Rebecca Gaston Symons

Negative Appendectomy and Imaging Accuracy in the Washington State Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program

Objective:To evaluate negative appendectomy (NA) and the relationship of NA and computed tomography (CT) and/or ultrasound (US). Summary Background Information:NA may be influenced by the use and accuracy of preoperative CT/US. The Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program (SCOAP) gathers chart-abstracted process of care data (such as CT/US accuracy) for general surgical procedures (including appendectomy) at most Washington State hospitals. Methods:We determined the prevalence of NA and CT/US concordance at the 15 SCOAP hospitals with >50 consecutive patients undergoing appendectomy (2006–2007). Results:The number of patients who underwent urgent appendectomies was 3540. The percentage of patients who had imaging (CT-91%) was 86% (women-89%, men-83%). The use of imaging ranged across hospitals from 56% to 97%. There was 91% agreement between imaging and pathology report findings (92.3%-CT and 82.4%-US). The overall rate of NA was 6% (women-8%, men-4%). The prevalence of NA was 9.8% among patients having no imaging, 8.1% among those having an US, and 4.5% in those having a CT. Among patients with NA, CT/US was obtained in 75%; correct in 10% and incorrect or ambiguous in 65%. Higher rates of NA were correlated with lower rates of CT/US concordance (r = −0.57). There was no significant difference in rates of perforation between those with (17%) and without (15%) imaging (P = 0.2). There were significant increases in the use of CT/US and decreases in NA over the time period (P < 0.01). Conclusions:The prevalence of NA at SCOAP hospitals decreased significantly. Variation in NA between hospitals was linked closely to CT/US accuracy suggesting CT/US accuracy should be considered a measure of quality in the care of patients with presumed appendicitis.

The incidence and factors associated with graft infection after aortic aneurysm repair

OBJECTIVES The reported rate of abdominal aortic graft infections (AGIs) is low, but its incidence and associated factors have not been evaluated on a population level. We hypothesized that AGI occurs more often in patients with periprocedural nosocomial infections and less often after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). METHODS A retrospective cohort study was done of all patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair (1987-2005) in Washington State by using the Comprehensive Hospital Abstract Reporting System (CHARS) data. Nosocomial infection was defined as one or more of pneumonia, urinary tract infections, blood stream septicemia, or surgical site infection at the index admission. Readmissions and reintervention for graft infections defined AGIs excluding the diagnostic code of renal failure or those who appeared to have dialysis grafts. RESULTS Between 1987 and 2005, 13,902 patients (mean age, 71.3 +/- 8.8 years; 90.8% men) underwent AAA repair (12,626 open, 1276 EVAR). The cumulative rate of AGIs in the cohort was 0.44%. The 2-year rate of AGI was 0.19% among open vs 0.16% in EVAR (P = .75) and 0.2% in both elective and nonelective patients. Open procedures had greater rates of perioperative pneumonia (11.1% vs 2.4%, P < .001), blood stream septicemia (1.6% vs 0.7%, P < .01), and surgical site infection (.5% vs 0%, P < .012) compared with EVAR. When individually analyzed, blood stream septicemia (.93% vs 18%, P = .014) and surgical site infection (1.61% vs 0.19%, P = .01) were significantly associated with AGIs. The median time to AGI was 3.0 years, and AGI presented sooner (< or =1.4 years) if nosocomial infection occurred at the index admission. This risk of developing AGI after open repair was highest in the first postoperative year (32% of all AGI occurred in year 1). In an adjusted model, blood stream septicemia was significantly associated with AGI (odds ratio, 4.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-11.8) CONCLUSIONS The incidence of AGI was low, presented most commonly in the first postoperative year, and was similar among patients undergoing open AAA repair and EAVR. Patients with nosocomial infection had an earlier onset of AGI. The 2-year rate of AGI was significantly higher in patients who had blood stream septicemia and surgical site infection in the periprocedural hospitalization. These data may be helpful in directing surveillance programs for AIG.

