Charles Qin

A neuron autonomous role for the familial dysautonomia gene ELP1 in sympathetic and sensory target tissue innervation

Familial dysautonomia (FD) is characterized by severe and progressive sympathetic and sensory neuron loss caused by a highly conserved germline point mutation of the human ELP1/IKBKAP gene. Elp1 is a subunit of the hetero-hexameric transcriptional elongator complex, but how it functions in disease-vulnerable neurons is unknown. Conditional knockout mice were generated to characterize the role of Elp1 in migration, differentiation and survival of migratory neural crest (NC) progenitors that give rise to sympathetic and sensory neurons. Loss of Elp1 in NC progenitors did not impair their migration, proliferation or survival, but there was a significant impact on post-migratory sensory and sympathetic neuron survival and target tissue innervation. Ablation of Elp1 in post-migratory sympathetic neurons caused highly abnormal target tissue innervation that was correlated with abnormal neurite outgrowth/branching and abnormal cellular distribution of soluble tyrosinated α-tubulin in Elp1-deficient primary sympathetic and sensory neurons. These results indicate that neuron loss and physiologic impairment in FD is not a consequence of abnormal neuron progenitor migration, differentiation or survival. Rather, loss of Elp1 leads to neuron death as a consequence of failed target tissue innervation associated with impairments in cytoskeletal regulation.

Surgical duration and risk of Urinary Tract Infection: An analysis of 1,452,369 patients using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP)

INTRODUCTION While the relationship between surgical duration and post-operative morbidity has been well-studied in specific procedures for specific complications, there is a paucity of literature that addresses whether longer surgeries increase the risk of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). We have performed the first study to elucidate the relationship between increasing surgical duration and UTI events across surgical specialties via the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. METHODS Patients, who received general anesthesia, were stratified into quintiles by a calculated z-score for their anesthesia time based on the standard deviation and mean of their respective current procedural terminology (CPT) code. Z-score analysis standardized interprocedural differences in anesthesia time. Multivariate regression analysis was employed to evaluate the independent association of anesthesia time with risk of UTI. Multiple sub-analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness of our results. RESULTS 22,305 patients (1.5%) experienced a UTI. Compared to the mean procedural duration as represented by the 3rd quintile, procedures of longer duration were independently associated with increased risk of UTI (OR, 1.156 (95% CI 1.104-1.21); OR, 1.758 (95% CI 1.682-1.838)) while procedures of shorter duration were associated with reduced risk (OR, .928 (95% CI .873-.987); OR, .955 (95% CI .906-1.007)). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that increasing surgical duration may independently worsen the risk of post-operative UTI pan-surgically. We hope that our results will help guide decision making regarding the safety of combination procedures as well as improve pre-operative risk stratification.

Impact of Insulin Dependence on Lumbar Surgery Outcomes: An NSQIP Analysis of 51,277 Patients.

Study Design. Retrospective cohort study. Objective. The objective of our study was to evaluate the differential impact of insulin dependence on lumbar surgery outcomes, including surgical and medical complications, total length of hospital stay, nonhome bound discharge, and unplanned readmissions. Summary of Background Data. Although the negative effects of diabetes mellitus (DM) on joint arthroplasty outcomes are well documented, there is a paucity of studies evaluating those on spine surgery. Methods. Data files from 2005 to 2013 were reviewed and to collect data on patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. &khgr;2 tests, for categorical variables, and one-way ANOVA, for continuous variables, were used to identify differences in perioperative variables among patients who do not have DM, who are insulin-independent (NIDDM), and who are insulin-dependent (IDDM). Binary logistic regression analysis assessed the effect of DM status on surgical outcomes. Significance was defined as P < 0.05. Results. Significant differences were detected among the three groups in surgical and medical complication and unplanned readmission rates, as well as rates of nonhome-bound discharge. The NIDDM and IDDM groups experienced significantly longer mean total hospital length of stay at 3.2 and 3.9 days, respectively, compared with 2.6 days for nondiabetics (P < 0.0001). Both NIDDM (OR, 1.226; P = 0.017) and IDDM (OR, 1.499; P < 0.0001) independently increased the risk for medical complications, whereas only IDDM (OR, 2.429; P < 0.0001) was associated with surgical complications. IDDM was found to be associated with increased rate of 30-day unplanned readmission (OR, 1.353; P = 0.005). Neither NIDDM nor IDDM had an effect on the likelihood of nonhome discharge. Conclusion. We hope our findings improve risk stratification efforts and informed consent for two DM patient populations. In addition, our findings advocate for appropriate risk stratification of a subgroup DM patients who are dependent on insulin and are at greater risk for surgical morbidity. Level of Evidence: 3

