Topical Ropivacaine in Prevention of Post-Tonsillectomy Pain in Adults.

BACKGROUND: Post-tonsillectomy pain is 1 of the most intense postoperative pain conditions. However, optimal and sufficient postoperative analgesic treatment remains unclear. We investigated the effect of topical ropivacaine for post-tonsillectomy pain in 160 adult outpatient surgery patients over 2 postoperative weeks. METHODS: At the end of tonsillectomy, 2 swabs soaked in either 1% ropivacaine or saline were packed into the tonsillar beds for 5 minutes. We used ibuprofen and a combination of acetaminophen (500 mg)-codeine (30 mg) tablets as postoperative analgesics for 2 weeks. The primary outcome was pain intensity on swallowing measured on a numeric rating scale (NRSs) during the first postoperative week expressed as area under curve (AUC). The secondary endpoints included the worst pain experienced during the 2-hour follow-up in the postanesthesia care unit, pain intensity during the second postoperative week, and the number of ibuprofen and acetaminophen-codeine tablets consumed during the 2 postoperative weeks. RESULTS: During the first postoperative week, 120 patients out of 160 (75%) provided complete results, including data on their use of analgesics according to the instructions as well as completed and returned a questionnaire daily. A total of 101 patients (63%) did the same during the second postoperative week.Median (interquartile range [IQR]) of the primary outcome NRSs (AUC) was 38 (19) for the ropivacaine group and 37 (24) for the control group during the first postoperative week (P = .77, -1.0 estimated difference; 95% confidence interval [CI] for the difference, -7.0 to 5.0); no difference was found. Median (IQR) of NRS at rest (NRSr) (AUC) was 24.5 (19) for the ropivacaine group and 24 (22) for the control group during the first postoperative week (P = .96, 0.0 estimated difference; 95% CI for the difference, -5.0 to 5.0); no difference was found. Median (IQR) of the worst pain intensity values (NRSs or NRSr) (AUC) was 5 (3) for the ropivacaine group and 5 (3) for the control group (P = .44, 0.0 estimated difference; 95% CI for the difference, -1.0 to 0.5); no difference was found. During the second postoperative week, median (IQR) of the NRSs (AUC) was 17 (13) for the ropivacaine group and 21 (23) for the control group (P = .05, -4.0 estimated difference; 95% CI for the difference, -9.0 to 0.0) and median (IQR) of the NRSr (AUC) 10.5 (10) for ropivacaine group and 11 (13) for the control group (P = .42, -1.0 estimated difference; 95% CI for the difference, -5.0 to 2.0); no difference was found.The number of rescue analgesics (acetaminophen-codeine tablets) consumed during the second postoperative week was lower in the ropivacaine group than in the control group (median [IQR] of the consumption [AUC] was 10 [12] for the ropivacaine group and 16 [12] for the control group; P = .0008, -7.0 estimated difference; 95% CI of difference, -10 to -3.0). The groups showed no differences in overall risk for post-tonsillectomy bleeding. However, bleeding requiring hemostasis under local anesthesia was more common in the ropivacaine group (18% vs 8%, P = .048, 10% estimated difference; 95% CI for the difference, 0%-21%). CONCLUSIONS: Topical ropivacaine failed to reduce pain intensity during the first postoperative week. We observed no major adverse effects.

Prospective experience of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes placed by otorhinolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons: safe and efficacious.

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is often the treatment of choice in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients needing long-term nutritional support. Prospective studies on PEG tube placement in an otorhinolaryngologist service are lacking. At our hospital, otolaryngologist-head and neck (ORL-HN) surgeons-have performed PEG insertions for HNC patients since 2008. We prospectively analyzed 127 consecutive HNC patients who received their PEG tubes at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery, and evaluated the outcome of PEG tube insertions performed by ORL-HN surgeons. To compare time delays before and after, PEG placement service was transferred from gastrointestinal surgeons to ORL-HN surgeons, and we retrospectively analyzed a separate group of 110 HNC patients who had earlier received PEG tubes at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery. ORL-HN surgeons' success rate in PEG insertion was 97.6%, leading to a final prospective study group of 124 patients. Major complications occurred in four (3.2%): two buried bumper syndromes, one subcutaneous hemorrhage leading to an abscess in the abdominal wall, and one metastasis at the PEG site. The most common minor complication was peristomal granulomatous tissue affecting 23 (18.5%) patients. After the change in practice, median time delay before PEG insertion decreased from 13 to 10 days (P < 0.005). The proportion of early PEG placements within 0-3 days increased from 3.6 to 14.6% (P < 0.005). PEG tube insertion seems to be a safe procedure in the hands of an ORL-HN surgeon. Independence from gastrointestinal surgeons' services reduced the time delay and improved the availability of urgent PEG insertions.

