Early versus delayed complex abdominal wall reconstruction with biologic mesh following damage-control surgery.

BACKGROUND: Damage-control surgery for trauma and intra-abdominal catastrophe is associated with a high rate of morbidities and postoperative complications. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of patients undergoing early complex abdominal wall reconstruction (e-CAWR) in acute settings versus those undergoing delayed complex abdominal wall reconstruction (d-CAWR). METHOD: This study was a pooled analysis derived from the retrospective and prospective database between the years 2013 and 2019. The outcomes were compared for differences in demographics, presentation, intraoperative variables, Ventral Hernia Working Grade (VHWG), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wound class, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores, postoperative complications, hospital length of stay, and readmission rates. We performed Student's t test, χ2 test, and Fisher's exact test to compare variables of interest. Multivariable linear regression model was built to evaluate the association of hospital length of stay and all other variables including the timing of complex abdominal wall reconstruction (CAWR). A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Of the 236 patients who underwent CAWR with biological mesh, 79 (33.5%) had e-CAWR. There were 45 males (57%) and 34 females (43%) in the e-CAWR group. The ASA scores of IV and V, and VHWG grades III and IV were significantly more frequent in the e-CAWR group compared with the d-CAWR one. Postoperatively, the incidence of surgical site occurrence, Clavien-Dindo complications, comprehensive complication index, unplanned reoperations, and mortality were similar between the two groups. Backward linear regression model showed that the timing of CAWR (ß = -11.29, p < 0.0001), ASA (ß = 3.98, p = 0.006), VHWG classification (ß = 3.62, p = 0.015), drug abuse (ß = 13.47, p = 0.009), and two comorbidities of cirrhosis (ß = 12.34, p = 0.001) and malignancy (ß = 7.91, p = 0.008) were the significant predictors of the hospital length of stay left in the model. CONCLUSION: Early CAWR led to shorter hospital length of stay compared with d-CAWR in multivariable regression model. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, level IV.

Body Mass Index and Mortality in Blunt Trauma: The Right BMI can be Protective.

BACKGROUND: There are limited studies examining the role of BMI on mortality in the trauma population. The aim of this study was to analyze whether the "obesity paradox" exists in non-elderly patients with blunt trauma. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) database for 2016. All non-elderly patients aged 18-64, with blunt traumatic injuries were identified. A generalized additive model (GAM) was built to assess the association of mortality and BMI adjusted for age, gender, race, and injury severity score (ISS). RESULTS: 28,475 patients (mean age = 42.5, SD = 14.3) were identified. 20,328 (71.4%) were male. Age (p < 0.0001), gender (p < 0.0001), and ISS (p < 0.0001) had significant associations with mortality. After GAM, BMI showed a significant U-shaped association with mortality (EDF = 3.2, p = 0.003). A BMI range of 31.5 ± 0.9 kg/m2 was associated with the lowest mortality. CONCLUSION: High BMI can be a protective factor in mortality within non-elderly patients with blunt trauma. However, underweight or morbid obesity suggest a higher risk of mortality.

Predictors of 30- and 90-Day Readmissions After Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction With Biological Mesh: A Longitudinal Study of 232 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Hospital readmissions are recognized as indicators of poor healthcare services which further increase patient morbidity. The aim of this study is to analyze predicting factors for the 30-day and 90-day readmissions after a complex abdominal wall reconstruction (CAWR). METHODS: A pooled analysis of the prospective study and retrospective database patients undergoing CAWR with acellular porcine dermis from 2012 to 2019 was carried out. Independent t test for continuous variables and Chi-square and Fischer's exact tests for categorical variables were used. A multivariable logistic regression model and linear regression analysis were used to analyze the independent predictors of 30-day and 90-day readmissions. RESULTS: A total of 232 patients underwent CAWR, and the readmission rate (RR) was 16.8% (n = 40). The 30-day and 90-day RR was 11.3% (n = 23) and 13.3% (n = 33), respectively. There were no statistical differences in age, frailty, and gender distribution between the two groups. There was no difference in ASA score, type of component separation, ventral hernia working group class, size of the biological mesh, placement of mesh, and intestinal resection rate. The Clavien-Dindo complications and mean comprehensive complication index (CCI) were higher in the readmission group as compared to no readmission group (p < 0.01). Readmitted patients had higher surgical site infections (p < 0.01) and wound necrosis (p = 0.01). Higher CCI, past or concomitant pelvic surgery, and the presence of enterocutaneous fistula were independent predictors of earlier days to readmission. CONCLUSION: Surgical site occurrences were associated with 30-day and 90-day readmissions after CAWR, while the presence of ascites and dialysis was associated with 90-day readmissions.

