Death after endoscopic prostate surgery in Australia and New Zealand: a review of clinical management issues.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic prostate surgery is an established treatment for male lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and is recognized to have low mortality rates. We aimed to describe factors that may have contributed to death following endoscopic prostate surgery using data from the Australia and New Zealand Audits of Surgical Mortality (ANZASM). METHODS: All urological related deaths reported to ANZASM from January 1 2012 to December 31 2019 were reviewed. Deaths related to endoscopic prostate resection (transurethral resection of prostate - TURP, laser procedures) were included. Peer reviewers identified up to three clinical management issues (CMIs), and these were analysed. CMIs were classified in order of least to most concerning: area of consideration, area of concern and adverse events. RESULTS: Of 1127 total urological deaths, 77 deaths were related to endoscopic prostate surgery (7.0%). Most procedures were monopolar TURP. The mean age of patients was 80.9 years (range 57.0-96.2). Leading causes of death were cardiovascular events 23/77 (29.9%) and respiratory failure 14/77 (18.2%). Assessors identified 39 CMIs in 26/77 (33.8%) patients. Twenty-three were areas of consideration, nine were areas of concern and seven identified adverse events. The most common CMIs were regarding post-operative care (14/39) and the decision to operate (13/39). CONCLUSION: Most deaths did not elicit concerns from the ANZASM peer assessors. However, the main concerns identified were surrounding decision making and rationale for operating. This highlights the importance of clear counselling and documentation during the treatment decision process.

Modified Supine Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in the Elderly: Outcomes and Safety.

With increases in the aging population, conditions affecting older people and relevant surgical techniques are becoming more pertinent. Modified supine percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is increasingly being adopted. There are limited data on the safety of this position in the elderly patient population. We describe our experience of the modified supine position in patients aged 70 years and older. Between April 2011 and March 2021, patients aged 70 years and older undergoing a modified supine PCNL performed by a single surgeon were prospectively evaluated. Data including patient age, operative time, complications, stone clearance, and length of stay were collected and analysed. Sixty-nine procedures were performed on 67 patients with a mean age was 76.5 years. Median total operative time was 95 min with 20 (29%) patients having a combined procedure with ureterorenoscopy. Preoperative mean stone burden was 23.5 mm and complete stone clearance was achieved in 46 (66.7%) patients. Twelve (17.4%) patients had complications during their hospitalisation. Six were Clavien-Dindo class II or less and one Clavien-Dindo class V. The modified supine position for PCNL is safe in the elderly patient population and has advantages including reduced handling of patients and achieving adequate stone-free rates. These benefits are particularly important in the elderly population, which frequently has a reduced tolerance to adaptation.

The burden of radiation exposure in children requiring percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

BACKGROUND: Children undergoing investigation and management for complex upper tract urolithiasis often require multimodal imaging. The significance of related radiation exposure in stone care pathways has received little attention in the published literature. STUDY DESIGN: Medical records of paediatric patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy were retrospectively analysed to ascertain the modalities used and determine extent of radiation exposure occurring during each care pathway. Radiation dose simulation and calculation was performed a priori. The cumulative effective dose (mSv) and cumulative organ dose (mGy) for radiosensitive organs was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 140 imaging studies were included from the care pathways of 15 children with complex upper tract urolithiasis. Median follow-up was 9.6 years (range: 6.7-16.8 years). The average number of imaging studies with ionising radiation per patient was nine, with a cumulative effective dose of 18.3 mSv across all modalities. The most common modalities were: mobile fluoroscopy (43%), x-ray (24%), and computed tomography (18%). The cumulative effective dose per study type was greatest for CT (4.09 mSv), followed by fixed and mobile fluoroscopy (2.79 mSv and 1.82 mSv, respectively). CONCLUSION: There is high general awareness of radiation exposure involved in CT scanning with resultant caution in employing this modality in paediatric patients. However, the significant radiation exposure relating to fluoroscopy (whether fixed or mobile) is less well documented in children. We recommend implementing steps to minimise radiation exposure by optimisation and avoidance of certain modalities where possible. Paediatrics urologists must employ strategies to minimise radiation exposure in children with urolithiasis, given the significant exposures encountered.

Ureterorenoscopic stone procedures have low success rates and poor post-operative follow-up: results from an Australian tertiary health service.

