David C. Cron

Psoas muscle size as a frailty measure for open and transcatheter aortic valve replacement

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of sarcopenia as a frailty assessment tool for patients with aortic stenosis undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). METHODS The study cohort comprised 295 patients who underwent either SAVR (n = 156) or TAVR (n = 139). The mean preoperative Society of Thoracic Surgeons mortality risk score was 4.7%. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans were used to calculate gender-standardized total psoas area (TPA), as a validated measure of sarcopenia. RESULTS For the entire cohort, independent predictors of a composite measure of 30-day death, stroke, renal failure, prolonged ventilation, and deep wound infection included preoperative STS major morbidity and mortality risk score (odds ratio [OR], 91.1; P = .02) and TPA (OR, 0.5; P = .024). Two-year survival was 85.7% in patients with sarcopenia, compared with 93.8% in patients without sarcopenia (P = .02). Independent predictors of late survival included TPA (hazard ratio, 0.47; P = .02). Male sex (OR, 0.52; P = .04) and TPA (OR, 0.6; P = .001) were predictive of high resource utilization. A separate analysis by treatment group found that TPA predicted high resource utilization after SAVR (OR, 0.4; P < .001), but not after TAVR (P = .66). CONCLUSIONS CT scan-derived measurement of TPA as an objective frailty assessment tool predicts early morbidity and mortality, high resource utilization, and late survival after treatment for aortic stenosis. The correlation observed between sarcopenia and resource utilization after SAVR versus TAVR suggests that this simple and reproducible risk assessment tool also may help identify those patients who will derive optimal benefit from catheter-based therapy.

Preoperative opioid use is independently associated with increased costs and worse outcomes after major abdominal surgery

Objective: To explore the clinical and financial implications of preoperative opioid use in major abdominal surgery. Background: Opioids are increasingly used to manage chronic pain, and chronic opioid users are challenging to care for perioperatively. Given the epidemic of opioid-related morbidity and mortality, it is critical to understand how preoperative opioid use impacts surgical outcomes. Methods: This was an analysis of nonemergent, abdominopelvic surgeries from 2008 to 2014 from a single center within the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative clinical registry database. Preoperative opioid use (binary exposure variable) was retrospectively queried from the home medication list of the preoperative evaluation. Our primary outcome was 90-day total hospital costs. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay, 30-day major complication rates, discharge destination, and 30-day hospital readmission rates. Analyses were risk-adjusted for case complexity and patient-specific risk factors such as demographics, insurance, smoking, comorbidities, and concurrent medication use. Results: In all, 2413 patients met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 502 patients (21%) used opioids preoperatively. After covariate adjustment, opioid users (compared with those who were opioid-naïve) had 9.2% higher costs [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.8%–15.6%; adjusted means

Quality of life in liver transplant candidates: frailty is a better indicator than severity of liver disease.

26,604 vs

Effect of Preoperative Opioid Exposure on Healthcare Utilization and Expenditures Following Elective Abdominal Surgery

24,263; P = 0.005), 12.4% longer length of stay (95% CI 2.3%–23.5%; adjusted means 5.9 vs 5.2 days; P = 0.015), more complications (odds ratio 1.36; 95% CI 1.04–1.78; adjusted rates 20% vs 16%; P = 0.023), more readmissions (odds ratio 1.57; 95% CI 1.08–2.29; adjusted rates 10% vs 6%; P = 0.018), and no difference in discharge destination (P = 0.11). Conclusions: Opioid use is common before abdominopelvic surgery, and is independently associated with increased postoperative healthcare utilization and morbidity. Preoperative opioids represent a potentially modifiable risk factor and a novel target to improve quality and value of surgical care.

Dorsal muscle group area and surgical outcomes in liver transplantation

Background In an effort to understand the diminished quality of life (QoL) exhibited by patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD), we studied the association of frailty and severity of liver disease with quality of life in this patient population. Methods In a prospective, single-center cohort study (N = 487), we assessed frailty and QoL in patients with ESLD referred for liver transplant. Frailty was measured on a scale from 0 to 5 by grip strength, gait speed, exhaustion, shrinkage, and physical activity, with scores of 3 or higher characterized as frail. Physical, mental, and combined overall quality of life scores ranging from 0 to 100 were assessed using Short Form 36. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used to identify variables associated with QoL. Results Quality of life was notably low in the study cohort (mean: physical, 42.9 ± 24.1; mental, 58.3 ± 23.2). In multivariate analysis adjusted for demographic and clinical characteristics, frailty was significantly negative associated with physical (slope, −22.55, 95% confidence interval, −26.39 to −18.71; P < 0.001) and mental QoL (slope, −17.59, 95% confidence interval, −21.47 to −13.71; P < 0.001). Model for ESLD (MELD) was not associated with QoL. Conclusion In ESLD patient referred for liver transplant, diminished QoL appears to be significantly negatively associated with frailty and not with severity of liver disease as measured MELD. With further study, if frailty is shown to be a remediable condition, targeted programs may help decrease frailty and improve quality of life in ESLD patients.

Aneurysms in abdominal organ transplant recipients

Objective: To examine the extent to which preoperative opioid use is correlated with healthcare utilization and costs following elective surgical procedures. Summary Background Data: Morbidity and mortality associated with prescription opioid use is escalating in the United States. The extent to which chronic opioid use influences postoperative outcomes following elective surgery is not well understood. Methods: Truven Health Marketscan Databases were used to identify adult patients who underwent elective abdominal surgery between June 2009 and December 2012 (n = 200,005). Generalized linear regression was used to determine the effect of preoperative opioid use on postoperative healthcare utilization (length of stay, 30-d readmission, and discharge destination) and cost (hospital stay, 90-, 180-, and 365-d) after adjusting for number of comorbidities, psychological conditions, and demographic characteristics. Results: In this cohort, 8.8% of patients used opioids preoperatively. Compared with non-users, patients using opioids preoperatively were more likely to have a longer hospital stay (2.9 d vs. 2.5 d, P <0.001) and were more likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility (3.6% vs. 2.5%, P <0.001), adjusting for covariates. Preoperative opioid use was also correlated with a greater rate of 30-day readmission (4.5% vs. 3.6%, P <0.001) and overall greater expenditures at 90- (

Analytic morphomics corresponds to functional status in older patients

12036.60 vs.

Sarcopenia and failure to rescue following liver transplantation.

3863.40, P <0.001), 180- (

Paraspinous muscle as a predictor of surgical outcome.

16973.70 vs.

Depression and Frailty in Patients with End‐Stage Liver Disease Referred for Transplant Evaluation

6790.60, P <0.001), and 365- (