Early tracheostomy in patients with cervical spine injury reduces morbidity and improves resource utilization.

BACKGROUND: Aim of our study is to analyze the impact of Early Tracheostomy (ET) in patients with cervical-spine (C-spine) injuries. METHODS: We analyzed seven-year (2010-2016) ACS-TQIP databank and included all non-TBI trauma patients diagnosed with c-spine injuries. Patients were stratified into two groups based on the timing of tracheostomy (Early; ≤7days: Late; >7days). Outcomes were complications, hospital and ICU stay. Regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: We included 1139 patients. Mean age was 47 ± 12, median ISS was 18 [12-28], and median C-spine AIS was 4 [3-5]. 24.5% of the patients received ET. On regression analysis, patients who received ET had lower overall-complications (OR:0.57) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (OR:0.61). ET was associated with shorter duration of mechanical ventilation, and hospital and ICU stay. There was no difference in mortality rate. CONCLUSIONS: Early tracheostomy in patients with C-spine injuries was associated with lower rates of ventilator-associated-pneumonia, shorter duration of mechanical ventilation, and ICU and hospital stay.

Predicting the need for tracheostomy in trauma patients without severe head injury.

BACKGROUND: Early tracheostomy is recommended in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, predicting the timing of tracheostomy in trauma patients without severe TBI can be challenging. METHODS: A one year retrospective analysis of all trauma patients who were admitted to intensive Care Unit for > 7 days was performed, using the ACS-TQIP database. Univariate and Multivariate regression analyses were performed to assess the appropriate weight of each factor in determining the eventual need for early tracheostomy. RESULTS: A total of 21,663 trauma patients who met inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified. Overall, tracheostomy was performed in 18.3% of patients. On multivariate regression analysis age >70, flail chest, major operative intervention, ventilator days >5 days and underlying COPD were independently associated with need of tracheostomy. Based on these data, we developed a scoring system to predict risk for requiring tracheostomy. CONCLUSION: Age >70, presence of flail chest, need for major operative intervention, ventilator days >5 and underlying COPD are independent predictors of need for tracheostomy in trauma patients without severe TBI.

Unique Neurosurgical Morbidity and Mortality Conference Characteristics: A Comprehensive Literature Review of Neurosurgical Morbidity and Mortality Conference Practices with Proposed Recommendations.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to review the reported data for neurosurgical complication definitions, report the current scales used to classify these complications, and discuss their limitations. METHODS: A systematic review was performed through a PubMed search using predetermined MeSH terms and inclusion criteria. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were specific to the field of neurosurgery and had presented a unique complication grading scale. RESULTS: A total of 2156 PubMed results matched our predetermined MeSH terms. Of those, 7 met our inclusion criteria. These 7 studies were reported from 2001 to 2019. Of the 7 studies, 4 were applicable to general neurosurgery, 2 to spine surgery, and 1 to neuroendovascular surgery. The scales were based on the therapy needed, predictability and avoidability, survey/consensus of expert judgment, and the underlying cause of an adverse event. None of these studies had considered the complexity of the surgery or the frailty of the patient in the final grading score. CONCLUSIONS: No current standardized neurosurgical complication grade has been used throughout morbidity and mortality conferences. Although scales have been proposed in reported studies, each with their strengths and limitations, none of these has considered surgery complexity or patient frailty and comorbidities. We believe a comprehensive scale is required that includes a preoperative grading system that factors in baseline surgical complexity and patient frailty.

Developing a Simple Clinical Score for Predicting Mortality and Need for ICU in Trauma Patients.

