Preoperative Hepatology and Primary Care Visits Improve Postoperative Outcomes in Patients with Cirrhosis Undergoing Surgery.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cirrhosis patients are at increased risk for postoperative complications. It remains unclear whether preoperative nonsurgical clinician visits improve postoperative outcomes. We assessed the impact of preoperative primary care physician (PCP) and/or gastroenterologist/hepatologist (GI/Hep) visits on postoperative mortality in cirrhosis patients undergoing surgery and explored differences in medication changes and paracentesis rates as potential mediators. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of cirrhosis patients in the Veterans Health Administration who underwent surgery between 2008 and 2016. We compared 1982 patients with preoperative PCP and/or GI/Hep visits with 1846 propensity-matched patients without preoperative visits. We used Cox regression and Fine and Gray competing risk regression to evaluate the association between preoperative visit type and postoperative mortality at 6 months. RESULTS: Patients with preoperative GI/Hep and PCP visits had a 45% lower hazard of postoperative mortality compared with those without preoperative visits (hazard ratio [HR], 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.87). A smaller effect size was noted with GI/Hep preoperative visit alone (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.48-0.99) or PCP visit alone (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.53-0.93). Patients with preoperative PCP/GI/Hep visits were more likely to have diuretics, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis prophylaxis, and hepatic encephalopathy medications newly initiated and/or dose adjusted and more likely to receive preoperative paracentesis as compared with those without preoperative visits. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative PCP/GI/Hep visits are associated with a reduced risk of postoperative mortality with the greatest risk reduction observed in those with both PCP and GI/Hep visits. This synergistic effect highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the preoperative care of cirrhosis patients.

Two-year follow-up of transcatheter aortic valve replacement in low-risk patients with symptomatic severe bicuspid aortic valve stenosis.

BACKGROUND: In 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for low-risk patients with symptomatic severe tricuspid aortic stenosis. However, bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients were included only in single-arm registries of pivotal low-risk TAVR trials, resulting in limited data for this subgroup. METHODS: The LRT (Low Risk TAVR) trial was an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicenter study and the first FDA-approved investigational device exemption trial to evaluate the feasibility of TAVR with balloon-expandable or self-expanding valves in low-risk patients with symptomatic severe BAV stenosis. This analysis reports 2-year follow-up, assessing the primary outcome of all-cause mortality and evaluating clinical outcomes. RESULTS: From 2016 to 2019, a total of 72 low-risk patients diagnosed with symptomatic, severe BAV stenosis underwent TAVR across six centers. Six patients were lost to follow-up. At 2-year follow-up, mortality was 1.5% (1 of 66 patients). Among the remaining 65 patients, four experienced nondisabling strokes (6.2%), while 2 (3.1%) developed infective endocarditis. No new permanent pacemakers were required beyond the 30-day follow-up, and no patients, including those with endocarditis, needed aortic valve re-intervention. At the 2-year echocardiography follow-up (n = 65), 27.8% of BAV patients showed mild aortic regurgitation, with none exhibiting moderate or severe regurgitation. The mean aortic gradient was 12.1 ± 4.1 mmHg, and the mean valve area was 1.7 ± 0.5 cm². CONCLUSION: The 2-year follow-up confirms commendable clinical outcomes of TAVR in patients with bicuspid aortic stenosis, establishing its evident safety.

