Prevalence, impact, and risk factors for hospital-acquired conditions after major surgical resection for cancer: a NSQIP analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of the CMS nonpayment policy for certain hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) is debated, since their preventability is questionable in several groups of patients. This study aimed to determine the rate of the three most common HAC in major surgical resections for cancer: surgical site infection (SSI), urinary tract infection (UTI), and venous thromboembolism (VTE). Additionally, the association of HAC with patients' characteristics and their effect on post-operative outcomes were investigated. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgical resection for esophageal, gastric, hepato-biliary, pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancer were identified using the ACS-NSQIP database (2005-2012). Early surgical outcomes were compared between HAC and non-HAC patients. Modified Poisson regression was used to identify risk factors for developing HAC. RESULTS: Seventy-four thousand three hundred eighty-one patients were identified, of whom 9,479 (12.74%) developed one or more HAC. HAC patients had significantly higher rates of 30-day mortality, return to operating room, 30-day readmission, had longer LOS, and were less likely to be discharged home. Several peri-operative patients' factors were significantly associated with HAC. CONCLUSION: Our data show that the development of HAC is strongly associated to pre-operative patients' characteristics and not only to sub-optimal peri-operative care, therefore suggesting that the nonpayment policy might be excessively penalizing.

Thirty-day outcomes of paraesophageal hernia repair using the NSQIP database: should laparoscopy be the standard of care?

BACKGROUND: Although surgical repair is universally recognized as the gold standard for treatment of paraesophageal hernia (PEH), the optimal surgical approach is still the subject of debate. To determine which surgical technique is safest, we compared the outcomes of laparoscopic (lap), open transabdominal (TA), and open transthoracic (TT) PEH repair using the NSQIP database. STUDY DESIGN: From 2005 to 2011, we identified 8,186 patients who underwent a PEH repair (78.4% lap, 19.2% TA, 2.4% TT). Primary outcome measured was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay, and NSQIP-measured postoperative complications. Multivariable analyses were performed to compare the odds of each outcome across procedure type (lap, TA, and TT) while adjusting for other factors. RESULTS: Transabdominal patients had the highest 30-day mortality rate (2.6%), compared with 0.5% in the lap patients (p < 0.001) and 1.5% in TT patients. Mean length of stay was statistically significantly longer for TA and TT patients (7.8 days and 6.5 days, respectively) compared with lap patients (3.3 days). After adjusting for age, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, emergency cases, functional status, and steroid use, TA patients were nearly 3 times as likely as lap patients to experience 30-day mortality (odds ratio [OR], 2.97; 95% CI, 1.69 to 5.20; p < 0.001). Moreover, TA and TT patients had significantly increased odds of overall (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.79 to 2.51; p < 0.001; OR 2.73; 95% CI 1.88 to 3.96; p < 0.001; respectively) and serious morbidity (OR 1.90; 95% CI 1.53 to 2.37, p < 0.001; OR 2.49; 95% CI 1.54 to 4.00; p < 0.001; respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of published data indicating improved long-term outcomes after open TA or TT approach, our findings support the use of laparoscopy, whenever technically feasible, because it yields improved short-term outcomes.

Outcomes of operations for benign foregut disease in elderly patients: a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database analysis.

BACKGROUND: The development of minimally invasive operative techniques and improvement in postoperative care has made surgery a viable option to a greater number of elderly patients. Our objective was to evaluate the outcomes of laparoscopic and open foregut operation in relation to the patient age. METHODS: Patients who underwent gastric fundoplication, paraesophageal hernia repair, and Heller myotomy were identified via the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database (2005-2011). Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared between five age groups (group I: ≤65 years, II: 65-69 years; III: 70-74 years; IV: 75-79 years; and V: ≥80 years). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to predict the impact of age and operative approach on the studied outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 19,388 patients were identified. Advanced age was associated with increased rate of 30-day mortality, overall morbidity, serious morbidity, and extended length of stay, regardless of the operative approach. After we adjusted for other variables, advanced age was associated with increased odds of 30-day mortality compared with patients <65 years (III: odds ratio 2.70, 95% confidence interval 1.34-5.44, P = .01; IV: 2.80, 1.35-5.81, P = .01; V: 6.12, 3.41-10.99, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Surgery for benign foregut disease in elderly patients carries a burden of mortality and morbidity that needs to be acknowledged.

Outcomes of esophagectomy for esophageal achalasia in the United States.

BACKGROUND: While the outcomes after Heller myotomy have been extensively reported, little is known about patients with esophageal achalasia who are treated with esophagectomy. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample over an 11-year period (2000-2010). Patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of achalasia who underwent esophagectomy (group 1) were compared to patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy (group 2) during the same time period. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included length of stay, postoperative complications, and total hospital charges. A propensity-matched analysis was conducted comparing the same outcomes between group 1 and well-matched controls in group 2. RESULTS: Nine hundred sixty-three patients with achalasia and 18,003 patients with esophageal cancer underwent esophagectomy. The propensity matched analysis showed a trend toward a higher mortality in group 2 (7.8 vs. 2.9 %, p = 0.08). Postoperative length of stay and complications were similar in both groups. Total hospital charges were higher for the achalasia group ($115,087 vs. $99, 654.2, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: This is the largest study to date examining outcomes after esophagectomy in patients with achalasia. Based on our findings, esophagectomy can be considered a safe option, and surgeons should not be hindered by a perceived notion of prohibitive operative risk in this patient population.

Morbidity and mortality associated with antireflux surgery with or without paraesophogeal hernia: a large ACS NSQIP analysis.

BACKGROUND: Surgical repair of paraesophageal hernias (PEH) represents a considerable technical challenge in patients who are older and have multiple comorbidities. We sought to identify factors associated with increased rates of mortality and morbidity in these patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 2005 through 2007. Patients who underwent an antireflux operation or repair of PEH and with a primary diagnosis of PEH or GERD were included. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative blood transfusion (BT) and standard comorbidities. Multivariate analyses were performed, adjusting for factors of age and BMI. RESULTS: A total of 3518 patients were identified, including 1290 PEH patients. Compared to GERD patients, PEH patients were significantly older and had more comorbidities. On adjusted analysis for PEH patients only, BT and age ≥70 years were significantly associated with multiple outcome variables, including pulmonary complications and venous thromboembolism (VTE), but had no association with mortality. BMI was not found to be associated with any of our outcome measures. CONCLUSION: Despite higher rates of complications, notably pulmonary and VTE, PEH can be repaired in the elderly with mortality rates comparable to those in younger populations. BMI does not adversely impact any short-term outcome measures in patients undergoing PEH repair.