Several models exist to predict trauma center need in the prehospital setting; however, there is lack of simple clinical tools to predict the need for ICU admission and mortality in trauma patients. The aim of our study was to develop a simple clinical tool that can be used with ease in the prehospital or emergency setting and can reliably predict the need for ICU admission and mortality in trauma patients. We abstracted one year of National Trauma Data Bank for all patients aged ≥ 18 years. Transferred patients and those dead on arrival were excluded. Patient demographics, injury parameters, vital signs, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) were recorded. Our primary outcome measures were mortality and ICU admission. Logistic regression analysis was performed using three variables (age > 55 years, shock index (SI) > 1, and GCS score) to determine the appropriate weights for predicting mortality. Appropriate weights derived from regression analysis were used to construct a simple SI, age, and GCS (SAG) score, and associated mortality and ICU admissions were calculated for three different risk groups (low, intermediate, and high). A total of 281,522 patients were included. The mean age was 47 ± 20 years, and 65 per cent were male. The overall mortality rate was 2.9 per cent, and the rate of ICU admission was 28.7 per cent. The SAG score was constructed using weights derived from regression analysis for age ≤ 55 years (4 points), SI < 1 (3 points), and GCS (3-15 points). The median [IQR] SAG score was 21 [18-22]. The area under the receiver operating curve [95% Confidence Interval (CI)] of the SAG score for predicting mortality and ICU admission was 0.873 [0.870-0.877] and 0.644 [0.642-0.647], respectively. Each 1-point increase in the SAG score was associated with 18 per cent lower odds of mortality (odds ratio [95% CI]: 0.822 [0.820-0.825]) and 10 per cent lower odds of ICU admission (odds ratio [95% CI]: 0.901 [0.899-0.902]). The SAG score is a simple clinical tool derived from variables that can be assessed with ease during the initial evaluation of trauma patients. It provides a rapid assessment and can reliably predict mortality and need for ICU admission in trauma patients. This simple tool may allow early resource mobilization possibly even before the arrival of the patient.

What Does it Mean for a Surgeon to "Run Two Rooms"? A Comprehensive Literature Review of Overlapping and Concurrent Surgery Policies.

The aim of this study was to review and analyze all of the "concurrent surgery" (CS) and "overlapping surgery" (OS) literature with the goal of: standardizing terminology, defining discrepancies in the literature and proposing solutions for the current challenges of regulating surgery to achieve maximal safety and efficiency. The CS and OS literature has grown exponentially over the past two years. Before this, there were no significant publications addressing this topic. There is an extremely wide variance on how "running two rooms" is defined and whether it should be permitted. These differences affect our patients' perception of this practice. The literature lacks any comprehensive review of the topic and terminology. We performed a PubMed search to identify studies that considered the issue of OS. The terms "overlapping surgery", "concurrent surgery", and "simultaneous surgery" (SS) were used in the query. We then analyzed the publications identified. The literature contained 18 published studies analyzing OS safety between November 2016 and June 2018. Eight were neurosurgical studies, three were orthopedic, and the remaining seven articles were in other surgical specialties. A total of 1,207,155 surgical cases (range 250->500,000 patients) were analyzed among the 18 studies. There were 57,880 (5.04%) OS cases. The OS rates in the individual studies ranged from 1.2 to 68 per cent (Table 1). Neurosurgical studies had the highest average OS rate of 54 per cent (range 37-68%), whereas the average OS rate in orthopedic surgery was 43 per cent (range 2.7-68%). Approximately one-third of the studies were multicenter investigations (27.7%). The studies measured more than 20 distinct outcomes, but there were only five outcomes that were included in the majority of the studies: mortality rates, reoperation rates, procedure length of time, readmission rates, and hospital length of stay. The current body of literature repeatedly demonstrates that OS is a safe and effective option when undertaken by experienced surgeons who practice it frequently. For successful OS, the Mandatory Attending Portion for two surgeries must not overlap and Unnecessary Anesthesia Time must be prohibited. Hospitals and surgical specialty organizations must implement policies to assure the safe practice of OS.

Outcomes of endovascular treatment of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.

INTRODUCTION: The successful application of endovascular techniques for the elective repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) has stimulated a strong interest in their possible use in dealing with a long-standing surgical challenge: the ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA). The use of a conventional open procedure to repair ruptured aneurysms is associated with a high operative mortality of 45% to 50%. In this study, we evaluated the current frequency of endovascular repair of RAAAs in four large states and the impact of this technique on patient outcome. METHODS: We examined discharge data sets from 2000 through 2003 from the four states of California, Florida, New Jersey, and New York, whose combined population represents almost a third of the United States population. Proportions and trends were analyzed by chi2 analysis and continuous variables by the Student's t test. RESULTS: We found that since the year 2000, endovascular repair has begun to emerge as a viable treatment option for RAAAs, accounting for the repair of 6.2% of cases in 2003. During the same period, the use of open procedures for RAAAs declined. The overall mortality rate for the 4-year period was significantly lower for endovascular vs open repair (39.3% vs. 47.7%, P = .005). Moreover, compared with open repair, endovascular repair resulted in a significantly lower rate of pulmonary, renal, and bleeding complications. Survival after endovascular repair correlated with hospital experience, as assessed by the overall volume of elective and nonelective endovascular procedures. For endovascular repairs, mortality ranged from 45.9% for small volume hospitals to 26% for large volume hospitals (P = .0011). Volume was also a determinant of mortality for open repairs, albeit to a much lesser extent (51.5% for small volume hospitals, 44.3% for large volume hospitals; P < .0001). CONCLUSION: We observed a benefit to using endovascular procedures for RAAAs in institutions with significant endovascular experience; however, the analysis of administrative data cannot rule out selection bias as an explanation of better outcomes. These data strongly endorse the need for prospective studies to clarify to what extent the improved survival in RAAA patients is to be attributed to the endovascular approach rather than the selection of low-risk patients.

