InCISE: Instrument for Comprehensive Incisional and Surgical Evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: The evaluation of healing after head and neck surgery is currently qualitative and non-standardized, limiting the quality of surgical healing assessments in clinical and research settings. We sought to develop an objective, standardized wound assessment score, and hypothesize that a reliable instrument can be developed to evaluate head and neck surgical wounds. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary-care, academic head and neck surgery practice. Patients undergoing head and neck surgery were enrolled. A digital photograph protocol was developed for evaluating healing surgical wounds. A panel of experts developed and refined a wound healing score and established reliability, reproducibility, internal consistency, and validity of the score. RESULTS: InCISE: Instrument for comprehensive incisional and surgical evaluation was created. The utility of our wound healing score was assessed using classical test theory. We performed the major steps of establishing reliability in head and neck surgeons: (1) internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.81), (2) inter-observer reliability (intra-class correlation = 0.76), and (3) intra-rater reliability (intra-class correlation = 0.87), and content validity (through focus groups). Our composite measure was found to have strong internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and intra-rater reliability. Preliminary work suggests criterion validity via associations with physical health related quality of life (SF-12). CONCLUSION: A wound healing score for head and neck surgery, InCISE, has been developed and is reliable, reproducible, and consistent. Although content validity is present and criterion validity is suggested, work continues to establish validity in this instrument to allow for expanded clinical and research use. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 133:2166-2173, 2023.

End-to-side duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy after pancreaticoduodenectomy A comparison trial of small versus larger jejunal incision. A single center experience.

AIM: The rates of post-operative pancreatic fistula (POPF) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) are between 5% and 30%. Nowadays, pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) represents the most common type of reconstruction after PD, but the ideal technique is still debated. Our randomized trial was conceived with the intent to evaluate if two variants of PJ could influence the post-operative outcome in term of early complications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-eight consecutive patients treated with PD were randomized into 2 groups (Group 1 or Large Jejunal Incision or LJI group and Group 2 or Small Jejunal Incision or SJI group). Outcome measures were the operative time, postoperative complications, length of postoperative hospital stay, amylase content in drains. RESULTS: wenty-two patients were enrolled in the LJI and 26 in the SJI group. Median operative times did not differ between the 2 groups. The groups were homogeneous in respect to the median age of patients, the clinical presentation of jaundice and the presence of percutaneous biliary drainage (PBD). POPF developed in 3/22 (13.6%) and 1/26 (4%) patients among the LJI and SJI group respectively (3 grade B and 1 grade C respectively) (p=0.341). PPH occurred in 8/22 (36%) and 2/26 (8%) patients among the LJI and SJI group, respectively (p=0.018). The Amylase content in the drainage fluid measured at the 5th postoperative day showed a higher value in patients who underwent LJI anastomosis compared to those with SJI anastomosis [LJI group: 26.5 (6-254) U/l vs SJI group: 7 (0-38) U/l; p=0.051]. Delayed Gastric Emptying (DGE) was not different. The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated both LJI anastomosis and DGE as independent predictors for pancreatic fistula (DGE: OR=20.04, CI 95%=1.92-208.83, P=0.012; LJI anastomosis: OR=24.58, CI 95%=1.71-354.32, P=0.019) and PPH (DGE: 30.5, CI 95%=3.02-308.16, P=0.004; LJI anastomosis: OR=12.71, CI 95%=1.23-131.55, P=0.033). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the present results, we suggest to adopt what a "pancreas duct-oriented" approach: if pancreas duct is large a SJI-PJ is recommended; if the duct is < than 3 mm, a LJI must be preferred. Our conclusion is that the association of some surgeons to perform always the techniques with them are more confident is a concept of the past: recent data suggest that the pancreatic surgeon must have the different techniques in his "armamentarium" and varying the technique depending on local characteristic of the pancreas to allow a tailored approach to the patient. KEY WORDS: Pancreaticojejunostomy, Pancreatic fistula, Surgical Sutcome.