BACKGROUND: To assess the results of ureterorenoscopy (URS) for upper tract urolithiasis in a contemporary Australian tertiary healthcare setting. METHODS: Hospital records of all URS stone procedures performed between January 2017 and December 2018 in a metropolitan service were retrospectively reviewed. Outcome measures including stone free rates, adherence to postoperative follow-up and complications rates were recorded. RESULTS: 385 patients (387 renal units) with mean age 53.8 (range 18-89) underwent URS for stones measuring between 2 and 27 mm (median 8 mm). 465 URS were performed with 1029 total procedures performed. 48.6% of operations were performed as day cases. Complications were recorded in 9% of the 465 URS cases with 42.9% of these Clavien II or more. The representation rate to our Emergency Departments was 15.4%. Only 49.1% (201) of patients had a follow-up review with imaging to assess stone free rates. Of the 201 patients who underwent imaging, only 38.3% were stone free. Stone analysis was performed in 34.5%. CONCLUSION: Less than half of all patients were reviewed despite undergoing expensive, time consuming surgery for a condition with a high recurrence rate. In agreement with recent publications stone-free rates were low, with significant complications and representation rates. Stone surgery should be given the attention and resources equivalent to cancer surgery to improve results. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

Analysis of potential clinical management issues in unreported mortality data from an Australian health service.

BACKGROUND: We have previously reported incomplete data submission to the Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality (VASM) by a large health service. We have further examined the source health service clinical data to assess whether any clinical management issues (CMI) occurred and should have been reported. METHODS: The previous study identified 46 deaths that should have been reported to VASM. The hospital records of these patients were further analysed. Data recorded included the patient's age, gender, admission type and clinical course. Any potential clinical management issues were recorded and classified using the VASM definitions (area of consideration or concern, adverse event). RESULTS: Median age of the deceased patients was 72 (range 17-94), with 17 (37%) being female. Patients were under the care of nine different specialties with general surgery being the most common (18/46). Only four (8.7%) of the cases were electively admitted. 17 (37%) patients had at least one CMI with 10 (21.7%) classified as adverse events. Most deaths were not considered preventable. CONCLUSION: The proportion of CMI in the unreported deaths was consistent with the previously reported VASM data, however current findings show a high percentage of adverse events. The underreporting may be due to inexperienced medical staff or coders, poor quality notes or confusion about what should be reported. These findings reinforce the importance of data collection and reporting at the health service level, and a number of important lessons and opportunities to improve patient safety have been lost.

Contributions to expenditure in endoscopic stone management: a costly process.

No comprehensive cost estimates exist for performing ureteropyeloscopy (URS), which is increasingly utilised as a treatment of upper tract urolithiasis in Australia. To estimate expenditure associated with URS in an Australian public hospital setting and determine factors contributing to increased cost. Patients who underwent flexible URS for urolithiasis over a 2-year period at a Victorian public health site were included. Data describing demographics, stone factors, disposable equipment and admission length were retrospectively collected. Procedures were performed using reusable flexible scopes. Previously validated costing models for cystoscopic stent extraction, theatre and recovery per hour and ward admission were used to attach cost to individual episodes. The cost of emergency stent insertion was beyond the scope of this study. 222 patients underwent URS; the combined total number of procedures was 539, comprising 202 stent extractions and 115 stent insertions in addition to 222 URS. Mean procedural cost was $2885 (range $1380-$4900). Mean episode cost excluding emergency stent insertion was $3510 (range $1555-$7140). A combination of flexible scopes, operative time and disposable equipment accounted for nearly 90% of the total procedural cost. Significant cost is associated with URS for treatment of renal and ureteric stones. A large burden of the cost is time in theatre, equipment and the need for multiple associated procedures per episode. Utilising other available treatments such as extracorporeal shockwave therapy (SWL) where appropriate may reduce the financial burden of URS and associated procedures.

Stakeholder's perceived value of surgical audit data provided by the Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality.

