Predictors of planned home birth before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: To determine how demographic and clinical predictors of home birth have changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. METHODS: Using National Vital Statistics birth certificate data, a retrospective population-based cohort study was performed with planned home births and hospital births among women age ≥18 years during calendar years 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2021 (pandemic-era). Birth location (planned home birth vs. hospital birth) was analyzed using univariate and multivariable logistic regression, systematically examining the interaction of each demographic and clinical covariate with study year. RESULTS: After exclusions, a total of 6,087,768 birth records were retained for analysis, with the proportion of home births increasing from 0.82 % in 2019 to 1.24 % in 2021 (p<0.001). In the final multivariable logistic regression model of planned home birth, five demographic variables retained a statistically significant interaction with year: race and ethnicity, age, educational attainment, parity, and WIC participation. In each case, demographic differences between those having planned home births and hospital births became smaller (odds ratios closer to 1) in 2021 compared to 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Planned home births increased by more than 50 % during the pandemic, with greater socioeconomic diversity in the pandemic-era home birth cohort. The presence of clinical risk factors remained a strong predictor of hospital birth, with no evidence that pandemic-era home births had a higher clinical risk profile as compared to the pre-pandemic period.

Determinants of Surgical Approach for Benign Outpatient Hysterectomy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Identify determinants of the surgical approach to a benign, outpatient, minimally invasive hysterectomy. DESIGN: A cross-sectional sample of patients undergoing outpatient hysterectomy between the 4th quarter of 2015 and the 4th quarter of 2022, excluding those with a diagnosis of gynecologic malignancy, was obtained from the Vizient Clinical Data Base. The primary outcome was surgical approach to hysterectomy that was analyzed using mixed-effects regression, including a surgeon-level random effects to capture unobserved surgeon-level differences influencing variation in surgical approach. SETTING: The Vizient Clinical Data Base includes patient encounter data from >50 healthcare systems and >400 community hospitals and represents approximately 97% of academic medical centers in the United States. PATIENTS: Women >18 years undergoing an outpatient benign hysterectomy. INTERVENTION: Surgical approach to hysterectomy. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULT: The final sample included 411 208 cases performed by 6089 surgeons. Among observed variables, patient diagnosis, surgeon specialty, and insurance type were strongly associated with choice of approach. However, after controlling for patient, hospital, and observable surgeon characteristics, unobserved surgeon-level differences still accounted for 72% of the variance in the use of transvaginal hysterectomy (95% confidence interval, 71-73) and 85% of the variance in the use of robot-assisted total hysterectomy (95% confidence interval, 84-86). CONCLUSION: The strongest determinant of surgical approach to a benign outpatient hysterectomy in the United States was not patient- or hospital-level variability, but unexplained differences across individual surgeons. This has implications in how surgeons are trained and incentivized to deliver high-value surgical care.

Relevance of Uterine Weight for Predicting Surgical Complications in Minimally Invasive Benign Hysterectomy.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To describe the uterine weight threshold for increasing risk of complications after a laparoscopic hysterectomy using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis using the American College of Surgeons NSQIP database from 2016 to 2021. SETTING: American College of Surgeons NSQIP database. PATIENTS: Patients undergoing minimally invasive hysterectomy for benign indications (N = 64 289). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Uterine weight was entered in grams and 30-day complications were abstracted from patient charts. In the analytic sample, median uterine weight was 135 grams (interquartile range, 90-215) and 6% of patients (n = 4085) experienced complications. Uterine weight performed very poorly in predicting complications on bivariate analysis (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.54). On multivariable analysis, a uterine weight cutoff of 163 grams was associated with higher odds of complications (odds ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.19; p = .003), but this threshold achieved only a 43% sensitivity and 62% specificity for predicting complications. CONCLUSIONS: Uterine weight alone possessed negligible utility for predicting the risk of perioperative complications in minimally invasive hysterectomy.

Determinants of Cost for Outpatient Hysterectomy for Benign Indications in a Nationwide Sample.