Plate fixation versus intramedullary nail or Knowles pin fixation for displaced midshaft clavicle fractures: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Plate fixation and intramedullary nail/Knowles pin fixation methods are commonly used to treat displaced midshaft clavicle fractures. However, the differences between these 2 methods are unclear. OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis aimed to compare plate fixation and intramedullary nail/Knowles pin fixation for displaced midshaft clavicle fractures. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EBM reviews, and Ovid Medline online for studies related to comparison of plate fixation versus intramedullary nail/Knowles pin fixation for displaced midshaft clavicle fracture from inception to June 30, 2019. Relevant literature search, data extraction, and quality assessment will be performed by 2 researchers independently. The methodological quality of all included studies was appraised using the Cochrane system for randomized trials. The RevMan 5.2 software was used for heterogeneity assessment, generating funnel-plots, data synthesis, sensitivity analysis, and determining publication bias. The fixed-effects or random-effects model was used to calculate mean difference (MD)/relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 839 patients from 12 randomized controlled trials. We found that compared to plate fixation, intramedullary nail/Knowles pin fixation yielded a higher shoulder constant score [MD = -2.43, 95% CI (-3.46 to -1.41), P < .00001] and lower disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) score [MD = 2.98, 95% CI (0.16-5.81), P = .04], and lower infection rates [RR = 2.05, 95% CI (1.36-3.09), P = .003], operation time [MD = 20.20, 95% CI (10.80-29.60), P < .0001], incision size [MD = 6.09, 95% CI (4.54-7.65), P < .00001], and hospital stay [MD = 1.10, 95% CI (0.56-1.64), P < .00001] but with a higher removal rate [RR = 0.52, 95% CI (0.41-0.65), P < .00001] compared to plate fixation. There were no significant differences in nonunion, reintervention, or revision and refracture between these two methods. The limitation is that many studies did not demonstrate the random generated details, and only English articles were enrolled in this meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Intramedullary nail/Knowles pin fixation might be an optimum choice for treating displaced midshaft clavicle fractures, with similar performance in terms of the nonunion, reintervention, or revision and refracture, and better shoulder constant and DASH scores, infection rates, and operative parameters.

Left Anterior Mini-Incision for Pulmonary Valve Replacement in a 12-Year-Old.

A 12-year-old, 32 kg male with history of Tetralogy of Fallot status post repair at 8 days of life presented with progressive pulmonary insufficiency and left pulmonary artery stenosis. Surgical options were discussed, and the patient and his family elected to pursue minimally invasive pulmonary valve replacement with left pulmonary artery augmentation through a 5-cm left anterior mini-incision. The procedure was performed without complication, and he was discharged on postoperative day 3. At the time of his last follow-up, the patient was recovering well without evidence of pulmonary stenosis or insufficiency.

Left Anterior Mini-Incision for Pulmonary Valve Replacement Following Tetralogy of Fallot Repair.

Pulmonary insufficiency is a known complication following Tetralogy of Fallot repair. With over 90% of patients now surviving to adulthood, surgeons are once again faced with the question of when, and more importantly, how to reintervene. We developed a novel approach to pulmonary valve replacement in this population through a 5-cm left anterior mini-incision. The incision is optimized for exposing and operating on the right ventricular outflow tract and the main pulmonary artery in patients with a history of median sternotomy. Early outcomes are reassuring, and we believe our approach is a safe and reliable alternative to median sternotomy within this patient population, with the ability to quickly convert intraoperatively when needed.

An analysis of 3,954 cases to determine surgical wound classification accuracy: Does your institution need a monday morning quarterback?

INTRODUCTION: Surgical site infections reporting has financial implications for institutions under Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Pay-for-Performance programs. Surgical Wound Classification (SWC) is an important factor in performing risk adjustment and affects the accuracy of the Standardized Infection Ratio (SIR). This in turn leads to more accurate inter-hospital ratings and reimbursement. This study aims to measure (1) services and procedures associated with the highest rates of misclassification and (2) whether temporal factors influenced misclassification. METHODS: Accuracy of SWC was assessed by comparing the wound classification documented by the Operating Room (OR) nurse at the time of the operation to the actual SWC determined from in-depth chart review using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wound classification algorithm by a trained reviewer. Cases were reviewed once operative reports were available. RESULTS: Review of 3954 cases yielded an overall discordance rate of 22.15% (N = 876), with most cases being under-classified. Services with the highest rates of discordance include cardiothoracic (38.46%) and general surgery (37.86%), followed by general oncology (29.46%), OB-GYN (28.93%), urology (27.27%), and plastic surgery (27.14%). Procedures with the highest discordance rates are laparoscopic appendectomy (66.67%), cholecystectomy (52.90%), exploratory laparotomy (49.21%), and split-thickness skin graft (36.84%). Discordance rates were significantly higher (p = 0.0001) during weekends compared to weekdays, while operations starting after-hours during the week did not show a significant difference from daytime hours. CONCLUSION: At a level 1 trauma academic medical center, certain procedures were found to be misclassified in regards to SWC more often than other types of cases. The timing of the case, such that they occurred on the weekends also contributed to higher discordance rates between original and corrected wound classifications. Recognizing cases, services, and temporal factors frequently associated with misclassification of wound class can help allocate limited resources to maximize improvement of this important metric.