Risk Factors for Unscheduled 30-day Readmission after Benign Hysterectomy

Objectives Readmission rates after hysterectomy have been reported, but specific risk factors for readmission have not been fully delineated. We aimed to determine risk factors for and implications of 30-day unscheduled readmission after benign hysterectomy using data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Methods We identified benign hysterectomy procedures recorded at all participating National Surgical Quality Improvement Program institutions between 2011 and 2012. Outcomes of interest were 30-day unscheduled readmission rates, variables associated with readmission, and complication and mortality rates associated with readmission. Bivariate analyses were performed using Pearson &khgr;2 and independent t tests for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to identify factors independently associated with readmission. Results In total, 21,228 hysterectomies were identified during the study period. Thirty-day readmission rates were 3.8% for abdominal hysterectomy, 2.7% for laparoscopic hysterectomy, 2.9% for laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy, and 3.0% for vaginal hysterectomy. Readmission was associated with increased perioperative complications (49.2% vs 6.1%, P < 0.001), return to the operating room (26.3% vs 0.6%, P < 0.001), and mortality (0.3% vs 0.01%, P < 0.001). The most common complications in patients requiring readmission were surgical site infections (28.4%), sepsis (12.8%), urinary tract infection (9.7%), and blood transfusion (6.7%). Variables that were independently associated with 30-day readmission after multivariable regression analysis included younger age (odds ratio [OR] 0.98/year, P < 0.001), smoking (OR 1.28, P = 0.01), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.47, P = 0.008), dyspnea (OR 1.48, P = 0.04), bleeding disorders (OR 1.82, P = 0.04), American Society of Anesthesiologists class ≥3 (OR 1.32, P = 0.009), prior surgery within 30 days (OR 3.60, P = 0.04), longer operative time (OR 1.20 per hour of operative time, P < 0.001), inpatient status (OR 1.36, P = 0.001), and longer length of hospital stay (OR 1.04/day, P < 0.001). Conclusions Using a large national database, we identified several patient-related and procedural risk factors for unscheduled 30-day readmission after hysterectomy. Readmission was associated with significantly higher rates of complications, a return to the operating room, and a 30-fold increase in mortality. Our findings reinforce the importance of patient selection and optimization of comorbidities before hysterectomy. Future research should aim to further delineate differential risks of readmission by surgical route as well as modifiable risk factors for readmission.

Surgical Risk after Unilateral Lobectomy versus Total Thyroidectomy: A Review of 47,434 Patients

Background: We reviewed the 2005-2012 ACS-NSQIP Databases to evaluate factors associated with adverse events (AE) after unilateral thyroid lobectomy (UL) and total thyroidectomy (TT). Methods: All unilateral lobectomies and total thyroidectomies performed from 2005 to 2012 were identified for analysis. The cohort was characterized with respect to preoperative and demographic characteristics, complications, reoperation, and mortality. Results: 47,434 patients were identified, of which 17,584 underwent unilateral lobectomy and 29,850 underwent total thyroidectomy. On multivariable regression analysis, UL was associated with a 2.786 greater risk of returning to the OR, and a 1.377 risk of surgical complications. The increased risk of return to the OR was eliminated when controlling for patients returning to the OR for completion thyroidectomy after UL. Conclusion: NSQIP is the only dataset that is able to discern between unilateral lobectomy and total thyroidectomy to make viable comparisons in outcomes.The NSQIP dataset may be imperfect, as pertinent details of chemotherapy and radiation, and procedure-specific complications, including hematoma and airway compromise, are not tracked. In spite of this, our findings suggest avenues for improvement in the care of thyroidectomy patients, and suggest directions for a thyroidectomy-specific outcomes database.

