Eelco J. Veen

Reduction of Surgical Site Infections after Implementation of a Bundle of Care

Background Surgical Site Infections (SSI) are relatively frequent complications after colorectal surgery and are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Objective Implementing a bundle of care and measuring the effects on the SSI rate. Design Prospective quasi experimental cohort study. Methods A prospective surveillance for SSI after colorectal surgery was performed in the Amphia Hospital, Breda, from January 1, 2008 until January 1, 2012. As part of a National patient safety initiative, a bundle of care consisting of 4 elements covering the surgical process was introduced in 2009. The elements of the bundle were perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis, hair removal before surgery, perioperative normothermia and discipline in the operating room. Bundle compliance was measured every 3 months in a random sample of surgical procedures. Results Bundle compliance improved significantly from an average of 10% in 2009 to 60% in 2011. 1537 colorectal procedures were performed during the study period and 300 SSI (19.5%) occurred. SSI were associated with a prolonged length of stay (mean additional length of stay 18 days) and a significantly higher 6 months mortality (Adjusted OR: 2.71, 95% confidence interval 1.76–4.18). Logistic regression showed a significant decrease of the SSI rate that paralleled the introduction of the bundle. The adjusted Odds ratio of the SSI rate was 36% lower in 2011 compared to 2008. Conclusion The implementation of the bundle was associated with improved compliance over time and a 36% reduction of the SSI rate after adjustment for confounders. This makes the bundle an important tool to improve patient safety.

The registration of complications in surgery: a learning curve.

Registration of complications in surgery is an important method used for quality improvement. Unfortunately many different definitions and classification systems have been used, which influences the interpretation and the outcome of complication registration. Since 1986 complications have been registered on a daily basis in our surgical department. We focus in this article on the influence of changes in interpretation of the definition and registration methods used on the incidence of registered complications. Between 1986 and 1993 complications registered were strictly related to surgical procedures. In the second period, between 1993 and 2001, the interpretation of the definition changed and all adverse events were registered in a patient-centred way, not only related to the surgical procedure. The definition used in both periods did not change. In 1993 we started with the implementation of a fully automated registration system in our surgical department. In the first period 1699 (7%) complications in 24,201 surgical procedures were registered and in the second period 8335 (27%) complications were registered in 31,161 surgical procedures. A dramatic increase in the total number of registered complications was seen with the implementation of a fully automated registration system and a patient-centred way of registering complications. In the context of the evolving discussion of quality of care, a uniform definition and registration system has to be used to assure reliable outcome data in surgery and to form a basis for comparison.

Implementation of a bundle of care to reduce surgical site infections in patients undergoing vascular surgery.

Background Surgical site infections (SSI’s) are associated with severe morbidity, mortality and increased health care costs in vascular surgery. Objective To implement a bundle of care in vascular surgery and measure the effects on the overall and deep-SSI’s rates. Design Prospective, quasi-experimental, cohort study. Methods A prospective surveillance for SSI’s after vascular surgery was performed in the Amphia hospital in Breda, from 2009 through 2011. A bundle developed by the Dutch hospital patient safety program (DHPSP) was introduced in 2009. The elements of the bundle were (1) perioperative normothermia, (2) hair removal before surgery, (3) the use of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis and (4) discipline in the operating room. Bundle compliance was measured every 3 months in a random sample of surgical procedures and this was used for feedback. Results Bundle compliance improved significantly from an average of 10% in 2009 to 60% in 2011. In total, 720 vascular procedures were performed during the study period and 75 (10.4%) SSI were observed. Deep SSI occurred in 25 (3.5%) patients. Patients with SSI’s (28,5±29.3 vs 10.8±11.3, p<0.001) and deep-SSI’s (48.3±39.4 vs 11.4±11.8, p<0.001) had a significantly longer length of hospital stay after surgery than patients without an infection. A significantly higher mortality was observed in patients who developed a deep SSI (Adjusted OR: 2.96, 95% confidence interval 1.32–6.63). Multivariate analysis showed a significant and independent decrease of the SSI-rate over time that paralleled the introduction of the bundle. The SSI-rate was 51% lower in 2011 compared to 2009. Conclusion The implementation of the bundle was associated with improved compliance over time and a 51% reduction of the SSI-rate in vascular procedures. The bundle did not require expensive or potentially harmful interventions and is therefore an important tool to improve patient safety and reduce SSI’s in patients undergoing vascular surgery.

The accuracy of complications documented in a prospective complication registry.