BACKGROUND: Clinical audits can vary in their effectiveness depending on how the information is provided and the relationship between those giving and receiving feedback. In the Australian state of Victoria, the Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality (VASM) is a state-wide mortality audit that, prior to this study, did not have a bidirectional feedback mechanism in place to gauge perception of the audit held by its stakeholders. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the perceived quality of the audit's information and the effectiveness of the audit's communication strategies from the stakeholder population. METHODS: We used a mixed methods approach to provide open-ended explorations into stakeholders' views while also providing structured tools for conducting annual reviews. The qualitative data were analysed using an inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2017, 240 VASM stakeholders were contacted, of whom 82 (34.2%) agreed to be interviewed. The VASM's data were perceived to be of high quality and used in a variety of ways. The audit's communication strategies were seen to be adequate but could be more targeted to the stakeholder. There is a perception that the audit might not be relevant to hospital stakeholders that are not themselves clinicians, despite direct involvement with the audit. CONCLUSION: This study helps to explain the role the audit plays among its stakeholders and offers three overarching recommendations for improvement strategies: produce data sharing strategies that are relevant to rural or highly specialised surgical centres, improve communication to be targeted at stakeholders and explore methods to provide feedback to hospital management with more individualised feedback.

Urinary tract stone deaths: data from the Australian and New Zealand Audits of Surgical Mortality.

OBJECTIVES: To analyse all mortalities related to surgery for urinary tract calculi in Australia from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2018, and identify common causes, clinical management issues (CMIs), and areas for improvement. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All urological-related deaths reported to the Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality (ANZASM) from 2009 to 2017 were analysed. The Bi-National Audit of Surgical Mortality (BAS) database was interrogated for any involvement with renal, ureteric or bladder stones and all relevant associated data analysed. Any CMIs documented by the peer reviewers were recorded and compared to those in urology and all of surgery ANZASM data. RESULTS: Of 1034 total urological deaths, 100 (9.7%) were related to stones. The mean (range) age of patients was 74.4 (21-97) years; 95% of the patients underwent at least one procedure, with 45 (47.4%) of these being elective. Urinary sepsis was responsible for 49.5% of the deaths, with 20% dying of cardiac events. In all, 39% (37/95) of deaths were associated with CMIs, the most common considerations being delays in diagnosis or treatment, perioperative management and inadequate preoperative evaluation. This is a considerably higher percentage than the 26% recorded for the general urology and all surgery national data. Ureterorenoscopy at 54% (12/22) had the highest rate of CMIs. CONCLUSION: Death related to stone surgery represents only a small proportion of all urological surgical deaths, but generates more CMIs amongst ANZASM peer assessors. Results could be improved with more rapid diagnosis and treatment. Careful case selection and access to all treatment options are recommended.

Risk-adjusted hospital clinical management issue rates using data from the Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been a concerted drive for an increase in public reporting of hospital-level outcomes as a means of identifying strategies to improve patient safety. Surgical care, as a high-risk area of medical practice, has come under sharp scrutiny. This study uses data from the Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality (VASM) in conjunction with data from the Victorian Admitted Episode Dataset to compare hospital rates of clinically identified serious clinical management issues that were definitely or probably preventable and caused or contributed to the death of the patient who would otherwise be expected to survive. METHODS: Cases where the date of death was between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2017 that completed the full VASM audit process were extracted from the VASM database and combined with data extracted from the Victorian Admitted Episode Dataset, where a surgical admission occurred in the same time period. A logistic regression model was used as a method of indirect standardization to derive the probability of preventable clinical management issues, which was then used to calculate the standardized incident rate for all Victorian surgical hospitals. Hospitals were compared by plotting the standardized incident rates on three funnel plots. RESULTS: There were five hospitals (8.3%) of the 60 that deviated significantly from the state-wide rate of 0.00012. CONCLUSION: The risk adjustment model identified several hospitals that may have a systematic issue which warrant further clinical quality assurance investigation.

Assessment of accuracy of Australian health service death data: implications for the audits of surgical mortality.

BACKGROUND: The Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality (VASM) investigates all surgically related deaths in Victoria, Australia, as a surgical educational activity aimed to make surgery safer. Whilst data collected within the audit are regularly reviewed for accuracy, there has never been a review of the data provided from health services. METHODS: Two-year death data provided by one Victorian health service were reviewed. Hospital notes for 4 months of each year were analysed to assess patients dying under surgical care. These data were compared to referrals to the VASM over the same period. RESULTS: Of the 3907 patient deaths recorded, 35.1% were reviewed. During their final admission, 178 (13%) patients underwent a procedure (93 medical and 85 surgical). Only 29.2% of these were recorded in the health service data set. Eighteen patients died under the care of a surgeon without a procedure, meaning that 103 deaths should have been reported to the VASM of which only 55.3% (57/103) were reported. CONCLUSION: There were major errors in the health service database resulting in under-reporting of deaths to the VASM which could have education and policy repercussions. For improvements to the safety and quality of health services, it is critical that all deaths are accurately recorded by health services and reported to the relevant bodies with internal verification processes.

