Christina M. Papageorge

Primary fascial closure during laparoscopic ventral hernia repair does not reduce 30-day wound complications

BackgroundLaparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR) is associated with decreased wound morbidity compared to open repair. It remains unclear whether primary fascial closure (PFC) offers any benefit in reducing postoperative seroma compared to bridged repair. We hypothesized that PFC would have no effect on seroma formation following LVHR.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was performed using data from the prospectively maintained Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative. All patients undergoing LVHR from 2013 to 2016 were included. The primary outcome was seroma formation, diagnosed either clinically or radiographically. Secondary outcomes included surgical site infections (SSI), surgical site occurrences (SSO), and SSO requiring intervention. Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared between groups with univariate analysis using Pearson’s chi-squared or Wilcoxon tests. Multivariable logistic regression controlling for patient and hernia characteristics was then performed to investigate the independent effect of PFC on seroma formation.Results1280 patients were included in the study. 69% (n = 887) underwent PFC. Patients undergoing bridged repairs had slightly larger defects and were more likely to have a recurrent hernia. The overall rate of seroma formation was 10.4% (n = 133). There was no association on univariate analysis between PFC and wound complications. Similarly, on multivariable analysis, PFC had no significant effect on the risk of seroma formation (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.58–1.31).ConclusionsPFC does not decrease the risk of short-term wound complications. Given that prior studies have also suggested no difference in hernia recurrence, PFC does not appear to improve postoperative outcomes for patients undergoing LVHR.

The Impact of Operative Approach on Postoperative Complications Following Colectomy for Colon Caner

BackgroundColectomy is one of the most common major abdominal procedures performed in the USA. A better understanding of risk factors and the effect of operative approach on adverse postoperative outcomes may significantly improve quality of care.MethodsAdult patients with a primary diagnosis of colon cancer undergoing colectomy were selected from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program 2013–2015 targeted colectomy database. Patients were stratified into five groups based on specific operative approach. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare the five groups and identify risk factors for 30-day anastomotic leak, readmission, and mortality.ResultsIn total, 25,097 patients were included in the study, with a 3.32% anastomotic leak rate, 1.20% mortality rate, and 9.57% readmission rate. After adjusting for other factors, open surgery and conversion to open significantly increased the odds for leak, mortality, and readmission compared to laparoscopy. Additionally, smoking and chemotherapy increased the risk for leak and readmission, while total resection was associated with increased mortality and leak.ConclusionsOperative approach and several other potentially modifiable perioperative factors have a significant impact on risk for adverse postoperative outcomes following colectomy. To improve quality of care for these patients, efforts should be made to identify and minimize the influence of such risk factors.

Preoperative blood transfusion is a predictor of worse short-term postoperative outcomes after colectomy.

Background. Both anemia and blood transfusion are associated with poor outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of preoperative blood transfusion on postoperative outcomes after colectomy, stratified by severity of anemia. Methods. Patients undergoing colectomy from 2012–2014 were selected from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted colectomy database. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on receipt of preoperative transfusion and then stratified by hematocrit. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare 30‐day outcomes between the 2 groups. Results. A total of 60,785 patients were included in the study, with an overall preoperative transfusion rate of 3.4% (n = 2,073). On univariate analysis, transfusion was associated with significantly greater rates of postoperative morbidity. The risk‐adjusted, multivariate model confirmed increased risk of complications with preoperative transfusion (odds ratio 1.32, 95% confidence interval, 1.18–1.48). Furthermore, transfusion did not improve outcomes even in the setting of moderate anemia (odds ratio 1.35, 95% confidence interval, 1.14–1.60) or severe anemia (odds ratio 0.97, 95% confidence interval, 0.66–1.41). Conclusions. Preoperative transfusion is an independent predictor of complications in patients with mild and moderate anemia. Furthermore, these retrospective data suggest that even severely anemic patients do not benefit from preoperative transfusion and empiric transfusion therefore should be avoided. Alternatives to preoperative optimization of this high‐risk surgical population should be sought.

Venous Thromboembolism after Inpatient Surgery in Administrative Data vs NSQIP: A Multi-Institutional Study

BACKGROUND Previous studies have documented significant differences between administrative data and registry data in the determination of postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE). The goal of this study was to characterize the discordance between administrative and registry data in the determination of postoperative VTE. STUDY DESIGN This study was performed using data from the American College of Surgeons NSQIP merged with administrative data from 8 different hospitals (5 different medical centers) between 2013 and 2015. Occurrences of postoperative vein thrombosis (VT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) as ascertained by administrative data and NSQIP data were compared. In each situation where the 2 sources disagreed (discordance), a 2-clinician chart review was performed to characterize the reasons for discordance. RESULTS The cohort used for analysis included 43,336 patients, of which 53.3% were female and the mean age was 59.5 years. Concordance between administrative and NSQIP data was worse for VT (κ 0.57; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.62) than for PE (κ 0.83; 95% CI 0.78 to 0.89). A total of 136 cases of discordance were noted in the assessment of VT; of these, 50 (37%) were explained by differences in the criteria used by administrative vs NSQIP systems. In the assessment of postoperative PE, administrative data had a higher accuracy than NSQIP data (odds ratio for accuracy 2.86; 95% CI 1.11 to 7.14) when compared with the 2-clinician chart review. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies significant problems in ability of both NSQIP and administrative data to assess postoperative VT/PE. Administrative data functioned more accurately than NSQIP data in the identification of postoperative PE. The mechanisms used to translate VTE measurement into quality improvement should be standardized and improved.

The effect of perioperative fluid management on postoperative ileus in rectal cancer patients

Background: Postoperative ileus is a common cause of increased morbidity and cost after operative intervention. The aim of this study was to assess how fluid type, volume, and timing may affect incidence of postoperative ileus. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on patients undergoing operative intervention for rectal cancer from 2008 to 2015 at a single institution. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the effect of type (crystalloid versus colloid), volume by quartile, and timing (perioperative versus postoperative) on rate of postoperative ileus. Results: A total of 300 patients were included, and the overall incidence of ileus in our cohort was 30% (n = 90). Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that increasing volume of crystalloid volume administered was associated with increased postoperative ileus incidence (first quartile: 16.3%; second quartile: 31.5%, third quartile: 34.2%; and fourth quartile: 39.2%; P = .012), and administration of colloid was not shown to correlate. Furthermore, timing was not shown to be associated with the rate of postoperative ileus. Conclusion: Increased volumes of crystalloid are associated with higher rates of ileus, while administration of colloid is not. Based on this retrospective data, limiting the volume of crystalloid perioperatively may help lower the rate of ileus postoperatively.