Health-related quality of life is a predictor of readmission following emergency laparotomy.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multidimensional concept used to examine the impact of patient-perceived health status on quality of life. Patients' perception of illness affects outcomes in both medical and elective surgical patients; however, not much is known about how HRQoL effects outcomes in the emergency surgical setting. This study aimed to examine if patient-reported HRQoL was a predictor of unplanned readmission after emergency laparotomy. METHODS: This study included 215 patients who underwent emergency laparotomy at the Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, between August 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022. Patient-reported HRQoL was assessed with the EuroQol group EQ5D index (EQ5D5L descriptive system and EQ-VAS). The population was followed from 0 to 180 days after discharge, and readmissions and days alive and out of hospital were registered. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine HRQoL and the risk of readmission within 30 and 180 days. RESULTS: Within 30 days, 28.4% of patients were readmitted; within 180 days, the number accumulated to 45.1%. Low self-evaluated HRQoL predicted 180-day readmission and was significantly associated with fewer days out of hospital within both 90 and 180 days. Low HRQoL and discharge with rehabilitation were independent risk factors for short- (30-day) and long-term (180-day) emergency readmission. CONCLUSION: Patient-perceived quality of life is an independent predictor of 180-day readmission, and the number of days out of hospital was correlated to self-reported HRQoL.

Abdominal subcutaneous obesity and the risk of burst abdomen: a matched case-control study.

PURPOSE: The causes of burst abdomen after midline laparotomy remain uncertain. Obesity is a suspected risk factor. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between abdominal subcutaneous obesity (ASO) and burst abdomen in patients undergoing emergency midline laparotomy. METHODS: We conducted a single-centre, retrospective, matched case-control study of patients undergoing emergency midline laparotomy from May 2016 to August 2021. Patients suffering from burst abdomen were matched 1:4 with controls based on age and sex. Abdominal wall closure was standardized in the study period with the small bites, small stitches technique. ASO was defined as the highest sex-specific quartile (≥ 75%) of subcutaneous fat layer evaluated on CT. The primary outcome was the association between ASO and burst abdomen, stratified between cases and controls. Secondary outcomes included 30- and 90-day mortality, length of stay, and suspected risk factors of burst abdomen, assessed by multivariate analysis across cases and controls. RESULTS: A total of 475 patients were included in this study, with 95 cases matched to 380 controls. Liver cirrhosis, active smoking, and high alcohol consumption were more common among cases in an unadjusted analysis. Liver cirrhosis (odds ratio (OR) 3.32, p = 0.045) and active smoking (OR 1.98, p = 0.009) remained significant in a multivariate analysis and were associated with burst abdomen. One hundred twenty-four patients had ASO. ASO was not significantly associated with burst abdomen (OR 1.11, p = 0.731). CONCLUSION: ASO was not found to be associated with an increased risk of burst abdomen after emergency midline laparotomy.

Impact of clinical frailty on surgical and non-surgical complications after major emergency abdominal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Major emergency abdominal surgery is associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Given the ageing and increasingly frail population, understanding the impact of frailty on complication patterns after surgery is crucial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between clinical frailty and organ-specific postoperative complications after major emergency abdominal surgery. METHODS: A prospective cohort study including all patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery at Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev, Denmark, from 1 October 2020 to 1 August 2022, was performed. Clinical frailty scale scores were determined for all patients upon admission and patients were then analysed according to clinical frailty scale groups (scores of 1-3, 4-6, or 7-9). Postoperative complications were registered until discharge. RESULTS: A total of 520 patients were identified. Patients with a low clinical frailty scale score (1-3) experienced fewer total complications (120 complications per 100 patients) compared with patients with clinical frailty scale scores of 4-6 (250 complications per 100 patients) and 7-9 (277 complications per 100 patients) (P < 0.001). A high clinical frailty scale score was associated with a high risk of pneumonia (P = 0.009), delirium (P < 0.001), atrial fibrillation (P = 0.020), and infectious complications in general (P < 0.001). Patients with severe frailty (clinical frailty scale score of 7-9) suffered from more surgical complications (P = 0.001) compared with the rest of the cohort. Severe frailty was associated with a high risk of 30-day mortality (33% for patients with a clinical frailty scale score of 7-9 versus 3.6% for patients with a clinical frailty scale score of 1-3, P < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, an increasing degree of clinical frailty was found to be significantly associated with developing at least one complication. CONCLUSION: Patients with frailty have a significantly increased risk of postoperative complications after major emergency abdominal surgery, especially atrial fibrillation, delirium, and pneumonia. Likewise, patients with frailty have an increased risk of mortality within 90 days. Thus, frailty is a significant predictor for adverse events after major emergency abdominal surgery and should be considered in all patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery.

Effect of Remote Ischaemic Preconditioning on Perioperative Endothelial Dysfunction in Non-Cardiac Surgery: A Randomised Clinical Trial.

Endothelial dysfunction result from inflammation and excessive production of reactive oxygen species as part of the surgical stress response. Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) potentially exerts anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, which might stabilise the endothelial function after non-cardiac surgery. This was a single centre randomised clinical trial including 60 patients undergoing sub-acute laparoscopic cholecystectomy due to acute cholecystitis. Patients were randomised to RIPC or control. The RIPC procedure consisted of four cycles of five minutes of ischaemia and reperfusion of one upper extremity. Endothelial function was assessed as the reactive hyperaemia index (RHI) and circulating biomarkers of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability (L-arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), L-arginine/ADMA ratio, tetra- and dihydrobiopterin (BH4 and BH2), and total plasma biopterin) preoperative, 2-4 h after surgery and 24 h after surgery. RHI did not differ between the groups (p = 0.07). Neither did levels of circulating biomarkers of NO bioavailability change in response to RIPC. L-arginine and L-arginine/ADMA ratio was suppressed preoperatively and increased 24 h after surgery (p < 0.001). The BH4/BH2-ratio had a high preoperative level, decreased 2-4 h after surgery and remained low 24 h after surgery (p = 0.01). RIPC did not influence endothelial function or markers of NO bioavailability until 24 h after sub-acute laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In response to surgery, markers of NO bioavailability increased, and oxidative stress decreased. These findings support that a minimally invasive removal of the inflamed gallbladder countereffects reduced markers of NO bioavailability and increased oxidative stress caused by acute cholecystitis.