Cost drivers for benign hysterectomy within a health care system: Influence of patient, perioperative, and hospital factors.

OBJECTIVE: To identify patient, perioperative, and hospital factors that drive total hospital charges for benign hysterectomy. METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study between July 2014 and February 2019 at five academic and community hospitals within an integrated healthcare system in the state of Maryland with a Global Budget Revenue methodology for hospital charges. Predictor variables included patient, perioperative and hospital characteristics. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare charges among approaches. A multiple linear regression model was built to account for the interaction between covariates. RESULTS: A total of 2592 patients underwent hysterectomy via laparoscopic (61%), abdominal (16%), robotic (14%), or vaginal (9%) approaches. Before adjusting for covariates, laparoscopic and vaginal approaches had similar charges ($11 637 and $12 229, respectively), while robotic and open approaches had higher charges ($17 535 and $19 099, respectively). After adjusting, charges for open, laparoscopic, and robotic approaches were higher than the vaginal approach ($692, $712, and $1279, respectively). Each operating room minute resulted in an increased cost of $46. Length of stay >23 h was associated with an increase of $865. Year, uterine size, body mass index, additional procedures, and transfusion influenced charges. CONCLUSION: Perioperative and hospital characteristics significantly influence hospital charges for benign hysterectomy, more so than nonmodifiable patient characteristics. This provides opportunities to reduce healthcare expenditures, such as improving operating room efficiency and reducing length of stay.

A Rare Case of Pancreatic Schwannoma.

Pancreatic schwannoma is a neuroendocrine cell tumor that arises in the pancreas. It is very rare, and, to date, only fewer than 70 similar cases have been reported in the literature. Here, we present another case of this type of tumor in a 68-year-old female. In addition to describing the pancreatic schwannoma, we discuss the major challenges associated with its diagnosis and management. As such, clinically and on imaging, pancreatic schwannomas are almost indistinguishable from other cancerous or benign pancreatic tumors. Therefore, only a biopsy can definitively diagnose pancreatic schwannomas by demonstrating spindle-shaped cells with immunohistochemistry positive for S-100. Because pancreatic schwannomas are very rare, it is important to increase awareness among clinicians about this condition and inform them regarding the challenges associated with its diagnosis and management.

Impact of Obesity on Clinical and Financial Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy for Benign Conditions.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of obesity on clinical and financial outcomes of minimally invasive hysterectomy METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of 5 affiliated hospitals. We obtained demographic, operative, and financial characteristics to analyze the effects of obesity on outcomes, including operating room (OR) time, estimated blood loss (EBL), length of stay (LOS), adverse perioperative events, and hospital charges. Obesity was stratified by the following classes: no obesity (BMI <30 kg/m2), class I (BMI 30-34 kg/m2), class II (BMI 35-39 kg/m2), and class III (BMI >40 kg/m2). Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic and linear regressions were performed. RESULTS: A total of 2483 women underwent benign, minimally invasive hysterectomy. Laparoscopic was the most common approach (79.8%), followed by robotic (12.2%), and vaginal (8.0%). Mean BMI was 30.13 ± 6.99 kg/m2, and total charges were US $13 928 ± $5954. Each additional minute in the OR increased costs by US $47.89 (P < 0.001). Compared with patients without obesity, OR time and EBL were significantly higher among patients with class I or II obesity and highest among patients with class III obesity (P < 0.001). Obesity did not affect LOS or occurrence of adverse perioperative events. Although obesity appeared to be a significant predictor of hysterectomy charges, after adjusting for covariates, charges for laparoscopic and robotic hysterectomy did not differ significantly by BMI. CONCLUSION: Obesity appears to have a significant effect on clinical outcomes of benign hysterectomy that is approach-dependent and most notable among patients with class III obesity. BMI was not, however, a predictor of financial outcomes.

Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt-Associated Ascites: A Case Report.

A ventriculoperitoneal shunt is a commonly performed procedure that is used to relieve the increased intracranial pressure in patients with hydrocephalus. VP shunt placement is an invasive procedure and carries many complications. Besides common complications like infections or mechanical obstruction, VP shunt has been found to be associated with the development of ascites in some patients. VP shunt-associated ascites is a very rare complication and only a few cases have been reported in the literature, most of which were in the pediatric population, while adult VP shunt-associated ascites was even rarer. The patient in this case is a 32-year-old female who presented with ascites of unclear etiology. She had a history of VP shunt placement shortly after birth due to central nervous system (CNS) malformation (agenesis of the corpus callosum). Liver pathology, infection, and malignancy were ruled out as potential causes, and ascites was determined to be due to VP shunt drainage. The exact mechanism of development of ascites in these patients is not fully understood and needs to be investigated further to optimize preventative and therapeutic options.