Predicting intraoperative hemorrhage during curettage treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy using free-breathing GRASP DCE-MRI.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of the golden-angle radial sparse parallel (GRASP) dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique in predicting the intraoperative bleeding risk of scar pregnancy. METHODS: A total of 49 patients with cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) who underwent curettage and GRASP-MRI imaging were retrospectively selected between January 2021 and July 2022. The pharmacokinetic parameters, including Wash-in, Wash-out, time to peck (TTP), initial area under the curve (iAUC), the transfer rate constant (Ktrans), constant flow rate (Kep), and volume of extracellular space (Ve), were calculated. The amount of intraoperative bleeding was recorded by a gynecologist who performed surgery, after which patients were divided into non-hemorrhage (blood loss ≤ 200 mL) and hemorrhage (blood loss > 200 mL) groups. The measured pharmacokinetic parameters were statistically compared using the t-test or Mann-Whitney U test with a significant level set to be p < 0.05. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluate each parameter's capability in intraoperative hemorrhage subgroup classification. RESULTS: Twenty patients had intraoperative hemorrhage (blood loss > 200 mL) during curettage. The hemorrhage group had larger Wash-in, iAUC, Ktrans, Ve, and shorter TTP than the non-hemorrhage group (all P > 0.05). Wash-in had the highest AUC value (0.90), while Ktrans had the lowest value (0.67). Wash-out and Kep were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: GRASP DCE-MRI has the potential to forecast intraoperative hemorrhage during curettage treatment of CSP, with Wash-in exhibiting the highest predictive performance. This data holds promise for advancing personalized treatment. However, further study is required to compare its effectiveness with other risk factors identified through anatomical MRI and ultrasound.

Perioperative outcome, long-term mortality and time trends in elderly patients undergoing low-, intermediate- or major non-cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Decision-making whether older patients benefit from surgery can be a difficult task. This report investigates characteristics and outcomes of a large cohort of inpatients, aged 80 years and over, undergoing non-cardiac surgery. METHODS: This observational study was performed at a tertiary university medical centre in the Netherlands. Patients of 80 years or older undergoing elective or urgent surgery from January 2004 to June 2017 were included. Outcomes were length of stay, discharge destination, 30-day and long-term mortality. Patients were divided into low-, intermediate and high-risk surgery subgroups. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to evaluate the association of risk factors and outcomes. Secondary outcomes were time trends, assessed with Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test. RESULTS: Data of 8251 patients, undergoing 19,027 surgical interventions were collected from the patients' medical record. 7032 primary procedures were suitable for analyses. Median LOS was 3 days in the low-risk group, compared to six in the intermediate- and ten in the high-risk group. Median LOS of the total cohort decreased from 5.8 days (IQR 1.9-14.5) in 2004-2007 to 4.6 days (IQR 1.9-9.0) in 2016-2017. Three quarters of patients were discharged to their home. Postoperative 30-day mortality in the low-risk group was 2.3%. In the overall population 30-day mortality was high and constant during the study period (6.7%, ranging from 4.2 to 8.4%). CONCLUSION: Patients should not be withheld surgery solely based on their age. However, even for low-risk surgery, the mortality rate of more than 2% is substantial. Deciding whether older patients benefit from surgery should be based on the understanding of individual risks, patients' wishes and a patient-centred plan.

Postoperative stroke in acute type A aortic dissection: incidence, outcomes, and perioperative risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Despite advances in surgical techniques, the incidence of stroke following acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) repair remains markedly high, with substantial immediate and long-term adverse outcomes such as elevated mortality, extended hospital stays, and persistent neurological impairments. The complexity of managing ATAAD extends beyond the operation itself, highlighting a crucial gap in research concerning modifiable preoperative patient conditions and perioperative anesthetic management strategies. OBJECTIVES: This investigation aimed to elucidate the incidence, consequences, and perioperative determinants of stroke following surgical intervention for acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). METHODS: In a multicenter retrospective analysis, 516 ATAAD surgery patients were evaluated. The data included demographic information, clinical profiles, surgical modalities, and outcomes. The primary endpoint was postoperative stroke incidence, with hospital mortality and other complications serving as secondary endpoints. RESULTS: Postoperative stroke occurred in 13.6% of patients (70 out of 516) and was associated with significant extension of the ICU (median 10 vs. 5 days, P < 0.001) and hospital stay (median 18 vs. 12 days, P < 0.001). The following key independent stroke risk factors were identified: modified Frailty Index (mFI) ≥ 4 (odds ratio [OR]: 4.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24-14.1, P = 0.021), common carotid artery malperfusion (OR: 3.76, 95% CI: 1.23-11.44, P = 0.02), pre-cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) hypotension (mean arterial pressure ≤ 50 mmHg; OR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.06-4.44, P = 0.035), ≥ 20% intraoperative decrease in cerebral regional oxygen saturation (rSO2) (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.02-3.64, P = 0.042), and post-CPB vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) ≥ 10 (OR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.21-4.14, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative stroke significantly increases ICU and hospital durations in ATAAD surgery patients. These findings highlight the critical need to identify and mitigate major risks, such as high mFI, common carotid artery malperfusion, pre-CPB hypotension, significant cerebral rSO2 reductions, and elevated post-CPB VIS, to improve outcomes and reduce stroke prevalence. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Thai Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR20230615002). Date registered on June 15, 2023. Retrospectively registered.

