Characteristics associated with prolonged length of stay after hysterectomy for benign gynecologic conditions

Variables impacting prolonged post-anesthesia care unit length of stay in gynecologic cancer patients in the era of same day minimally invasive hysterectomy

OBJECTIVES

Minimally invasive surgery for treatment of gynecologic malignancies is associated with decreased pain, fewer complications, earlier return to activity, lower cost, and shorter hospital stays. Patients are often discharged the day of surgery, but occasionally stay overnight due to prolonged post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) stays. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for prolonged PACU length of stay (LOS).

METHODS

This is a single institution retrospective review of patients who underwent minimally invasive hysterectomy for gynecologic cancer from 2019 to 2022 and had a hospital stay <24-h. The primary outcome was PACU LOS. Demographics, pre-operative diagnoses, and surgical characteristics were recorded. After Box-Cox transformation, linear regression was used to determine significant predictors of PACU LOS.

RESULTS

For the 661 patients identified, median PACU LOS was 5.04 h (range 2.16-23.76 h). On univariate analysis, longer PACU LOS was associated with increased age (ρ = 0.106, p = 0.006), non-partnered status [mean difference (MD) = 0.019, p = 0.099], increased alcohol use (MD = 0.018, p = 0.102), increased Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score (ρ = 0.065, p = 0.097), and ASA class ≥3 (MD = 0.033, p = 0.002). Using multivariate linear regression, increased age (R2 = 0.0011, p = 0.043), non-partnered status (R2 = 0.0389, p < 0.001), and ASA class ≥3 (R2 = 0.0250, p = 0.023) were associated with increased PACU LOS.

CONCLUSIONS

Identifying patients at risk for prolonged PACU LOS, including patients who are older, non-partnered, and have an ASA class ≥3, may allow for interventions to improve patient experience, better utilize hospital resources, decrease PACU overcrowding, and limit postoperative admissions and complications. The relationship between non-partnered status and PACU LOS is the most novel relationship identified in this study.

Development and validation of a novel risk classification tool for predicting long length of stay in NICU blood transfusion infants

Newborns are as the primary recipients of blood transfusions. There is a possibility of an association between blood transfusion and unfavorable outcomes. Such complications not only imperil the lives of newborns but also cause long hospitalization. Our objective is to explore the predictor variables that may lead to extended hospital stays in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients who have undergone blood transfusions and develop a predictive nomogram. A retrospective review of 539 neonates who underwent blood transfusion was conducted using median and interquartile ranges to describe their length of stay (LOS). Neonates with LOS above the 75th percentile (P75) were categorized as having a long LOS. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression method was employed to screen variables and construct a risk model for long LOS. A multiple logistic regression prediction model was then constructed using the selected variables from the LASSO regression model. The significance of the prediction model was evaluated by calculating the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and assessing the confidence interval around the AUC. The calibration curve is used to further validate the model's calibration and predictability. The model's clinical effectiveness was assessed through decision curve analysis. To evaluate the generalizability of the model, fivefold cross-validation was employed. Internal validation of the models was performed using bootstrap validation. Among the 539 infants who received blood transfusions, 398 infants (P75) had a length of stay (LOS) within the normal range of 34 days, according to the interquartile range. However, 141 infants (P75) experienced long LOS beyond the normal range. The predictive model included six variables: gestational age (GA) (< 28 weeks), birth weight (BW) (< 1000 g), type of respiratory support, umbilical venous catheter (UVC), sepsis, and resuscitation frequency. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) for the training set was 0.851 (95% CI 0.805-0.891), and for the validation set, it was 0.859 (95% CI 0.789-0.920). Fivefold cross-validation indicates that the model has good generalization ability. The calibration curve demonstrated a strong correlation between the predicted risk and the observed actual risk, indicating good consistency. When the intervention threshold was set at 2%, the decision curve analysis indicated that the model had greater clinical utility. The results of our study have led to the development of a novel nomogram that can assist clinicians in predicting the probability of long hospitalization in blood transfused infants with reasonable accuracy. Our findings indicate that GA (< 28 weeks), BW(< 1000 g), type of respiratory support, UVC, sepsis, and resuscitation frequency are associated with a higher likelihood of extended hospital stays among newborns who have received blood transfusions.

Association of Frailty with Adverse Outcomes in Patients with Critical Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background

Frailty is a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study examined the association between the modified frailty index (MFI) and adverse outcomes in patients with critical AMI.