OBJECTIVE: To identify surgeon-level variation in cost to produce an outpatient hysterectomy for benign indications in the United States. METHODS: A sample of patients undergoing outpatient hysterectomy in October 2015 to December 2021, excluding those with a diagnosis of gynecologic malignancy, was obtained from the Vizient Clinical Database. The primary outcome was total direct hysterectomy cost, which is a modeled cost to produce care. Patient, hospital, and surgeon covariates were analyzed with mixed-effects regression, which included surgeon-level random effects to capture unobserved differences influencing cost variation. RESULTS: The final sample included 264,717 cases performed by 5,153 surgeons. The median total direct cost of hysterectomy was $4,705 (interquartile range $3,522-6,234). Cost was highest for robotic hysterectomy ($5,412) and lowest for vaginal hysterectomy ($4,147). After all variables were included in the regression model, approach was the strongest of the observed predictors, but 60.5% of the variance in costs was attributable to unexplained surgeon-level differences, implying a difference in costs between the 10th and 90th percentiles of surgeons of $4,063. CONCLUSION: The largest observed determinant of cost to produce an outpatient hysterectomy for benign indications in the United States is approach, but differences in cost are attributable primarily to unexplained differences among surgeons. Standardization of surgical approach and technique and surgeon awareness of surgical supply costs could address these unexplained cost variations.

Physician and Hospital-level Variation in Hemostatic Agent Use in Benign Gynecologic Procedures.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To identify recent nationwide trends in hemostatic agent (HA) use and to explore factors associated with HA use in 3 benign gynecologic surgery contexts: isolated hysterectomy, pelvic organ prolapse repair, and anti-incontinence surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Vizient Clinical Database. PATIENTS: Three cohorts of female patients of ≥18 years who underwent benign isolated hysterectomy, pelvic organ prolapse repair, or anti-incontinence procedures were identified between October 2015 and December 2019. INTERVENTIONS: HAs are topically applied procoagulant products used for surgical hemostasis and use during included encounters was determined by charge codes. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Subject-, hospital-, and surgeon-level characteristics and costs were captured. Data were initially analyzed in the aggregate and based on procedure category using the chi-square test or independent samples t tests as appropriate. A bootstrap forest model was used to identify the factors most predictive of HA use. In the final cohort of 184 070 encounters, HAs were used most frequently in hysterectomy (20.7%) and least in anti-incontinence surgery (10.9%). The use of HAs increased from 15.6% in quarter 4 2015 to 19.2% in quarter 4 2019 (p <.001). Encounters using HAs cost more than encounters without HAs ($6271.10 vs $4572.00; p <.001). A bootstrap forest model inclusive of all variables found surgeon and hospital identity cumulatively predictive of 84.9% of HA use, 65.5% and 19.4%, respectively. There was significant variation in HA use among individual surgeons, with 59.9% never using HAs. Of those who did use HAs, 72.8% used HAs more frequently than the mean provider HA use rate (19.4%) and 9.2% used HAs in every case he/she performed. CONCLUSION: The significant variation in HA use is driven primarily by physician and hospital identity, suggesting that use of HA in these benign gynecologic surgical contexts may be determined more by physician- and hospital-level factors than patient-level factors.