Surgeon Specialty and Long-Term Survival After Pulmonary Resection for Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND Long-term outcomes and processes of care in patients undergoing pulmonary resection for lung cancer may vary by surgeon type. Associations between surgeon specialty and processes of care and long-term survival have not been described. METHODS A cohort study (1992 through 2002, follow-up through 2005) was conducted using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results-Medicare data. The American Board of Thoracic Surgery Diplomates list was used to differentiate board-certified thoracic surgeons from general surgeons (GS). Board-certified thoracic surgeons were designated as cardiothoracic surgeons (CTS) if they performed cardiac procedures and as general thoracic surgeons (GTS) if they did not. RESULTS Among 19,745 patients, 32% were cared for by GTS, 45% by CTS, and 24% by GS. Patient age, comorbidity index, and resection type did not vary by surgeon specialty (all p > 0.10). Compared with GS and CTS, GTS more frequently used positron emission tomography (36% versus 26% versus 26%, respectively; p = 0.005) and lymphadenectomy (33% versus 22% versus 11%, respectively; p < 0.001). After adjustment for patient, disease, and management characteristics, hospital teaching status, and surgeon and hospital volume, patients treated by GTS had an 11% lower hazard of death compared with those who underwent resection by GS (hazard ratio, 0.89; 99% confidence interval, 0.82 to 0.97). The risks of death did not vary significantly between CTS and GS (hazard ratio, 0.94; 99% confidence interval, 0.88 to 1.01) or GTS and CTS (hazard ratio, 0.94; 99% confidence interval, 0.87 to 1.03). CONCLUSIONS Lung cancer patients treated by GTS had higher long-term survival rates than those treated by GS. General thoracic surgeons performed preoperative and intraoperative staging more often than GS or CTS.

Perioperative hyperglycemia and risk of adverse events among patients with and without diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To study the association between diabetes status, perioperative hyperglycemia, and adverse events in a statewide surgical cohort. BACKGROUND Perioperative hyperglycemia may increase the risk of adverse events more significantly in patients without diabetes (NDM) than in those with diabetes (DM). METHODS Using data from the Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program, a cohort study (2010-2012) evaluated diabetes status, perioperative hyperglycemia, and composite adverse events in abdominal, vascular, and spine surgery at 53 hospitals in Washington State. RESULTS Among 40,836 patients (mean age, 54 years; 53.6% women), 19% had diabetes; 47% underwent a perioperative blood glucose (BG) test, and of those, 18% had BG ≥180 mg/dL. DM patients had a higher rate of adverse events (12% vs 9%, P < 0.001) than NDM patients. After adjustment, among NDM patients, those with hyperglycemia had an increased risk of adverse events compared with those with normal BG. Among NDM patients, there was a dose-response relationship between the level of BG and composite adverse events [odds ratio (OR), 1.3 for BG 125-180 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-1.5); OR, 1.6 for BG ≥180 (95% CI, 1.3-2.1)]. Conversely, hyperglycemic DM patients did not have an increased risk of adverse events, including those with a BG 180 or more (OR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.6-1.0). NDM patients were less likely to receive insulin at each BG level. CONCLUSIONS For NDM patients, but not DM patients, the risk of adverse events was linked to hyperglycemia. Underlying this paradoxical effect may be the underuse of insulin, but also that hyperglycemia indicates higher levels of stress in NDM patients than in DM patients.

Racial Disparities Among Patients With Lung Cancer Who Were Recommended Operative Therapy

HYPOTHESIS Health care system and provider biases and differences in patient characteristics are thought to be prevailing factors underlying racial disparities. The influence of these factors on the receipt of care would likely be mitigated among patients who are recommended optimal therapy. We hypothesized that there would be no significant evidence of racial disparities among patients with early-stage lung cancer who are recommended surgical therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Retrospective cohort study of patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database who were diagnosed with stage I or II lung cancer between January 1, 1992, and December 31, 2002 (follow-up through December 31, 2005). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Receipt of lung resection and overall survival. RESULTS Among 17,739 patients who were recommended surgical therapy (mean [SD] age, 75 [5] years; 89% white, 6% black), black patients less frequently underwent resection compared with white patients (69% vs 83%, respectively; P < .001). After adjustment, black race was associated with lower odds of receiving surgical therapy (odds ratio = 0.43; 99% confidence interval, 0.36-0.52). Unadjusted 5-year survival rates were lower for black patients compared with white patients (36% vs 42%, respectively; P < .001). After adjustment, there was no significant association between race and death (hazard ratio = 1.03; 99% confidence interval, 0.92-1.14) despite a 14% difference in receipt of optimal therapy. CONCLUSIONS Even among patients who were recommended surgical therapy, black patients underwent lung resection less often than white patients. Unexpectedly, racial differences in the receipt of optimal therapy did not appear to affect outcomes. These findings suggest that distrust, beliefs and perceptions about lung cancer and its treatment, and limited access to care (despite insurance) might have a more dominant role in perpetuating racial disparities than previously recognized.