Patterns of malpractice claims and compensation after surgical procedures: a retrospective analysis of 8,901 claims from the Finnish patient insurance registry.

BACKGROUND: Invasive surgical procedures carry risk of harm to patients. In addition to avoidable harm, disparities between patient expectations and the outcome of a procedure may lead to patient injury claims. The follow-up of claims and compensation is an important entity for patient safety. The number of claims should be related to the surgical volume, so that a healthcare provider can benchmark with similar organizations and see if its trends are developing favourably or deteriorating. Our objective was to find out the claims and compensation rates due to surgery in an insurance-based system. METHODS: Data related to surgical claims and reference volume in the period 2011-2015 were collected from the claim register of the Finnish Patient Insurance Centre and benchmarking community register of Finnish operating departments. The data included age, gender, hospital, year of surgery, surgical code, and outcome of the claim. RESULTS: There were 8,901 claims related to the corresponding reference group of 1,470,435 surgical procedures. The claims rate was 0.61% and compensation rate was 0.22%. Trends for claims and compensation rates decreased over the study period. In high volume procedures, a low compensation rate was detected for excision of tonsils and adenoids, Caesarean section and extracapsular cataract operations using the phacoemulsification technique. A high compensation rate was detected for primary prosthetic replacement of the hip and knee joints and decompression of spinal cord and nerve roots. Unreasonable injury (death or permanent deterioration of health) was compensated in 2.4 per 100,000 procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Register data research in a no-fault patient insurance system revealed a claims rate of 6 per 1,000 procedures and compensation rate of 2 per 1,000 procedures. A decreasing trend in both rates over the study period was detected. Different surgical procedures exhibit varying claims and compensation rates.

Statin use and vitreoretinal surgery: Findings from a Finnish population-based cohort study.

PURPOSE: Vitreoretinal (VR) surgery is the third most common intraocular surgery after refractive and cataract surgery. The impact of statin therapy on VR surgery outcomes remains unclear, despite a potentially beneficial effect. We explored the association of preoperative statin therapy and the need for revitrectomy after primary vitrectomy. METHODS: Our historical, population-based, register-based, VR surgery cohort consisted of 5709 patients operated in a tertiary, academic referral hospital in Finland, during 2008-2014, covering 6.5 years. Subgroup analysis was performed as follows: eyes operated due to (i) rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), (ii) VR interface diseases (macular pucker/hole), (iii) diabetic maculopathy or proliferative retinopathy, (iv) vitreous haemorrhage, (v) lens subluxation, (vi) vitreous opacities or (vii) other VR indication. The primary end-point event was revitrectomy during a postoperative follow-up period of 1 year due to retinal redetachment, vitreous rehaemorrhage, postoperative endophthalmitis, recurrent pucker or unclosed macular hole. RESULTS: Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) was the second most frequent indication of VR surgery, including 1916 patients, with 305 re-operations with rate 0.20 (95% CI 0.18-0.23) per person-year. Statin treatment in time of operation was associated with lower risk of re-operation according to relative scale (incidence rate ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.53-0.97), but not in absolute scale (incidence rate difference -0.58, 95% CI -4.30 to 3.15 for 100 person-years). No association with statin therapy and vitrectomy outcome was observed in the other VR subgroups. CONCLUSION: Use of statin treatment was associated with a 28% lower risk of revitrectomy in patients operated due to RRD. Further randomized clinical trials are highly warranted.

Complications after surgery for benign parotid gland neoplasms: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Prospective studies on procedure-specific incidences of complications after benign parotid surgery are lacking. Predictive factors for postoperative facial dysfunction remain controversial. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study on 132 patients undergoing parotid surgery for benign parotid neoplasms. We analyzed complication rates and assessed risk factors of postoperative transient facial palsy. RESULTS: Facial palsy rate was 40.2% on the first postoperative day, 28.3% at 2 weeks, 3.9% at 6 months, and 1.6% at 12 months. Immediate postoperative palsy rates in subgroups of partial superficial parotidectomy, superficial parotidectomy, extended parotidectomy, and ECD were 41.5%, 43.8%, 53.8%, and 6.3%, respectively. Age, duration of surgery, and use of ultrasound knife were identified as risk factors for transient facial palsy. CONCLUSION: Depending on the operation type, up to half of the patients experience facial palsy after benign parotid surgery. Higher age and longer duration of operation increase the risk. The role of operative instrumentation requires further studies. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 170-176, 2017.

