Perioperative Microbiologic Monitoring of Sputum on Postoperative Day One as a Predictor of Pneumonia After Hepatectomy

Risk factors for postoperative pneumonia after hepatectomy with extrahepatic bile duct resection

BACKGROUND

The present study investigated the incidence of postoperative pneumonia (POP) after hepatectomy with extrahepatic bile duct resection (BDR) and elucidated risk factors for POP.

METHODS

A total of 257 patients undergoing hepatectomy with BDR between 2011 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate the incidence of POP, defined by the Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ II. The predictive factors for POP were identified using logistic regression analysis of the pre- and intraoperative evaluable factors.

RESULTS

Postoperative pneumonia developed in 15 patients (5.8%), diagnosed as grade IV or V in five patients. In a multivariate analysis, a vital capacity ratio (%VC) <80% (odds ratio [OR] 7.30, P = .005), age ≥ 74 years old (OR 5.39, P = .026), and future liver volume remnant (FLR) ratio ≤ 40% (OR 4.97, P = .045) were independent risk factors for POP. Among patients with performing spirometry, the incidence of developing POP was 1.0%, 8.8%, and 60% in patients with 0, 1-2, and 3 risk factors, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of POP in patients undergoing hepatectomy with BDR was 5.8%. A %VC <80%, age ≥74 years old, and FLR ratio ≤40% were identified as preoperative predictive factors of developing POP.

Sustaining a Multidisciplinary, Single-Institution, Postoperative Mobilization Clinical Practice Improvement Program Following Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol has been recently extended to hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery, with excellent outcomes reported. Early mobilization is an essential facet of the ERAS protocol, but compliance has been reported to be poor. We recently reported our success in a 6-month clinical practice improvement program (CPIP) for early postoperative mobilization. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced reduced staffing and resource availability, which can make CPIP sustainability difficult.

OBJECTIVE

We report outcomes at 1 year following the implementation of our CPIP to improve postoperative mobilization in patients undergoing major HPB surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We divided our study into 4 phases-phase 1: before CPIP implementation (January to April 2019); phase 2: CPIP implementation (May to September 2019); phase 3: post-CPIP implementation but prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (October 2019 to March 2020); and phase 4: post-CPIP implementation and during the pandemic (April 2020 to September 2020). Major HPB surgery was defined as any surgery on the liver, pancreas, and biliary system with a duration of >2 hours and with an anticipated blood loss of ≥500 ml. Study variables included length of hospital stay, distance ambulated on postoperative day (POD) 2, morbidity, balance measures (incidence of fall and accidental dislodgement of drains), and reasons for failure to achieve targets. Successful mobilization was defined as the ability to sit out of bed for >6 hours on POD 1 and ambulate ≥30 m on POD 2. The target mobilization rate was ≥75%.

RESULTS

A total of 114 patients underwent major HPB surgery from phases 2 to 4 of our study, with 33 (29.0%), 45 (39.5%), and 36 (31.6%) patients in phases 2, 3, and 4, respectively. No baseline patient demographic data were collected for phase 1 (pre-CPIP implementation). The majority of the patients were male (n=79, 69.3%) and underwent hepatic surgery (n=92, 80.7%). A total of 76 (66.7%) patients underwent ON-Q PainBuster insertion intraoperatively. The median mobilization rate was 22% for phase 1, 78% for phases 2 and 3 combined, and 79% for phase 4. The mean pain score was 2.7 (SD 1.0) on POD 1 and 1.8 (SD 1.5) on POD 2. The median length of hospitalization was 6 days (IQR 5-11.8). There were no falls or accidental dislodgement of drains. Six patients (5.3%) had pneumonia, and 21 (18.4%) patients failed to ambulate ≥30 m on POD 2 from phases 2 to 4. The most common reason for failure to achieve the ambulation target was pain (6/21, 28.6%) and lethargy or giddiness (5/21, 23.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

This follow-up study demonstrates the sustainability of our CPIP in improving early postoperative mobilization rates following major HPB surgery 1 year after implementation, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further large-scale, multi-institutional prospective studies should be conducted to assess compliance and determine its sustainability.

Does a pulmonary rehabilitation based ERAS program (PREP) affect pulmonary complication incidence, pulmonary function and quality of life after lung cancer surgery? Study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer surgery is associated with a high incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). Preliminary evidence suggests that ERAS processes can reduce overall incidence of PPCs as short- and long-term recovery improved by supporting units to adopt evidence-based care. However, the evidence is inconclusive due to insufficient high-level studies in this research field. No well-designed, adequately powered, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have investigated the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation based ERAS program (PREP) on post-operative pulmonary complications, pulmonary function, and health related quality of life following lung cancer surgery.

METHODS

The PREP trial is a pragmatic, investigator-initiated, multi-center, randomized controlled, parallel group, clinical trial. Five hundred patients scheduled for minimally invasive pulmonary resection at six hospitals in China will be randomized with concealed allocation to receive either i) a pre-operative assessment and an information booklet or ii) a pre-operative assessment, an information booklet, plus an additional education, a 30-min pulmonary rehabilitation training session and the post-operative pulmonary rehabilitation program. The primary outcome is incidence of PPCs defined with the Melbourne Group Scale diagnostic scoring tool. Secondary outcomes include incidence of cardiopulmonary and other complications, pulmonary function, cardiopulmonary endurance, muscle strength, activity level, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), pre- and post-operative hospital length of stay (LOS), and total hospital LOS.