Impact of modern media on analgesic requirements during extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy.

BACKGROUND: In Australia, shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) to treat urinary tract stones is routinely performed with general anaesthesia (GA). We have established a SWL service avoiding GA based outside operating theatres and wish to assess the effectiveness of utilizing modern media on patient satisfaction and analgesic requirements during treatment. METHODS: A randomized three-arm trial was performed. Patients were allocated to either watching videos or listening to music on a tablet device, or to getting no media distraction. A total of 95 patients were recruited in a 1:1:1 fashion. Analgesic requirements were recorded during the procedure and patients were asked to fill out a questionnaire with a visual analogue scale to assess their overall pain and satisfaction with the procedure. RESULTS: Overall pain scores were decreased - the sound media group reported a mean pain score of 3.52 (P = 0.005), the visual group was 3.62 (P = 0.007), compared to 5.45 in the control group. Analgesic requirements were significantly decreased when compared to the control group (P = 0.05). Overall satisfaction with the procedure was improved in the treatment groups, with the sound group having the best result (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Modern media can be used as a distraction during SWL in a safe and effective way when treating renal tract stones without GA. Analgesic requirements are decreased significantly, therefore decreasing any potential side-effects and complications. Other departments in Australia should consider using this technique.

Implementing error rate checks to improve the data quality in the Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality.

OBJECTIVE: The Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality (VASM) is part of the Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality, aiming to identify factors associated with surgical mortality. A quality assurance method was utilised to rectify system issues through error rate checks of VASM data points. This method ensured data collected and entered in the audit database were accurate. METHOD: Clinical data was collected using case record forms (CRFs), entered from paper forms by VASM staff or by the surgeon into an online interface. Closed audited cases from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2016 were analysed. From 5528 closed cases, 485 (8.8%) were reviewed, containing a total of 1117 CRFs and 169,789 data fields. Each CRF entered was visually inspected in the database against the source document by an independent audit staff member. The error rate for each period was calculated and considered acceptable below 10 per 10,000 fields. RESULTS: Text errors made up the majority of data entry errors regardless of how the case was submitted. CONCLUSION: Application of error rate checks is beneficial to maintain good clinical data. This activity improved and streamlined the data collection process to reduce errors associated with data entry. Once the entry system was stabilised, a reduction in error rate was observed showing potential for further improvements. We acknowledge that errors cannot be entirely eliminated and it is unrealistic. By investigating the rigour of the data management processes based on research guidelines, the findings can contribute to improve quality of clinical audits.

Introduction of a new imaging guideline for suspected renal colic in the ED reduces CT urography utilisation.

BACKGROUND: Patients presenting to the ED with suspected renal colic are frequently imaged with CT urography (CTU), which rarely alters diagnosis or management. To reduce use of CTU in this population, we instigated a new imaging and management guideline in our ED. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental prospective study, whereby a new guideline was commenced at the intervention site (Monash Medical Centre) and the existing guideline continued at the control site (Dandenong Hospital). The new guideline promotes focused ultrasound for diagnosing renal colic and restricts CT to those with poor response to analgesia or 'red flags'. A consecutive series of patients with suspected renal colic were prospectively enrolled and outcomes compared between the sites. The primary outcome was CTU utilisation and secondary outcomes were radiation exposure, stone rate on CTU, admission, ED length of stay and rates of urological intervention and returns to ED at 4-week follow-up. RESULTS: Preintervention CTU rates were 76.7% at Monash and 72.1% at Dandenong. 324 patients were enrolled; 148 at Monash and 176 at Dandenong. Median age 47 years vs 49 years, males 76.4% vs 66.5% and medianSex, Timing, Origin, Nausea, Erythrocytes (STONE) score 10 vs 10 for Monash and Dandenong, respectively. CTU was performed in 54.1% vs 75.0% (p<0.001), median radiation exposure 2.8 vs 4.0 mSv (p<0.001) and urological intervention occurred in 16.4% vs 15.7% for Monash and Dandenong, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found that use of CTU for renal colic was significantly reduced by introduction of a guideline promoting ultrasound and encouraging selective CTU. Although intervention rates were similar between the two sites, further prospective study is needed to ensure other patient-centred outcomes do not differ.

