Methylprednisolone, dexamethasone or hydrocortisone for acute severe pediatric asthma: does it matter?

OBJECTIVE: Various intravenous (IV) corticosteroids are available for acute severe asthma (ASA) treatment. The choice of IV corticosteroids varies broadly and depends on institution, country, or physician preferences. In this study, we compared the efficacy of IV methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone and dexamethasone in ASA treatment during pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. METHODS: The study was a prospective randomized clinical trial. We enrolled patients of 1-21 years after they were admitted to the PICU requiring continuous beta-2 agonist treatment. Patients were randomized into three groups: Group A: IV Methylprednisolone, Group B: IV Hydrocortisone and Group C: IV Dexamethasone. The primary outcomes measured were durations of beta-2 agonist continuous nebulization treatment. Secondary outcomes, included PICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), pediatric asthma severity score (PASS), need for mechanical ventilation and maximum dose of beta-2 agonist treatment. RESULTS: 61 patients were included in the analysis. 22 patients recruited in Group A, 20 in group B and 19 group C. Median durations of beta-2-agonist treatment were 23 h (QR 16-38) for methylprednisolone, 27 h (QR 16-40) for hydrocortisone, and 32 h (QR 16-48) for dexamethasone (p = 0.90). There was no difference in PICU LOS, hospital LOS, PASS score, B2 agonist maximum dose, or need for ventilation support. CONCLUSIONS: The use of IV methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone, and dexamethasone have equivalent efficacy when used at the appropriate doses. Studies with larger cohorts are needed to compare the effectiveness of IV corticosteroids in the management of ASA in the PICU setting.

Repurposing a PICU for Adult Care in a State Mandated COVID-19 Only Hospital: Outcome Comparison to the MICU Cohort to Determine Safety and Effectiveness.

Objective: The ongoing coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is disproportionally impacting the adult population. This study describes the experiences after repurposing a PICU and its staff for adult critical care within a state mandated COVID-19 hospital and compares the outcomes to adult patients admitted to the institution's MICU during the same period. Design: A retrospective chart review was performed to analyze outcomes for the adults admitted to the PICU and MICU during the 27-day period the PICU was incorporated into the institution's adult critical care surge plan. Setting: Tertiary care state University hospital. Patients: Critically ill adult patients with proven or suspected COVID-19. Interventions: To select the most ideal adult patients for PICU admission a tiered approach that incorporated older patients with more comorbidities at each stage was implemented. Measurements and Main Results: There were 140 patients admitted to the MICU and 9 patients admitted to the PICU during this period. The mean age of the adult patients admitted to the PICU was lower (49.1 vs. 63.2 p = 0.017). There was no statistically significant difference in the number of comorbidities, intubation rates, days of ventilation, dialysis or LOS. Patients selected for PICU care did not have coronary artery disease, CHF, cerebrovascular disease or COPD. Mean admission Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was lower in patients admitted to the PICU (4 vs. 6.4, p = 0.017) with similar rates of survival to discharge (66.7 vs. 44.4%, p = 0.64). Conclusion: Outcomes for the adult patients who received care in the PICU did not appear to be worse than those who were admitted to the MICU during this time. While limited by a small sample size, this single center cohort study revealed that careful assessment of critical illness considering age and type of co-morbidities may be a safe and effective approach in determining which critically ill adult patients with known or suspected COVID-19 are the most appropriate for PICU admission in general hospitals with primary management by its physicians and nurses.

Accuracy of American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Universal Surgical Risk Calculator in Predicting Complications Following Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy at a National Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Introduction: There is paucity of literature about the validation of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) surgical risk calculator for prediction of outcomes after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC). We sought to evaluate the accuracy of the ACS NSQIP surgical risk calculator in the patients who underwent RARC at our institute. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our prospectively maintained database for patients who underwent RARC between 2005 and 2017. Accuracy of the ACS NSQIP surgical risk calculator was assessed, by comparing the rate of actual complication events after surgery with the receiver operating characteristics curve analysis by calculating the fractional area under the curve (AUC) and the Brier score (BS). We utilized the code number 51595 and 51596 in the ACS NSQIP calculator for the patients undergoing radical cystectomy and reconstructed with the ileal conduit and neobladder, respectively. Results: A total of 462 patients were included in this study: 99 (22%) had diabetes, 302 (66%) had hypertension requiring medication, and 241 (52%) were classified as high American Society of Anesthesiologists (≥3) class. The actual observed rates of any complication and serious complications were 48% and 11%, vs 29% and 25% predicted by the ACS NSQIP, respectively. The actual mean length of hospital stay (10.6 ± 7.8 days) was longer compared with the predicted length (8.5 ± 1.6 days). AUC values were low and the BSs were high for any complication (AUC: 0.50 and BS: 0.29), serious complication (AUC: 0.53 and BS: 0.12), urinary tract infection (AUC: 0.61 and BS: 0.14), renal insufficiency (AUC: 0.64 and BS: 0.08), return to operation room (AUC: 0.58 and BS: 0.07), and early readmission (AUC: 0.55 and BS: 0.11, respectively). Conclusions: The ACS NSQIP calculator demonstrated low accuracy in predicting postoperative outcomes after RARC. These findings highlight the need for development of procedure- and technique-specific RARC calculators.

Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy in Men: Technique of Spaces.

The past decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in utilization of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC). RARC has been shown to offer some perioperative benefits in terms of blood loss, transfusion rates, hospital stay, and recovery when compared with its open counterpart without jeopardizing oncologic outcomes. In this article, we review the indications, perioperative care, and describe the "Technique of Spaces" of RARC employed at our institution, and highlight the key steps for male RARC.

Gynecological organ involvement at robot-assisted radical cystectomy in females: Is anterior exenteration necessary?

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to investigate patient and disease variables associated with gynecological organ invasion in females with bladder cancer at the time of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of female patients who underwent robot-assisted anterior pelvic exenteration (RAAE) between 2005 and 2016. Patients were divided into two groups: those with gynecological organ involvement at RAAE and those without. Data were reviewed for perioperative and pathological outcomes. Kaplan-Meier method was used to depict survival outcomes. Multivariable stepwise regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of gynecological organ involvement. RESULTS: A total of 118 female patients were identified; 17 (14%) showed evidence of gynecological organ invasion at RAAE. Patients with gynecological organ invasion had more lymphovascular invasion at transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) (82% vs. 46%; p=0.006), trigonal tumours at TURBT (59% vs. 18%; p=0.001), multifocal disease (65% vs. 33%; p=0.01), pN+ (71% vs. 22%; p<0.001), positive surgical margins (24% vs. 4%; p=0.02), and they less commonly demonstrated pure urothelial carcinoma at TURBT (18% vs. 66%; p<0.001). On multivariate analysis, significant predictors of gynecological organ invasion were pN positive disease (odds ratio [OR] 6.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.64-25.51; p=0.008), trigonal tumour location (OR 5.72; 95% CI 1.39-23.61; p=0.02), and presence of variant histology (OR18.52; 95% CI 3.32-103.4; p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with trigonal tumours, variant histology, and nodal involvement are more likely to have gynecological organs invasion at RAAE. This information may help improve counselling of patients and better identify candidates for gynecological organ-sparing cystectomy.

Development of a Patient-Based Model for Estimating Operative Times for Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a methodology for predicting operative times for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) using preoperative patient, disease, procedural, and surgeon variables to facilitate operating room (OR) scheduling. METHODS: The model included preoperative metrics: body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists score, clinical stage, National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk, prostate weight, nerve-sparing status, extent and laterality of lymph node dissection, and operating surgeon (six surgeons were included in the study). A binary decision tree was fit using a conditional inference tree method to predict operative times. The variables most associated with operative time were determined using permutation tests. Data were split at the value of the variable that results in the largest difference in mean for surgical time across the split. This process was repeated recursively on the resultant data. RESULTS: A total of 1709 RARPs were included. The variable most strongly associated with operative time was the surgeon (surgeons 2 and 4-102 minutes shorter than surgeons 1, 3, 5, and 6, p < 0.001). Among surgeons 2 and 4, BMI had the strongest association with surgical time (p < 0.001). Among patients operated by surgeons 1, 3, 5, and 6, RARP time was again most strongly associated with the surgeon performing RARP. Surgeons 1, 3, and 6 were on average 76 minutes faster than surgeon 5 (p < 0.001). The regression tree output in the form of box plots showed operative time median and ranges according to patient, disease, procedural, and surgeon metrics. CONCLUSION: We developed a methodology that can predict operative times for RARP based on patient, disease and surgeon variables. This methodology can be utilized for quality control, facilitate OR scheduling, and maximize OR efficiency.

