Opioid use and length of stay following minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair in 436 patients - Benefits of an enhanced recovery pathway.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine outcomes of an enhanced recovery pathway (ERP) for minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) at a high volume center, hypothesizing it is associated with decreased opioid requirement and shorter hospital stay. METHODS: Patients were categorized into pre-ERP (1998-2006), transition (2007-2011), and ERP (2012-2017) cohorts. Data were abstracted from medical records. Univariate and multivariable analyses compared opioid utilization, length of stay (LOS), and complications between cohorts. Opioids were converted to morphine daily dose per kilogram (MEDD/kg). RESULTS: Of 436 patients, 186 were ERP, 104 were transition, and 146 were pre-ERP. ERP was associated with decreased hospital opioid utilization (mean MEDD/kg 0.5 ±â€¯0.2 vs 0.7 ±â€¯0.4 vs 0.7 ±â€¯0.8 p < .001) and shorter median LOS (3 vs 4 vs 5 days, p < .001) despite equivalent pain scores at discharge (2.7 ±â€¯0.1 vs 2.8 ±â€¯0.2 vs 2.9 ±â€¯0.3, p = .73). Most ERP patients (76%) had LOS ≤3 days. Differences in LOS between ERP, transition, and pre-ERP persisted on multivariable analysis after adjusting for confounding factors. Post-operative complications were rare and not different between groups (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of our ERP was associated with decreased opioid requirement and shorter hospital stay. ERPs are a valuable tool in pediatric surgery given the current emphasis on optimizing opioid and resource utilization. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Level III (Retrospective comparative study).

Minimal cosmetic revision required after minimally invasive pectus repair.

BACKGROUND: Despite surgical correction procedures for pectus deformities, remaining cosmetic asymmetry may have significant psychological effects. We sought to evaluate factors associated with plastic surgery (PS) consultation and procedures for these deformities at an academic institution. METHODS: We reviewed patients aged 0-21 diagnosed with a pectus excavatum or carinatum deformity at our institution between January 2001 and October 2016. Pectus diagnoses were identified by ICD-9/ICD-10 codes and surgical repair by CPT codes; patients receiving PS consultation were identified by clinical note service codes. Student's t tests, Fisher's exact tests, and Chi-squared tests were utilized. RESULTS: 2158 patients were diagnosed with a pectus deformity; 442 (20.4%) underwent surgical correction. 19/442 (4.3%) sought PS consultation, either for pectus excavatum [14/19 (73.7%)], carinatum [4/19 (21.0%)], and both [1/19 (5.3%)], (p = 0.02). Patients seeking PS consultation were more likely to be female (p < 0.01), have scoliosis (p = 0.02), or undergo an open repair (p < 0.01). The need for PS consultation did not correlate with Haller index, p = 0.78. CONCLUSION: PS consultation associated with pectus deformity repair was rare, occurring in < 5% of patients undergoing repair. Patients who consulted PS more commonly included females, patients with scoliosis, and those undergoing open repair. These patients would likely benefit most from multidisciplinary pre-operative discussions regarding repair of the global deformity.

Quality of life after videoscopic left cardiac sympathetic denervation in patients with potentially life-threatening cardiac channelopathies/cardiomyopathies.

BACKGROUND: Left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) provides an additive or potentially alternative treatment option for patients with life-threatening cardiac channelopathies/cardiomyopathies. OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine the effects of LCSD on quality of life (QOL). METHODS: From November 2005 to May 2013, 109 patients who underwent LCSD were subsequently sent postoperative QOL surveys. RESULTS: Of 109 patients, 8 (7%) could not be contacted. Of the remaining 101 patients, 62 returned surveys (response rate 61%). There were an average of 4.1 ± 1.8 self-reported side effects immediately after LCSD. The most common anticipated side effects included unilateral hand dryness, color or temperature variance between sides of the face, and abnormal sweating. Although parent-reported pediatric physical QOL scores were lower than national norms, there were no differences in psychosocial QOL or disability scores (P = .09 and .33, respectively). QOL scores for adult patients were not significantly different from a US normative sample. Adult LCSD patients reported less disability than a US normative sample (P < .01). There was no correlation between QOL scores and the presence of anticipated side effects. However, among the subset of pediatric patients who continued to receive ventricular fibrillation-terminating implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shocks after LCSD, there was a correlation between their disability scores and the number of reported shocks (Spearman correlation = 0.56). The majority of patients/parents reported that they were very or somewhat satisfied with their surgery (or their child's surgery) and would definitely or probably recommend LCSD to another patient. CONCLUSION: Despite the anticipated side effects associated with LCSD, patients are satisfied with their surgery and indicate that they would recommend the surgery to another patient.