Follow-up trends after emergency department discharge for acutely symptomatic hernias: A southwestern surgical congress multi-center trial.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this multi-center study was to examine the follow-up trends after emergency department (ED) discharge in a large and socioeconomically diverse patient population. METHODS: We performed a 3-year retrospective analysis of adult patients with acutely symptomatic hernias who were discharged from the EDs of five geographically diverse hospitals. RESULTS: Of 674 patients, 288 (43%) were evaluated in the clinic after discharge from the ED and 253 (37%) underwent repair. Follow-up was highest among those with insurance. A total of 119 patients (18%) returned to the ED for hernia-related complaints, of which 25 (21%) underwent urgent intervention. CONCLUSION: The plan of care for patients with acutely symptomatic hernias discharged from the ED depends on outpatient follow-up, but more than 50% of patients are lost to follow-up, and nearly 1 in 5 return to the ED. The uninsured are at particularly high risk.

Can acute care surgeons perform while fatigued? An EAST multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Fatigued surgeon performance has only been assessed in simulated sessions or retrospectively after a night on call. We hypothesized that objectively assessed fatigue of acute care surgeons affects patient outcome. METHODS: Five acute care surgery services prospectively identified emergency cases over 27 months. Emergency cases were defined by the surgeon identifying the patient as requiring immediate operation upon consultation or admission. Within 48 hours, surgeons reported sleep time accumulated before operation, if nonclinical delays to operation occurred, and patient volume during the shift. To maximize differences, fatigued surgeons were defined as performing a case after midnight without having slept in the prior 18 hours. Rested surgeons performed cases at or before 8 PM or after at least 3 hours of sleep before operation. A four-level ordinal scale was used to assign case complexity. Hierarchical logistic regression models were constructed to assess the impact of fatigue on mortality and major morbidity while controlling for center and patient level factors. RESULTS: Of 882 cases collected, 611 met criteria for fatigue or rested. Of these cases, 370 were performed at night and 182 by a fatigued surgeon. Rested surgeons were more likely to be operating on an older or female patient; other characteristics were similar. Mortality and major morbidity were similar between fatigued and rested surgeons (12.1% vs 12.1% and 46.9% vs 48.9%), respectively. After controlling for center and patient factors, surgeon fatigue did not affect mortality or major morbidity. Mortality variance was 6.30% and morbidity variance was 7.02% among centers. CONCLUSION: Acute care surgeons have similar outcomes in a fatigued or rested state. Work schedules for acute care surgeons should not be adjusted to shifts less than 24 hours for the sole purpose of improving patient outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, level IV.

Concurrent Biliary Disease Increases the Risk for Conversion and Bile Duct Injury in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Retrospective Analysis at a County Teaching Hospital.

Biliary tract disease remains a common indication for operative intervention. The incidence of concurrent biliary tract disease (>2 biliary tract disease processes) is unknown and the impact of more than one biliary tract diagnosis on outcomes remains to be defined. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of concurrent biliary tract disease on conversion rate and outcomes after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A 5-year retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed comparing those with a single biliary diagnosis to patients with concurrent biliary tract disease. Variables analyzed were conversion to open cholecystectomy, incidence of bile duct injury, use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and/or intraoperative cholangiogram, length of surgery, and duration of hospitalization. The incidence of concurrent biliary tract disease was 9 per cent and a conversion to open cholecystectomy was performed in 16 per cent of patients. After adjusting for confounding factors, concurrent biliary tract disease was predictive of conversion (odds ratio 1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.3, P = 0.03) and bile duct injury (odds ratio 2.5, 95% confidence interval 0.8-5, P = 0.01). Concurrent biliary tract disease patients were more likely to undergo intraoperative cholangiogram or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, as well as longer operation and length of stay.

Mandatory Operative Re-Exploration after Initial Debridement of Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections: Is it Mandatory?

Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) are aggressive infections requiring prompt diagnosis and extensive surgical debridement. Traditionally, patients undergo mandatory re-exploration to ensure adequacy of source control. The purpose of this study is to determine if re-exploration in the operating room is mandatory for all patients with NSTIs. An eight-year retrospective analysis of adult patients with NSTIs was performed comparing two groups: mandatory operative re-exploration versus operative re-exploration based on clinical examination findings. Outcomes measured included mortality, number of debridements, and length of stay (LOS). Twenty-two per cent of patients underwent a mandatory re-exploration. These patients were older, had a higher incidence of diabetes, and a longer duration of symptoms. There were no significant differences between groups with regard to the physical examination, severity of sepsis, time to repeat debridements, or in-hospital mortality, whereas LOS and the total number of debridements were increased in mandatory re-exploration. Bacteremia and septic shock were predictive of the need for further debridement in patients in the operative re-exploration based on clinical examination findings group. Mandatory re-exploration after initial debridement may not be necessary in all patients with NSTIs. Instead, bedside wound checks may be a safe strategy to determine the need for further operative debridement.