Bupivacaine Use After Posterior Colporrhaphy to Reduce Postoperative Pain: A Multicenter, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if injection of bupivacaine into levator muscles after posterior colporrhaphy reduces postoperative pain. METHODS: This study was a multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of 130 participants, comparing bilateral infiltration of puborectalis and iliococcygeus muscles with 0.5% bupivacaine without epinephrine or normal saline after vaginal prolapse repair that included a posterior colporrhaphy. Primary outcome was the 24-hour cumulative Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score (measured as a sum of VAS pain scores at postoperative hours 0, 4, 8, 16, and 24) across intervention allocations. Secondary outcomes include the individual VAS pain scores per postoperative times 0, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours and at 1 and 2 weeks, morphine equivalent use, postoperative void trial success, and time to first bowel movement. RESULTS: Sixty-eight participants received bupivacaine, and 62 participants received normal saline. No significant differences were identified in the 24-hour postoperative cumulative VAS pain scores for the bupivacaine and normal saline arms, 19 and 18 (P = 0.71); individual pain scores per each postoperative assessment time; opiate use (24-hour use was 42 vs 48, P = 0.39; 48-hour use was 75 vs 37, P = 0.09); length of hospital stay (26 hours vs 22 hours, P = 0.069); hours to passing void trial (10 hours vs 12 hours, P = 0.17); or hours to first postoperative bowel movement (18 hours vs 12 hours, P = 0.78). CONCLUSIONS: Use of bupivacaine for muscle block after posterior colporrhaphy does not reduce postoperative pain, opiate use, and time to first bowel movement, or increase void trial success.

The Practice of Cystoscopy with Hydrodistention Since the 2011 American Urological Association Clinical Guideline on Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: We determined the rate of cystoscopy with hydrodistention (CH) before and after the 2011 American Urological Association (AUA) amended clinical guideline, "Diagnosis and Treatment of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome." METHODS: Clinical encounters with a diagnosis of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) where cystoscopy with and without hydrodistention was performed were identified in the Vizient® Clinical Data Base between January 2009 and February 2020. Demographic and clinical information such as patient age, gender, race, treating physician specialty, insurance type and type of hospital (teaching vs nonteaching) was recorded. Descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon 2-sample test and chi-square test were used to compare variables. An interrupted time series analysis was used to assess the change in CH rate following the June 2011 AUA guideline. RESULTS: From January 2009 to February 2020, 69,983 encounters were identified to have an IC/BPS diagnosis and to have undergone outpatient cystoscopy, of which 7,502 (10.7%) were CH. Compared to those not undergoing CH, subjects with IC/BPS undergoing CH were younger, predominantly female, Caucasian and had commercial insurance. Before the guideline, across all medical specialties, the base rate of CH was rising from 16.6% at a rate of 0.12% per month. Following guideline release, the CH rate dropped by 6.8%, declining 0.07% per month until February 2020. This pattern was most pronounced in urology relative to all other medical specialties. CONCLUSIONS: The monthly average rate of CH among individuals with IC/BPS undergoing an outpatient CH dropped from nearly 17% before the 2011 AUA guideline to less than 10% in early 2020.

Salpingectomy versus Tubal Occlusion for Permanent Contraception during Cesarean Delivery: Outcomes and Physician Attitudes.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Compare clinical outcomes and physician attitudes toward tubal occlusion and salpingectomy during cesarean section. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study with survey. SETTING: Private hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. PATIENTS: Women aged ≥18 years undergoing permanent contraception during cesarean delivery with and without salpingectomy from January 2016 to December 2017. INTERVENTIONS: Rate measurements of permanent contraception during cesarean section by salpingectomy versus tubal occlusion. Online survey assessment of study population physicians' attitudes toward salpingectomy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Study subjects identified using Current Procedural Terminology codes. Subject demographics, operative details, and perioperative morbidity indicators were identified by chart review. A total of 363 subjects were included: 116 (32%) had salpingectomies, and 247 (68%) had tubal occlusions. Study variables were compared using Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher exact tests. Despite similar cohort demographics, salpingectomy increased mean operative time by 6.5 minutes compared with tubal occlusion (p = .001). Compared with subjects who had a salpingectomy, those who had a tubal occlusion had more postoperative symptomatic anemia (5.7% vs 0.9%) and infection (6.9% vs 1.7%). The primary surgeon was identified by logistic regression as the factor most predictive of salpingectomy (p <.001). Of 30 physicians, 23 (77%) completed the survey, and these physicians performed 80% of procedures. Physicians did not differ by sex, age, years of practice, solo vs group practice, or hospital-employed vs private practice when compared with the number or rate of salpingectomies performed. Cancer risk reduction was the most common physician-identified salpingectomy benefit (17 of 23, 74%). A total of 65% believed that salpingectomy posed additional risks, but 70% believed the benefits were equal to or greater than the risks. Of the 23 (87%) who completed the survey, 20 believed that salpingectomy added no additional operative time and was cost-neutral. CONCLUSION: Relative to tubal ligation, salpingectomy during cesarean section increases operative time but not perioperative morbidity. Physicians do not seem biased against salpingectomy and express awareness of published benefits and risks, yet it is not the dominant surgical approach.

