David Lindström

Effects of a perioperative smoking cessation intervention on postoperative complications: a randomized trial.

Objective:To determine whether an intervention with smoking cessation starting 4 weeks before general and orthopedic surgery would reduce the frequency of postoperative complications. Summary Background Data:Complications are a major concern after elective surgery and smokers have an increased risk. There is insufficient evidence concerning how the duration of preoperative smoking intervention affects postoperative complications. Methods:A randomized controlled trial, conducted between February 2004 and December 2006 at 4 university-affiliated hospitals in the Stockholm region, Sweden. The outcome assessment was blinded. The follow-up period for the primary outcome was 30 days. Eligibility criteria were active daily smokers, aged 18 to 79 years. Of the 238 patients assessed, 76 refused participating, and 117 men and women undergoing surgery for primary hernia repair, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, or a hip or knee prosthesis were enrolled. Intervention:Smoking cessation therapy with individual counseling and nicotine substitution started 4 weeks before surgery and continued 4 weeks postoperatively. The control group received standard care. The main outcome measure was frequency of any postoperative complication. Results:An intention-to-treat analysis showed that the overall complication rate in the control group was 41%, and in the intervention group, it was 21% (P = 0.03). Relative risk reduction for the primary outcome of any postoperative complication was 49% and number needed to treat was 5 (95% CI, 3–40). An analysis per protocol showed that abstainers had fewer complications (15%) than those who continued to smoke or only reduced smoking (35%), although this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion:Perioperative smoking cessation seems to be an effective tool to reduce postoperative complications even if it is introduced as late as 4 weeks before surgery.

High body mass index is associated with increased risk of implant dislocation following primary total hip replacement: 2,106 patients followed for up to 8 years

Background and purpose Implant dislocation is one of the commonest complications following primary total hip replacement (THR). We investigated the effect of body mass index (BMI) and tobacco use on the risk of this complication. Subjects and methods Through linkage between the Swedish Construction Workers’ cohort and the Swedish Inpatient Register, 2,106 male patients who had undergone primary THR between 1997 and 2004 were identified. We used Cox multivariable regression analysis to study the association between BMI and tobacco use and the risk of implant dislocation. Results 53 patients (2.5%) developed implant dislocation during a mean of 2 (0–3) years of follow-up. We found overweight and obesity to be associated with increased risk of implant dislocation (HR = 2.5,95% CI: 1.1–5.5 and HR = 3.7, 95% CI: 1.5–9.3, respectively as compared to those of normal weight). There was no statistically significant association between tobacco use and the risk of dislocation. Interpretation Greater attention should be given to high BMI as a risk factor for implant dislocation following THR.

The efficacy of a smoking cessation programme in patients undergoing elective surgery – a randomised clinical trial

It is known that smokers constitute an important risk group of patients undergoing surgery. It is unknown how smoking cessation intervention initiated 4 weeks prior to elective surgery affects the probability of permanent cessation. We randomly assigned 117 patients, scheduled to undergo elective orthopaedic and general surgery, to smoking cessation intervention and control group. The intervention group underwent a programme initiated, on average, 4 weeks prior to surgery with weekly meetings or telephone counselling and were provided with free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The control group received standard care. As a result, 20/55 (36%) patients the intervention group vs 1/62 (2%) in the control group became completely abstinent throughout the peri‐operative period (p < 0.001). After 1 year, those in the intervention group was most likely to be abstinent (18/55 (33%) vs 9/62 (15%) of the controls (p = 0.03). Level of nicotine dependence and obesity seemed to be a predictor of long‐term abstinence (p = 0.02).

Impact of body mass index and tobacco smoking on outcome after open appendicectomy

The effect of body mass index (BMI) and smoking on the risk of perforated appendix and postoperative complications in patients undergoing open appendicectomy for acute appendicitis was studied.

High prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysms in brothers and sisters of patients despite a low prevalence in the population

OBJECTIVE Population-based screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in elderly men is organized in many regions and countries in the Western world, and the prevalence of disease is reported to decline. Whether the prevalence among those with a family history also is declining is unknown. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of AAAs among siblings of persons with AAAs and to investigate the proportion of siblings already diagnosed by opportunistic screening. METHODS Patients treated for AAAs from January 2008 through December 2010 (n = 412) in Stockholm, Sweden, were screened for siblings. Seven hundred seventy-nine siblings were identified. All siblings <80 years residing in Stockholm County were considered eligible and were invited to participate in the study (n = 174). Deceased siblings were not included in the study, regardless of the cause of death. One hundred fifty siblings were enrolled in the study after informed consent was provided. One hundred thirty-four siblings were screened for AAAs with ultrasound scan and maximum aortic, infrarenal, anteroposterior, external (outer-to-outer) aortic diameter was measured. Characteristics of siblings with and without AAAs were compared. RESULTS The mean age of the screened siblings was 66.4 years (standard deviation, 7.1). Of the siblings, 11% were found to have an AAA, 17% (n = 11) of the brothers, and 6% (n = 5) of the sisters. Only 11% of the siblings were screened for AAAs before the study. One of 16 siblings with AAAs was <65 years. Ever smoking was evident in 81% of the AAA siblings compared to 59% in the non-AAA siblings. Factors associated with increased risk of AAAs in the multivariate regression analysis were: male sex (odds ratio, 3.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-10.8; P = .04) and age >65 (odds ratio, 10.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-86.4; P = .03). Ever smoking was not statistically significant as a risk. CONCLUSIONS A strikingly high prevalence of AAAs in siblings was found as compared to the reported declining aneurysm prevalence in elderly men in the Western world. Systematic improvements regarding screening of first-degree relatives is mandated and selective screening of siblings is an underused tool to prevent death from aneurysm disease, both among men and women.

Reasons for non-participation in population-based abdominal aortic aneurysm screening.

A population‐based screening programme for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) started in 2010 in Stockholm County, Sweden. This present study used individual data from Swedens extensive healthcare registries to identify the reasons for non‐participation in the AAA screening programme.

Cost-effectiveness of intensive smoking cessation therapy among patients with small abdominal aortic aneurysms

INTRODUCTION Smoking cessation is one of the few available strategies to decrease the risk for expansion and rupture of small abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). The cost-effectiveness of an intensive smoking cessation therapy in patients with small AAAs identified at screening was evaluated. METHODS A Markov cohort simulation model was used to compare an 8-week smoking cessation intervention with adjuvant pharmacotherapy and annual revisits vs nonintervention among 65-year-old male smokers with a small AAA identified at screening. The smoking cessation rate was tested in one-way sensitivity analyses in the intervention group (range, 22%-57%) and in the nonintervention group (range, 3%-30%). Literature data on the effect of smoking on AAA expansion and rupture was factored into the model. RESULTS The intervention was cost-effective in all tested scenarios and sensitivity analyses. The smoking cessation intervention was cost-effective due to a decreased need for AAA repair and decreased rupture rate even when disregarding the positive effects of smoking cessation on long-term survival. The incremental cost/effectiveness ratio reached the willingness-to-pay threshold value of €25,000 per life-year gained when assuming an intervention cost of > €3250 or an effect of ≤ 1% difference in long-term smoking cessation between the intervention and nonintervention groups. Smoking cessation resulted in a relative risk reduction for elective AAA repair by 9% and for rupture by 38% over 10 years of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS An adequate smoking cessation intervention in patients with small AAAs identified at screening can cost-effectively increase long-term survival and decrease the need for AAA repair.

Low Post-operative Mortality after Surgery on Patients with Screening-detected Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: A Swedvasc Registry Study

OBJECTIVES Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) substantially reduces aneurysm-related mortality in men and is increasing worldwide. This cohort study compares post-operative mortality and complications in men with screening-detected vs. non-screening-detected AAAs. METHODS Data were extracted from the Swedish National Registry for Vascular Surgery (Swedvasc) for all screening-detected men treated for AAA (n = 350) and age-matched controls treated for non-screening-detected AAA (n = 350). RESULTS There were no differences in baseline characteristics besides age, which was lower in the screening-detected group than in the non-screening-detected group (median 66 vs. 68, p < .001). Open repair was used more frequently than endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) in patients with screening-detected AAAs than in non-screening-detected controls (56% vs. 45% p = .005). No differences in major post-operative complications at 30 days were observed between the groups. In patients treated with open repair there were no differences in 30-day, 90-day or 1-year mortality in screening-detected patients compared to non-screening-detected controls (1.0% vs. 3.2% p = .25, 2.1% vs. 4.5% p = .23, 4.1% vs. 5.8% p = .61). None of the patients treated with EVAR in either group died within 30 days. The 90-day mortality after EVAR was lower in patients with screening-detected AAA than in those with non-screening-detected AAAs (0.0% vs. 3.1%, p = .04). No difference in the 1-year mortality was detected in the EVAR-patients between the two groups (1.4% vs. 4.7%, p = .12). CONCLUSIONS The contemporary post-operative mortality after AAA surgery was low in this national audit of patients with screening-detected AAAs and age-matched controls. Patients with screening-detected AAAs have the same frequency of complications at 30 days as patients with non-screening-detected AAA. This study gives further support to national screening programs for the detection of AAA in men.

