Is there a need for postoperative follow-up after routine urogynaecological procedures? Patients will self-present if they have problems

How common are complications following polypropylene mesh, biological xenograft and native tissue surgery for pelvic organ prolapse? A secondary analysis from the PROSPECT trial

Objective

To report complication rates following prolapse surgery using polypropylene mesh inlay, polypropylene mesh kit, biological collagen xenografts and native tissue repairs.

Design

Secondary analysis of the PROSPECT randomised controlled trial and cohort study.

Setting

Thirty‐five UK hospitals.

Population

A total of 2632 women undergoing anterior and/or posterior vaginal prolapse repair.

Methods

Event rates were calculated for all complications. Analysis was by treatment received.

Main outcome measures

IUGA/ICS classification of complications and validated patient reported outcome measures.

Results

At baseline, 8.4% of women had ‘generic’ pain/discomfort; at 2 years following surgery, there was an improvement in all four groups; however, 3.0% of women developed de novo extreme generic pain. At 24 months de novo vaginal tightness occurred in 1.6% of native tissue, 1.2% of biological xenograft, 0.3% of mesh inlay and 3.6% of mesh kit. Severe dyspareunia occurred in 4.8% of native tissue, 4.2% of biological xenograft, 3.4% of mesh inlay repairs and 13.0% of mesh kits. De novo severe dyspareunia occurred in 3.5% of native tissue, 3.5% of biological xenograft, 1.4% of mesh inlays and 4.8% of mesh kits. Complications requiring re‐admission to hospital, unrelated to mesh, affected 1 in 24 women; the most common reasons for re‐admission were vaginal adhesions, urinary retention, infection and constipation.

Conclusions

This is the first study to address the complications of vaginal mesh used for prolapse surgery alongside data from both native tissue and biological xenograft. It demonstrates the complexity of assessing pain and that all types of prolapse surgery have low surgical morbidity and a low rate of severe complications.

Tweetable abstract

A prospective study of 2362 women undergoing vaginal mesh, xenograft or native tissue repair found low surgical morbidity and low rates of severe complications.

A prospective study of 2362 women undergoing vaginal mesh, xenograft or native tissue repair found low surgical morbidity and low rates of severe complications.

A nationwide cohort study of hospital contacts after surgical treatment for urinary incontinence

AIMS

The aim was to assess complications of urinary incontinence (UI) for women who had a hospital contact within 30 days and to evaluate the conventional method of classifying complications vs grading complications into the Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC) system.

METHODS

A historical cohort study based on a nationwide population of women who had hospital contact within 30 days of surgical treatment for UI during a 5-year period.

RESULTS

There were 874 (16.2%) hospital contacts to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, among 5393 procedures. For retropubic midurethral sling (RPMUS) and transobturator midurethral sling (TOMUS), the most common reasons for hospital contacts were voiding dysfunction, self-reported pain within 14 days and acute cystitis and for urethral injection therapy (UIT) persisting UI, acute cystitis, and voiding dysfunction. Voiding dysfunction requiring surgery, use of catheter or both, occurred more frequently in women who had RPMUS as compared with TOMUS (30.5% vs 21.7%; P = .01). Women, who received RPMUS and TOMUS, had surgical complications classified as up to CD IIIb, whereas women who had UIT were classified as up to CD II.

CONCLUSIONS

Sixteen percent of the women had a hospital contact within 30 days. A more obstructive character of RPMUS than for TOMUS was indicated, as more women with voiding dysfunction required surgery or catheter following RPMUS. The CDC system in its current form does not improve the overall characterization of complications in terms of type and severity following synthetic midurethral sling and UIT treatment.

Optimizing postoperative follow-up in pediatric surgery (OFIPS)

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The purpose of the study was to determine variables associated with attending postoperative clinic follow-up (POFU) in pediatric surgical patients, predictors of clinical value, and visit cost estimates.