Topical Hemostatic Agents in Gynecologic Surgery for Benign Indications.

Since a variety of procoagulant products, collectively called hemostatic agents, became available to surgeons in the mid-20th century, their use has increased across multiple specialties, including gynecology. Congruent with past research on the causes of regional variation in the practice of medicine, available evidence suggests that a central predictor for use of these products is physician preference rather than documented clinical necessity. Use of these products adds risks and avoidable cost. This article seeks to highlight specific gynecologic circumstances in which evidence and surgical judgment supports hemostatic agent use and other settings in which use should be reconsidered.

Asymptomatic microscopic hematuria in women.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to summarize the problem of asymptomatic microscopic hematuria (AMH) in women and the most recent publications on the topic. RECENT FINDINGS: Urologic malignancy is rarely associated with AMH in low-risk women. Screening for urologic malignancy includes upper urinary tract imaging and cystoscopy. Renal ultrasound is a cost-effective first-line imaging modality in patients with AMH. Multiphasic computed tomography (CT) urography increases healthcare costs, the risk of secondary malignancy due to cumulative radiation exposure, and the discovery of incidental benign findings resulting in additional work-up. Cystoscopy is universally recommended as a diagnostic test in the evaluation of AMH but it is not without harm. Reliable risk factors for urologic malignancy in women are age, smoking, and possibly the presence of visible blood in the urine. Given the infrequency of these cancers and the performance characteristics of diagnostic testing in this context there is a need for better diagnostic strategies incorporating these risk factors in estimating the woman's risk. SUMMARY: There is a need for sex-specific guidelines to risk stratify diagnostic evaluation for urologic malignancy in women with AMH. The low prevalence of these malignancies in women render diagnostic testing (e.g., cystoscopy and multiphasic CT urography) less impactful and pose unwarranted risk and significant healthcare costs.

What Is New in Recovery After Gynecologic Surgery for Benign Indications?: Best Articles From the Past Year.

This month we focus on current research in recovery after gynecologic surgery for benign indications. Dr. Whiteside discusses four recent publications, which are concluded with a "bottom line" that is the take-home message. A complete reference for each can be found on on this page along with direct links to the abstracts.

Persistent Abdominal Pain 2 Years After Cesarean Delivery.

A 29-year-old multiparous patient is referred for chronic lower abdominal pain radiating into her groin since undergoing cesarean delivery 2-years previously. Laboratory and radiographic evaluation results are negative. She asks you, "Please tell me, why am I having this pain?"