Methods

Data were obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database. Logistic and Cox regression models and a competing risk model were applied.

Results

Of 5003 patients, 1496 were non-frail and 3507 were frail. Frailty was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (per point, OR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.05-1.21; frail vs non-frail, OR 1.31, 95% CI: 1.04-1.65) and 1-year mortality (per point, HR 1.15, 95% CI: 1.11-1.20; frail vs non-frail, HR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.20-1.58). Frailty was significantly associated with post-discharge care needs (per point, OR 1.23, 95% CI: 1.14-1.33; frail vs non-frail, OR 1.47, 95% CI: 1.22-1.78). In the competing risk models, frailty was significantly associated with a lower probability of being discharged from the ICU (per point, HR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.85-0.90; frail vs non-frail, HR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.68-0.79) and hospital (per point, HR 0.82, 95% CI: 0.80-0.85; frail vs non-frail, HR 0.62, 95% CI: 0.57-0.68). Subgroup analyses showed the association of frailty with in-hospital and 1-year mortality was stronger in patients with a SOFA score ≤2 than in those with a SOFA score >2 (both p<0.05 for interaction).

Conclusion

Frailty assessed by the MFI was an independent predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with critical AMI and may be helpful for prognostic risk stratification.

Robotic Surgery and Hospital Reimbursement

The field of plastic surgery remains at the forefront of technological and surgical innovation. However, the promising applications of robotics in plastic surgery must be thoughtfully balanced with hospital finances and reimbursements. Robotic systems have been studied extensively across multiple surgical disciplines and across diverse health care systems. The results show that there may be equal or better patient outcomes than alternatives. In an era where fiscal responsibility in health care is a top priority, thoughtful budgeting and spending must be considered and revisited frequently to attain sustainable organizational models that ensure appropriate use of robotic technology.

The impact of obesity on vaginal hysterectomy and laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy outcomes: A randomised control trial

OBJECTIVES

This prospective randomised control trial aimed to compare outcome measures of vaginal hysterectomy (VH) and laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) in obese vs. non-obese women undergoing hysterectomy for benign uterine conditions with a non-prolapsed uterus. The primary objective of the study was to estimate operation time, uterine weight and blood loss amongst obese and non-obese patients undergoing VH and LAVH. The secondary objective was to determine any difference in hospital stay, the need for post-operative analgesia, intra- and immediate post-operative complications, and the rate of conversion to laparotomy for obese vs. non-obese patients undergoing VH and LAVH.

STUDY DESIGN

A prospective randomised control study was undertaken in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH). Women admitted between January 2017 and December 2019 for hysterectomy due to benign conditions, meeting the inclusion criteria set by the unit (vaginally accessible uterus, uterine size ≤ 12 weeks of gestation or ≤ 280gr on ultrasound examination, pathology confined to the uterus) were included in the study. The VH procedures were performed by the residents in training, under the supervision of specialists with large experience in vaginal surgery. All the LAVHs were performed by one surgeon (AC). In addition to the patient characteristics and surgical approach to hysterectomy, operative time, estimated blood loss, uterine weight, length of hospital stay, intra-operative and immediate post-operative complications were also recorded in obese and non-obese patient groups and comparatively analysed.

RESULTS

A total of 227 women were included in the study. 151 patients underwent VH and 76 LAVH, upon randomisation on a 2:1 basis, reflecting the habitual proportion of hysterectomy cases in the Urogynaecology and Endoscopy Unit at CMJAH. No significant differences were found in mean shift of pre-operative to post-operative serum haemoglobin, uterine weight, intra- and immediate post-operative complications, and convalescence period when comparing obese and non-obese patients in both the VH and LAVH groups. There was a statistically significant difference in operating time between the two procedures. The LAVHs took longer compared to the VHs to be performed (62.8 ± 9.3 vs. 29.9 ± 6.6 min in non-obese patients, and 62.7 ± 9.8 vs 30.0 ± 6,9 min for obese patients). All VHs and LAVHs were successfully accomplished without major complications.

CONCLUSION

VH and LAVH for the non-prolapsed uterus is a feasible and safe alternative for obese patients demonstrating similar perioperative outcome measures as non-obese women undergoing VH and LAVH. Where possible, VH should be preferred to LAVH as it is a safe route of hysterectomy, with operation time being significantly shorter.