Trends, complications, and mortality in peripheral vascular surgery.

BACKGROUND: The recent evolution in treatments for peripheral vascular disease has dated available mortality statistics for vascular intervention. Moreover, many of our current mortality statistics are derived from single-institution studies that are often not reflective of outcomes in general practice. To provide current and generalizable data regarding mortality and trends for peripheral vascular interventions, we examined two national data sets (Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 1998-2003, and National Hospital Discharge Survey, 1979-2003) and four states (New York, California, Florida, and New Jersey, 1998-2003). METHODS: Four procedures--abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (nonruptured), lower extremity revascularization, amputation, and carotid revascularization--were selected by cross-referencing International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, diagnostic and procedural codes. For significance, the t test was used for continuous variables, the chi2 test was used for dichotomous variables, and the chi2 test was used for mortality trends. RESULTS: From 1998 to 2003, there was a progressive decrease in the national per capita rate of amputations: 13.2% overall and 21.2% for major amputations (P < .0001). Nationally and regionally, mortality has only slightly declined. For lower extremity revascularization, after a sharp increase during the 1980s to 100,000 open procedures, the volume remained constant for 10 years and began to decline in 1998, reaching 70,000 cases in 2003. In contrast, since 1996, endovascular interventions have increased 40%. Mortality during the 1998 to 2003 period remained virtually stable at 1.5% to 2% for endovascular procedures and 3% to 4% for open procedures. The overall volume of abdominal aortic aneurysm repair has not changed substantially for the past 6 years; however, endovascular repair is now used for nearly half the cases (46.5% regional and 43.0% national). Mortality for open repair has not changed, remaining at approximately 5%, whereas for endovascular repair, mortality has declined from 2.6% in 2000 to less than 1.5% in 2003. After the rapid increase in open carotid revascularization in the early 1990s, the total volume has declined 5% nationally from 1998 to 2003. Regional data demonstrated an overall 12% reduction in carotid revascularization volume since 1998; this reduction was due to a 16% decline in open carotid revascularization. During this same period, the use of angioplasty-stent carotid revascularization doubled. Mortality for the open procedures is 0.5% and is significantly higher (2%-3%) for endovascular carotid revascularization. Stroke rates for endovascular carotid revascularization are also higher: 2.13% vs 1.28% for open procedures (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Dramatic shifts in the management of peripheral vascular disease have occurred together with an overall decline in mortality. There seems to be a significant mortality advantage for endovascular as compared with traditional surgery except for carotid endarterectomy. The increasing safety of vascular interventions should be considered when deciding which patients to treat but with the caveat that endovascular interventions are not always safer than open repair.

Understanding trends in inpatient surgical volume: vascular interventions, 1980-2000.

OBJECTIVE: To help understand past and future trends in vascular intervention, we examined changes in the rate of utilization, patient demographics, and length of stay from 1980 to 2000. METHODS: We reviewed the ICD-9 codes for all vascular procedures using the National Hospital Discharge Survey of non-federal United States hospitals (1980-2000). RESULTS: The number of vascular procedures performed in this country increased from 412,557 in 1980 to 801,537 in 2000 (per capita increase of >50%). This increase was most evident in elderly patients (>75 years, 67% per capita increase in discharges). Long hospital stays (> or =7 days) for vascular procedures fell 41%, and short hospital stays (<24 hours) increased 15% over the period of study. The frequency of abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs remained relatively constant. Except for an interval in the late 1980s, and a minor decrease from 1997 to 2000, the frequency of carotid endartarectomy rose dramatically (69%). Lower extremity revascularizations increased steadily until 1990 but then declined 12%. From 1995 to 2000, there was a 27% per capita decrease in the number of renal-mesenteric operations. Correspondingly, over the past 5 years there has been a 979% growth in the number of percutaneous/endovascular interventions. Despite a substantial number of interventions for lower extremity vascular disease, there was a concomitant increase in the number of major and minor amputations. CONCLUSION: Interventions for vascular disease have increased dramatically, with a major shift toward less invasive treatments, particularly for the renal and mesenteric vessels and the lower extremities. These trends in procedural use suggest that vascular surgeons need to embrace catheter-based approaches if they want to remain leaders in the treatment of peripheral vascular diseases.