DISCUSSION

The PREP trial is designed to verify the hypothesis that pulmonary rehabilitation based ERAS program reduces incidence of PPCs and improves pulmonary function and HRQoL in patients following lung cancer surgery. This trial will furthermore contribute significantly to the limited knowledge about the pulmonary rehabilitation based ERAS program following lung cancer surgery, and may thereby form the basis of future recommendations in the surgical community.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR1900024646, 21 July 2019.

Risk factors for postoperative pneumonia according to examination findings before surgery under general anesthesia

OBJECTIVE

This study was performed to determine the risk factors associated with postoperative complications after surgery under general anesthesia according to respiratory function test results and oral conditions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Preoperative examination data were collected for 471 patients who underwent surgery under general anesthesia at the Medical Hospital of Kyusyu University. Respiratory function tests, oral examinations, and perioperative oral management were performed in all patients. The incidence of and risk factors for postoperative complications were investigated. Classification and regression tree analyses were performed to investigate the risk factors for postoperative complications.

RESULTS

Among the 471 patients, 11 developed postoperative pneumonia, 10 developed postoperative respiratory symptoms, and 10 developed postoperative fever. The most important risk factor for pneumonia was edentulism. Age, the Brinkman index, and head and neck surgery were also revealed as important risk factors for pneumonia. The O'Leary plaque control record (initial visit) was an important risk factor for postoperative respiratory symptoms. With respect to postoperative fever, a Hugh-Jones classification of grade > 1 was the most important risk factor; edentulism and a Brinkman index of > 642.5 were also found to be risk factors.

CONCLUSION

In addition to respiratory function tests, oral examinations may be important for the prediction of postoperative complications. Additionally, improved oral hygiene may be effective in preventing postoperative respiratory complications.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Risk factors for postoperative complications should be comprehensively evaluated using both respiratory function tests and oral findings.

Effect of operative duration on infectious complications and mortality following hepatectomy

BACKGROUND

To study mortality and infectious complications (IC) risk relative to operative duration in a large and contemporary cohort of patients undergoing hepatectomy.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of 21,443 patients from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program dataset of patients who underwent liver resection from 2012 to 2016.

RESULTS

Patients undergoing hepatectomy during the study period (N = 21,443) had a mean operative duration of 243.5 min of which 16.6% (3533) developed at least one IC. The overall 30-day mortality was 1.6%. A significant increase in mortality and IC was demonstrated from 3 h of operating time (OR: 1.99 and OR: 1.94, respectively), peaking at 8 h (OR: 7.15 and OR: 6.37, respectively). Pneumonia, sepsis/septic shock, and SSI presented high prevalence and were linked to significant mortality. After case-matching, elective hepatectomy was associated with a 4-fold increased risk of infectious complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Operative duration was associated with a linear increased risk of mortality and IC after hepatectomy. The most critical determinants of IC were ASA class, COPD, CHF, and type of hepatectomy.

The Epidemiology and Risk Factors for Postoperative Pneumonia

Postoperative pneumonia is a common complication of surgery, and is associated with marked morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in surgical and anesthetic technique, it persists as a frequent postoperative complication. Many studies have aimed to assess its burden, as well as associated risk factors. However, this complication varies among the different surgical specialties, and there is a paucity of reports that comprehensively evaluate this complication. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to review the epidemiology and risk factors of postoperative pneumonia in the setting of: 1) general surgery; 2) cardiothoracic surgery; 3) orthopedic and spine surgery; and 4) head and neck surgery.

Pneumonia is associated with a high risk of mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND

Pancreatectomy is associated with a high complication rate that varies between 40-60%. Although many specific complications have been extensively studied, postoperative pneumonia has received little attention.

METHODS

Patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 1,090) and distal pancreatectomy (n = 436) from 2002 to 2014 at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital were retrospectively assessed for postoperative pneumonia. Incidence, predictive factors, and outcomes were determined.

RESULTS

Pneumonia was diagnosed in 4.3% of patients after pancreaticoduodenectomy and 2.5% after distal pancreatectomy. The majority of the pneumonias were attributed to aspiration (87.2% and 81.8%, respectively). Pneumonias were more frequently severe (Clavien-Dindo grades 4 or 5) in the pancreaticoduodenectomy group compared to the distal pancreatectomy group (55.3% vs 9.1%, P = .006). Post-pancreaticoduodenectomy pneumonia predictors included delayed gastric emptying (odds ratio 8.2, P < .001), oxygen requirement on postoperative day 3 (odds ratio 3.2, P = .005), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (odds ratio 3.1, P = .049). In the post-pancreaticoduodenectomy group, pneumonia was associated with a very high 90-day mortality compared with those who did not have pneumonia (29.8% vs 2.1%, P < .001) and had the largest effect on mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy (odds ratio 9.6, P < .001). A preoperative risk score model for pneumonia post-pancreaticoduodenectomy was developed.

CONCLUSION

Pneumonia after pancreaticoduodenectomy is an uncommon but highly morbid event and is associated with a substantially increased risk of perioperative death.