Prediction of surgical outcomes in severe encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis using a computed tomography scoring system.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is a rare and potential lethal complication of peritoneal dialysis characterized by bowel obstruction. Surgical enterolysis is the only curative therapy. Currently, there are no tools for predicting postsurgical prognosis. This study aimed to identify a computed tomography (CT) scoring system that could predict mortality after surgery in patients with severe EPS. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled patients with severe EPS who underwent surgical enterolysis in a tertiary referral medical center. The association of CT score with surgical outcomes including mortality, blood loss, and bowel perforation was analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients who underwent 37 procedures were recruited and divided into a survivor and non-survivor group. The survivor group had higher body mass indices (BMIs, 18.1 vs. 16.7 kg/m2, p = 0.035) and lower CT scores (11 vs. 17, p < 0.001) than the non-survivor group. The receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that a CT score of ≥15 could be considered a cutoff point to predict surgical mortality, with an area under the curve of 0.93, sensitivity of 88.9%, and specificity of 82.1%. Compared with the group with CT scores of <15, the group with CT scores of ≥15 had a lower BMI (19.7 vs. 16.2 kg/m2, p = 0.004), higher mortality (4.2% vs. 61.5%, p < 0.001), greater blood loss (50 vs. 400 mL, p = 0.007), and higher incidence of bowel perforation (12.5% vs. 61.5%, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: The CT scoring system could be useful in predicting surgical risk in patients with severe EPS receiving enterolysis.

Time-course of heart rate variability after total hip arthroplasty.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of the autonomic nervous system function and possibly related to postoperative outcome. Despite several HRV studies in different surgical settings, optimal indices and timepoints for measuring have not been adequately determined. Consequently, there is a need for detailed descriptive procedure-specific studies on the time-course of perioperative HRV within a modern fast-track surgical setting. We measured HRV continuously in 24 patients from 4 days before until 9 days after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Statistical methods included mainly ANOVA and t-tests or Kruskal-Wallis and pairwise Wilcoxon test. Patients completed the Orthostatic Discriminant and Severity Scale five times during the study describing autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Standard deviation between normal-to-normal beats and the total power of HRV were reduced for at least 9 days following THA, with a trend towards increased HRV leading up to the day of surgery. The balance between low- and high-frequency power of HRV was reduced in the postoperative evenings. There was increased orthostatic intolerance symptoms on the first postoperative day, with symptoms of pain, fatigue and weakness decreasing after the first postoperative day. Median hospital stay was 1 day. We provide the first detailed description of perioperative time-course of HRV and orthostatic symptoms in fast-track THA, showing reduced HRV after surgery for at least a week, and that HRV changes are sensitive to time of day and timing before and after surgery. These results are helpful in designing future HRV studies in perioperative risk assessment and outcome.

Myths and methodologies: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing for surgical risk stratification in patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm; balancing risk over benefit.

The extent to which patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) should exercise remains unclear, given theoretical concerns over the perceived risk of blood pressure-induced rupture, which is often catastrophic. This is especially pertinent during cardiopulmonary exercise testing, when patients are required to perform incremental exercise to symptom-limited exhaustion for the determination of cardiorespiratory fitness. This multimodal metric is being used increasingly as a complementary diagnostic tool to inform risk stratification and subsequent management of patients undergoing AAA surgery. In this review, we bring together a multidisciplinary group of physiologists, exercise scientists, anaesthetists, radiologists and surgeons to challenge the enduring 'myth' that AAA patients should be fearful of and avoid rigorous exercise. On the contrary, by appraising fundamental vascular mechanobiological forces associated with exercise, in conjunction with 'methodological' recommendations for risk mitigation specific to this patient population, we highlight that the benefits conferred by cardiopulmonary exercise testing and exercise training across the continuum of intensity far outweigh the short-term risks posed by potential AAA rupture.