Nationwide salpingectomy rates for an indication of permanent contraception before and after published practice guidelines.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the nationwide rate of salpingectomy for permanent contraception before and after the January 2015 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee Opinion, Salpingectomy for Ovarian Cancer Prevention. STUDY DESIGN: Using ICD-9/10 diagnosis and procedure codes within the Vizient database, we identify permanent contraception procedures with and without salpingectomy, among females 18-50 years old between January 2013 and January 2017. Subject, hospital characteristics and costs information were recorded. To determine the changes in salpingectomy rates over time analysis was conducted using the Cochran-Armitage trend test and logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 211,312 women across 303 Vizient-member hospitals underwent a permanent contraception procedure over the study period. Of these, 174,930 subjects were selected from 160 hospitals that contributed data over the full 49-month period. Overall, 25,882 (14.8%) subjects underwent a salpingectomy for an indication of permanent contraception. Higher salpingectomy rates were identified among larger (p<.0001), teaching (p<.0001) hospitals versus smaller, non-teaching hospitals and in subjects with commercial/private payers (p<.0001). A lower salpingectomy rate was observed in Northeast hospitals (p<.0001). Median total hospital costs differed by $25 between permanent contraceptions performed with and without salpingectomy. The proportion of salpingectomies was <1% in January 2013 slowly rising to 20.6% in October 2015 and then 61.5% by January 2017 (p<.0001). During the pre-opinion period (Jan 2013-Dec 2014) the monthly increase in the odds of salpingectomy was 6% (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.05, 1.06) compared to a monthly increase of 18% (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.18, 1.18) during the post-opinion period (Jan 2015-Jan 2017). CONCLUSIONS: The nationwide rate of salpingectomies for permanent contraception has steadily increased among Vizient-member hospitals since the ACOG committee opinion. IMPLICATIONS: Salpingectomy as an approach to permanent contraception in the United States is increasing since the ACOG Committee Opinion with differing utilization rates by hospital type, region, size, and patient payer types. Physician behavior may be influenced by practice guidelines but other factors mitigate the effect.

Achieving high value in the surgical approach to hysterectomy.

Value-based care, best clinical outcome relative to cost, is a priority in correcting the high costs for average clinical outcomes of health care delivery in the United States. Hysterectomy represents the most common and identifiable nonobstetric major surgical procedure among women. Surgical approaches to hysterectomy in the United States have changed in recent decades. For benign indications, clinical evidence identifies the superiority of vaginal hysterectomy over all other routes. These conclusions rest on clinical outcomes; however, cost differentials also exist across hysterectomy approaches, with the vaginal approach consistently incurring the lowest overall costs. Taken together, vaginal hysterectomy has the highest value, whereas the robotic (given high costs) and abdominal approaches (given less favorable clinical outcomes) have less value. Traditional laparoscopic hysterectomy holds an intermediate value. Increasing the use of high-value hysterectomy approaches can be achieved by adopting multimodal strategies, with changes in the payment models being the most important.

What Is New in Bladder Pain?: Best Articles From the Past Year.

This month we focus on current research in bladder pain. Dr. Whiteside discusses four recent publications, which are concluded with a "bottom-line" that is the take-home message. A complete reference for each can be found in on this page along with direct links to abstracts.

Anterior compartment prolapse: what's new?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to summarize the treatment options for anterior compartment prolapse, describe the role that apical suspension plays in the correction of anterior vaginal wall prolapse, and assess the risks and benefits of biologic and synthetic graft use in anterior compartment repair. RECENT FINDINGS: In 2016, The Cochrane Review published a review of 37 trials including 4023 participants finding that compared to native tissue repair, the use of synthetic mesh resulted in reduced symptomatic prolapse recurrence, anatomic recurrence, and repeat prolapse surgery. There was insufficient evidence regarding quality of life improvement or the use of biologic grafts. Of note the differences between native tissue and mesh kit repairs were not large. SUMMARY: A strong consideration should be on the correction of apical prolapse when present; isolated anterior wall repairs should be pursued with caution. The surgeon may consider the use of augmenting materials in their repair of anterior vaginal wall prolapse, although the available evidence is not strongly supportive of their use given potential risks.

What Is New in Hysterectomy?: Best Articles From the Past Year.

This month, we focus on current research in hysterectomy. Dr. Whiteside discusses four recent publications, and each is concluded with a "bottom line" that is the take-home message. The complete reference for each can be found in on this page, along with direct links to the abstracts.

Finding the Value of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery.

Minimally invasive surgery is indistinctly defined and some cases possess clinical outcomes that are similarly indistinct or excessively costly. Seeking to clarify these issues will offer organized medicine an opportunity to deliver value-based health care. Context (patient, society, and clinician) is critical to finding that clarity, although the clinician context likely offers the best insights into how the ideal of high-value care may be incorporated into minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.