Predictors of Clavien 4 Complications and Mortality After Necrosectomy: Analysis of the NSQIP Database.

BACKGROUND: Acute severe pancreatitis is one of the most common gastrointestinal reasons for admission to hospitals in the USA. Up to 20 % of these patients will progress to necrotizing pancreatitis requiring intervention. The aim of this study is to identify specific preoperative factors for the development of Clavien 4 complications and mortality in patients undergoing pancreatic necrosectomy. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) participant use files were reviewed from 2007 to 2012 to identify patients who underwent a pancreatic necrosectomy. Postoperative complications were stratified into Clavien 4 (ICU level complications) and Clavien 5 (mortality). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 1156 patients underwent a pancreatic necrosectomy from 2007 to 2012. Overall, 42 % of patients experienced a Clavien 4 complication. Mortality rate was 9.5 %. Nonindependent functional status and ASA class were highly significant (p < 0.001) in univariate analysis. Frailty and emergency surgery status (p < 0.001), as well as increased blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and alkaline phosphatase and decreased albumin (p < 0.05) demonstrated independent significance of Clavien 4 complications and mortality in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: This study identified specific preoperative variables that place patients at increased risk of Clavien 4 complications and mortality after necrosectomy. Identification of high-risk patients can aid in selection of appropriate treatment strategies and allow for informed preoperative discussion regarding surgical risk.

Model Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum in an Intensive Care Unit Fellowship Program and Its Impact on Patient Management.

Objectives. This study was designed to assess the clinical applicability of a Point-of-Care (POC) ultrasound curriculum into an intensive care unit (ICU) fellowship program and its impact on patient care. Methods. A POC ultrasound curriculum for the surgical ICU (SICU) fellowship was designed and implemented in an urban, academic tertiary care center. It included 30 hours of didactics and hands-on training on models. Minimum requirement for each ICU fellow was to perform 25-50 exams on respective systems or organs for a total not less than 125 studies on ICU. The ICU fellows implemented the POC ultrasound curriculum into their daily practice in managing ICU patients, under supervision from ICU staff physicians, who were instructors in POC ultrasound. Impact on patient care including finding a new diagnosis or change in patient management was reviewed over a period of one academic year. Results. 873 POC ultrasound studies in 203 patients admitted to the surgical ICU were reviewed for analysis. All studies included were done through the POC ultrasound curriculum training. The most common exams performed were 379 lung/pleural exams, 239 focused echocardiography and hemodynamic exams, and 237 abdominal exams. New diagnosis was found in 65.52% of cases (95% CI 0.590, 0.720). Changes in patient management were found in 36.95% of cases (95% CI 0.303, 0.435). Conclusions. Implementation of POC ultrasound in the ICU with a structured fellowship curriculum was associated with an increase in new diagnosis in about 2/3 and change in management in over 1/3 of ICU patients studied.

Exploring National Surgical Quality Improvement Program respiratory comorbidities: developing a predictive understanding of postoperative respiratory occurrences, Clavien 4 complications, and death.

BACKGROUND: For preoperative risk stratification, little is known about the implications of respiratory comorbidities in relation to postoperative complications in the diverse population of surgical patients. We hypothesized that patients with preoperative respiratory comorbidities would be at increased risk of postoperative respiratory occurrences and death. METHODS: Under the data use agreement and with the approval of the Henry Ford Health System Institutional Review Board (IRB #6830), we reviewed 5 y (2005-2009) of National Surgical Quality Improvement Program participant use files. Respiratory comorbidities were defined as current smoker, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dyspnea, and current pneumonia. Respiratory outcomes tracked in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program included reintubation, postoperative pneumonia, and prolonged ventilation. We defined Clavien 4 and 5 outcomes to include postoperative septic shock, postoperative dialysis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, prolonged ventilatory requirements, need for reintubation, and death. RESULTS: Of 971,455 patients identified, 361,412 had respiratory comorbidities. As the number of respiratory comorbidities increased, we found a statistically significant increase in the occurrence of postoperative respiratory adverse events, including Clavien 4 and 5 complications. Multivariate regression analysis showed that respiratory comorbidities and age were independent predictors of mortality. All data reported here were significant at P < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a significant association between respiratory comorbidities and postoperative adverse events, including Clavien 4 complications and death. Further prospective studies are required to explore this association.

Effect of the new standards for case logging on resident operative volume: doing better cases or better numbers?

