The association of demographics, frailty and multiple health conditions with outcomes from acute medical admissions to hospitals in England: exploratory analysis of an administrative dataset.

Emergency and acute hospital services in England are under increasing pressure. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between key case-mix indicators and outcomes for adults admitted to hospital with an acute medical condition in England. All patients aged ≥16 years admitted to hospital in England as an acute unselected medical admission and who survived to discharge during the financial year 2021-2022 were included. Length of hospital stay was the primary outcome of interest. Data were available for 1,586,168 unique patients. A case-mix index was developed with a score that ranged from 0 to 12. Frailty was the most important variable in the index, followed by multiple health conditions and patient age. The mean case-mix score across hospital trusts in England ranged from 5.3 to 7.8. The case-mix index will support initiatives to better understand factors contributing to outcomes from acute medical admissions to hospital.

Delivery of elective care in the future.

The delivery of elective care needs to be reimagined to tackle the increasing demand for services that is currently outstripping the available capacity; a problem exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article highlights key strategies to improve the delivery of elective care combined with local and national examples of best practice. It is based on key recommendations from the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme: the UK's largest healthcare quality improvement programme operating across 42 clinical specialties. GIRFT has visited every integrated care system in England over the last 12 months to discuss elective recovery and the learning from these visits is captured in this article. Rethinking the delivery of elective care, utilising advances in technology, and harnessing the power of data to identify unwarranted variation and targeted areas for improvement, will dramatically change the future delivery of elective care for the better.

Otorhinolaryngology litigation in England: 727 clinical negligence cases against the National Health Service.

INTRODUCTION: Litigation against the National Health Service (NHS) in England is rising. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and characteristics of otorhinolaryngology clinical negligence claims in England. METHODS: A retrospective review was undertaken of all clinical negligence claims in England held by NHS Resolution relating to otorhinolaryngology between April 2013 and April 2018. Analysis was performed using information for cause, patient injury and claim cost. Where claim information was adequately detailed, the authors categorised claims by subspecialty, diagnosis and surgery. RESULTS: A total number of 727 claims were identified with an estimated potential cost of £108 million. Out of these, 463 were closed claims. Including open claim reserves, the mean cost of a claim was £148 923. Head and neck surgery was the subspecialty with the highest number of claims (n = 313, 43%) and highest cost (£51.5 million) followed by otology (n = 171, £24.5 million) and rhinology (n = 171, £13.6 million). Over half of claims were associated with an operation (n = 429, 59%) where mastoid surgery (n = 46) and endoscopic sinus surgery (n = 46) were equally associated with the greatest number of claims. The most frequent causes for clinical negligence claims included failure or delay to diagnose (n = 178, 25%), failure or delay to treat (n = 136, 19%), intra-operative complications (n = 130, 18%) and failure of the consent process (n = 107, 15%). DISCUSSION: Clinical negligence claims in otorhinolaryngology are related to several different components of patient management and are not limited to postoperative complications. This study highlights the importance of robust pathways in out-patient diagnostics and the consenting process in order to deliver better patient care and reduce the impact of litigation. Keywords informed consent, malpractice, clinical negligence claims, litigation, otolaryngology.

The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of whole-bone MRI for identifying skip metastases in appendicular osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma.

OBJECTIVE: Pre-operative whole-bone MRI is required to assess intra-osseous tumour extent and to identify skip metastases in cases of bone sarcoma. The current study aims to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of whole-bone MRI for the identification of skip metastases. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Review of 162 patients with long bone osteosarcoma or Ewing sarcoma who had undergone whole-bone MRI to assess intra-osseous tumour length and identify skip metastases. Comparison was made with post-chemotherapy MRI to look for a change in the appearance of suspected skip metastases, and resection specimens were assessed for the presence of skip metastases. The presence of local osseous recurrence was determined at final follow-up. RESULTS: There were 112 males and 50 females (mean age 18.8 years), with 119 osteosarcomas and 43 Ewing sarcomas. Skip metastases were diagnosed on whole-bone MRI in 23 cases (14.2%). In 2 cases, pre-operative needle biopsy diagnosed enchondromata, resulting in false positive diagnoses. Skip metastases were diagnosed in the resection specimens in 3 cases, and based on comparison with post-chemotherapy MRI in 12. There was no evidence of local osseous recurrence in 160 patients, while late recurrence occurred in 2 patients. Sensitivity was calculated as 88.2%, specificity as 97.6%, and diagnostic accuracy as 96.7%. CONCLUSION: Whole-bone MRI has a high sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy for the identification of skip metastases in osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. The possibility of false positive skip lesions and late local osseous recurrence is also highlighted.

Stanmore noninvasive extendible endoprosthesis in the treatment of bone sarcoma in the preadolescent.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to assess outcomes of patients ≤12 years who undergo Stanmore noninvasive extendible endoprosthetic replacement of the distal femur (DF NIEPR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 101 children (mean age 9.6 years) were included. All complications which required further surgery were recorded. Clinical and functional outcomes were evaluated with Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scores at a mean follow-up of 64 months (range 6-174). RESULTS: Thirty-one (30.7%) patients died at a mean of 33 months. Forty had prosthesis removed after a mean of 43 months (range, 7-103). Attaining of the full lengthening potential before skeletal maturity was the most frequent reason for revision surgery, particularly in those with smaller lengthening potential (P = 0.039). Implant survival rate for other causes was 61.7% at 5 years and 45.0% at 10 years. At final follow-up mean MSTS score was 26 (range, 13-29). Twenty-two (21.5%) patients had a final limb-length discrepancy (LLD) > 2 cm. CONCLUSIONS: DF NIEPR produces a good functional outcome, with the prevention of major LLD at skeletal maturity in the majority of the cases. We suggest patient selection criteria to account for the stage of the disease due to the high cost of the NIEPR, and high percentage requiring revision, and a 60% mortality rate in those patients presenting with distant disease burden.

Effectiveness of a tailored neck training program on neck strength, movement, and fatigue in under-19 male rugby players: a randomized controlled pilot study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of a tailored neck muscle conditioning program on neck muscle strength, neck muscle fatigue, and range of neck movement in 16-18-year-old male rugby players. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-four male rugby players were divided into forward and back playing positions and randomized within these groups. Seventeen players were randomly assigned to each group. The test group was given a tailored 6-week exercise regime based on their baseline measurements to be performed three times a week in addition to their normal training and playing. The control group trained and played as normal. The outcome measures used were cervical spine range of movement, neck strength, and neck muscle fatigability. RESULTS: There were no clinically relevant statistically significant differences between the two groups. Trends identified between the two groups suggest that a tailored neck exercise program increases neck strength, particularly neck extension, and increases resistance to fatigue, as well as influencing right- and left-sided neck muscle balance. A reduction in range of movement was also demonstrated in the test group. There was a great deal of variability in range of movement and strength within this age group. No previously undiagnosed neck conditions were detected, and there were no adverse events reported. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that neck strength, range of movement, and susceptibility of the neck muscles to fatigue can be influenced using a focused neck training regime. It forms an important basis for a larger, multicenter study to ensure the neck is given due attention in rugby training and receives the same focus of conditioning as other parts of the body.