The Use of Critical Care Services After Orthopedic Surgery at a High-Volume Orthopedic Medical Center: A Retrospective Study

Background: With an aging population, orthopedics has become one of the largest and fastest growing surgical fields. However, data on the use of critical care services (CCS) in patients undergoing orthopedic procedures remain sparse. Purpose: We sought to elucidate the prevalence and characteristics of patients requiring CCS and intermediate levels of care after orthopedic surgeries at a high-volume orthopedic medical center. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed inpatient electronic medical record data (2016–2020) at a high-volume orthopedic hospital. Patients who required CCS and intermediate levels of care, including step-down unit (SDU) and telemetry services, were identified. We described characteristics related to patients, procedures, and outcomes, including type of advanced services required and surgery type. Results: Of the 50,387 patients who underwent orthopedic inpatient surgery, 1.6% required CCS and 21.6% were admitted to an SDU. Additionally, 482 (1.0%) patients required postoperative mechanical ventilation and 3602 (7.1%) patients required continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Spine surgery patients were the most likely to require any form of advanced care (45.7%). Conclusions: This retrospective review found that approximately one-fourth of orthopedic surgery patients were admitted to units that provided critical and intermediate levels of care. These results may prove useful to hospitals in estimating needs and allocating resources for advanced and critical care services after orthopedic surgery.

Factors Associated with Respiratory Support after Cesarean Hysterectomy

Background: Cesarean hysterectomy is a major operation that causes massive hemorrhage and larger fluid resuscitation. Thus, postoperative mechanical ventilation support is required in some patients, involving longer hospital stay and high cost of hospital care. Objective: To find the predictive factors for postoperative respiratory support in pregnant women underwent cesarean hysterectomy. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of patients underwent cesarean hysterectomy between January 2014 and June 2019 was conducted. Patient characteristics, anesthetic records and hospital length of stay were reviewed. The relationship between factors and postoperative mechanical ventilator (PMV) was also analyzed. Results: A total of 180 patients were included in the present study, wherein, 64 patients (35%) required PMV and 30 patients (16%) needed postoperative oxygen support. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the relationship between PMV and the associated factors. The authors found the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification and the volume of intraoperative blood components replacement (packed red blood cells [PRC] and fresh frozen plasma [FFP]) were significantly related to PMV: ASA3 16.51 (95% CI 1.89 to 144.33), ASA4 183.25 (95% CI 2.92 to 11,500.65), p=0.003; PRC 1.0028 (95% CI 1.0008 to 1.0047), p=0.001; FFP 1.0022 (95% CI 1.0000 to 1.0043), p=0.029, respectively. Conclusion: Postoperative mechanical ventilation was found in one-third of the cesarean hysterectomy patients and associated with ICU admission along with increased in post-operative length of hospital stay. The ASA classification and intraoperative volume of blood components replacement were significantly associated with PMV. Factors associated significantly with respiratory support were ASA classification and duration surgery. Keywords: Factors associated; Respiratory support; Cesarean hysterectomy

Diverticular Disease of the Vermiform Appendix - Is it a Distinctive ClinicoPathological Entity?

Background: Diverticular disease of the appendix [DDOA] is a rare occurrence. Although acquired in nature, its impact on the disease process of appendicitis is not well-defined. The purpose of the current study is to include a comprehensive clinico-pathological definition of the disease through a retrospective single-center cohort analysis with a prospective pathological re-evaluation. Methods: A retrospective analysis of post-appendectomy patients over a period of 16 years [2000-2015] was carried out. Patients with DDOA were identified and compared to a control group of patients with acute appendicitis. Histology was re-evaluated prospectively by a senior pathologist. Primary measures of the outcome included clinical and surgical differences. Pathological macroscopic differences between the two groups and a comprehensive description of the DDOA itself were performed. Results: 6846 post appendectomy patients were operated on during the study period, and 127 [1.9%] were diagnosed with DDOA. The DDOA group showed significantly higher age, longer duration of complaints, and a different clinical presentation. Operative time was significantly longer in the study group and had higher rates of severe postoperative complications such as postoperative bleeding, need for ICU recovery, and need for postoperative mechanical ventilation. All diverticula were pseudo-diverticula and were significantly shorter and wider. Multivariate analysis showed that age, length, and width of the appendix were independently associated with DDOA. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that DDOA is an independent clinical entity, showing differences in etiology, clinical presentation, and postoperative outcome. Prospective studies are needed to assess whether the preoperative diagnosis is feasible and will change conventional surgical management.

