Sex-Specific Differences in Outcomes Following Thyroidectomy: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Numbers of thyroidectomies and awareness of postoperative quality measures have both increased. Potential sex-specific variations in clinical outcomes of patients undergoing thyroidectomy are controversial. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate sex-specific differences in outcomes following thyroidectomy. METHODS: This is a population-based cohort study of all adult patients undergoing either hemi- or total thyroidectomy in Switzerland from 2011 to 2015. The primary outcome was all-cause 30-day readmission rate. The main secondary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) admission, surgical re-intervention, in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay (LOS), postoperative calcium disorder, vocal cord paresis, and hematoma. RESULTS: Of 16,776 patients undergoing thyroidectomy, the majority of patients undergoing thyroidectomy were female (79%), with a median age of 52 (IQR 42-64) years. Within 30 days after the surgery, male patients had significantly higher rates of hospital readmission (adjusted risk ratio [RR] 1.38; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.11-1.72, p = 0.008) and higher risks for postoperative ICU admission (RR 1.25; 95% CI, 1.09-1.44, p = 0.003) than female patients. There were no significant differences among sexes in the LOS, rates of surgical re-interventions, or in-hospital mortality. While postoperative calcium disorders due to hypoparathyroidism were less prevalent among male patients (RR 0.63; 95% CI, 0.54-0.72, p < 0.001), a 2-fold higher incidence rate of postoperative hematoma was observed (RR 1.93, 95% CI, 1.51-2.46, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Male patients undergoing thyroidectomy have higher 30-day hospital readmission and ICU admission rates. Following surgery, male patients revealed higher rates of neck hematoma, while hypocalcemia was more frequent among female patients.

Association of comorbidities with clinical outcomes in patients after acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity becomes more prevalent in patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We investigated the association of an increasing number of comorbidities with the excess risk of in-hospital mortality and other clinically outcomes in hospitalized AMI patients. METHODS: In this population-based cohort study, we analyzed 104'906 admissions for AMI between 2012 and 2018 in Switzerland. We stratified patients based on four different age categories and investigated the association of the number of five common comorbidities (diabetes, chronic kidney-, chronic obstructive pulmonary-, cerebrovascular-, and peripheral artery disease) and risk of in-hospital mortality and other outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 5'029 admitted AMI patients (4.8%) died during the hospital stay. We found a stepwise increase in mortality risk with each additional comorbidity. Compared to AMI patients with no comorbidity, comorbid patients had a 26% increased risk for mortality (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20 to 1.33) with a pronounced association in younger patients. The overall risk for ICU admission, prolonged length of hospital stay (LOS), and 30-day readmission was higher in comorbid patients as compared to those without a comorbidity of interest (ICU: OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.22; LOS: OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.79 to 1.89; Readmission: OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.28), respectively. Again, the association of the numbers of prevalent comorbidities with adverse outcomes was strongest in the youngest patient population. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AMI, the burden of comorbidities has a strong association with in-hospital mortality and other adverse outcomes - especially in younger patients.

Association of weekend admission and clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with sepsis: An observational study.

Sepsis is associated with impaired clinical outcomes. It requires timely diagnosis and urgent therapeutic management. Because staffing during after-hours is limited, we explored whether after-hour admissions are associated with worse clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis.In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed nationwide acute care admissions for a main diagnosis of sepsis in Switzerland between 2006 and 2016 using prospective administrative data. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality using multivariable logistic regression models. Secondary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) admission, intubation, and 30-day readmission.We included 86,597 hospitalizations for sepsis, 60.1% admitted during routine-hours, 16.8% on weekends and 23.1% during night shift. Compared to routine-hours, we found a higher odds ratio (OR) for in-hospital mortality in patients admitted on weekends (Adjusted OR 1.05, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.01, 1.10, P = .041). Also, the OR for ICU admission (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.10, 1.19, P < .001) and intubation (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.12, 1.25 P < .001) was higher for weekends compared to routine-hours. Regarding 30-day readmission, evidence for an association could not be observed. Night shift admission, compared to routine-hours, was associated with a higher OR for ICU admission and intubation (ICU admission: OR 1.28 (1.23, 1.32), P < .001; intubation: OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.25, 1.37, P < .001) but with a lower OR for in-hospital mortality (OR 0.93, 19% CI 0.89, 0.97, P = .001).Among hospitalizations with a main diagnosis of sepsis, weekend admissions were associated with higher OR for in-hospital mortality, ICU admission, and intubation. Whether these findings can be explained by staffing-level differences needs to be addressed.

Predictors of impaired bone health in long-term survivors after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Survival after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has improved, but so have long-term sequelae. We studied risk factors for fractures and impaired bone health in allo-HSCT patients in the Basel HSCT registry from 01/2003 to 12/2014 using cox proportional models adjusted for age, gender and Karnofsky Index. Our primary endpoint was the incidence of fractures. Out of 652 patients, 32 (5.0%) had a new fracture after transplantation (yearly incidence rate of 1.6%, 95% Confidence Interval [95%CI] 1.1-2.3%) and 325 (49.8%) had low bone mineral density (yearly incidence rate of 13.1%, 95%CI 11.6-14.8%), including 36.0% with osteopenia and 13.8% with osteoporosis. We found vitamin D deficiency during follow-up (Hazard Ratio [HR] 1.25, 95%CI 1.11-1.41, p < 0.001), hyperthyroidism before transplantation (HR 4.85, 95%CI 1.05-22.54, p = 0.044), cumulative years of immunosuppressant exposure (HR 1.23, 95%CI 1.07-1.41, p = 0.004 for steroidal and HR 1.09, 95%CI 1.01-1.18, p = 0.025 for non-steroidal drugs) and graft-versus-host disease (acute HR 1.24, 95%CI 1.11-1.40, p < 0.001; chronic HR 2.82, 95%CI 1.12-7.13, p = 0.028) to be significantly associated with fractures. Patients undergoing HSCT are at increased risk of fractures, which is associated with various disease and treatment-specific factors. Early identification of patients at risk may help to improve preventive measures.

Relationships of Measured and Genetically Determined Height With the Cardiac Conduction System in Healthy Adults.

BACKGROUND: Increasing height is an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We hypothesized that height-related differences in electric conduction could be potential mediators of this relationship. METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled 2149 adults aged 25 to 41 years from the general population. Height was directly measured, and a resting 12-lead ECG obtained under standardized conditions. Multivariable linear regression models were used to evaluate the association between measured height and ECG parameters. Mendelian randomization analyses were then performed using 655 independent height-associated genetic variants previously identified in the GIANT consortium. Median age was 37 years, and median height was 1.71 m. Median PR interval, QRS duration, and QTc interval were 156, 88, and 402 ms, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, ß-coefficients (95% confidence intervals) per 10 cm increase in measured height were 4.17 (2.65-5.69; P<0.0001) for PR interval and 2.06 (1.54-2.58; P<0.0001) for QRS duration. Height was not associated with QTc interval or the Sokolow-Lyon index. An increase of 10 cm in genetically determined height was associated with increases of 4.33 ms (0.76-7.96; P=0.02) in PR interval and 2.57 ms (1.33-3.83; P<0.0001) in QRS duration but was not related to QTc interval or Sokolow-Lyon index. CONCLUSIONS: In this large population-based study, we found significant associations of measured and genetically determined height with PR interval and QRS duration. Our findings suggest that adult height is a marker of altered cardiac conduction and that these relationships may be causal.