The use of the double uterine segment tourniquet in obstetric hysterectomy for bleeding control in patients with placenta accreta spectrum

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate surgical outcomes of using a double uterine segment tourniquet in obstetric hysterectomy for bleeding control in patients with placenta accreta spectrum.

METHODS

Retrospective case-control study conducted at the Central Hospital of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Patients with the diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum who underwent obstetric hysterectomy were included. Two groups were formed: in the first, a double uterine segment tourniquet was used; and in the second, the hysterectomy was performed without a tourniquet. Primary surgical outcomes were compared.

RESULTS

Forty patients in each group were included. The use of a double uterine segment tourniquet had lower total blood loss compared with the non-tourniquet group (1054.00 ± 467.02 vs. 1528.75 ± 347.12 mL, P = 0.0171) and a lower drop in hemoglobin (1.74 ± 1.10 vs. 2.60 ± 1.25 mg/dL, P = 0.0486). Ten patients (23.80%) in the double tourniquet group required blood transfusion, compared with 26 (65.00%) in the non-tourniquet group (P = 0.0003). Surgical time did not show a statistical difference between groups.

CONCLUSION

The use of a uterine segment tourniquet in obstetric hysterectomy may improve surgical outcomes in patients with placenta accreta spectrum with no difference in surgical time and urinary tract lesions.

Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Emergency Department Visits After Outpatient Gynecologic Surgery

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To identify the prevalence of and risk factors for emergency department (ED) visits within 30 days of outpatient gynecologic surgery.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary academic medical institution.

PATIENTS

Adult patients who underwent outpatient surgery (≤1 midnight in the hospital) between January 2018 and September 2019 (N = 2373).

INTERVENTIONS

Scheduled outpatient gynecologic surgery for a benign indication.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

A total of 109 patients (5%) visited the ED within 30 days of surgery. Patients who visited the ED were significantly younger (median age 37 years vs 42 years, p = .02) and had a higher prevalence of abdominal surgical history (67% vs 56%, p = .02) and cardiopulmonary comorbidities (53% vs 40%, p = .007). They were more likely to have undergone a hysterectomy (26% vs 20%) and less likely to have undergone prolapse surgery (4% vs 12%, p = .05). Pain related to the surgical site (42% of ED visits), nausea and/or vomiting (14%), and fever (12%) were the most common surgery-related reasons for ED visits. Medical issues not directly related to surgery accounted for 31% of ED visits. A total of 36% of ED visits resulted in admission. When adjusted for age, insurance status, American Society of Anesthesiologists class, chronic pain and cardiopulmonary comorbidities, abdominal surgical history, primary procedure performed, and surgical route, the following factors were associated with significantly increased risk of visiting the ED: decreasing age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-1.3, p <.001), history of abdominal surgery (aOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.6, p = .017), cardiopulmonary comorbidities (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-3.0, p = .003), undergoing hysterectomy (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.8, p = .032), and a vulvovaginal surgical route as opposed to abdominal surgical route (aOR 2.4, 95% CI 1.2-5.1, p = .015).

CONCLUSION

ED visits after outpatient gynecologic surgery were uncommon, although approximately one-third of visits resulted in admission. Strategies that target our identified risk factors of younger patient age and cardiopulmonary comorbidities may help reduce the ED burden generated by patients undergoing gynecologic surgery.

The effect of hysterectomy types on vaginal length, vaginal shortening rate and FSFI scores

OBJECTIVE

Vaginal length (VL), size and width may show individual differences among women. Hysterectomy causes VL shortening in patients, and this shortening varies according to the type of hysterectomy performed. Some studies in literature have shown that the shortened VL after hysterectomy may cause dyspareunia and have a negative effect on female sexuality. The aim of this study is to compare preoperative and postoperative vaginal lengths, vaginal shortening rate (VSR) not used before in the literature, and postoperative sexual functions according to hysterectomy types.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the study, which included 136 [55 Total Abdominal Hysterectomy (TAH), 33 Vaginal Hysterectomy (VH), 48 Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy (TLH)] sexually active patients under the age of 60 who underwent hysterectomy, the patients were divided into three groups according to the type of hysterectomy performed. Groups were compared in terms of demographic variables, preoperative/postop and control VL, vaginal shortening rate and The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scores.

