency.

Disparities in the Timing of Preoperative Hemodialysis Among Patients With End-Stage Kidney Disease.

This cohort study evaluates the association of patient characteristics with the interval between hemodialysis and surgery among patients with end-stage kidney disease.

Ruling out bacteremia and bacterial meningitis in infants less than one month of age: is 48 hours of hospitalization necessary?

OBJECTIVE: The appropriate duration of hospitalization for infants ≤ 30 days admitted for fever or other concerns for a serious bacterial infection is an understudied area. We sought to determine the risk of a positive, pathogenic bacterial culture of blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in this population beyond 24 hours after collection. METHODS: This study was a retrospective review of 1145 infants aged ≤30 days who had a blood or CSF culture from 1999 to 2010 at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, a county health system in San Jose, California. Time to notification and the probability of a positive culture result after 24 hours were calculated. Infants were considered high risk if they had either a white blood cell count <5000 or >15 000 per µL, a band count >1500 per µL, or an abnormal urinalysis. RESULTS: We identified 1876 cultures (1244 blood, 632 CSF) in 1145 infants aged ≤30 days; 901 (79%) of 1145 were hospitalized and 408 (45%) of 901 hospitalizations were for fever without source (FWS). Thirty-one (2.7%) of the 1145 infants had pathogenic cultures; 6 of 1145 infants (0.5% [95% confidence interval: 0.2-1.1]) had a time to notification >24 hours. All 6 patients had FWS (1.5% of hospitalized FWS sample) and met high-risk criteria on presentation. No low-risk patients had a time to notification >24 hours. Low-risk characteristics were found in 57% (232 of 408) of the entire hospitalized FWS population. CONCLUSIONS: Low-risk infants hospitalized for FWS or other concerns for serious bacterial infection may not need hospitalization for a full 48 hours simply to rule out bacteremia and bacterial meningitis.

Multiple recurrent de novo CNVs, including duplications of the 7q11.23 Williams syndrome region, are strongly associated with autism.

We have undertaken a genome-wide analysis of rare copy-number variation (CNV) in 1124 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) families, each comprised of a single proband, unaffected parents, and, in most kindreds, an unaffected sibling. We find significant association of ASD with de novo duplications of 7q11.23, where the reciprocal deletion causes Williams-Beuren syndrome, characterized by a highly social personality. We identify rare recurrent de novo CNVs at five additional regions, including 16p13.2 (encompassing genes USP7 and C16orf72) and Cadherin 13, and implement a rigorous approach to evaluating the statistical significance of these observations. Overall, large de novo CNVs, particularly those encompassing multiple genes, confer substantial risks (OR = 5.6; CI = 2.6-12.0, p = 2.4 × 10(-7)). We estimate there are 130-234 ASD-related CNV regions in the human genome and present compelling evidence, based on cumulative data, for association of rare de novo events at 7q11.23, 15q11.2-13.1, 16p11.2, and Neurexin 1.