Preoperative Prediction of Unplanned Reoperation in a Broad Surgical Population.

INTRODUCTION: Unplanned reoperation is an undesirable outcome with considerable risks and an increasingly assessed quality of care metric. There are no preoperative prediction models for reoperation after an index surgery in a broad surgical population in the literature. The Surgical Risk Preoperative Assessment System (SURPAS) preoperatively predicts 12 postoperative adverse events using 8 preoperative variables, but its ability to predict unplanned reoperation has not been assessed. This study's objective was to determine whether the SURPAS model could accurately predict unplanned reoperation. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of the American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program adult database, 2012-2018. An unplanned reoperation was defined as any unintended operation within 30 d of an initial scheduled operation. The 8-variable SURPAS model and a 29-variable "full" model, incorporating all available American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program nonlaboratory preoperative variables, were developed using multiple logistic regression and compared using discrimination and calibration metrics: C-indices (C), Hosmer-Lemeshow observed-to-expected plots, and Brier scores (BSs). The internal chronological validation of the SURPAS model was conducted using "training" (2012-2017) and "test" (2018) datasets. RESULTS: Of 5,777,108 patients, 162,387 (2.81%) underwent an unplanned reoperation. The SURPAS model's C-index of 0.748 was 99.20% of that for the full model (C = 0.754). Hosmer-Lemeshow plots showed good calibration for both models and BSs were similar (BS = 0.0264, full; BS = 0.0265, SURPAS). Internal chronological validation results were similar for the training (C = 0.749, BS = 0.0268) and test (C = 0.748, BS = 0.0250) datasets. CONCLUSIONS: The SURPAS model accurately predicted unplanned reoperation and was internally validated. Unplanned reoperation can be integrated into the SURPAS tool to provide preoperative risk assessment of this outcome, which could aid patient risk education.

Nomogram predicting surgical risk of laparoscopic left-sided hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the surgical risk factors of laparoscopic left-sided hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis and establish and validate a nomogram to estimate the corresponding surgical risks. METHODS: Patients with hepatolithiasis who underwent laparoscopic left-sided hepatectomy were retrospectively enrolled. Demographic data, clinicopathological parameters, and surgical factors were collected. Three hundred fifty-three patients were enrolled and randomly divided into training set (n=267) and validation set (n=86) by 3:1. Conversion to laparotomy was used as a surrogate index to evaluate the surgical risk. Univariate analysis was used to screen potential surgical risk factors, and multivariate analysis using logistic regression model was used to screen independent surgical risk factors. Nomogram predicting the surgical risks was established based on the independent risk factors. Discrimination, calibration, decision curve, and clinical impact analyses were used to evaluate the performance of the nomogram on the statistical and clinical aspects both in the training and validation sets. RESULTS: Five independent surgical risk factors were identified in the training set, including recurrent abdominal pain, bile duct stricture, ASA classification ≥2, extent of liver resection, and biliary tract T tube drainage. No collinearity was found among these five factors, and a nomogram was established. Performance analyses of the nomogram showed good discrimination (AUC=0.850 and 0.817) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test, p=0.530 and 0.930) capabilities both in the training and validation sets. Decision curve and clinical impact analyses also showed that the prediction performance was clinically valuable. CONCLUSIONS: A nomogram was established and validated to be effective in evaluating and predicting the surgical risk of patients undergoing laparoscopic left-sided hepatectomies for hepatolithiasis.

Catheter-based Interventions to Reduce or Modify Surgical Risk in High-Risk Adult Congenital Heart Disease Patients.