RESULTS

Vaginal lengths measured after TLH was longer and vaginal lengths measured after VAH was shorter, the difference was significant (p < 0.01). VSRs were 15.9% in TAH group, 10.9% in VH group and 8.3% in TLH group (p < 0.05). Total FSFI score was higher in TLH group than TAH and VH group (p < 0.01). Group of VSR>15% had statistically significantly lower FSFI scores in lubrication, orgasm, pain and total score than both the VSR<10% group and the VSR 10-15% group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Calculating the VSR after hysterectomy instead of postoperative VL measurement will allow us to obtain more individual and accurate results in predicting postoperative sexual functions. We found that TLH is the best hysterectomy method in terms of preserving sexual functions due to less loss of vaginal tissue in the postoperative period from these three techniques that are frequently.

Predictors of prolonged admission after outpatient female pelvic reconstructive surgery

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine factors associated with prolonged hospital admission following outpatient female pelvic reconstructive surgery (FPRS) and associated adverse clinical outcomes.

METHODS

Using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we identified outpatient FPRS performed 2011-2016. Isolated hysterectomy without concurrent prolapse repair was excluded. Surgeries were classified as major or minor for analysis. The primary outcome was prolonged length of stay (LOS), defined as admission of ≥2 days. Secondary outcomes included complications, readmission and reoperation associated with prolonged LOS. We abstracted data on covariates, and following univariable analysis, performed backward stepwise regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 29645 women were included: 12311 (41.5%) major and 17334 (58.5%) minor procedures. A total of 6.9% (2033) had a prolonged LOS. On full cohort multivariable regression analysis, patient characteristics associated with prolonged LOS were older age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.1 per 10 years, confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-1.1, p < 0.001), frailty (OR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.3-2.6, p = 0.001), and Caucasian race (OR: 1.2, CI: 1.02-1.3, p = 0.024). Associated surgical factors included having a major surgical procedure (OR: 1.3, CI: 1.2-1.4, p < 0.001), use of general anesthesia (OR: 2.0, CI: 1.5-2.6, p < 0.001) and longer operative time (OR: 2.0, CI: 1.8-2.2, p < 0.001). The occurrence of any complication (10.3% vs. 4.7%, p < 0.001), hospital readmission (4.3% vs. 1.7%, p < 0.001), and reoperation (2.7% vs. 1.0%, p < 0.001) were more likely with prolonged LOS.

CONCLUSIONS

After outpatient FPRS, 6.9% of patients experience an admission of ≥2 days. Prolonged LOS is more common in patients who are older, frail and Caucasian, and in those who have major surgery with long operative time and general anesthesia.

Reloadable Stapler Use during Peripartum Hysterectomy for Placenta Accreta Spectrum: A Novel Surgical Technique and Case Series

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to describe a novel surgical technique for the management of antenatally suspected placenta accreta spectrum (PAS).

STUDY DESIGN

This is a retrospective, case series of patients with suspected PAS undergoing peripartum hysterectomy with a reloadable articulating stapler at a tertiary care center.

RESULTS

Eighteen patients with antenatally suspected PAS were identified and underwent peripartum hysterectomy with the aid of a reloadable stapler. Mean gestational age at delivery was 34^4/7 ± 1^1/7 weeks. Mean total operative time (skin-to-skin) was 117.3 ± 39.3 minutes, and 79.8 ± 19.8 minutes for the hysterectomy. Mean blood loss for the entire case was 1,809 ± 868 mL. Mean blood loss for the hysterectomy was 431 ± 421 mL. Mean units of intraoperative red blood cells transfused was 3 ± 1 units. Mean units of postoperative red blood cells transfused was 1 ± 0.5 units. Five cases were complicated by urological injury (two intentional cystotomies). Four patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for a mean of ≤24 hours. Mean postoperative LOS was 4.11 ± 1.45 days. Three patients had final pathology that did not demonstrate PAS while four were consistent with accreta, six increta, and five percreta.

CONCLUSION

Use of a reloadable articulating stapler device as part of the surgical management of antenatally suspected PAS results in a shorter operative time (117 ± 39 minutes vs. 140-254 minutes previously reported), lower average blood loss (1,809 ± 868 mL vs. 2,500-5,000 mL previously reported) and shorter LOS (4.11 ± 1.45 days vs. 9.8 ± 13.5 days previously reported) compared with traditional cesarean hysterectomy. The reloadable stapling device offers an advantage of more rapidly achieving hemostasis in the surgical management of PAS.