METHODS

POFU patterns of children undergoing eight common pediatric surgical procedures over one year at a tertiary pediatric hospital were examined retrospectively. Variables associated with attending POFU and associated with predetermined measures of clinical value and cost were determined. Driving distance to hospital was chosen as a proxy measure of cost to the family.

RESULTS

Six-hundred-thirty-three patients were included, and 58% attended POFU. Variables independently associated with attending follow-up included: procedure type (orchidopexy, complicated appendicitis), living close to the hospital, having a defined follow-up order, individual surgeon attending. Clinical value was identified in 16.4% of patient visits and associated with orchidopexies, having required an earlier urgent postoperative visit and longer cases considered "complex". Significant costs to the health care system (~$125,000) and families (~$15,000) could be estimated from follow-up cases that had no clinical issues identified nor required an intervention.

CONCLUSION

POFU of common pediatric surgical procedures may have limited clinical value while coming at significant costs to families and the health care system. Further study is needed to define optimal needs and means of follow-up of these common pediatric surgical procedures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III.

Telephone follow-up by a midlevel provider after laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair instead of face-to-face clinic visit

Background and Objectives:

The need for more cost- and time-efficient provision of medical care has prompted an interest in remote or telehealth approaches to delivery of health care. We present a study examining the feasibility and outcomes of implementation of a telephone follow-up program for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

Methods:

This is a retrospective review of consecutive patients who prospectively agreed to undergo telephone follow-up after laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair instead of standard face-to-face clinic visits. Patients received a telephone call from a dedicated physician assistant 2 to 3 weeks after surgery and answered a predetermined questionnaire. A face-to-face clinic visit was scheduled based on the results of the call or on patient request.

Results:

Of 62 patients who underwent surgery, all agreed to telephone follow-up instead of face-to-face clinic visits. Their mean round-trip distance to the hospital was 122 miles. Fifty-five patients (88.7%) successfully completed planned telephone follow-up. Three patients (4.8%) were lost to follow-up, and 4 (6.5%) were erroneously scheduled for a clinic appointment. Of the 55 patients who were reached by telephone, 50 (90.9%) were satisfied and declined an in-person clinic visit. Five patients (9.1%) returned for a clinic appointment based on concerns raised during the telephone call. Of these, 1 was found to have an early hernia recurrence and 1 had a seroma.

Conclusion:

Telephone follow-up by a midlevel provider after laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is feasible and effective and is well received by patients.

A retrospective study on telephone follow-up of anterior colporrhaphy by a specialized nurse

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

The aim of the study was to evaluate a new follow-up practice after anterior colporrhaphy for central cystocele involving nurse telephone follow-up.

METHODS

A retrospective follow-up of all 84 patients with an anterior colporrhaphy operation during 2011 was performed. Standard postoperative procedure in uncomplicated cases of cystocele operation (first-time cystocele operation, no preoperative incontinence or voiding difficulties, and no immediate postoperative complications) was a telephone interview performed by a continence nurse 3 months after patient surgery. A local checklist comprising questions concerning complications, voiding dysfunction, and sexual life, as well as questions from the International Consultation on Incontinence Vaginal Symptoms (ICIQ-VS) and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) were used. Complex cases were followed by the surgeon with a consultation including gynecological examination after 3 months.

RESULTS

Out of 84 patients with a cystocele operation, 59 were uncomplicated and had a telephone follow-up. Forty-four (75 %) were satisfied and needed no further consultation in the hospital. One patient could not be contacted. Fourteen patients had a consultation, three before the telephone consultation because of bleeding, five because of anxiety, and one each because of voiding dysfunction and prolapse symptoms. Four patients had persisting urinary incontinence and were incorrectly scheduled for a telephone interview.

CONCLUSIONS

Selecting uncomplicated cases for a nurse telephone follow-up after cystocele operation is feasible in a majority of cases. This allows doctors to see more new patients and focus on difficult cases, as well as saving time and money.