Modified supine versus prone percutaneous nephrolithotomy: Surgical outcomes from a tertiary teaching hospital.

PURPOSE: The traditional prone positioning of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is associated with various anesthetic and logistic difficulties. We aimed to compare the surgical outcomes of PCNLs performed using our modified supine position with those performed in the standard prone position. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective group of 236 renal units (224 patients) undergoing PCNL were included in this 2 site study: 160 were performed in the modified supine position were compared with 76 undergoing PCNL in the prone position. The outcomes of radiation dose, radiation time, stone free rate, body mass index (BMI), stone size, operative time, length of stay (LOS), in hospital and complications were compared. Chi-square and t-tests were used. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in mean radiation time, radiation dose or stone size between the modified supine and prone groups. The supine group had a higher mean BMI (31 kg/m(2) vs. 28 kg/m(2), p=0.03), shorter mean surgical time (93 minutes vs. 123 minutes, p<0.001), shorter mean LOS (2 days vs. 3 days, p=0.005) and higher stone free rate (70% vs. 50%, p=0.005). There were no differences in septic or bleeding complications but the prone group had a higher rate of overall complications. CONCLUSIONS: Modified supine PCNL has significantly lower operative time, shorter LOS and higher stone-free rate compared with prone in our series, while remaining a safe procedure.

Predictors for urologic intervention and alternate diagnoses in people having computed tomography urography for suspected renal colic.

OBJECTIVE: The majority of ureteric calculi pass spontaneously and are uncomplicated, yet use of computed tomography urography (CTU) has increased in recent years. This study describes a cohort of ED patients undergoing CTU for renal colic and assesses the predictors of urologic intervention. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study enrolled patients who underwent CTU at three Melbourne EDs. Demographic data, clinical assessments, laboratory and radiological findings and interventions were abstracted. Univariate analysis was performed and significant predictors were entered into a multivariate logistic regression model to calculate adjusted odds ratios for associations with urologic intervention. RESULTS: Six hundred and seventeen patients underwent 626 CTUs; mean age was 48 and 67.7% were male. 58.2% of scans found calculi, of which median size was 4 mm. 9.2% of scans revealed an alternate diagnosis, of which 2.7% were acutely important. 14.6% of patients with calculi received an intervention. Multivariate analysis found the factors associated with intervention were female sex (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.8-8.7), proximal calculus site (OR 4.1, 95% CI 1.5-11.7), single kidney (OR 9.0, 95% CI 1.7-49.0) and calculus size > 5 mm (OR 7.0, 95% CI 3.3-14.7). CONCLUSION: Factors associated with urologic intervention included female sex, single kidney, calculus size >5 mm and proximal calculus. Information on acute alternate diagnoses was uncommon. A prospective study is needed to further clarify clinical parameters that could predict intervention to allow targeting of CTU to those most likely to benefit.

Complete stone clearance using a modified supine position: initial experience and comparison with prone percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The recently described Galdakao-modified supine Valdivia position for percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) has become increasingly popular. We have made further modifications to this and describe our recent experience compared with our previous prone cases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From April 2011, all patients undergoing PCNL have been placed in the modified supine position. A suction beanbag is used to secure the patient and improve renal access. Data on patient age, comorbidities, stone size, operative time, radiation exposure, complications, stone clearance, and length of stay was collected, analyzed, and compared with data from our previous year's prone surgery. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients in each group underwent 41 PCNLs. The groups were well matched for age, sex, and comorbidity. The supine patients tended to have a higher body mass index. Stones in the supine group were larger (32.6 vs 25.7 mm, P=0.0402), and the operative time was shorter (86.2 vs 116.6 min, P=0.003). Radiation time was similar in the two groups, but the dose was higher in the supine group. Stone clearance rates, length of stay (2.5 days), and complications were similar. Nineteen (46%) patients underwent simultaneous lower urinary tract procedures including 4 (10%) with complete staghorn calculi for which ureterorenoscopy was used to fragment ureteral and upper renal pole stones. CONCLUSIONS: The modified supine position for PCNL has a number of advantages for the patient and staff compared with the prone position. Despite a more obese study group with larger stones, we have maintained stone clearance rates and significantly reduced operative time with no increase in complications. The technique has been easy to learn and teach. A major advantage has been simultaneous access to the lower urinary tract for ureteroscopy and stent placement, and this has helped with complete stone clearance.