The field of adult congenital heart disease has changed greatly over the past sixty years. As patients are now surviving longer into adulthood due to various improvements in surgical technique and medical technology, the demographic of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) has changed, such that there are now more adults with CHD than there are children with CHD. This older and more medically complex population needs more interventions to treat residual defects or sequelae of their initial surgeries, and many of these patients are now deemed high risk for surgery. When the surgical risk becomes too great, either due to patient complexity, surgical complexity, or both, then transcatheter procedures may have a role in either mitigating or avoiding the risk altogether.

Using machine learning models to predict the surgical risk of children with pancreaticobiliary maljunction and biliary dilatation.

PURPOSE: To develop machine learning (ML) models to predict the surgical risk of children with pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM) and biliary dilatation. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 157 pediatric patients who underwent surgery for PBM with biliary dilatation between January, 2015 and August, 2022. Using preoperative data, four ML models were developed, including logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), support vector machine classifier (SVC), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). The performance of each model was assessed via the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC). Model interpretations were generated by Shapley Additive Explanations. A nomogram was used to validate the best-performing model. RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients (43.3%) were classified as the high-risk surgery group. The XGBoost model (AUC = 0.822) outperformed the LR (AUC = 0.798), RF (AUC = 0.802) and SVC (AUC = 0.804) models. In all four models, enhancement of the choledochal cystic wall and an abnormal position of the right hepatic artery were the two most important features. Moreover, the diameter of the choledochal cyst, bile duct variation, and serum amylase were selected as key predictive factors by all four models. CONCLUSIONS: Using preoperative data, the ML models, especially XGBoost, have the potential to predict the surgical risk of children with PBM and biliary dilatation. The nomogram may provide surgeons early warning to avoid intraoperative iatrogenic injury.

Continuous perioperative heart rate variability monitoring in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy-a pilot study.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of cardiac autonomic modulation and is potentially related to hypotension, postoperative atrial fibrillation, and orthostatic intolerance. However, there is a lack of knowledge on which specific time points and indices to measure. To improve future study design, there is a need for procedure-specific studies in an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy setting, and for continuous measurement of perioperative HRV. HRV was measured continuously from 2 days before until 9 days after VATS lobectomy in 28 patients. After VATS lobectomy, with median length of stay = 4 days, the standard deviation between normal-to-normal beats and the total power of HRV were reduced for 8 days during the night and day times, while low-to-high frequency variation and detrended fluctuation analysis were stable. This is the first detailed study to show that HRV measures of total variability were reduced following ERAS VATS lobectomy, while other measures were more stable. Further, preoperative HRV measures showed circadian variation. The patch was well tolerated among participants, but actions should be taken to ensure proper mounting of the measuring device. These results demonstrate a valid design platform for future HRV studies in relation to postoperative outcomes.

Risk Prediction Models for Postoperative Decompensation and Infection in Patients With Cirrhosis: A Veterans Affairs Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with cirrhosis have an increased risk of postoperative mortality for a range of surgeries; however, they are also at risk of postoperative complications such as infection and cirrhosis decompensation. To date, there are no prediction scores that specifically risk stratify patients for these morbidities. METHODS: This was a retrospective study using data of patients with cirrhosis who underwent diverse surgeries in the Veterans Health Administration. Validated algorithms and/or manual adjudication were used to ascertain postoperative decompensation and postoperative infection through 90 days. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate prediction models in derivation and validation sets using variables from the recently-published Veterans Outcomes and Costs Associated with Liver Disease (VOCAL)-Penn cirrhosis surgical risk scores for postoperative mortality. Models were compared with the Mayo risk score, Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD)-sodium, and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores. RESULTS: A total 4712 surgeries were included; patients were predominantly male (97.2 %), white (63.3 %), and with alcohol-related liver disease (35.3 %). Through 90 postoperative days, 8.7 % of patients experienced interval decompensation, and 4.5 % infection. Novel VOCAL-Penn prediction models for decompensation demonstrated good discrimination for interval decompensation (C-statistic 0.762 vs 0.663 Mayo vs 0.603 MELD-sodium vs 0.560 CTP; P < .001); however, discrimination was only fair for postoperative infection (C-statistic 0.666 vs 0.592 Mayo [P = .13] vs 0.502 MELD-sodium [P < .001] vs 0.503 CTP [P < .001]). The model for interval decompensation had excellent calibration in both derivation and validation sets. CONCLUSION: We report the derivation and internal validation of a novel, parsimonious prediction model for postoperative decompensation in patients with cirrhosis. This score demonstrated superior discrimination and calibration as compared with existing clinical standards, and will be available at www.vocalpennscore.com.

