Community level socioeconomic status association with surgical outcomes and resource utilisation in a regional cohort: a prospective registry analysis.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic status affects surgical outcomes, however these factors are not included in clinical quality improvement data and risk models. We performed a prospective registry analysis to determine if the Distressed Communities Index (DCI), a composite socioeconomic ranking by zip code, could predict risk-adjusted surgical outcomes and resource utilisation. METHODS: All patients undergoing surgery (n=44,451) in a regional quality improvement database (American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program ACS-NSQIP) were paired with DCI, ranging from 0-100 (low to high distress) and accounting for unemployment, education level, poverty rate, median income, business growth and housing vacancies. The top quartile of distress was compared to the remainder of the cohort and a mixed effects modeling evaluated ACS-NSQIP risk-adjusted association between DCI and the primary outcomes of surgical complications and resource utilisation. RESULTS: A total of 9369 (21.1%) patients came from severely distressed communities (DCI >75), who had higher rates of most medical comorbidities as well as transfer status (8.4% vs 4.8%, p<0.0001) resulting in higher ACS-NSQIP predicted risk of any complication (8.0% vs 7.1%, p<0.0001). Patients from severely distressed communities had increased 30-day mortality (1.8% vs 1.4%, p=0.01), postoperative complications (9.8% vs 8.5%, p<0.0001), hospital readmission (7.7 vs 6.8, p<0.0001) and resource utilisation. DCI was independently associated with postoperative complications (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.10, p<0.0001) as well as resource utilisation after adjusting for ACS-NSQIP predicted risk CONCLUSION: Increasing Distressed Communities Index is associated with increased postoperative complications and resource utilisation even after ACS-NSQIP risk adjustment. These findings demonstrate a disparity in surgical outcomes based on community level socioeconomic factors, highlighting the continued need for public health innovation and policy initiatives.

Multicenter Observational Study Examining the Implementation of Enhanced Recovery Within the Virginia Surgical Quality Collaborative in Patients Undergoing Elective Colectomy.

BACKGROUND: The American College of Surgeons (ACS) NSQIP Virginia Surgical Quality Collaborative (VSQC) exists to improve surgical outcomes through multi-institutional collaboration. Enhanced recovery (ER) protocols improve morbidity and reduce length of stay (LOS) after elective surgery. We hypothesized implementation of ER through VSQC would reduce postoperative complications and LOS in patients undergoing elective colectomy. Our objective was to evaluate whether standardization of care based on evidenced-based practices in healthcare settings across multiple institutions improved outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: In 2013, VSQC incrementally implemented ER for patients undergoing elective colectomy at participating institutions. Institutions shared protocols, order sets, educational materials, and met semi-annually to discuss progress. Risk-adjusted ACS NSQIP data (January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2016) was queried in 4 participating hospitals. The association of ER with surgical outcomes was evaluated with a before and after ER implementation analysis and multivariable logistic regression modeling with a priori selection of clinically relevant variables. RESULTS: There were 2,438 consecutive colectomies included in analysis (1,035 pre-ER/1,403 post-ER). In the post-ER implementation patient cohort, relatively more patients were treated laparoscopically (68%) compared with the pre-ER cohort (52%) (p < 0.001). Median LOS decreased from 5 to 4 days after ER implementation in patients undergoing open colectomy (p < 0.001), although total complications were similar in frequency (23% vs 22%). Laparoscopic patients had a reduced LOS (4 vs 3 days; p < 0.001), 30-day readmissions (12% vs 8%; p = 0.01), and total complications (16% vs 9%; p < 0.001) after ER implementation. In multivariable models, American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification, hypertension, smoking, ER, and laparoscopy were independently associated with complication risk. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of ER across VSQC was associated with reduction in LOS and complications in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colectomy.

Crystal structure of r-1,c-2-dibenzoyl-t-3,t-4-bis-(2-nitro-phen-yl)cyclo-butane.

The condensation reaction of aceto-phenone (1-phenyl-ethan-1-one) with 2-nitro-benzaldehyde in the molten state yielded the expected chalcone, (E)-3-(2-nitro-phen-yl)-1-phenyl-prop-2-en-1-one, and, unexpectedly, the title compound, C30H22N2O6, which results from the syn head-to-head [2 + 2] cyclo-addition of the chalcone. The mol-ecular structure of the dimer shows that the four benzene rings of the substituents are oriented in such a way that potential steric hindrance is minimized, whilst allowing some degree of inter-molecular π-π inter-actions for crystal stabilization. In the mol-ecule, one nitro group is disordered over two positions, with occupancies for each part of 0.876 (7) and 0.127 (7).