Acute Care Resource Use After Elective Surgery in the United States: Implications During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background The COVID-19 pandemic created pressure to delay inpatient elective surgery to increase US health care capacity. This study examined the extent to which common inpatient elective operations consume acute care resources. Methods This cross-sectional study used the Premier Healthcare Database to examine the distribution of inpatient elective operations in the United States from the fourth quarter of 2015 through the second quarter of 2018. Primary outcomes were measures of acute care use after 4 common elective operations: joint replacement, spinal fusion, bariatric surgery, and coronary artery bypass grafting. A framework for matching changing demand with changes in supply was created by overlaying acute care data with publicly available outbreak capacity data. Results Elective coronary artery bypass grafting (n = 117 423) had the highest acute care use: 92.8% of patients used intensive care unit beds, 89.1% required postoperative mechanical ventilation, 41.0% required red blood cell transfusions, and 13.3% were readmitted within 90 days of surgery. Acute care use was also substantial after spinal fusion (n = 203 789): 8.3% of patients used intensive care unit beds, 2.2% required postoperative mechanical ventilation, 9.2% required red blood cell transfusions, and 9.3% were readmitted within 90 days of surgery. An example of a framework for matching hospital demand with elective surgery supply is provided. Conclusions Acute care needs after elective surgery in the United States are consistent and predictable. When these data are overlaid with national hospital capacity models, rational decisions regarding matching supply to demand can be achieved to meet changing needs.

Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Compared With Conventional Open Surgery in Infants

BackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of video-assisted thoracic surgery for the treatment of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in a larger series compared with conventional open surgery. Additionally, we summarized the experience of thoracoscopic surgery in the treatment of CDH in infants.MethodsWe retrospectively analysed the clinical data of 109 children with CDH who underwent surgical treatment at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2010 to January 2019. According to the surgical method, the children were divided into an open group (62 cases) and a thoracoscopy group (47 cases). We compared the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative mechanical ventilation time, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative CCU admission time and other surgical indicators as well as the recurrence rate, mortality rate and complication rate of the two groups of children.ResultsThe index data on the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative mechanical ventilation time, postoperative hospital stay and postoperative CCU admission time were better in the thoracoscopy group than in the open group. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the number of incision infections, pulmonary infections, atelectasis, pleural effusion and chylothorax between the two groups, the number of children in the open group was greater than that in the thoracoscopy group, and the total postoperative complication rate (51.61%) was higher than that in the thoracoscopy group (44.68%). The recurrence rate of the thoracoscopy group (8.51%) was higher than that of the open group (3.23%). In the open group, 2 patients died of respiratory distress after surgery, and no patients died in the thoracoscopy group.ConclusionsThoracoscopic surgery and open surgery can effectively treat CDH. Open surgery has advantages in patients with unstable haemodynamics, large diaphragm defects and abdominal malformations. Compared with conventional open surgery, thoracoscopy has the advantages of shorter operation time, less trauma, faster recovery and fewer complications, but there is a risk of recurrence. The choice of surgical method should be determined by the characteristics of diaphragmatic lesions and the experience of the clinician.

CT- 3-DimenSional airway evaluation-guided intraluminal placement of endobronchial blocker in pediatric patients: a randomized controlled study

Background: One-lung ventilation (OLV) with endobronchial blocking is commonly used in anesthesia for pediatric thoracic surgery. Bronchoscopy is commonly used to guide the endobronchial blocker placement. However, when bronchoscopy is not applicable, the proper placement of endobronchial blocker is challenging. Computed tomography (CT)-3-DimenSional evaluation may be used to accurately measure the airway of pediatric patients. The present study was aimed to propose a new approach of CT-3-DimenSional airway evaluation-guided endobronchial blocker placement in pediatric patients and to determine its efficiency in clinical application. Methods: A total of 127 pediatric patients of 0.5-3 years old scheduled for elective thoracic surgery under OLV were randomized into the bronchoscopy group and the CT group. The degree of lung collapse, postoperative airway mucosal injury, pulmonary infection within 72 hour after surgery, hoarseness after tracheal extubation, Durations of postoperative mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and hospitalization, the successful rate of the first blocker positioning, and the required time and repositionings for successful blocker placement were compared between the two groups. Results: The degree of lung collapse, postoperative airway mucosal injury, pulmonary infection within 72 hour after surgery, hoarseness after tracheal extubation, durations of postoperative mechanical ventilation, ICU stay, and hospitalization were similar between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Conclusions: For pediatric patients who would undergo surgery with OLV, preoperative CT 3-DimenSional airway evaluation could be used to guide endobronchial blocker placement, with a blocking efficiency similar to that of bronchoscopy-guided blocker placement.