Impact of Advancing Age on Abdominal Surgical Outcomes

OBJECTIVE To describe the population-level risk of adverse outcomes among older adults undergoing common abdominal surgical procedures. DESIGN Retrospective, population-based cohort study. SETTING Washington State hospital discharge database. PARTICIPANTS A total of 101 318 adults 65 years or older who underwent common abdominal procedures such as cholecystectomy, colectomy, and hysterectomy from 1987 through 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Ninety-day rates of postsurgical morbidity and mortality. RESULTS The 90-day cumulative incidence of complications was 17.3%, with a 90-day mortality rate of 5.4%. Advancing age was associated with increasing frequency of complications (65-69 years, 14.6%; 70-74 years, 16.1%; 75-79 years, 18.8%; 80-84 years, 19.9%; 85-89 years, 22.6%; and >or=90 years, 22.7%; trend test, P < .001) and mortality (65-69 years, 2.5%; 70-74 years, 3.8%; 75-79 years, 6.0%; 80-84 years, 8.1%; 85-89 years, 12.6%; and >or=90 years, 16.7%; trend test, P < .001). After adjusting for demographic, patient, and surgical characteristics as well as hospital volume, the odds of early postoperative death increased considerably with each advance in age category. These associations were found among patients with both cancer and noncancer diagnoses and for both elective and nonelective admissions (trend test, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Among older adults, the risk of complications and early death after commonly performed abdominal procedures is greater than previously reported. These rates should be considered in ongoing quality improvement initiatives and may be helpful when counseling patients regarding abdominal operations.

Multi-Modality Mediastinal Staging for Lung Cancer Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Introduction: The use of noninvasive and invasive diagnostic tests improves the accuracy of mediastinal staging for lung cancer. It is unknown how frequently multimodality mediastinal staging is used, or whether its use is associated with better health outcomes. Methods: A cohort study was conducted using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data (1998–2005). Patients were categorized as having undergone single (computed tomography [CT] only), bi- (CT and positron emission tomography or CT and invasive staging), or tri-modality (CT, positron emission tomography, and invasive staging) staging. Results: Among 43,912 subjects, 77%, 21%, and 2% received single, bi-, and tri-modality staging, respectively. The use of single modality staging decreased over time from 90% in 1998 to 67% in 2002 (p-trend <0.001), whereas the use of bi- and tri-modality staging increased from 10% to 30% and 0.4% to 5%, respectively. After adjustment for differences in patient characteristics, the use of a greater number of staging modalities was associated with a lower risk of death (bi- versus single modality: hazard ratio [HR] 0.58, 99% confidence interval [CI] 0.56–0.60; tri- versus single modality: HR 0.49, 99% CI 0.45–0.54; tri- versus bi-modality: HR 0.85, 99% CI 0.77–0.93). These associations were maintained even after excluding stage IV patients or adjustment for stage. Conclusions: The use of multimodality mediastinal staging increased over time and was associated with better survival. Stage migration and unmeasured patient and provider characteristics may have affected the magnitude of these associations. Cancer treatment guidelines should emphasize the potential relationship between staging procedures and outcomes, and health care policy should encourage adherence to staging guidelines.

