Current practice of thoracic outlet decompression surgery in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) and its management are relatively controversial topics. Most of the literature reporting the outcomes of surgical decompression for TOS derives from single-center experiences. The objective of our study was to describe the current state of TOS surgery among hospitals that participate in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. METHODS: Our study sample consisted of patients from the 2005 to 2014 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database who underwent first or cervical rib resection as their index procedure and whose constellation of diagnosis and procedure codes identified them as having neurogenic, arterial, or venous TOS. Patient and procedure characteristics were determined, as were the 30-day incidence of specific complications including nerve injury. Multimodel inference was used for multivariable analysis of the composite outcome of readmission or reoperation ≤30 days. RESULTS: We identified 1431 patients undergoing operation for TOS: 83% for neurogenic TOS, 3% for arterial TOS, and 12% for venous TOS. Vascular surgeons performed 90% of procedures. Only four patients (0.3%) demonstrated evidence of nerve injury. The rate of bleeding complication requiring transfusion was also quite low, at 1.4%. The 30-day incidence of readmission or reoperation, or both, in our study cohort was 8.6%. The risk of this outcome was increased in patients with a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification, those whose procedure was for non-neurogenic symptoms, and those whose procedure took longer to complete. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our study will provide surgeons who advocate for the surgical management of TOS with reassurance that such intervention is associated with an extremely low risk of disability resulting from iatrogenic nerve injury and major bleeding events.

Duplex scanning has a limited role in the evaluation of patients with renal failure.

OBJECTIVE: Although common indications for renal duplex scanning (RDS) include hypertension (HT) and renal failure (RF), the role of RDS in the evaluation of patients with RF is not known. The goal of this study was to define ultrasound findings with predictive or discriminatory value in patients with RF and to identify patients undergoing a renal artery intervention as a result of RDS findings. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 214 consecutive patients referred to an Intersocietal Accreditation Commission-accredited vascular laboratory for an initial RDS from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2010. RDS included direct ultrasound evaluation of the main renal vessels and renal parenchyma. Significant renal artery stenosis of ≥ 60% diameter reduction was indicated by a renal/aortic velocity ratio ≥ 3.5 and abnormally increased parenchymal resistance by an end-diastolic ratio ≤ 0.3. RESULTS: We separated the patients into two groups by indication for RDS: Group I (HT alone, n = 102) and group II (RF alone or with HT, n = 112). When group I was compared with group II, there were significant differences in gender (50% vs 67% male; P = .013), age (50.9 ± 18.5 vs 60.0 ± 14.8 years; P < .001), mean arterial pressure (103.1 ± 18.8 vs 85.7 ± 17.0 mm Hg; P < .001), and creatinine (0.95 ± 0.35 vs 2.25 ± 1.07 mg/dL; P < .001). In group I patients, 86 (84.3%) had normal parenchymal resistance, whereas in group II patients, 68 (60.7%) had abnormally increased parenchymal resistance unilaterally or bilaterally (P < .001). Unilateral or bilateral renal artery stenosis was identified in six group I patients and in three group II patients (P = .315). Evaluation of group II patients revealed a diagnosis of decompensated congestive heart failure (CHF) and the presence of unilateral or bilateral increased parenchymal resistance in 27 of 68 (39.7%) vs nine of 44 (20.4%) with CHF and normal parenchymal resistance. One renal artery angioplasty was performed in a patient with unilateral renal artery stenosis and fibromuscular dysplasia. CONCLUSIONS: Renal artery stenosis is extremely uncommon in patients undergoing RDS for RF, indicating that ischemic nephropathy is rarely a cause of RF in these patients. Abnormally increased renal parenchymal resistance is frequently found in patients being evaluated for RF and is associated with increasing creatinine and age. A diagnosis of CHF is also more common in patients with increased parenchymal resistance. Although patients who undergo RDS for RF rarely require renal artery interventions, ultrasound indices of parenchymal resistance may serve as a marker for renal disease and cardiovascular morbidity. Further studies are required to determine the prognostic significance of these ultrasound findings in the setting of RF.

Costs and wastes in anesthesia care.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The current economic climate has put pressure on healthcare systems and providers, including anesthesiologists, to minimize costs without sacrificing patient safety. In this review, we discuss costs associated with anesthesia care, including medications and intraoperative monitoring, and suggest ways to reduce wastes and overall expenditure. RECENT FINDINGS: Significant amount, perhaps 20-50%, of drugs drawn up are never used but discarded as whole ampoules or vials. There has been a progressive shift to using more expensive inhalational agents and total intravenous anesthesia in the last 10 years. Highest drug costs are associated with total intravenous anesthesia protocols, which are five to 10 times more expensive than administering sevoflurane or desflurane with premedication using antiemetics. Among the inhalational agents, usage costs of sevoflurane and desflurane are 10 and 25 times, respectively, that of isoflurane. Bispectral index monitoring, which requires use of an expensive proprietary electrode is no better, perhaps even less effective, than titration of inhalational agents using end tidal anesthetic concentration to monitor depth of anesthesia and prevent intraoperative awareness. SUMMARY: Anesthesia medications comprise a significant proportion of hospital pharmacy budgets. Average anesthesia-related cost reductions of US$ 13-30 per cases multiplied by 25 million anesthetics administered annually in the USA has the potential to yield savings of US$ 350-750 million. Bispectral index monitoring during inhalational anesthesia adds to the cost without providing any benefit.