OBJECTIVES: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) modified the designation of major (index) operative cases to include those previously considered "minor." This study assessed the potential effect of these changes on resident operative experience. METHODS: With Institutional Review Board approval, we analyzed National Surgical Quality Improvement Program participant use files for 2005-2008 for general and vascular surgery cases. Primary CPT case coding was mapped to the ACGME major case category using both the old and new classification schemes. The variables were analyzed using χ(2) analysis in SPSS IBM 19 (IBM, Armonk, New York). RESULTS: A total of 576,019 cases were reviewed. Major cases as defined by the new classification represented an increasing proportion of the cases each year, rising from 88.3% in 2005 to 95% by 2008 (p < 0.001). Major cases as defined by the old scheme decreased from 71% in 2005 to 62% by 2008 (p < 0.001). The cases covered by a resident dropped from 82% in 2005 to 61% in 2008 (p < 0.001). When comparing the new to the old scheme, 364,366 (63.3%) cases were considered major and 30,587 (5.3%) were minor by both standards; 7089 (1.2%) cases previously classified as major were changed to minor, whereas 173,977 (30.2%) (p < 0.001) previously classified as minor were now major. This latter group showed top procedures to include excision of breast lesion (22,175 [12.7%]), laparoscopic gastric bypass (18,825 [10.8%]), ventral hernia repair (14,732 [8.5%]), and appendectomy (10,190 [5.9%]). Of these newly designated major cases, the proportion not covered by residents increased from 22% in 2005 to 44% in 2007 and 2008 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although some operative cases newly classified as major are technically advanced procedures (eg, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass), other cases are not (eg, breast lesion excision), which raises the issue as to whether the major case category has been diluted by less demanding case types. The implications of these findings may suggest preservation of case volumes at the expense of case quality.

E-portfolio competency metadata: pilot study for a call to action.

The six competency domains required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) have led to a proliferation of measurement tools, assessment methods, and all forms of data from paper to electronic. The need exists to develop a standardized electronic (e)-portfolio to provide the aggregate data to improve education and patient care. This process requires a sound methodology using XML metadata to allow portability of e-portfolio data. We surveyed publicly available metadata and developed an e-portfolio system for the Henry Ford Hospital General Surgery Residency Program. Based on our implementation of e-portfolios for 70 physicians, we call upon the ACGME, the Residency Review Committees, and the American Board of Medical Specialties to establish a method to formalize and develop a standard for residency competency metadata. Using an approach similar to that of our study can streamline data and lead to improved medical education and ultimately better patient care.

Adverse effects of preoperative steroid use on surgical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative steroid use has been associated with increased postoperative complications. We sought to establish these risks using data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP). METHODS: NSQIP public use files from 2005 to 2008 were analyzed for preoperative steroid use and postoperative adverse events. RESULTS: Of 635,265 patients identified, 20,434 (3.2%) used steroids preoperatively. Superficial surgical site infections (SSI) increased from 2.9% to 5% using steroids (odds ratio, 1.724). Deep SSIs increased from .8% to 1.8% (odds ratio, 2.353). Organ/space SSIs and dehiscence increased 2 to 3-fold with steroid use (odds ratios, 2.469 and 3.338, respectively). Mortality increased almost 4-fold (1.6% to 6.0%; odds ratio, 3.920). All results were significant (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Previous concerns related to surgical risks in patients on chronic steroid regimens appear valid. These results may assist in counselling patients regarding the increased risk of surgery. They may also help the surgeon plan and modify the procedure if possible.

What ring tone should be used for patient safety? Early results with a Blackberry-based telementoring safety solution.

OBJECTIVE: Technology currently exists for the application of remote guidance in the laparoscopic operating suite. However, these solutions are costly and require extensive preparation and reconfiguration of current hardware. We propose a solution from existing technology, to send video of laparoscopic cholecystectomy to the Blackberry Pearl device (RIM Waterloo, ON, Canada) for remote guidance purposes. This technology is time- and cost-efficient, as well as reliable. METHODS: After identification of the critical maneuver during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy as the division of the cystic duct, we captured a segment of video before it's transection. Video was captured using the laparoscopic camera input sent via DVI2USB Solo Frame Grabber (Epiphan Ottawa, Canada) to a video recording application on a laptop. Seven- to 40-second video clips were recorded. The video clip was then converted to an .mp4 file and was uploaded to our server and a link was then sent to the consultant via e-mail. The consultant accessed the file via Blackberry for viewing. After reviewing the video, the consultant was able to confidently comment on the operation. RESULTS: Approximately 7 to 40 seconds of 10 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were recorded and transferred to the consultant using our method. All 10 video clips were reviewed and deemed adequate for decision making. CONCLUSION: Remote guidance for laparoscopic cholecystectomy with existing technology can be accomplished with relatively low cost and minimal setup. Additional evaluation of our methods will aim to identify reliability, validity, and accuracy. Using our method, other forms of remote guidance may be feasible, such as other laparoscopic procedures, diagnostic ultrasonography, and remote intensive care unit monitoring. In addition, this method of remote guidance may be extended to centers with smaller budgets, allowing ubiquitous use of neighboring consultants and improved safety for our patients.