Nationwide comparison of the medical complexity of patients by surgical specialty.

OBJECTIVE: Intuitively, the chronic disease burden of surgical patients varies considerably by surgical specialty, although sparse evidence in the literature supports this notion. We sought to characterize the medical complexity of surgical patients by surgical specialty and to quantify the association between medical complexity and outcomes. METHODS: The National Inpatient Sample, an all-payer inpatient database representative of 97% of all U.S. hospitalizations, was used to identify adults undergoing surgery between 2005 and 2014. The most commonly performed operations that constituted 80% of each surgical specialty's practice were abstracted. The previously validated Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) was calculated per year by surgical specialty as a measure of medical complexity. Outcomes and resource utilization were assessed by comparing mortality rate, length of stay, and cost. RESULTS: An estimated 53,232,144 patients underwent operations in one of nine surgical specialty categories. Surgical specialties were ranked by ECI, with cardiac surgery (3.56), vascular surgery (3.49), and thoracic surgery (2.86) having the highest mean ECI (all P values <.0001 compared with vascular surgery). Whereas the high ECI scores in cardiac surgery were driven by arrhythmias and hypertension, vascular patients had a more uniform distribution of comorbidities. The average ECI for all surgical patients increased during the study period from 2.03 in 2005 to 2.65 in 2014 (P < .001), with a similar trend for all specialties considered. Unlike the two specialties with the lowest burden of comorbidities (orthopedic surgery and endocrine surgery), cardiac surgery and vascular surgery exhibited significantly higher inpatient mortality, LOS, and costs. CONCLUSIONS: Although all surgical patients have exhibited an increase in comorbidities during the past decade, candidates for cardiac and vascular operations appear to carry the largest burden of chronic conditions. Despite caring for patients with the highest burden of comorbidities for emergent operations, vascular surgery did not have the highest mortality, inpatient costs, or length of stay compared with some of the other specialties. The intensity of care and assumed risk in treating medically complex vascular patients should be taken into consideration in deciding health policy, reimbursement, and hospital resource allocation.

A novel technique for transaxillary resection of fully formed cervical ribs with long-term clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Although the supraclavicular approach has been widely adopted for cervical rib resection, a transaxillary approach has been favored by many. We have reviewed more than two decades of experience with decompression of the thoracic outlet to treat thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) in patients with complete cervical ribs using a novel transaxillary approach. METHODS: A prospectively maintained database of patients undergoing surgery for TOS was searched for patients with complete (class 3 and 4) cervical ribs from 1997 to 2019. All these patients had undergone transaxillary resection using a technique in which the cervical and first ribs were separated and then individually resected. The data abstracted included patient demographics, symptoms, surgical details, and complications. The outcomes were contemporaneously assessed clinically and using standardized functional tools: somatic pain scale (SPS) and Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Hand, and Shoulder questionnaire (QuickDASH). The cervical rib data were organized and reported in accordance with the Society for Vascular Surgery reporting standards. RESULTS: During the study period, 1506 patients had undergone surgery for TOS at our institution. Of these 1506 patients, 38 had undergone complete transaxillary resection of 40 fully formed cervical ribs (10 class 3 and 30 class 4). Of these 38 patients, 74% were women. The presentations had been neurogenic (65%), arterial (31%), and venous (5%). The average initial SPS and QuickDASH score was 6.4 and 50, respectively. The duration of surgery averaged 141 minutes, blood loss was 65 mL, and length of stay was 2.1 days. None of the patients had experienced brachial plexus, phrenic, or long thoracic nerve injury. The average follow-up period was 65 months. The final mean postoperative SPS and QuickDASH scores were lower than the scores at presentation (SPS score, 6.4 vs 1.2; P < .001; QuickDASH score, 50 vs 17; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the largest reported experience of resection of fully formed cervical ribs using a transaxillary approach that allowed for individual dissection and removal of cervical and first rib segments. This technique has proved to be successful, with low morbidity and reliable improvement in patient symptom and disability scores. Based on these reported outcomes, this novel approach to transaxillary resection of fully formed cervical ribs should be considered a safe and effective operation.

New predictors of complications in carotid body tumor resection.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between two new variables, tumor distance to base of skull (DTBOS) and tumor volume, with complications of carotid body tumor (CBT) resection, including bleeding and cranial nerve injury. METHODS: Patients who underwent CBT resection between 2004 and 2014 were studied using a standardized, multi-institutional database. Demographic, perioperative, and outcomes data were collected. CBT measurements were determined from computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound examination. RESULTS: There were 356 CBTs resected in 332 patients (mean age, 51 years; 72% female); 32% were classified as Shamblin I, 43% as Shamblin II, and 23% as Shamblin III. The mean DTBOS was 3.3 cm (standard deviation [SD], 2.1; range, 0-10), and the mean tumor volume was 209.7 cm3 (SD, 266.7; range, 1.1-1642.0 cm3). The mean estimated blood loss (EBL) was 257 mL (SD, 426; range, 0-3500 mL). Twenty-four percent of patients had cranial nerve injuries. The most common cranial nerves injured were the hypoglossal (10%), vagus (11%), and superior laryngeal (5%) nerves. Both Shamblin grade and DTBOS were statistically significantly correlated with EBL of surgery and cranial nerve injuries, whereas tumor volume was statistically significantly correlated with EBL. The logistic model for predicting blood loss and cranial nerve injury with all three variables-Shamblin, DTBOS, and volume (R2 = 0.171, 0.221, respectively)-was superior to a model with Shamblin alone (R2 = 0.043, 0.091, respectively). After adjusting for Shamblin grade and volume, every 1-cm decrease in DTBOS was associated with 1.8 times increase in risk of >250 mL of blood loss (95% confidence interval, 1.25-2.55) and 1.5 times increased risk of cranial nerve injury (95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.92). CONCLUSIONS: This large study of CBTs demonstrates the value of preoperatively determining tumor dimensions and how far the tumor is located from the base of the skull. DTBOS and tumor volume, when used in combination with the Shamblin grade, better predict bleeding and cranial nerve injury risk. Furthermore, surgical resection before expansion toward the base of the skull reduces complications as every 1-cm decrease in the distance to the skull base results in 1.8 times increase in >250 mL of blood loss and 1.5 times increased risk of cranial nerve injury.