KEY POINTS

· PAS is associated with severe maternal morbidity.. · Decreased operative time and blood loss have many clinical benefits.. · Reloadable stapler use for PAS decreases operative time.. · Reloadable stapler use for PAS decreases operative blood loss..

[Predicting prolonged length of intensive care unit stay via machine learning]

OBJECTIVE

To construct length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay (LOS-ICU) prediction models for ICU patients, based on three machine learning models support vector machine (SVM), classification and regression tree (CART), and random forest (RF), and to compare the prediction perfor-mance of the three machine learning models with the customized simplified acute physiology score Ⅱ(SAPS-Ⅱ) model.

METHODS

We used medical information mart for intensive care (MIMIC)-Ⅲ database for model development and validation. The primary outcome was prolonged LOS-ICU(pLOS-ICU), defined as longer than the third quartile of patients' LOS-ICU in the studied dataset. The recursive feature elimination method was used to do feature selection for three machine learning models. We utilized 5-fold cross validation to evaluate model prediction performance. The Brier value, area under the receiver operation characteristic curve (AUROC), and estimated calibration index (ECI) were used as perfor-mance measures. Performances of the four models were compared, and performance differences between the models were assessed using two-sided t test. The model with the best prediction performance was employed to generate variable importance ranking, and the identified top five important predictors were pre-sented.

RESULTS

The final cohort in our study consisted of 40 200 eligible ICU patients, of whom 23.7% were with pLOS-ICU. The proportion of the male patients was 57.6%, and the age of all the ICU patients was (61.9±16.5) years.Results showed that the three machine learning models outperformed the customized SAPS-Ⅱ model in terms of all the performance measures with statistical significance (P < 0.01). Among the three machine learning models, the RF model achieved the best overall performance (Brier value, 0.145), discrimination (AUROC, 0.770) and calibration (ECI, 7.259). The calibration curve showed that the RF model slightly overestimated the risk of pLOS-ICU in high-risk ICU patients, but underestimated the risk of pLOS-ICU in low-risk ICU patients. Top five important predictors for pLOS-ICU identified by the RF model included age, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, body tempe-rature, and ratio of arterial oxygen tension to the fraction of inspired oxygen(PaO₂/FiO₂).

CONCLUSION

The RF algorithm-based pLOS-ICU prediction model had a best prediction performance in this study. It lays a foundation for future application of the RF-based pLOS-ICU prediction model in ICU clinical practice.

Pulmonary Metastasectomy in Pediatric Patients: A Comparison of Open and Thoracoscopic Approaches

Background: Although the use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for resection of lung metastases has increased, surgeons still advocate for open resection as it permits palpation of lesions that may be missed on imaging. This study aimed to compare the utilization of open thoracotomy versus VATS over time and determine if the use of VATS changes perioperative outcomes. Methods: Using the Kids' Inpatient Database (2006, 2009, 2012, 2016), we identified children (age ≤20) with a diagnosis of secondary lung cancer with either lobectomy or sublobar resection coded during the same admission. Utilization was compared across years for the overall cohort and for patients with primary bone and connective tissue (PBCT) cancers. We defined prolonged length of stay (LOS) as LOS ≥75th percentile (LOS ≥7 days). Univariable and multivariable analyses compared in-hospital complication rates and LOS for open and VATS approaches. Results: Of the 1316 children (539 female) undergoing pulmonary resection, VATS was utilized in 374 (28.4%). Utilization increased rapidly from 2006 to 2009 (P < .001 for trend), but stabilized thereafter (P = .622). Metastatic PBCT cancers were the most common indication for resection (n = 496, 38%), but open and VATS approaches were used nearly equally (P = .368). Overall, 352 (26%) patients had complications. On multivariable analysis, the open approach remained independently associated with increased complications (odds ratio [OR] 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.04-2.11]). Median LOS increased for open cases (5 versus 3 days, P < .001). Furthermore, open metastasectomy was associated with prolonged LOS (OR 1.50, [1.07-2.10]) after controlling for age, sex, primary cancer, reporting year, resection extent, obesity, complications, and nonoperative intubation. Conclusion: VATS approach to pulmonary metastasectomy resulted in fewer complications and shorter LOS in a nationwide sample of children. Despite these advantages, the use of VATS has plateaued. While this study cannot comment on oncologic safety or long-term outcomes, future studies should evaluate whether indications for VATS pulmonary metastasectomy can be expanded.