A statewide experience with endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: rapid diffusion with excellent early results.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare survival and outcomes of endovascular versus open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in New York State (NYS). METHODS: We used the NYS discharge dataset Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) to analyze the outcomes of elective admission for nonruptured (International Classification of Diseases-9th revision [ICD-9] 441.4) open aneurysm repair (38.44) and endovascular aneurysm repair (39.71) during the years 2000-2002. The ICD-9 code for endovascular repair was introduced in late 2000, thus capturing 3 months of empiric data for 2000. RESULTS: There has been a significant increase in the number of AAA procedures performed in NYS (comparing before and after 2000: average, 1419 vs 1701; P =.0001), temporally coinciding with the implementation of training programs after US Food and Drug Administration approval of endovascular grafts and the new payment code. From 2000 to 2002 the number of NYS hospitals performing endovascular repairs increased from 24 to 60. By 2002 there were more endovascular repairs being performed than open repairs (871 vs 783). The target population for these surgical interventions showed interesting differences. In 2002, women had a 43% chance of receiving an endograft, whereas men had a 55% probability. The use of endovascular repair over the observation period was relatively constant in patients younger than 65 years. In patients older than 65 years, and especially those older than 75 years, endovascular use increased substantially, so that by 2002 older patients were more likely to undergo endovascular repair than open repair. Patients who underwent endovascular repair had significantly more hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia than did patients who underwent open repair. Yet the mean length of stay for endovascular procedures was approximately 3.6 days, and for open procedures was about 10.3 days, across all 3 years (P = <.0001). Moreover, patients who underwent endovascular repair had statistically fewer postoperative complications and significantly lower mortality. In-hospital mortality in 2001 was 3.55% for open repair and 1.14% for endovascular repair (P =.0018), and in 2002 these rates were 4.21% versus 0.8% (P <.0001), respectively. CONCLUSION: This dataset suggests that endovascular AAA repairs are being performed in a patient population with a higher frequency of comorbidities. However, endovascular repairs still are associated with significantly lower in-hospital mortality, fewer postoperative complications, and a dramatically shorter length of stay. These results suggest that, despite the rapid diffusion of this new technique, early perioperative outcomes may be superior to those with conventional open repair. However, prospective clinical studies are needed to confirm these insights, and such studies may require the infrastructure of consortia of hospitals or society-based registries.

Computed tomography angiography validates duplex sonographic evaluation of carotid artery stenosis.

Controversy regarding the optimal preoperative evaluation for patients with carotid arterial stenosis remains controversial. We hypothesized that carotid artery area reduction measured by computed tomography angiography (CTA) would closely correlate with duplex scanning stenosis. This study was undertaken to evaluate the correlation between duplex, CTA, and conventional arteriography in patients undergoing consideration for carotid endarterectomy. Patients undergoing evaluation for carotid artery stenosis who received at least 2 of the diagnostic tests were included in this study (n = 108); 30 patients underwent all 3 imaging modalities. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine correlation coefficients between the 3 different study modalities. Correlation and P values were as follows: CTA area versus CTA diameter, r = 0.82, P < 0.001; CTA area versus duplex stenosis, r = 0.71, P < 0.001; duplex stenosis versus angio diameter, r = 0.68; P = 0.005; CTA diameter versus angio diameter, r = 0.61, P = 005. CTA was able to identify plaque characteristics more readily than duplex or arteriography. CTA was also able to differentiate critical stenosis from occlusion and to settle discrepancies obtained from duplex scanning. CTA is an acceptable alternative method to validate duplex scanning evaluation of carotid artery stenosis. It can accurately measure lumen stenosis, visualize plaque morphology, and is associated with fewer complications than conventional angiography.