BACKGROUND The objectives of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of a prospective complication registry for documenting complications and identify possible factors for non-registering. METHODS Five hundred randomly selected patients admitted at the Department of Surgery of St. Elisabeth Hospital Tilburg, The Netherlands, in the year 2005, were evaluated for incidence and type of complications by an examination of their medical records and compared with a prospective complication registry. The system was independently reviewed by two persons for missing complications. Patient files with missing complications in the registry were screened for factors possibly responsible for non-registering. RESULTS Two hundred thirteen complications were detected, 58 (27%) missing in the registry. There were 50 different types of complications documented. The number of events missing per category were: drug-related (50%, n = 4), organ dysfunction (44%, n = 14), infection-related (25%, n = 19), surgery/intervention-related (23%, n = 14), and hospital-provider errors (19%, n = 7). Not all clinically important complications were adequately documented (e.g., anastomotic leakage). The kappa score was 0.695, making the interrater reliability substantial. CONCLUSION The accuracy of registering complications is fairly acceptable compared to the ranges mentioned in literature. It is disappointing that clinically important events are missing in the registry. The inaccuracy could be explained by a great diversity of documented events, due to a broad definition, suggesting ignorance of the responsible team of which events to register.

Midterm Results of Autologous Saphenous Vein and ePTFE Pre-Cuffed Bypass Surgery in Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease:

Introduction: The graft of choice in lower limb bypass surgery is the autologous saphenous vein (ASV). However, a prosthetic graft is needed in the absence of an ASV. In such situations, we used an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) pre-cuffed Dynaflo graft as supragenicular bypass or Distaflo graft as infragenicular or femorocrural bypass. In respect to the expanding possibilities of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), the indication for bypass surgery moved toward patients with advanced stages of peripheral arterial occlusive disease. For this reason, this study analyzed the current performances of these ePTFE grafts and ASV grafts with special attention to limb salvage. Methods: In a retrospective study all patients who underwent peripheral bypass surgery between 2004 and 2008 were included. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to express primary patency, secondary patency, and limb salvage rates at 1 and 3 years. Log-rank tests were performed to compare graft types. Results: A total of 272 grafts (ePTFE/ASV: 110/162) were performed in lower limb bypass surgery. The mean follow-up was 20.3 months. The secondary 3-year patency rates were for (n=78) supragenicular grafts (ePTFE/ASV: 45%/94%)*, for (n=124) infragenicular grafts (24%/74%)*, and 70 for femorocrural grafts (26%/52%). Limb salvage after 3 years was 59% in the ePTFE group versus 78% in the ASV group* (*P < .05). Conclusion. In the current population of vascular patients where no PTA is possible and a peripheral bypass is necessary, the ASV remains the graft of first choice. However, the pre-cuffed ePTFE graft is a good alternative, especially in cases of critical limb ischemia, in respect to an acceptable limb salvage rate.

Outcome of elective treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm in elderly patients

INTRODUCTION Optimal management of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in the elderly is not straightforward. We evaluated treatment results of elderly patients with asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm that met the treatment criteria in our clinic. METHODS Hospital charts between January 2005-December 2012 were reviewed of all patients 70 years and older diagnosed with AAA with a diameter that met the treatment criteria. Patients were stratified by age (group I: 70-79 years, group II: 80 years or older) and treatment. Outcome was measured in terms of survival and complications. RESULTS In total 283 patients (240 (85%) men, median age 77.4 years) were included, 211 (75%) in group I and 72 (25%) in group II. There was an overall significantly higher mortality rate in the octogenarians (p < 0.01). This difference was not seen in the groups treated conservatively and with OPEN repair. However, in the EVAR group there was a significantly higher mortality rate in octogenarians (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Long-term outcome after EVAR procedures results in higher mortality rates for the population older than 80 years as compared to the group aged 70-79 years.

Variable impact of complications in general surgery: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Registering complications is important in surgery, since complications serve as outcome measures and indicators of quality of care. Few studies have addressed the variation in severity and consequences of complications. We hypothesized that complications show much variation in consequences and severity. METHODS We conducted a prospective observational cohort study to evaluate consequences and severity of complications in surgical practice. All recorded complications of patients admitted to our hospital between June 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2007, were prospectively recorded in an electronic database. Complications were classified according to the system of the Trauma Registry of the American College of Surgeons. We graded the severity of complications according to the system proposed by Clavien and colleagues, and the consequences of each complication were registered. RESULTS During the study period, 3418 complications were recorded; consequences and severity were recorded in 89% of them. Of 3026 complications, 987 (33%) were grade I, 781 (26%) were grade IIa, 1020 (34%) were grade IIb, 150 (5%) were grade III and 88 (3%) were grade IV. The consequences and severity of identically registered complications showed a large degree of variation, best illustrated by wound infections, which were grade I in 50%, grade IIa in 22%, grade IIb in 28% and grade III and IV in 0.3% of patients. CONCLUSION Severity should be routinely presented when reporting complications in clinical practice and surgical research papers to adequately compare quality of care and results of clinical trials.