Insulin dependence as an independent predictor of perioperative morbidity after ventral hernia repair: a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program analysis of 45,759 patients

BACKGROUND Although diabetes mellitus has been identified as a predictor of perioperative morbidity after ventral hernia repair (VHR), it is unclear whether insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) confer the same degree of risk. We examined the variable effect of IDDM and NIDDM on 30-day medical and surgical complications after VHR. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of patients in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2005 to 2012 undergoing VHR. After perioperative variable comparison, regression analysis was performed to determine whether IDDM and/or NIDDM independently predicted increased complications after proper risk adjustment. RESULTS A total of 45,759 patients were identified to have undergone VHR. Of these, 38,026 patients (83.1%) were not diabetic, 5,252 (11.5%) were NIDDM patients, and 2,481 (5.4%) were IDDM patients. After controlling for other risk factors, we found that IDDM independently predicted increased rates of overall, surgical, and medical complications (odds ratio, 1.284, 1.251, 1.263, respectively) in open repair. IDDM independently predicted increased overall and medical complications (odds ratio, 1.997, 1.889, respectively) but not surgical complications in laparoscopic repair. NIDDM was not significantly associated with any complication type in either procedure type. CONCLUSIONS Our present study suggests that much of the perioperative risk associated with diabetes is attributable to IDDM. The effect of IDDM on laparoscopic and open repair is subtly different. IDDM demonstrates increased overall and medical complications in laparoscopic repair and increased overall, medical, and surgical complications in open repair. Of note, IDDM does not independently predict increased risk for surgical complications in laparoscopic repair.

Safety and Outcomes of Inpatient Compared with Outpatient Surgical Procedures for Ankle Fractures.

BACKGROUND As the cost of health-care delivery rises in the era of bundled payments for care, there is an impetus toward minimizing hospitalization. Evidence to support the safety of open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of ankle fractures in the outpatient setting is largely anecdotal. METHODS Patients who underwent ORIF from 2005 to 2013 were identified via postoperative diagnoses of ankle fracture and Current Procedural Terminology codes; patients with open fractures and patients who were emergency cases were excluded. Patients undergoing inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures were propensity score-matched to reduce differences in the baseline characteristics. Primary tracked outcomes included medical and surgical complications, readmission, and reoperation within 30 days of the procedure. Binary logistic regression models were created that determined the risk-adjusted relationship between admission status and primary outcomes. RESULTS Outpatient surgical procedures were associated with lower rates of urinary tract infection (0.4% compared with 0.9%; p = 0.041), pneumonia (0.0% compared with 0.5%; p = 0.002), venous thromboembolic events (0.3% compared with 0.8%; p = 0.049), and bleeding requiring transfusion (0.1% compared with 0.6%; p = 0.012). Outpatient status was independently associated with reduced 30-day medical morbidity (odds ratio, 0.344 [95% confidence interval, 0.201 to 0.589]). No significant differences were uncovered with respect to surgical complications (p = 0.076), unplanned reoperations (p = 0.301), and unplanned readmissions (p = 0.358). CONCLUSIONS In patients with closed fractures and minimal comorbidities, outpatient ORIF was associated with reduced risk of select 30-day medical morbidity and no difference in surgical morbidity, reoperations, and readmissions relative to inpatient. Factors unaccounted for when creating matched cohorts may impact our results. Our findings lend reassurance to surgeons who defer admission for low-risk patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