Developing a Registry for Complications in Otorhinolaryngologic Surgery: Tonsil Surgery as a Pilot Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To find a suitable method to prospectively register all tonsil surgery-related complications. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary care center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: From September 2011 to February 2012, patients undergoing tonsillectomy or tonsillotomy were enrolled. A wide range of demographic and clinical data including incidents of postoperative complications was recorded prospectively, and patient records were reviewed 9 months after the end of study period. We evaluated the coverage of prospective data recording, analyzed the complication rates, and assessed the process of registration. RESULTS: A total of 573 patients were recruited. The study registry including 57 variables required the completion of missing data before analysis. Of all 79 patients with a complication, 69.6% were captured prospectively at the emergency department, and the rest were found when reviewing the patient records. The proportion of prospectively captured complications was highest for the most common complications (eg, 81.1% for secondary hemorrhage). The overall complication rate was 13.8%. Secondary hemorrhage was the most common complication, with the incidence of 9.6%. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated the initial feasibility of a prospective complication registry for otorhinolaryngology procedures, and the results can be applied accordingly. We also present 5 practical recommendations when initiating a functional registry. Particular attention should be paid to recognition and registration of both rare and serious events. Regular analysis of the results is required in order to respond to possible changes in the incidence or nature of complications.

A prospective study of inflammation markers in patients at risk of indirect acute lung injury.

Systemic inflammation triggered by insults like sepsis and acute pancreatitis may play a role in development of indirect acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Because little is known about the course of systemic inflammation on the days preceding diagnosis of ARDS, we prospectively monitored immune inflammatory status in 52 patients at risk and we assessed the presence of ALI and ARDS on day 7 after admission to the intensive care unit. On admission, serum interleukin (IL) 8, IL-6, and soluble IL-2 receptor concentrations were significantly higher in patients with subsequent ALI (n = 18) than in patients without ALI (n = 30). During a 4-day follow-up, IL-8 and IL-6 levels of ALI patients remained high and those of non-ALI patients decreased. None of the markers discriminated ARDS patients (n = 9) from non-ARDS ALI patients (n = 9). Among 11 patients with acute pancreatitis, ALI patients had significantly higher IL-8, IL-6, and phagocyte CD11b expression levels than did non-ALI patients, whereas among 14 patients with massive transfusion, respective findings in ALI and non-ALI patients were comparable. Results give credence to the view that systemic inflammation plays a role in development of ALI triggered by pancreatitis, but not in that by massive transfusion. This finding, if confirmed in studies with sufficient statistical power, suggests that the patients with massive transfusion do not necessarily benefit from novel biotherapies aimed at altering the course of systemic inflammation.

Post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage more common than previously described--an institutional chart review.

CONCLUSIONS: Risk of post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage (PTH) was higher compared with previous studies and may be associated with the criteria used. Male gender and the use of haemostatic agents in the primary operation were associated with increased risk of PTH, whereas the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or dexamethasone was not. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate the risk of PTH in adult patients, and its association with the use of NSAIDs, dexamethasone, paracetamol, serotonin (5-HT(3)) receptor antagonists, haemostatic agents, age and gender during preceding tonsillectomy (TE). METHODS: All PTH complications that resulted in an adult TE patient re-contacting the hospital were retrospectively recorded during a 12-month period. PTH types were allocated into three categories: (I) a history of bleeding, (II) bleeding requiring direct pressure or electrocautery under local anaesthesia or (III) reoperation under general anaesthesia. RESULTS: A total of 842 adult TE patients (aged between 16 and 85.8 years) were included in the study. Of these, 122 patients experienced PTH (risk 14.5%). Risk of category III PTH was 1.5%. Risk factors for PTH were the use of haemostatic agents (p = 0.006) and male gender (p = 0.011). The use of NSAID, opioid, 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist and dexamethasone medication did not significantly alter the number of postoperative bleeding events.

WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery: specialty-related aspects of check items.