Endometrial cancer in the morbidly obese: a review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

With a worldwide increase in obesity, there has been an increase in obesity-related diseases. Endometrial cancer is a common cause of cancer for women worldwide. Incidence of endometrial cancer has risen worldwide. Accompanying these patients are risk factors and challenges that may prevent standard of care from being delivered.

RECENT FINDINGS

The current article describes recent literature describing surgical approaches to the obese patient and special considerations in this population. This article also reviews bariatric surgery and endometrial cancer as well as new updates in radiation, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy research in the obese population.

SUMMARY

The current article reviews therapeutics and surgery in the morbidly obese for the treatment of endometrial cancer.

Effectiveness of 10% povidone-iodine formulation on preoperative vaginal irrigation

AIM

To investigate the effectiveness of 10% povidone-iodine formulation as a vaginal irrigation agent in patients undergoing hysterectomy to prevent postoperative infection.

METHODS

The prevalence of postoperative infection in 277 and 132 patients who underwent preoperative vaginal cleaning with 500 mL of distilled water and 20 mL of 10% povidone-iodine solution, respectively, were compared in this retrospective study.

RESULTS

Postoperative infection was observed in 15.6% of the overall patient population. The rate of postoperative infection was significantly higher in patients treated with 10% povidone-iodine formulation than in those treated with distilled water (21.4% vs 12.8%, P = 0.040). Besides the agents of vaginal irrigation, operation time, length of hospital stay and rate of intraoperative complications affected the prevalence of postoperative infection. The multivariate analysis ranked the use of 10% povidone-iodine formulation for vaginal irrigation as the second top factor contributing to postoperative infection (relative risk: 1.9 when compared to distilled water).

CONCLUSION

Preoperative vaginal irrigation with 10% povidone-iodine formulation led to a significantly higher rate of postoperative infection than did preoperative vaginal irrigation with distilled water. For vaginal irrigation with povidone-iodine, different concentrations and cleaning methods should be considered in the future.

Effects of Low Intraperitoneal Pressure on Quality of Postoperative Recovery after Laparoscopic Surgery for Genital Prolapse in Elderly Patients Aged 75 Years or Older

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Previous clinical trials for laparoscopic surgery have included few elderly patients aged ≥75 years. We aimed to evaluate the quality of postoperative recovery after laparoscopic surgery using low intraperitoneal pressure (IPP) (6 mm Hg) and warmed, humidified carbon dioxide gas for genital prolapse in elderly patients aged ≥75 years.

DESIGN

Prospective consecutive case series.

SETTING

University hospital.

PATIENTS

Consecutive patients (n = 30) aged ≥75 years planning to undergo laparoscopic surgery for genital prolapse by the same surgeon were recruited from October 2016 through December 2019.

INTERVENTIONS

Laparoscopic promontofixation for the treatment of genital prolapse was performed using low IPP and warmed, humidified carbon dioxide gas. When a promontory could not be easily identified, laparoscopic pectopexy was alternatively performed.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The primary outcome was the Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) score at 24 hours postoperatively. The secondary outcomes were postoperative pain using a 100-mm visual analog scale and the length of hospital stay after surgery (LHSS). For the global QoR-40 score and for 4 dimensions of the QoR-40, "emotional state," "physical comfort," "psychologic support," and "pain," no differences were observed between the baseline score and the score at 24 hours. The score for the "physical independence" dimension at 24 hours was significantly lower than the baseline score (p <.001). No patient had visual analog scale pain scores >30 out of 100 at 12 hours or later. LHSS was <48 hours in 22 patients (73.3%) and <72 hours in 8 patients (26.7%). Multivariable analysis showed that the odds of an LHSS >48 hours were more than 8 times higher in patients who were discharged from the operating room in the afternoon compared with those with a morning discharge.

CONCLUSION

The use of a low IPP is feasible, safe, and has clinical benefits for elderly patients aged ≥75 years who undergo laparoscopic surgery for genital prolapse.