Transverse versus vertical skin incision for planned cesarean hysterectomy: does it matter?

BACKGROUND: To investigate differences in perioperative outcomes by type of skin incision, transverse versus vertical, for planned cesarean hysterectomy for placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of all women who underwent a planned cesarean hysterectomy for abnormal placentation at a single academic medical center over 5 years. The Student's t-test was used for continuous variables and Fisher's exact test compared categorical variables. Continuous data were presented as median and compared using the Wilcoxon-rank sum test. RESULTS: Forty-two planned cesarean hysterectomies were identified. A transverse skin incision was made in 43% (n = 18); a vertical skin incision was made in 57% (n = 24). Skin incision was independent of BMI (30.3 vs 30.8 kg/m2, p = 0.37), placental location (p = 0.82), and PAS-subtype (p = 0.26). Mean estimated blood loss (EBL) was 2.73 l (L) (range 0.5-20) and was not significantly different between transverse and vertical skin incision (2.6 L vs 2.8 L, p = 0.8). There was significantly shorter operative time with transverse skin incision (180 vs 238 min, p = 0.03), with no difference in intraoperative complications, including cystotomy (p = 0.22) and ureteral injury (p = 0.73). Postoperatively, there was no difference in maternal length of stay (4.8 vs 4.4 days, p = 0.74) or post-operative opioid use (117 vs 180 morphine equivalents, p = 0.31). CONCLUSION: Transverse skin incision is associated with shorter operative time for patients undergoing planned cesarean hysterectomy. There was no difference in EBL, intraoperative complications, postoperative length of stay, or opioid use. Given an increasing rate of cesarean hysterectomy, we should consider variables that optimize maternal outcomes and resource utilization.

The development and validation of risk-stratification models for short-term outcomes following contaminated complex abdominal wall reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Short-term outcomes for patients undergoing contaminated complex abdominal wall reconstruction (CCAWR), including risk stratification, have not been studied in sufficiently high numbers. This study aims to develop and validate risk-stratification models for Clavien-Dindo (CD) grade ≥ 3 complications in patients undergoing CCAWR. METHODS: A consecutive cohort of patients who underwent CCAWR in two European national intestinal failure centers, from January 2004 to December 2015, was identified. Data were collected retrospectively for short-term outcomes and used to develop risk models using logistic regression. A further cohort, from January 2016 to December 2017, was used to validate the models. RESULTS: The development cohort consisted of 272 procedures performed in 254 patients. The validation cohort consisted of 114 patients. The cohorts were comparable in baseline demographics (mean age 58.0 vs 58.1; sex 58.8% male vs 54.4%, respectively). A multi-variate model including the presence of intestinal failure (p < 0.01) and operative time (p < 0.01) demonstrated good discrimination and calibration on validation. Models for wound and intra-abdominal complications were also developed, including pre-operative immunosuppression (p = 0.05), intestinal failure (p = 0.02), increasing operative time (p = 0.04), increasing number of anastomoses (p = 0.01) and the number of previous abdominal operations (p = 0.02). While these models showed reasonable ability to discriminate patients on internal assessment, they were not found to be accurate on external validation. CONCLUSION: Acceptable short-term outcomes after CCAWR are demonstrated. A robust model for the prediction of CD ≥ grade 3 complications has been developed and validated. This model is available online at www.smbari.co.uk/smjconv2.

Emergency repair of complicated abdominal wall hernias: WSES guidelines.