Using the Surgical Risk Preoperative Assessment System to Define the "High Risk" Surgical Patient.

BACKGROUND: Defining a "high risk" surgical population remains challenging. Using the Surgical Risk Preoperative Assessment System (SURPAS), we sought to define "high risk" groups for adverse postoperative outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the 2009-2018 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. SURPAS calculated probabilities of 12 postoperative adverse events. The Hosmer Lemeshow graphs of deciles of risk and maximum Youden index were compared to define "high risk." RESULTS: Hosmer-Lemeshow plots suggested the "high risk" patient could be defined by the 10th decile of risk. Maximum Youden index found lower cutoff points for defining "high risk" patients and included more patients with events. This resulted in more patients classified as "high risk" and higher number needed to treat to prevent one complication. Some specialties (thoracic, vascular, general) had more "high risk" patients, while others (otolaryngology, plastic) had lower proportions. CONCLUSIONS: SURPAS can define the "high risk" surgical population that may benefit from risk-mitigating interventions.

Accuracy of Risk Estimation for Surgeons Versus Risk Calculators in Emergency General Surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical risk calculators have expanded in both number and sophistication of their predictive approach. These calculators are gaining popularity as validated tools to help surgeons estimate mortality and complications following emergency general surgery (EGS). However, the accuracy of risk estimates generated by these calculators compared to risk estimation by practicing surgeons has not been explored. METHODS: Acute care surgeons at a quaternary care center prospectively estimated 30-d mortality and complications for adult EGS patients (2019-2021). Surgeon predictions were compared to Predictive OpTimal Trees in Emergency Surgery Risk (POTTER) and NSQIP estimates. Observed-to-expected (O:E) ratios of median aggregate estimates were calculated. C-statistics for surgeon and calculator estimations were utilized to quantify predictive accuracy. RESULTS: Among 150 patients (median 61 y, 45% male), 30-d mortality was 15% (n = 23). Observed rates of prolonged mechanical ventilation and acute renal failures were 30% and 10%, respectively. Overall, surgeon predictions were similar to risk calculator estimates for mortality (c-statistics 0.843 [surgeon] versus 0.848 [POTTER] and 0.815 [NSQIP]) and need for prolonged ventilation (c-statistics 0.801 versus 0.722 and 0.689, respectively). Surgeons tended to overestimate complication risks. Surgeon experience was not significantly associated with mortality prediction in an adjusted model. CONCLUSIONS: Acute care surgeons at a quaternary care center predicted postoperative mortality and complications with similar discrimination when compared to surgical risk calculators. Surgeon expertise should be utilized in conjunction with risk calculators when counseling EGS patients regarding anticipated postoperative outcomes. Surgeons should be cognizant of patterns in overestimation or underestimation of complications.

The efficacy of the American College of Surgeons Surgical Risk Calculator in the prediction of postoperative complications in oncogeriatric patients after curative surgery for abdominal tumors.