The Frequency of, and Factors Associated with Prolonged Hospitalization: A Multicentre Study in Victoria, Australia

Background: Limited available evidence suggests that a small proportion of inpatients undergo prolonged hospitalization and use a disproportionate number of bed days. Understanding the factors contributing to prolonged hospitalization may improve patient care and reduce the length of stay in such patients. Methods: We undertook a retrospective cohort study of adult (≥20 years) patients admitted for at least 24 h between 14 November 2016 and 14 November 2018 to hospitals in Victoria, Australia. Data including baseline demographics, admitting specialty, survival status and discharge disposition were obtained from the Victorian Admission Episode Dataset. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors independently associated with prolonged hospitalization (≥14 days). Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to examine the association between various factors and in-hospital mortality. Results: There were almost 5 million hospital admissions over two years. After exclusions, 1,696,112 admissions lasting at least 24 h were included. Admissions with prolonged hospitalization comprised only 9.7% of admissions but utilized 44.2% of all hospital bed days. Factors independently associated with prolonged hospitalization included age, female gender, not being in a relationship, being a current smoker, level of co-morbidity, admission from another hospital, admission on the weekend, and the number of admissions in the prior 12 months. The in-hospital mortality rate was 5.0% for those with prolonged hospitalization compared with 1.8% in those without (p < 0.001). Prolonged hospitalization was also independently associated with a decreased likelihood of being discharged to home (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.52–0.54). Conclusions: Patients experiencing prolonged hospitalization utilize a disproportionate proportion of bed days and are at higher risk of in-hospital death and discharge to destinations other than home. Further studies are required to identify modifiable factors contributing to prolonged hospitalization as well as the quality of end-of-life care in such admissions.

Prediction of Prolonged Length of Stay for Stroke Patients on Admission for Inpatient Rehabilitation Based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Generic Set: A Study from 50 Centers in China

Background

This study aimed to develop a risk prediction model for prolonged length of stay (LOS) in stroke patients in 50 inpatient rehabilitation centers in 20 provinces across mainland China based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Generic Set case mix on admission.

Material/Methods

In this cohort study, 383 stroke patients were included from inpatient rehabilitation settings of 50 hospitals across mainland China. Independent predictors of prolonged LOS were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis. A prediction model was established and then evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test.

Results

Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the type of medical insurance and the performance of daily activities (ICF, d230) were associated with prolonged LOS (P<0.05). Age and mobility level measured by the ICF Generic Set demonstrated no significant predictive value. The prediction model showed acceptable discrimination shown by an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.699 (95% CI, 0.646–0.752) and calibration (χ²=11.66; P=0.308).

Conclusions

The risk prediction model for prolonged LOS in stroke patients in 50 rehabilitation centers in China, based on the ICF Generic Set, showed that the scores for the type of medical insurance and the performance of daily activities (ICF, d230) on admission were independent predictors of prolonged LOS. This prediction model may allow stakeholders to estimate the risk of prolonged LOS on admission quantitatively, facilitate the financial planning, treatment regimens during hospitalization, referral after discharge, and reimbursement.

Evaluating unplanned readmission and prolonged length of stay following minimally invasive surgery for endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate risk factors for 30-day unplanned readmission and increased length of stay (LOS) following minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for endometrial cancer.

METHODS

This was a retrospective, case-control study using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess perioperative variables associated with readmission and increased LOS after MIS for endometrial cancer.

RESULTS

The study population included 10,840 patients who met the criteria of having undergone MIS with a resultant endometrial malignancy confirmed on postoperative pathology. Common reasons for readmission included organ/space surgical site infection (65 cases), sepsis/septic shock (19 cases), and venous thromboembolism (20 cases). Notable risk factors for readmission included (Odds Ratio, Confidence Interval, p-value): dialysis dependence (6.77, 2.51-17.80, <0.01), increased length of stay (3.00, 2.10-4.10, <0.01), and preoperative weight loss (2.80, 1.06-7.17, 0.03); notable risk factors for increased LOS: ascites (8.51, 2.00-36.33, <0.01), operation duration >5 h (6.93, 5.29-9.25, <0.01), and preoperative blood transfusion (5.37, 2.05-14.04, <0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Identification of risk factors for adverse postoperative outcomes is necessary to inform and improve standards of care in MIS for endometrial cancer. Using nationally reported data from the ACS NSQIP, this study identifies independent risk factors for unplanned readmission and prolonged LOS, and in doing so, highlights potential avenues for quality improvement.