PURPOSE: In July 2013, the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) held the first Consensus Conference on emergency repair of abdominal wall hernias in adult patients with the intention of producing evidence-based guidelines to assist surgeons in the management of complicated abdominal wall hernias. Guidelines were updated in 2017 in keeping with varying clinical practice: benefits resulting from the increased use of biological prosthesis in the emergency setting were highlighted, as previously published in the World Journal of Emergency Surgery. This executive summary is intended to consolidate knowledge on the emergency management of complicated hernias by providing the broad readership with a practical and concise version of the original guidelines. METHODS: This executive manuscript summarizes the WSES guidelines reporting on the emergency management of complicated abdominal wall hernias; statements are highlighted focusing the readers' attention on the main concepts presented in the original guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency repair of complicated abdominal hernias remains one of the most common and challenging surgical emergencies worldwide. WSES aims to provide an essential version of the evidence-based guidelines focusing on the timing of intervention, laparoscopic approach, surgical repair following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wound classification, antimicrobial prophylaxis and anesthesia in the emergency setting.

The use of synthetic mesh in contaminated and infected abdominal wall repairs: challenging the dogma-A long-term prospective clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal wall reconstruction in patients presenting with enteric fistulas and mesh infection is challenging. There is a consensus that synthetic mesh must be avoided in infected operations, and the alternatives to using synthetic mesh, such as component separation techniques and biologic mesh, present disappointing results with expressive wound infection and hernia recurrence rates. METHODS: A prospective clinical trial designed to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of 40 patients submitted to elective abdominal wall repair with synthetic mesh in the dirty-infected setting, and compared to a cohort of 40 patients submitted to clean ventral hernia repairs. Patients in both groups were submitted to a single-staged repair using onlay polypropylene mesh reinforcement. RESULTS: Groups' characteristics were similar. There were 13 (32.5%) surgical site occurrences in the infected mesh (IM) group, compared to 11 (27.5%) in the clean-control (CC) group, p = 0.626. The 30-day surgical site infection rate was 15% for the IM group vs. 10% for the CC cases, p = 0.499. One patient required a complete mesh removal in each group. The mean overall follow-up was 50.2 ± 14.8 months, with 36 patients in the IM group and 38 clean-controls completing a follow-up of 36 months. There was one hernia recurrence (4.2%) in the IM group and no recurrences in the CC group. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that using polypropylene mesh in the infected setting presented similar outcomes to clean repairs. The use of synthetic mesh in the onlay position resulted in a safe and durable abdominal wall reconstruction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Study registered at Plataforma Brasil (plataformabrasil.saude.gov.br), CAAE 30836614.7.0000.0068. Study registered at Clinical Trials (clinicaltrials.gov), Identifier NCT03702153.

Surgical Wound Misclassification to Clean From Clean-Contaminated in Common Abdominal Operations.

BACKGROUND: Wound classification helps predict wound-related complications and is useful in stratifying surgical site infection reporting. We sought to evaluate misclassification among commonly performed surgeries that are at least clean-contaminated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried from 2005 to 2016 by Current Procedural Terminology codes identifying common surgeries that are, by definition, not clean: colectomy, cholecystectomy, hysterectomy, and appendectomy. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: Of the 1,208,544 operative cases reviewed, 22,925 (1.90%) were misclassified as clean. Hysterectomy was the most commonly misclassified operation (3.11%), and colectomy the least (0.82%). Misclassification was higher in laparoscopic cases (1.92% versus 1.82%; P < 0.01). Misclassification increased from 2005 to 2016 (0.22% versus 3.11%; P < 0.01). Misclassified patients were younger (46.7 versus 47.7 y; P < 0.01); had lower rates of hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smoking history, and steroid use (P < 0.01); and had shorter length of stay (2.2 versus 3.2 d; P < 0.01), lower 30-d readmission rates (3.7% versus 5.0%; P < 0.01), and less surgical site infections (1.7% versus 3.4%; P < 0.01). Open hysterectomy was the most significant positive predictor for misclassification (odds ratio 3.34; P < 0.01). Open appendectomy was the most significant negative predictor (odds ratio 0.20; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There is an increasing trend of misclassifying wounds as clean. Misclassified patients have better outcomes, and misclassification may be affected by patient characteristics, operative approach, and type of procedure rather than reflecting the true infectious burden. Further research is warranted.

Comprehensive Wound Risk Stratification of Rib-Based Distraction Instrumentation Procedures.