BACKGROUND: The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has developed a Surgical Risk Calculator (SRC) to predict postoperative surgical complications. No studies have reported the performance of the ACS-SRC in oncogeriatric patients. Our objective was to evaluate the predictive performance of the ACS-SRC in these patients, treated with curative surgery for an abdominal malignancy. METHODS: This is a retrospective study including 136 patients who underwent elective abdominal oncological surgery, between 2017 and 2019, at our institution. Postoperative complications were classified according to the ACS-SRC, and its predictive performance was analyzed by assessing discrimination and calibration and using receiver operating characteristics and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: Discrimination was adequate with AUC of 0.7113 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.062-1.202, p = 0.0001; Brier 0.198) for serious complications and 0.7230 (95% CI: 1.101-1.756, p = 0.0057; Brier 0.099) for pneumonia; and poor for sepsis, surgical site infection (SSI), and urinary tract infection (UTI) with AUCs of 0.6636 (95% CI: 1.016-1.353, p = 0.0299; Brier 0.142), 0.6167 (95% CI: 1.003-1.266, p = 0.0450; Brier 0.175), and 0.6598 (95% CI: 1.069-2.145, p = 0.0195; Brier 0.082), respectively. CONCLUSION: The ACS-SRC is an adequate predictor for serious complications and pneumonia in oncogeriatric patients treated surgically for abdominal cancer. However, the predictive power of the calculator appears to be low for sepsis, UTI, and SSI.

How to Select Patients Affected by Neuroendocrine Neoplasms for Surgery.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this review was to discuss how to select patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) for surgery. RECENT FINDINGS: Surgical resection represents the mainstay for the curative treatment of GEP-NENs. Conservative strategies, such as endoscopic resection and active surveillance, have been recently advocated for the management of patients with small and asymptomatic GEP-NENs. On the other hand, patients with GEP-NENs showing features of aggressiveness should be managed by surgical resection with lymphadenectomy, when the surgical risk is considered acceptable. An accurate selection is important also in the setting of advanced disease, where surgery can provide a survival benefit in the context of a multimodal treatment strategy. Surgical and oncological risk should be always assessed in order to define indications for surgery in patients with GEP-NENs. Given the variety of available treatment options, surgical indication should be always shared with a dedicated multidisciplinary team.

Prehabilitation, enhanced recovery after surgery, or both? A narrative review.

This narrative review presents a biological rationale and evidence to describe how the preoperative condition of the patient contributes to postoperative morbidity. Any preoperative condition that prevents a patient from tolerating the physiological stress of surgery (e.g. poor cardiopulmonary reserve, sarcopaenia), impairs the stress response (e.g. malnutrition, frailty), and/or augments the catabolic response to stress (e.g. insulin resistance) is a risk factor for poor surgical outcomes. Prehabilitation interventions that include exercise, nutrition, and psychosocial components can be applied before surgery to strengthen physiological reserve and enhance functional capacity, which, in turn, supports recovery through attaining surgical resilience. Prehabilitation complements Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) care to achieve optimal patient outcomes because recovery is not a passive process and it begins preoperatively.

Bilateral Risk Assessments of Surgery and Nonsurgery Contribute to Providing Optimal Management in Early Gastric Cancers after Noncurative Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection: A Multicenter Retrospective Study of 485 Patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Surgery is recommended in early gastric cancer (EGC) after noncurative endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), although observation can be an alternative. We aimed to develop a tailor-made treatment strategy for noncurative EGCs by comparing the lymph node metastasis risk (LNMR) and the surgical risk. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 485 patients with differentiated-type, noncurative EGCs removed by ESD and classified them into two groups: a surgery-preferable group and an observation-preferable group, according to the clinical courses. Subsequently, LNMR and surgery-related death risk were assessed using a published scoring system and a risk calculator for gastrectomy, respectively. Finally, we investigated the optimal cutoff value of the risk difference (LNMR minus surgery-related death risk) to efficiently allocate these cases into either of two groups, surgery-preferable or observation-preferable. RESULTS: In 485 patients (surgery in 322, observation in 163), 57 and 428 patients were classified into the surgery-preferable group and the observation-preferable group, respectively. The optimal cutoff value of the risk difference (LNMR minus surgery-related death risk) to allocate the cases to the two preferable groups was 7.85 with the highest area under the curve (0.689). When cases with >7.85 LNMR over the surgery-related death risk were allocated into the surgery-preferable group and vice versa, the discriminability was 73.2%, which was sufficiently higher than that in the clinical decision (44.5%). CONCLUSION: Personalized comparison of LNMR and surgery-related death risk is helpful to provide a favorable treatment option for each patient with EGCs after noncurative ESD.