The impact of advancing age on postoperative outcomes in plastic surgery

Age has been shown to be an independent predictor of complications in general surgery patients. In contrast, the effect of age on outcomes after plastic surgery has yet to be confirmed or refuted. The objective of the current investigation was to evaluate a possible association between age and postoperative outcomes after plastic surgery. The 2005-2012 NSQIP database was retrospectively reviewed for all patients undergoing plastic surgery. Patients ≥60 years with procedures under the category of plastic surgery in NSQIP were selected for analysis. The primary outcome of interest was 30-day overall complication rates. Multivariate regression models were constructed to control for potential perioperative confounders. Of the 2,320,920 patients captured in the NSQIP database, 36,819 patients underwent plastic surgery and met inclusion criteria. The incidence of unadjusted overall complications increased with age with an overall complication rate of 9.0% in patients <60 years, 11.6% in patients 60-69 years, 13.2% in patients 70-79 years, and 15.9% in patients 80 or more years (p < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, age was not independently associated with increased overall complications rates in patients 60-69 years (OR = 1.026; 95% CI = 0.927-1.135; p = 0.619) and 70-79 years (OR = 0.933; 95% CI = 0.797-0.919; p = 0.393), although patients 80 years and older experienced more medical complications (OR = 1.626; 95% CI = 1.218-2.172; p = 0.001). Age is not independently associated with overall worse outcomes in patients undergoing plastic surgery. Medical complications and mortality were more likely in extremes of age (>80 years). Age alone should not be included as a decisional factor in patients <80 years old considering plastic surgery.

The Lawrence D. Dorr Surgical Techniques & Technologies Award: Differences in Postoperative Outcomes Between Total Hip Arthroplasty for Fracture vs Osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND Hip fracture is an increasingly common expanded indication for total hip arthroplasty (THA) and warrants outcome analysis so as to best inform risk assessment models, public reporting of outcome, and value-based reimbursement schemes. METHODS The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data file from 2011 to 2014 was used to identify all patients undergoing THA via current procedural terminology code 27130. Propensity score matching in a 1:5 fashion was used to compare 2 cohorts: THA for osteoarthritis and THA for fracture. Primary outcomes included Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reportable complications, unplanned readmission, postsurgical length of stay, and discharge destination. χ2 tests for categorical variables and Student t test for continuous variables were used to compare the 2 cohorts and adjusted linear regression analysis used to determine the association between hip fracture and THA outcomes of interest. RESULTS A total of 58,302 patients underwent elective THA for osteoarthritis and 1580 patients underwent THA for hip fracture. Rates of CMS-reported complications (4.0% vs 10.7%; P < .001), non-homebound discharge (39.8% vs 64.7%; P < .001), readmission (4.7% vs 8.0%; P < .001), and mean days of postsurgical hospital stay (3.2 vs 4.4; P < .001) were greater in the hip fracture cohort. THA for hip fracture was significantly associated with increased risk of CMS-reportable complications (odds ratio [OR], 2.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.17-3.28), non-homebound discharge (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.39-2.15), and readmission (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.46-3.12). CONCLUSION Our findings support recent advocacy for the exclusion of THA for fracture from THA bundled pricing methodology and public reporting of outcomes.

Differences in Post-Operative Outcome Between Conversion and Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND The demand for conversion of prior hip surgery to total hip arthroplasty (conversion THA) is likely to increase as a function of increasing US hip fracture burden in addition to its application in managing other conditions. Thus, outcome analysis is warranted to better inform value-based reimbursement schemes in the era of bundled payments. METHODS Via Current Procedural Terminology codes, the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project data files were queried for all patients who underwent primary THA and conversion of previous hip surgery to THA from 2005 to 2014. To better understand the isolated effect of procedure type on adverse outcomes, primary and conversion cohorts were then propensity-score matched via logistic regression modeling. Comparisons of the studys primary outcomes were drawn between matched cohorts. Statistical significance was defined by a P-value less than or equal to .05. RESULTS Relative to the primary THA group, the conversion THA group had statistically greater rates of Center Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) complications (7.5% vs 4.5%), non-home bound discharge (19.6% vs 14.7%), and longer length of hospital stay. Conversion THA was associated with increased likelihood of CMS complications (odds ratio 1.68, confidence interval 1.39-2.02) and non-home bound discharge (odds ratio 1.41, confidence interval 1.25-1.58). No statistically significant differences in mortality and readmission were detected. CONCLUSION The elevated risk for CMS-reported complications, increased length of hospital stay, and non-home bound discharge seen in our study of conversion THA indicates that it is dissimilar to elective primary THA and likely warrants consideration for modified treatment within the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement structure in a manner similar to THA for fracture.