Timing of Palliative Care in Colorectal Cancer Patients: Does It Matter?

BACKGROUND: Palliative care can improve end-of-life care and reduce health care expenditures, but the optimal timing for initiation remains unclear. We sought to characterize the association between timing of palliative care, in-hospital deaths, and health care costs. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study including all patients who were diagnosed and died of colorectal cancer between 2004 and 2012 in Manitoba, Canada. The primary exposure was timing of palliative care, defined as no involvement, late involvement (less than 14 d before death), early involvement (14 to 60 d before death), and very early involvement (>60 d before death). The primary outcome was in-hospital deaths and end-of-life health care costs. RESULTS: A total of 1607 patients were included; 315 (20%) received palliative care and 162 (10%) died in hospital. Compared to those who did not receive palliative care, patients with early and very early involvement experienced significantly decreased odds of dying in hospital (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.06-0.69 P = 0.01 and OR 0.11 95% CI 0.01-0.78 P = 0.03, respectively) and significantly lower health care costs. There were no significant differences in in-hospital deaths and health care costs between patients without palliative care and those who received late palliative care. CONCLUSIONS: Early palliative care involvement is associated with decreased odds of dying in hospital and lower health care utilization and costs in patients with colorectal cancer. These findings provide real-world evidence supporting early integration of palliative care, although the optimal timing (early versus very early) remains a matter of debate.

Hospital readmission after pancreaticoduodenectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate postoperative readmission rates and modifiable risk factors for readmission have yet to be defined for many operations. This systematic review and meta-analysis attempt to define these parameters for pancreaticoduodenectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The main outcomes were readmission rate, risk factors, and reasons for readmission. Meta-analyses were performed when data was homogeneous, otherwise, a qualitative review was performed. RESULTS: The 30-day, 90-day, and overall readmission rates were 17.63%, 26.14%, and 27.18%, respectively. In the meta-analysis, chronic pancreatitis (OR, 1.44, p = 0.04), operative length (MD, 26.1; p < 0.01), wound infection (OR, 1.9, p < 0.01), intra-abdominal abscess (OR, 3.79, p < 0.01), VTE (OR, 2.27, p = 0.01), and LOS (MD, 1.66, p < 0.01) where associated with readmission. CONCLUSION: Hospital readmission will continue to be a quality metric and will influence reimbursement models. Thirty and 60-day readmission data underestimate the true readmission rate. Chronic pancreatitis, operative length, and several post-operative complications were associated with greater readmission. More uniform reporting is necessary to identify modifiable risk factors associated with readmission.