Safety and efficacy of video-assisted versus conventional lung resection for lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE We sought to evaluate the use of video-assisted thoracoscopy among patients with lung cancer and its safety and effectiveness relative to conventional resection. METHODS A cohort study (1994-2002) was conducted by using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results Medicare database. Video-assisted thoracoscopy and conventional resection were hypothesized to be equivalent in terms of risks of death. Equivalency was defined by a confidence interval of 0.72 to 1.28 for the odds of 30-day death and 0.89 to 1.11 for the hazard of death, corresponding to a difference of no more than 1% for 30-day mortality and 5% for 5-year survival, respectively. RESULTS Among 12,958 patients who underwent segmentectomy or lobectomy (mean age, 74 +/- 5 years), 6% underwent video-assisted thoracoscopy. The use of video-assisted thoracoscopy increased from 1% to 9% between 1994 and 2002. Compared with those who underwent conventional resection, patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopy more frequently had smaller tumors (P < .001) and stage I disease (P = .03), underwent lymphadenectomy (P < .001), and were cared for by higher-volume surgeons (P < .001) and at higher-volume hospitals (P < .001). After adjusting for differences in patient, cancer, management, and provider characteristics, the odds of early death were not significantly different between patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopy and those undergoing conventional resection, although equivalency was not demonstrated (adjusted odds ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.57-1.50). The hazard of death was equivalent for video-assisted thoracoscopy and conventional resection (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-1.08). CONCLUSIONS Video-assisted thoracoscopy was uncommonly used to manage lung cancer, although its use has increased over time. Video-assisted thoracoscopy and conventional resection were equivalent in terms of long-term survival.

The significance of discharge to skilled care after abdominopelvic surgery in older adults.

Content:Older adults frequently undergo abdominopelvic surgical operations, yet the risk and significance of postoperative discharge disposition has not been well characterized. Objective:To describe the population-level risk of discharge to institutional care facilities and its impact on survival among older patients who undergo common abdominopelvic surgical procedures. Design, Setting, and Participants:A retrospective, population-based cohort study, using the Washington State hospital discharge database for 89,405 adults aged 65 and older who underwent common abdominopelvic procedures (cholecystectomy, colectomy, hysterectomy/oophorectomy, and prostatectomy) between 1987 and 2004. Main Outcome Measures:Discharge location and short-term and long-term mortality. Results:Advancing age was associated with discharge to an institutional care facility (ICF) after surgery [age, 65–69 (3.3%); 70–74 (5.7%); 75–79 (10.8%); 80–84 (20.6%); 85–89 (31.8%); 90+ (43.9%); trend test, P < 0.001). Postoperative complications were also associated with discharge to an ICF (21.9% vs. 8.9%, P < 0.001). Patients discharged to an ICF after surgery had higher 30-day (4.3% vs. 0.4%), 90 day (12.6% vs. 1.4%), and 1-year mortality (22.2% vs. 5.9%) in comparison with those discharged home with self-care (P < 0.001). Compared with similarly aged adults discharged home, patients discharged to an ICF had 4 times higher 1-year mortality (odds ratio = 3.9; 95% confidence interval = 3.6–4.2). Of patients who died after discharge to an ICF, the majority died either at the ICF (53.7%) or on a subsequent hospital admission (31.0%). Conclusions:Advancing age and postoperative complications are associated with the risk of discharge to an ICF after abdominopelvic operations. Patients discharged to an ICF are much more likely to die within the first postoperative year and ICF disposition should be considered as either a marker of debility and/or a component of patient decline. These findings may be helpful while counseling patients regarding the expected outcomes of ICF placement after surgical intervention.

Thirty-day mortality after primary cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer in the elderly

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with increased 30-day mortality after advanced ovarian cancer debulking among elderly women. METHODS: A database linking Medicare records with the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data was used to identify a cohort of 5,475 women aged 65 and older who had primary debulking surgery for stage III or IV epithelial ovarian cancer (diagnosed 1995–2005). Women were stratified by acuity of hospital admission. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify patient-related and treatment-related variables associated with 30-day mortality. RESULTS: Five thousand four hundred seventy-five women had surgery for advanced ovarian cancer, and the overall 30-day mortality was 8.2%. Women admitted electively had a 30-day mortality of 5.6% (251 of 4,517), and those admitted emergently had a 30-day mortality of 20.1% (168 of 835). Advancing age, increasing stage, and increasing comorbidity score were all associated with an increase in 30-day mortality (all P<.05) among elective admissions. A group of women at high risk admitted electively included those aged 75 or older with stage IV disease and women aged 75 or older with stage III disease and a comorbidity score of 1 or more. This group had an observed 30-day mortality of 12.7% (95% confidence interval 10.7%–14.9%). CONCLUSION: Age, cancer stage, and comorbidity scores may be helpful to stratify electively admitted patients based on predicted postoperative mortality. If validated in a prospective cohort, then these factors may help identify women who may benefit from alternative treatment strategies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II