STUDY DESIGN: Single-center retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected registry. OBJECTIVES: Identify factors predictive of rib-based distraction (RBD) instrumentation wound complication. Create a risk stratification model for RBD instrumentation wound complication. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: RBD instrumentation procedures have a high rate of wound complications, often requiring unplanned operative treatment. Currently, there is a relative lack of understanding of RBD complication risk factors compared with the comprehensive understanding of complication risk factors for other spine surgeries. METHODS: Between January 2011 and September 2015, patients treated with RBD instrumentation at a single institution were analyzed for risk factors associated with surgical wound complications that resulted in unplanned operative treatment. Univariate logistic regression determined predictors of wound complication and multivariate regression determined independent predictive factors; α = 0.10. RESULTS: A total of 122 patients aged 0-18 years underwent 140 implant surgeries in which 22 resulted in complications: 18 (82%) infectious and 4 (18%) noninfectious. Mean age at surgery was 5.2 years. Univariate analysis showed a correlation between wound complication rates and the following: male gender (p = .097), diapered patient with lower back incision (p = .004), bilateral procedure (p = .008), more than three incisions (p = .011), left iliac incision (p = .097), right iliac incision (p = .009), patient age ≤4 years (p = .10), and operative time >150 minutes (p = .079). Multivariate analysis identified the following independent predictors: age ≤ 4 years (p = .002), male gender (p = .04), number of skin incisions (p = .001), left iliac incision (p = .018), and nutritionally challenged (p = .044). The multivariate model predicted wound complications with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.88. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of risk factors for RBD instrumentation wound complications can be used to construct patient risk models. This can identify patients at higher risk for complications and influence clinical decision making. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

The Urgent Surgery Elderly Mortality risk score: a simple mortality score.

INTRODUCTION: an increasing number of elderly patients undergo urgent abdominal surgery and this population has a higher risk of mortality. The main objective of the study was to identify mortality-associated factors in elderly patients undergoing abdominal surgery and to design a mortality scoring tool, the Urgent Surgery Elderly Mortality risk score (the USEM score). PATIENTS AND METHODS: this was a retrospective study using a prospective database. Patients > 65 years old that underwent urgent abdominal surgery were included. Risk factors for 30-day mortality were identified using multivariate regression analysis and weights assigned using the odds ratios (OR). A mortality score was derived from the aggregate of weighted scores. Model calibration and discrimination were judged using the receiver operating characteristics curves and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. RESULTS: in the present study, 4,255 patients were included with an 8.5% mortality rate. The risk factors significantly associated with mortality were American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, age, preoperative diagnosis (OR: 37.82 for intestinal ischemia, OR: 5.01 for colorectal perforation, OR: 6.73 for intestinal obstruction), surgical wound classification and open or laparoscopic surgery. A risk score was devised from these data for the estimation of the probability of survival in each patient. The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) for this score was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.82-0.86) and the AUROC correct was 0.83 (0.81-0.85). CONCLUSIONS: a simple score that uses five clinical variables predicts 30-day mortality. This model can assist surgeons in the initial evaluation of an elderly patient undergoing urgent abdominal surgery.

Improvement of surgical wound classification following a targeted training program at a children's hospital.

BACKGROUND: Inaccurate assignment of surgical wound class (SWC) remains a challenge in perioperative documentation. The purpose of our intervention was to increase the accuracy of SWC through a targeted training program directed toward pediatric surgeons and nurses. METHODS: A retrospective electronic medical record (EMR) chart review of 400 operations was performed according to NSQIP criteria during specified periods in 2014 and 2017, assessing SWC errors before and after a training program and posting of reference materials in operating rooms at a 165-bed children's hospital. After each operation, nurses confirmed SWC with the surgeon before recording the value in the EMR. Differences in proportions of misclassified SWC were evaluated with a chi-square test. RESULTS: Following the educational program, misclassified SWC improved from 70/200 (35.0%) to 18/200 (9.0%), p < 0.001. Misclassified SWC for appendectomies improved from 46/95 (48.4%) to 12/108 (11.1%), p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate SWC assignment in the EMR was improved by an educational program and posting of materials to aid assignment, as well as enhanced communication between surgeons and nurses at the conclusion of each operation. We present the first known attempt to list all pediatric surgery procedures according to SWC. Accurate SWC allows stratification of risks and more effective targeted interventions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Use of polypropylene mesh in contaminated and dirty strangulated hernias: short-term results.

