A systematic review of patient risk factors for complications following stoma formation among adults undergoing colorectal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Stoma formation is a commonly performed procedure both during and following colorectal surgery. When designed correctly, stomas can dramatically improve patients' quality of life, but the reverse may occur when complications arise. Given the significant negative impact of complications following stoma formation, understanding risk factors that may be mitigated pre-operatively is important. METHOD: A systematic search of publications using MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases was conducted in May 2022. Data was extracted and a narrative synthesis undertaken. The evidence-based librarianship (EBL) checklist assessed the methodological quality of the included studies. The systematic review includes various research designs such as randomised controlled trials (RCT), case-control studies, and observational cohort studies written in English. Reviews, conference papers, opinion papers, and those including participants < 18 years old were excluded. No restrictions on the date of publication and study setting were applied. RESULTS: This review included 17 studies, conducted between 2001 and 2020. The study designs were prospective audit, prospective analysis, retrospective analysis, longitudinal analysis and multivariate analysis of self-reported questionaires/surveys. Twenty-two possible risk factors for the development of stoma complications following stoma formation were identified. These include demographical risk factors, underlying medical condition, type of surgery, elective vs emergency surgery, stoma factors, surgical factors, indications for surgery and factors which may impact healing. Furthermore, high BMI, emergency surgery, and stoma type were identified as the most frequently occurring risk factors. CONCLUSION: Given the large number of risk factors identified, the implementation of a risk stratification tool may decrease the incidence and prevalence of stoma complication development. This, in turn, would decrease the associated healthcare-related costs, and negative impact on mortality, length of stay and quality of life.

The role of proinflammatory cytokines in the detection of early pressure ulcer development: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Pressure ulcers (PUs) commonly occur over bony prominences and are notoriously difficult to treat. Proinflammatory cytokines are substances that initiate the inflammatory process preceding PU development. The aim of this review was to assess whether the increased presence of proinflammatory cytokines could potentially be used as an early detection system for PU development. METHOD: A systematic search of publications using MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases was conducted in August 2020. Data were extracted and a narrative synthesis was undertaken. The evidence-based librarianship (EBL) checklist assessed the methodological quality of the included studies. The systematic review included original research studies, prospective design, and human studies written in English. Retrospective studies, animal studies, conference papers, opinion papers and qualitative methodology were excluded. No restrictions on the date of publication and study setting were applied. RESULTS: The six studies included were conducted between 2015 and 2019, 50% (n=3) used an experimental study design. The mean sample size was 15 participants (standard deviation=1.72). A total of seven proinflammatory cytokines were analysed. Statistically significant differences were found among inflammatory mediators. Overall results showed that the concentration of interleukin (IL)-1α significantly increased in each study. The EBL score varied between 77-88%. In total, 100% (n=6) of the studies scored ≥75%, reflecting validity. CONCLUSION: It is not yet certain that monitoring proinflammatory cytokines represents a noninvasive method that could potentially direct preventative measures to those who are identified as at high risk for developing PUs. IL-1α potentially may be elevated for other health conditions, not just PUs. Future studies are therefore recommended.