Long-term outcome of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: impact of treatment and age

Background Despite advances in operative repair, ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) remains associated with high mortality and morbidity rates, especially in elderly patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of emergency endovascular aneurysm repair (eEVAR), conventional open repair (OPEN), and conservative treatment in elderly patients with rAAA. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of all rAAA patients treated with OPEN or eEVAR between January 2005 and December 2011 in the vascular surgery department at Amphia Hospital, the Netherlands. The outcome in patients treated for rAAA by eEVAR or OPEN repair was investigated. Special attention was paid to patients who were admitted and did not receive operative intervention due to serious comorbidity, extremely advanced age, or poor physical condition. We calculated the 30-day rAAA-related mortality for all rAAA patients admitted to our hospital. Results Twelve patients did not receive operative emergency repair due to extreme fragility (mean age 87 years, median time to mortality 27 hours). Twenty-three patients had eEVAR and 82 had OPEN surgery. The 30-day mortality rate in operated patients was 30% (7/23) in the eEVAR group versus 26% (21/82) in the OPEN group (P=0.64). No difference in mortality was noted between eEVAR and OPEN over 5 years of follow-up. There were more cardiac adverse events in the OPEN group (n=25, 31%) than in the eEVAR group (n=2, 9%; P=0.035). Reintervention after discharge was more frequent in patients who received eEVAR (35%) than in patients who had OPEN (6%, P<0.001). Advancing age was associated with increasing mortality (hazard ratio 1.05 [95% confidence interval 1.01–1.09]) per year for patients who received operative repair, with a 67%, 76%, and 100% 5-year mortality rate in the 34 patients aged <70 years, 59 patients aged 70–79 years, and 12 octogenarians, respectively; 30-day rAAA-related mortality was also associated with increasing age (21%, 30%, and 61%, respectively; P=0.008). Conclusion The 30-day and 5-year mortality in patients who survived rAAA was equal between the treatment options of eEVAR and OPEN. Particularly fragile and very elderly patients did not receive operative repair. The decision to intervene in rAAA should not be made on the basis of patient age alone, but also in relation to comorbidity and patient preference.

The use of iodine seed (I-125) as a marker for the localisation of lung nodules in minimal invasive pulmonary surgery.

AIM Video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is an important tool in the field of thoracic pathology both for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. The standard technique for localisation of non-visible or non-palpable lung lesions is the use of image guided insertion of a guide-wire. However, this method is associated with complications such as pneumothorax, bleeding and wire-dislocation. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using of iodine seeds (I-125) as a marker of lung lesions during VATS. METHODS 28 consecutive patients with parenchymal lung lesions had I-125 seed localisation performed prior to VATS. After seed placement all patients underwent VATS with wedge resection. RESULTS During surgery all lesions could be identified and radically resected. In six (21.4%) patients the seed was not placed optimally but none of these cases were associated with seed dislocation after placement. In four and in 5 patients the placement of the I-125 seed was complicated by a haematoma and pneumothorax respectively. However, in all of these patients a wait-and-see policy would have been justified. In one patient a conversion to a thoracotomy was necessary due to seed displacement. CONCLUSION In patients with parenchymal lung lesions undergoing VATS and wedge resection I-125 seed localisation is a feasible technique. Complication rates are comparable to standard guide-wire localisation. Although I-125 seeds can be positioned under CT-guidance an optimal placement is of utmost importance for VATS wedge resection. Further research is needed to investigate the possible advantages of this technique.

Pneumonectomy for bronchogenic carcinoma: analysis of factors predicting short- and long-term outcome.

The objective of this study was to analyse predictive factors for postoperative and long-term outcome after pneumonectomy. From 1 January 2000 to 1 January 2005 a total of 91 (31%) pneumonectomies were performed. Multivariable analysis for postoperative morbidity, mortality, and long-term survival was performed. Patients over 70 years had 1.5 times higher risk of dying (HR=1.5, 95% CI=1.1-2.0) within five years compared to younger patients, those with co-morbidity had 1.8 times higher risk compared to no co-morbidity (HR=1.8, 95% CI=1.3-2.7) and those with stage IIIA had 2.3 times higher risk of dying compared to stage I (HR=2.3, 95% CI=1.5-3.6). Overall postoperative mortality within 30 days in patients undergoing pneumonectomy was 10% (n=9). Most patients who died postoperatively were 70 years or older, had cardiovascular comorbidity and underwent right-sided pneumonectomy (n=6). Patients over 70 years had three times higher risk of complications compared to younger patients (OR=3.1, 95% CI=1.1-8.2), and patients undergoing right-sided pneumonectomy had 2.4 times higher risk compared to left-sided pneumonectomy (OR=2.4, 95% CI=0.9-6.4). Pneumonectomy is accompanied by high postoperative mortality and morbidity rates, the highest risk in patients over 70 years and right-sided pneumonectomy, and consequently should lead to meticulous patient selection and perioperative care.