Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale (ASIS) is responsive in assessing outcome following IPAA

Construct Validity and Responsiveness of the Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale in the Context of Recovery After Colorectal Surgery

BACKGROUND

The Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale is a patient-reported outcome measure that evaluates quality of life after abdominal surgery. Evidence supporting its measurement properties is limited.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to contribute evidence for the construct validity and responsiveness of the Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale as a measure of recovery after colorectal surgery in the context of an enhanced recovery pathway.

DESIGN

This is an observational validation study designed according to the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments checklist.

SETTING

This study was conducted at a university-affiliated tertiary hospital.

PATIENTS

Included were 100 consecutive patients undergoing colorectal surgery (mean age, 65; 57% male).

INTERVENTION

There were no interventions.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Construct validity was assessed at 2 days and 2 and 4 weeks after surgery by testing the hypotheses that Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale scores were higher 1) in patients without vs with postoperative complications, 2) with higher preoperative physical status vs lower, 3) without vs with postoperative stoma, 4) in men vs women, 5) with shorter time to readiness for discharge (≤4 days) vs longer, and 6) with shorter length of stay (≤4 days) vs longer. To test responsiveness, we hypothesized that scores would be higher 1) preoperatively vs 2 days postoperatively, 2) at 2 weeks vs 2 days postoperatively, and 3) at 4 weeks vs 2 weeks postoperatively.

RESULTS

The data supported 3 of the 6 hypotheses (hypotheses 1, 5, and 6) tested for construct validity at all time points. Two of the 3 hypotheses tested for responsiveness (hypotheses 1 and 2) were supported.

LIMITATIONS

This study was limited by the risk of selection bias due to the use of secondary data from a randomized controlled trial.

CONCLUSIONS

The Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale was responsive to the expected trajectory of recovery up to 2 weeks after surgery, but did not discriminate between all groups expected to have different recovery trajectories. There remains a need for the development of recovery-specific, patient-reported outcome measures with adequate measurement properties. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A814.

Does adherence to perioperative enhanced recovery pathway elements influence patient-reported recovery following colorectal resection?

INTRODUCTION

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are pivotal to promote patient-centered perioperative care. Adherence to enhanced recovery programs (ERPs) is associated with improved clinical outcomes (i.e., morbidity, length of stay), but the impact of adherence on PROMs is uncertain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the extent to which adherence to an ERP for colorectal surgery is associated with postoperative recovery as assessed using PROMs.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

100 patients were included [median age 63 (IQR 50-71) years, 81 laparoscopic, 37 rectal surgery]. Overall adherence to the ERP and adherence to specific ERP elements were analyzed. Adjusted linear regression was used to evaluate the association of adherence with PROMs assessing early recovery [Abdominal surgery impact scale (ASIS) and Multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI) on POD2] and late recovery (Duke Activity Status Index, RAND-36 Physical and Mental Summary Scores, Life-Space Mobility Assessment at 4 weeks after surgery). Missing data were addressed using multiple imputations.

RESULTS

Median adherence to the ERP was 80% (16/20 elements, IQR 70-90%). Overall adherence was associated with ASIS scores on POD2 (4% increase per additional element, 95% CI 1-8%; p = 0.018). When specific ERP elements were analyzed, ASIS scores were associated with adherence to PONV prophylaxis (34% increase, 95% CI 5-63%; p = 0.023) and early solid food diet (20% increase, 95% CI 5-35%; p = 0.009). MFI General fatigue and MFI Mental fatigue scores on POD2 were associated with adherence to PONV prophylaxis (36% decrease, 95% CI - 64 to - 8%, p = 0.014 and 22% decrease, 95% CI - 44 to - 8%, p = 0.042). Overall adherence and adherence to specific elements were not associated with PROMs at 4 weeks after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that, from the perspective of patients, adherence to an ERP for colorectal surgery impacts early, but not late postoperative recovery. This result may reflect the lack of PROMs able to validly measure postoperative recovery beyond hospital discharge.

Effect of Nasogastric Tube Feeding vs Nil per Os on Dysmotility in Acute Pancreatitis: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Evidence from animal studies suggests that gastrointestinal motility is impaired in acute pancreatitis. Enteral nutrition, and more specifically nasogastric tube feeding, has emerged as a key treatment modality in patients with acute pancreatitis, but its effect on motility has not been investigated in this setting. The aim was to validate the Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) in patients with acute pancreatitis and determine the effect of nasogastric tube feeding on GCSI.

METHODS

The study design was a randomized controlled trial. Patients were allocated to nasogastric tube feeding or nil per os within 24 hours of hospital admission. GCSI data from before randomization to 72 hours after randomization were analyzed. The test-retest reliability analysis was used to calculate Cronbach's α.

RESULTS

Seventeen patients were randomized to nasogastric tube feeding and 18 to nil per os. Overall, the total GCSI score significantly decreased over the study (F = 8.537; P = .001) but was not significantly different between the 2 study groups during hospitalization (F = 1.159; P = .322). However, patients on nasogastric tube feeding did show improved appetite compared with nil per os (F = 3.526; P = .036). The GCSI was found to be a reliable tool in the setting of acute pancreatitis (Cronbach's α = 0.852).

CONCLUSIONS

Nasogastric tube feeding does not appear to affect dysmotility symptoms in acute pancreatitis as measured by the GCSI, although appetite improved. Use of the simple, noninvasive, and inexpensive GCSI tool to evaluate motility is recommended in future clinical trials in pancreatology.

Bringing Patient-Centered Care to the Fore in Diseases of the Pancreas

Diseases of the pancreas are often very challenging for both patients and doctors as well as pose a considerable burden on healthcare system. Emerging evidence on the importance of shared-decision making in medicine stresses the need to integrate best clinical evidence and patient-reported outcomes to deliver optimal patient care. This paper argues that patient-centered care should no longer be a hermit in management of pancreatic diseases in the 21st century.