PURPOSE: Synthetic non-absorbable meshes are routinely used in hernia surgery for clean cases but are avoided in the case of clean-contaminated or contaminated hernia or dirty cases to minimize the risk of infection. The present study was conducted to evaluate the outcome of polypropylene mesh in the settings of bowel resection performed for strangulated hernias of the abdominal wall. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Surgery of a teaching hospital in central India between 1st March 2015 and 31st Aug 2017. Adult patients > 18 years age, with abdominal wall hernias, presenting with strangulation, and requiring resection and anastomosis for gangrenous bowel were included in the study. Outcomes noted were wound infection, morbidity and mortality, need for the removal of the mesh, and recurrence of the hernia. RESULTS: 30 (22 men and 8 women) patients with strangulated hernias underwent emergency surgery with resection of gangrenous bowel and anastomosis. The 30 cases included 21 inguinal, seven incisional, one femoral and one umbilical hernia. 12 of the 30 cases having gross contamination of the operative wound due to perforated gangrenous bowel were classified as 'dirty'; while the remaining 18 cases with non-perforated gangrenous herniating bowel were classified as 'contaminated'. Wound infection occurred in 8/30 patients (26.67%); but these healed with antibiotics and dressing. Mesh removal was not required in any patient during entire study period. Two recurrences (6.7%; one inguinal and one incisional hernia) were observed. There was no mortality. CONCLUSION: The use of polypropylene mesh for contaminated and dirty strangulated hernias is effective and safe, with acceptable morbidity and good short-term results.

Vancouver Foot and Ankle WNS (Wound, Nerve, and Systemic) Classification System for Foot and Ankle Orthopedic Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Adverse events require consistent recording to determine the effect of alternate treatments. This study was undertaken to evaluate the Vancouver Foot and Ankle WNS complication scale to capture complications (W: wound, N: nerve, S: systemic) to assist in outcome recording. METHODS: Interrater reliability was tested in 2 settings: (1) between 2 blinded clinicians in a live clinical setting and (2) between 8 orthopedic surgeons using case vignettes based on a retrospective analysis of 500 foot and ankle procedures performed at the Toronto Western Hospital, Department of Orthopaedics. The intrarater reliability of the WNS scale was tested in a single rater using the case vignettes. Inter- and intrarater reliability were assessed using the Fleiss and Cohen weighted kappa ( k), respectively and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). There was adequate power over 0.8. RESULTS: In the live clinical setting, the Cohen weighted k (95% CI) values for the W (0.935 [0.862, 1.01]), N (0.914 [0.752, 1.08]), and S (1 [1, 1]) parameters, indicating a near perfect level of agreement between raters. In the broader community of professional foot and ankle surgeons, the Fleiss k values (95% CI) had moderate agreement for the W (0.712 [0.688, 0.735]), N (0.775 [0.738, 0.811]), and high agreement for S (0.834 [0.802, 0.866]) parameters based on case vignettes. However, the Fleiss k values continued to indicate moderate to strong agreement between raters for all parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The WNS scale provided a standardized method of measuring foot and ankle surgical complications. There was at least moderate-strong interrater agreement for all parameters measured on case vignettes and excellent concordance in the live setting. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, comparative series.

An effort to improve the accuracy of documented surgical wound classifications.

BACKGROUND: Discordance between circulating nurse- and surgeon diagnosis-based wound classifications may lead to erroneous risk-adjusted rates of surgical site infections with effects on inter-hospital rating, reimbursement, and public perceptions regarding quality of care. METHODS: After an initial two-month audit, we placed a wound class reference algorithm in each operating room and educated staff. An audit was repeated for a two-month period after this intervention. Statistical analysis of the whole and subgroup was performed. RESULTS: Pre-intervention, the wound classifications for 70 of 300 cases were discordant. In the post-intervention group, 79 of 483 cases were discordant (p = 0.016). Subgroup analysis of colectomy and appendectomy cases demonstrated dramatically improved concordance. For colectomies, discordance dropped from 84.6% to 15% post-intervention (p = <0.001). Appendectomy discordance went from 80% of cases to 30.4% post-intervention (p = 0.001). Wound class discordance increased for the cholecystectomy subgroup (20.4%-37%) but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.066). CONCLUSIONS: As we trend towards a pay-for-performance model, health care systems should review their internal controls on documenting surgical wound classes.

Incision Classification Accuracy: Do Residents Know How to Classify Them?