The Impact of Stent Graft Material on the Inflammatory Response After EVAR

Background: Patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) due to abdominal aortic aneurysm often develop an inflammatory response, postimplantation syndrome (PIS) where fever and leukocytosis are common. Previous studies suggest that type of stent graft material (polyester or polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]) plays a role. Objectives: To investigate the effect of stent graft material on the inflammatory response and length of hospital stay in patients undergoing standard elective EVAR. Methods: Sixty-nine elective EVAR patients were included in this observational study. To avoid comparing patients with a different graft location and stent graft burden, 12 cases were excluded as well as cases with complication or simultaneous open surgical procedures, leaving 45 patients (32 with polyester and 13 with PTFE graft) for final analysis. Tympanic temperature, C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC), and procalcitonin (PCT) were measured on days −1 and +1 and +3. Duration of in-hospital stay and frequency of PIS were recorded. Results: The PIS was diagnosed in 9 (28.1%) of the 32 polyester cases and in 1 (7.7%) of the 13 cases in the PTFE group (P = .24). Median (interquartile range) in-hospital stay was 5 (5-6) days in the polyester group and 4 (4-5) days in the PTFE group (P = .009). On day +3, in the polyester group, mean CRP was 154 (95% confidence interval: 127-182) mg/L, WBC 9.5 (8.4-10.5) ×109/L, and PCT 0.17 (0.12-0.21) ng/mL. In the PTFE group, mean CRP was 70 (32-109) mg/L (P = .001), WBC 8.8 (6.4-11.1) ×109/L (P = .37), and PCT 0.09 (0.06-0.13) ng/mL (P = .009) on day +3. Conclusion: Standard EVAR with polyester stent grafts appears to result in a trend toward a more pronounced inflammatory reaction than similar EVAR using PTFE and is associated with a longer in-hospital stay.

Peri-procedural Risk with Urgent Carotid Artery Stenting: A Population based Swedvasc Study.

OBJECTIVES Current European Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines recommend that patients with a symptomatic carotid stenosis should be operated on within 14 days of onset of symptoms. Recent reports indicate that carotid endarterectomy (CEA) within 2 days of a neurological event may be associated with a higher peri-procedural risk of stroke. Whether urgent carotid artery stenting (CAS) carries a similar high risk is unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze if urgent CAS increases the peri-procedural risks. METHODS Retrospective analysis of all CAS registered in Swedvasc, a validated nationwide registry, between January 1, 2005, and March 20, 2014. Only symptomatic patients treated for a stenosis of the internal carotid artery were included. Patients were categorized according to time from index event to surgery; 0-2 days, 3-7 days, 8-14 days, and 15-180 days. Primary outcome was 30 day combined stroke and death rate. RESULTS 323 patients underwent CAS for symptomatic carotid artery stenosis. The demographic and clinical data were similar in the groups. No procedure related complications or deaths were observed in the urgent CAS group. The 30 day combined stroke and death rate did not differ significantly between the groups; zero of 13 (0%; 95% CI 0-26.6) in the group treated 0-2 days versus four of 85 (4.7%; 95% CI 1.5-11.9), at 3-7 days, five of 80 (6.3%; 95% CI 2.4-14.1) at 8-14 days, and six of 145 (4.1%; 95% CI 1.7-8.9) for the patients treated at 15-180 days (p = .757). Stroke and death were not more frequent for patients treated within 1 week compared with after 1 week: 4 out of 98 (4.1%; 95% CI 1.3-9.0) versus 11/225 (4.9%; 95% CI 2.7-8.6) (p = .751). CONCLUSIONS In this national registry study, CAS performed within 1 week of the onset of a neurologic event was not associated with an additional risk of a peri-operative complication compared with those treated subsequently.