Variability and interpretation of communication taxonomy during robot-assisted surgery: do we all speak the same language?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and analyse the different ways surgeons communicate with bedside assistants during robot-assisted surgery (RAS). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed video and audio recordings of 26 RAS procedures (23 prostatectomies and three cystectomies). Three cameras and eight lapel microphones were used to record the operating theatre environment. We identified five common tasks and categorized them into 'specific', 'non-specific' and 'unclear' categories. We also determined the frequency, time to execute the task, inconveniences and acknowledgements associated with each category. The most efficient category was the one that took the shortest duration to accomplish and was associated with the fewest inconveniences. RESULTS: A total of 1 000 requests were made by three surgeons for six bedside assistants by three surgeons. The five identified tasks were: instrument change; clipping; suction; irrigation; and retraction. For instrument change, non-specific requests were the most frequent compared with the other categories (77% vs 18% vs 5%; P < 0.001). For suction, specific requests were the most frequently used of the three categories (73% vs 27% vs 0%; P < 0.001) and this task was associated with the fewest inconveniences (38% vs 62%; P = 0.01). For clipping, irrigation and retraction, both specific and non-specific requests were similar in terms of their frequency, action time and inconveniences. Comparing complete vs incomplete requests, incomplete requests had significantly shorter median action time (5 vs 8 s; P < 0.001) but did not significantly differ in terms of inconveniences and acknowledgement. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide a detailed analysis of communication during RAS. It lays a foundation for standardized taxonomy to improve communication, surgical efficiency and patient safety.

Natural History and Predictors of Parastomal Hernia after Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy and Ileal Conduit Urinary Diversion.

PURPOSE: We investigated the prevalence of and variables associated with parastomal hernia and its outcomes after robot-assisted radical cystectomy and ileal conduit creation for bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who underwent robot-assisted radical cystectomy at our institution. Parastomal hernia was defined as the protrusion of abdominal contents through the stomal defect in the abdominal wall on cross-sectional imaging. Parastomal hernia was further described in terms of patient and hernia characteristics, symptoms, management and outcomes. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine time to parastomal hernia and time to surgery. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression was done to evaluate variables associated with parastomal hernia. RESULTS: A total of 383 patients underwent robot-assisted radical cystectomy and ileal conduit creation. Of the patients 75 (20%) had parastomal hernia, which was symptomatic in 23 (31%), and 11 (15%) underwent treatment. Median time to parastomal hernia was 13 months (IQR 9-22). Parastomal hernia developed in 9%, 23% and 32% of cases at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively. Patients with parastomal hernia had a significantly higher body mass index (30 vs 28 kg/m2, p = 0.02), longer overall operative time (357 vs 340 minutes, p = 0.01) and greater blood loss (325 vs 250 ml, p = 0.04). On multivariate analysis operative time (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.21-3.90, p <0.001), a fascial defect 30 mm or greater (OR 5.23, 95% CI 2.32-11.8, p <0.001) and a lower postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.21-3.90, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with parastomal hernia. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms develop in approximately a third of patients with parastomal hernia and 15% will require surgery. The risk of parastomal hernia plateaued after postoperative year 3. Longer operative time, a larger fascial defect and lower postoperative kidney function were associated with parastomal hernia.

Outcomes of Intracorporeal Urinary Diversion after Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy: Results from the International Robotic Cystectomy Consortium.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to provide an update and compare perioperative outcomes and complications of intracorporeal and extracorporeal urinary diversion following robot-assisted radical cystectomy using data from the multi-institutional, prospectively maintained International Robotic Cystectomy Consortium database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 2,125 patients from a total of 26 institutions. Intracorporeal urinary diversion was compared with extracorporeal urinary diversion. Multivariate logistic regression models using stepwise variable selection were fit to evaluate preoperative, operative and postoperative predictors of intracorporeal urinary diversion, operative time, high grade complications and 90-day hospital readmissions after robot-assisted radical cystectomy. RESULTS: In our cohort 1,094 patients (51%) underwent intracorporeal urinary diversion. These patients demonstrated shorter operative time (357 vs 400 minutes), less blood loss (300 vs 350 ml) and fewer blood transfusions (4% vs 19%, all p <0.001). They experienced more high grade complications (13% vs 10%, p = 0.02). Intracorporeal urinary diversion use increased from 9% of all urinary diversions in 2005 to 97% in 2015. Complications after this procedure decreased significantly with time (p <0.001). On multivariable analysis higher annual cystectomy volume (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03, p <0.002), year of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (2013-2016 OR 68, 95% CI 44-105, p <0.001) and American Society of Anesthesiologists® score less than 3 (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.38-2.22, p <0.001) were associated with undergoing intracorporeal urinary diversion. The procedure was associated with a shorter operative time of 27 minutes (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of intracorporeal urinary diversion has increased in the last decade. A higher annual institutional volume of robot-assisted radical cystectomy was associated with intracorporeal urinary diversion as well as with shorter operative time. Although intracorporeal urinary diversion was associated with higher grade complications than extracorporeal urinary diversion, they decreased with time.

Development of a patient and institutional-based model for estimation of operative times for robot-assisted radical cystectomy: results from the International Robotic Cystectomy Consortium.

