Clostridioides difficile infection after appendectomy: An analysis of short-term outcomes from the NSQIP database.

BACKGROUND: Clostridioides difficile infection can be a significant complication in surgical patients. The purpose of this study was to describe the incidence and impact on outcomes of Clostridioides difficile infection in adult patients after appendectomy. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data set was used to identify all patients with the primary procedure code of appendectomy between 2016 and 2018. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics were extracted from the database, and descriptive statistics were performed. A multivariate logistic regression was created to identify predictors of Clostridioides difficile infection following appendectomy. RESULTS: A total of 135,272 patients who underwent appendectomy were identified, and of those, 469(0.35%) developed Clostridioides difficile infection. Patients with Clostridioides difficile infection were more likely to be older (51.23 vs 40.47 years; P < .0001), female (P = .004), American Society of Anesthesiology score >2 (P < .0001), present with septic shock (P < .0001), or lack functional independence (P < .0001). Patients with Clostridioides difficile infection were more likely to have increased operative time (62.9 vs 50.4 minutes; P < .0001), have perforated appendicitis (48.9% vs 23.5%; P < .0001), and underwent open surgery (7.0% vs 4.0%; P = .0006). Postoperatively, patients with Clostridioides difficile infection required a longer length of stay (4.8 vs 1.8 days; P < .0001), had increased mortality (2.1% vs 0.1%; P < .0001), higher incidences of postoperative abscess (14.9% vs 2.9%; P < .0001), postoperative sepsis (15.1% vs 4.0%; P < .0001), and readmission (30.7% vs 3.4%; all P < .0001). On multivariate analysis, older age (P < .0001), female sex (P = .0043), septic shock (P = .0002), open surgery (P = .037), and dirty wound class (P = .0147) were all independently predictive factors of Clostridioides difficile infection after appendectomy. CONCLUSION: Clostridioides difficile infection is an uncommon postoperative complication of appendectomy and is associated with worse outcomes and higher mortality. Older patients, female sex, those with sepsis, and those undergoing open surgery are at higher risk for developing Clostridioides difficile infection.

Treatment and Outcomes for Cutaneous Periauricular Basal Cell Carcinoma: A 16-Year Institutional Experience.

OBJECTIVE: To report a single institutional experience with the surgical management of cutaneous periauricular basal cell carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Tertiary academic center. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of 71 patients diagnosed with periauricular basal cell carcinoma managed surgically from 2000 to 2016. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 73.0 years (interquartile range, 13.0). Of all lesions, 2.8% (n = 2) were preauricular, 80.3% (n = 57) auricular, and 16.9% (n=12) postauricular. Auricular subsites included conchal bowl (36.6%, n = 26), helix (21.1%, n = 15), antihelix (1.4%, n = 1), peritragus (5.6%, n = 4), triangular fossa (1.4%, n = 1), external auditory canal (2.8%, n = 2), and lobule skin (1.4%, n = 1). Surgical approach included wide local excision (80.3%, n = 57), partial auriculectomy (8.5%, n = 6), and total auriculectomy or other combinations of surgical methods (11.3%, n = 8). Due to aggressive pathology, 3 cases required concurrent parotidectomy, neck dissection, ear canal sleeve resection, or mastoidectomy. In sum, 52.1% (n = 37) of cases had clear margins on first pass in the operating room; 25.4% (n = 18) required further resection; and 12.7% (n = 9) demonstrated final positive/overturned margins read as negative from the frozen sections. Reconstruction included full-thickness (25.4%, n = 18) or superficial-thickness (29.6%, n = 21) skin grafts and local flap reconstruction (25.4%, n = 18), while 5.6% (n = 4) required combinations of free flap and/or other reconstruction techniques; 14.1% (n = 10) did not undergo formal reconstruction. CONCLUSION: Periauricular basal cell carcinoma occurs in anatomically diverse locations in and around the ear, and multiple surgical methods are required for successful treatment.