CONCLUSION: The WHO surgical checklist is well suited to otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery (ORL-HNS) and the users are satisfied with its content. OBJECTIVES: Use of the checklist will improve safety in operating rooms (ORs). The checklist has been taken into use in ORL-HNS, and preliminary experiences are promising. However, the checklist must be specific to the specialty in which it is used. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of the check items for ORL-HNS operations, with special reference to outpatient surgery. METHODS: The questionnaire study for the OR personnel was conducted at a tertiary academic hospital. Every item on the WHO checklist was evaluated and responders could provide freehand comments on the subject. RESULTS: In all, 101 responses were received from OR staff; the response rate was 95.3%. The users were mainly satisfied with the checklist's content for ORL-HNS operations. Mean scores of the importance of check items varied from 4.08 to 4.89 on a five-point scale. The item 'Allergy' had the highest score and 'Team members introduced' the lowest. A need to modify the checklist for in-hospital patients did not emerge. However, a more compact checklist for outpatient surgery carried out under local anaesthesia was suggested.

Monocyte CD14 and soluble CD14 in predicting mortality of patients with severe community acquired infection.

Monocyte membrane CD14 (mCD14) and soluble CD14 (sCD14) both associate with poor outcome in sepsis. Because the value of combined use of the markers is unknown we measured both in patients with severe community acquired infections. The study comprised 142 acutely ill patients with community acquired pneumonia and/or blood culture-positive sepsis. Expression of mCD14 was measured, on admission to hospital, by whole blood flow cytometry and sCD14 by ELISA. There was no significant correlation between mCD14 and sCD14. Patients in the lowest tertile of mCD14 were 9.79 times (95% CI 1.31- >50, p =0.006) more likely to die than patients in the middle/highest tertiles. Survival rates in the highest and middle/lowest tertiles of sCD14 levels were comparable. After stratification by sCD14, patients in the lowest tertile of mCD14 were 14.4 times (95% CI 1.90-39.44) more likely to die than patients in the middle/highest tertiles. A significant positive correlation was detected between C-reactive protein and sCD14 levels, providing evidence that sCD14 may serve as an acute phase reactant. In conclusion, low monocyte mCD14 level, unlike the concurrent sCD14 level, predicts 28-d mortality in patients with community acquired infections.

Markers of inflammation in sepsis.

Pathophysiology of sepsis is characterised by a whole body inflammatory reaction and concurrent activation of the host's anti-inflammatory mechanisms. The balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory reactions is critical for the outcome of the patient. Strongly activated phagocytes and high levels of proinflammatory cytokines occur in patients who are at risk of developing circulatory shock and multiple organ dysfunction. Extensive anti-inflammatory reaction, which is characterised by the presence of high levels of circulating anti-inflammatory cytokines and impaired innate and adaptive immune functions, renders critically ill patients prone to secondary infections. Evaluation of the immune-inflammatory status on admission to the hospital may be helpful in the early identification of patients who are bound to develop organ dysfunction. Such patients could possibly benefit from a mode of therapy aimed at modifying the course of inflammatory response. The use of inflammatory markers may also improve diagnosis of severe infection. The present review summarises the studies on markers of inflammation and immune suppression used, first, as predictors of organ dysfunction in patients with systemic inflammation, and, second, as indicators of infection in adults and neonates.

Decreased HLA (human leucocyte antigen)-DR expression on peripheral blood monocytes predicts the development of organ failure in patients with acute pancreatitis.

Immune suppression plays an important role in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis. Monocyte expression of HLA (human leucocyte antigen)-DR, a cellular marker of immune suppression, was determined in relation to the development of organ dysfunction in patients with acute pancreatitis. A total of 310 consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis, admitted to a university hospital within 72 h of pain onset, were studied; 194 (63%) had mild disease (group I), 87 (28%) had severe disease without organ dysfunction (group II), and 29 (9%) had severe disease with organ dysfunction (group III). HLA-DR expression, defined both as the proportion of monocytes that were HLA-DR-positive and as monocyte HLA-DR fluorescence intensity, was determined at admission, using whole-blood flow cytometry. Of the patients in group III, 13 (45%) developed organ dysfunction within 24 h of admission. The proportion of HLA-DR-positive monocytes and monocyte HLA-DR density were both related to the severity of pancreatitis (P<0.001 for linear trend). In predicting organ dysfunction, the sensitivity, specificity and positive-likelihood ratio for the proportion of HLA-DR-positive monocytes were 83% [95% CI (confidence interval) 64-94%], 72% (67-77%) and 3.0 respectively, and for monocyte HLA-DR density the respective values were 69% (49-85%), 84% (79-88%) and 4.3. In conclusion, monocyte HLA-DR expression predicts the development of organ dysfunction that occurs early in patients with acute pancreatitis.