OBJECTIVES: To design a methodology to predict operative times for robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) based on variation in institutional, patient, and disease characteristics to help in operating room scheduling and quality control. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The model included preoperative variables and therefore can be used for prediction of surgical times: institutional volume, age, gender, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, history of prior surgery and radiation, clinical stage, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, type, technique of diversion, and the extent of lymph node dissection. A conditional inference tree method was used to fit a binary decision tree predicting operative time. Permutation tests were performed to determine the variables having the strongest association with surgical time. The data were split at the value of this variable resulting in the largest difference in means for the surgical time across the split. This process was repeated recursively on the resultant data sets until the permutation tests showed no significant association with operative time. RESULTS: In all, 2 134 procedures were included. The variable most strongly associated with surgical time was type of diversion, with ileal conduits being 70 min shorter (P < 0.001). Amongst patients who received neobladders, the type of lymph node dissection was also strongly associated with surgical time. Amongst ileal conduit patients, institutional surgeon volume (>66 RARCs) was important, with those with a higher volume being 55 min shorter (P < 0.001). The regression tree output was in the form of box plots that show the median and ranges of surgical times according to the patient, disease, and institutional characteristics. CONCLUSION: We developed a method to estimate operative times for RARC based on patient, disease, and institutional metrics that can help operating room scheduling for RARC.

Natural History, Predictors and Management of Ureteroenteric Strictures after Robot Assisted Radical Cystectomy.

PURPOSE: Ureteroenteric strictures represent the most common complication requiring reoperation after radical cystectomy. We investigated the prevalence, outcomes, predictors and management of ureteroenteric strictures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our quality assurance, robot assisted radical cystectomy database to identify patients in whom ureteroenteric strictures developed. Data were reviewed for demographics, perioperative outcomes and ureteroenteric stricture characteristics. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate time to ureteroenteric stricture and multivariable stepwise regression was done to evaluate predictors of ureteroenteric strictures. RESULTS: Ureteroenteric strictures developed in 12%, 16% and 19% of 51 patients (13%) at 1, 3 and 5 years after robot assisted radical cystectomy, respectively. All patients were initially treated endoscopically or percutaneously, including 57% treated only endoscopically or percutaneously and 43% who required surgery, which was open repair in 6 and robot assisted repair in 16. At a median followup of 23 months 33 patients (65%) were free of disease, including 13 after endoscopic or percutaneous treatment, 15 after robot assisted repair and 5 after open revision. Open and robot assisted revisions showed comparable perioperative outcomes. On multivariable analysis the predictors of ureteroenteric anastomotic strictures were body mass index (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.13, p = 0.02), intracorporeal urinary diversion (OR 3.28, 95% CI 1.41-7.61, p = 0.006), length of the right resected ureter (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.50-0.88, p = 0.004), estimated glomerular filtration rate 30 days after assisted radical cystectomy (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.74-0.98, p = 0.03), urinary tract infection (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.31-5.49, p = 0.007) and leakage (OR 3.85, 95% CI 1.05-14.1, p = 0.04). Male gender (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.04-0.96, p = 0.04) and higher body mass index (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.72-0.996, p = 0.05) were associated with lower odds of successful endoscopic management. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple modifiable factors were associated with ureteroenteric anastomotic strictures following robot assisted radical cystectomy. Surgical revision can provide a definitive management with comparable outcomes for open and robotic repairs.

Robot-assisted approach to 'W'-configuration urinary diversion: a step-by-step technique.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a detailed step-by-step approach of our technique for robot-assisted intracorporeal 'W'-configuration orthotopic ileal neobladder. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Five patients underwent robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC), extended pelvic lymph node dissection and intracorporeal neobladder (ICNB). ICNB was divided into six key steps to facilitate and enable a detailed analysis and auditing of the technique. No conversion to open surgery was required. Timing for each step was noted. All patients had at least 3 months of follow-up. RESULTS: The mean age was 57 years. The mean overall console and diversion times were 357 and 193 min, respectively. None of the patients had any evidence of residual disease after RARC. Four of the five patients had complications; three developed fevers due to urinary tract infections (one required readmission), and one developed myocardial infarction and required coronary angiography and stenting. Looking at the timing for the individual steps, bowel detubularisation and construction of the posterior plate were consistently the longest among the key steps (average 46 min, 13% of the overall operative time), followed by uretero-ileal anastomosis (37 min, 10%), neobladder-urethral anastomosis (23 min, 6%), and identification and fixation of the bowel (26 min, 7%). CONCLUSION: We described our step-by-step technique and initial perioperative outcomes of our first five ICNBs with 'W' configuration.