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether surgical residents understand how to classify incisions, which may impact how closure is handled in the operating room. We hypothesized that surgical residents define incision class (IC) accurately compared with an attending NSQIP surgeon champion (SC). METHODS: We evaluated our NSQIP database from April 1, 2015, to December 31, 2016, including cases in which a resident was present and IC was documented. Cases in which the resident, circulator, or surgical clinical rater disagreed on the IC were then reviewed by a blinded SC. RESULTS: Residents were correct in 83.6% of the cases, with PGY 5 persons having the lowest accuracy. Class 3 incisions were most often misclassified (36%). A disproportionate number of misclassifications by PGY4 and PGY5-7 residents occurred in incision classes 2 and 3. Surgical site infections occurred in 7.4% of cases, ranging from 2.4% in IC 1 to 15.7% in IC 4 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Although overall accuracy appears reasonable, it is of concern that incisions at higher risk of infection (contaminated) were least likely to be classified appropriately. Chief residents, who often are making the decisions on incision closure, were the least accurate in determining IC. This may have a deleterious impact on incision management, suggesting a need for directed resident education on IC and further investigation to determine its impact on site infection risk and patient outcomes.

Clinical relevance and effect of surgical wound classification in appendicitis: Retrospective evaluation of wound classification discrepancies between surgeons, Swissnoso-trained infection control nurse, and histology as well as surgical site infection rates by wound class.

BACKGROUND: Surgical wound classification (SWC) is used for risk stratification of surgical site infection (SSI) and serves as the basis for measuring quality of care. The objective was to examine the accuracy and reliability of SWC. This study was purposed to evaluate the discrepancies in SWC as assessed by three groups: surgeons, an infection control nurse, and histopathologic evaluation. The secondary aim was to compare the risk-stratified SSI rates using the different SWC methods for 30 d postoperatively. METHODS: An analysis was performed of the appendectomies from January 2013 to June 2014 in the Cantonal Hospital of Schaffhausen. SWC was assigned by the operating surgeon at the end of the procedure and retrospectively reviewed by a Swissnoso-trained infection control nurse after reading the operative and pathology report. The level of agreement among the three different SWC assessment groups was determined using kappa statistic. SSI rates were analyzed using a chi-square test. RESULTS: In 246 evaluated cases, the kappa scores for interrater reliability among the SWC assessments across the three groups ranged from 0.05 to 0.2 signifying slight agreement between the groups. SSIs were more frequently associated with trained infection control nurse-assigned SWC than with surgeons based SWC. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated a considerable discordance in the SWC assessments performed by the three groups. Unfortunately, the currently practiced SWC system suffers from ambiguity in definition and/or implementation of these definitions is not clearly stated. This lack of reliability is problematic and may lead to inappropriate comparisons within and between hospitals and surgeons.

A survey of patients with surgical wounds healing by secondary intention; an assessment of prevalence, aetiology, duration and management.

BACKGROUND: Surgical wounds healing by secondary intention (SWHSI) are often difficult and costly to treat. There is a dearth of clinical and research information regarding SWHSI. The aim of this survey was to estimate the prevalence of SWHSI and to characterise the aetiology, duration and management of these wounds. METHODS: Anonymised data were collected from patients with SWHSI receiving treatment in primary, secondary and community settings. Over a two weeks period, data were collected on the patients, their SWHSI, clinical and treatment details. RESULTS: Data were collected from 187 patients with a median age of 58.0 (95% CI = 55 to 61) years. The prevalence of SWHSI was 0.41 (95% CI = 0.35 to 0.47) per 1000 population. More patients with SWHSI were being treated in community (109/187, 58.3%) than in secondary (56/187, 29.9%) care settings. Most patients (164/187, 87.7%) had one SWHSI and the median duration of wounds was 28.0 (95% CI = 21 to 35) days. The most common surgical specialities associated with SWHSI were colorectal (80/187, 42.8%), plastics (24/187, 12.8%) and vascular (22/187, 11.8%) surgery. Nearly half of SWHSI were planned to heal by secondary intention (90/187, 48.1%) and 77/187 (41.2%) were wounds that had dehisced. Dressings were the most common single treatment for SWHSI, received by 169/181 (93.4%) patients. Eleven (6.1%) patients were receiving negative pressure wound therapy. CONCLUSIONS: This survey provides a previously unknown insight into the occurrence, duration, treatment and types of surgery that lead to SWHSI. This information will be of value to patients, health care providers and researchers.