Early discharge after nonoperative management of intussusception is both safe and cost-effective

Ileocolic Intussusception: Iterative Quality Improvement to Address a Recurring Problem

INTRODUCTION

Recent quality improvement (QI) initiatives indicate that pediatric patients with uncomplicated ileocolic intussusception can be safely discharged from the emergency department (ED) after fluoroscopic reduction. These programs improve patient experience and reduce cost. We sought to build on these efforts by developing a QI initiative at our own institution that included patients transferred from a satellite campus and focused on iterative improvement of our treatment pathway based on continual reassessment of our processes and data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We formed a multidisciplinary team, established a collaborative open-access clinical pathway, and implemented educational plans for each participating division. Data were tracked prospectively, and process adjustments were made as clinically indicated. In this report, we compare patients treated before and after the QI initiative.

RESULTS

There were 155 patients treated before the QI initiative (January 1, 2018-June 30, 2022) and 87 after the initiative began (July 1, 2022-October 31, 2023). There were significant improvements in the rate of ED discharge (4/155 (2.6%) versus 51/87 (59%), P < 0.001) and mean time to discharge (40.7 versus 23.1 h, P = 0.002), while the average cost of a visit fell by 30% (P = 0.012). The mean time to discharge from the ED increased (6.9 versus 11.0 h, P < 0.001), and the rate of readmission was unchanged. For patients transferred from the satellite campus, time to fluoroscopic reduction significantly improved during the initiative (9.4 versus 6.5 h, P = 0.048).

CONCLUSIONS

We implemented a QI program for patients with fluoroscopically reduced ileocolic intussusception that was serially adjusted based on continual reassessment of data. The protocol was associated with a decreased admission rate, total cost, and time to hospital discharge.

The costs and benefits of emergent surgical workflow for acute appendicitis in children

BACKGROUND

Controversy exists regarding how operative timing affects patient safety and resource utilization for acute appendicitis. Over 3 years, our institution trialed efforts to optimize appendectomy workflow. Our aim is to describe the ramifications of expediting appendectomy and implementing standardized protocols relative to historic controls.

METHODS

Patient records at a freestanding children's hospital were reviewed from synchronized 6-month periods from 2019 to 2021. During Year 1 (historic), no standardized workflows existed. In Year 2 (expedited), appendicitis management was protocoled using a clinical quality improvement bundle, which included performing appendectomies within two hours of diagnosis. In Year 3 (QI), operative timing was relaxed to the same calendar day while all prior QI initiatives continued. Descriptive statistics were performed, using hospital length of stay (LOS) as the primary outcome.

RESULTS

298 patients underwent appendectomy for acute appendicitis. The median expedited workflow LOS was 15.3 hours shorter (p = 0.003) than historic controls; however, this was sustained despite relaxation of surgical urgency in the QI workflow. No differences in perforation rates were observed. During the expedited workflow, OR overtime staffing expense increased by $90,000 with no significant change in hospital costs. In multivariate regression, perforation was the only variable associated with LOS.

CONCLUSION

Hospital LOS can be shortened by expediting appendectomy. However, in our institution this did not decrease hospital costs and was furthermore balanced by higher personnel expenses. A sustained decrease in LOS after relaxing operative urgency standards implies that concurrent QI initiatives represent a more effective and cost-efficient strategy to decrease hospital resource utilization.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III.

One-stage transanal endorectal pull-through for Hirschsprung disease: experience with 229 neonates

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transanal endorectal pull-through (TEPT) and the long-term outcomes in newborns with Hirschsprung disease (HD).

METHODS

A total of 229 newborns with HD underwent one-stage TEPT between 2007 and 2020, and the diagnoses were confirmed by rectal biopsy. The perioperative clinical course for all patients was reviewed, and the postoperative short- and long-term outcomes were assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 229 neonates (187 male and 42 female) had a median age at TEPT of 17 days (range 6-28 days). Sixty-eight patients (29.7%) underwent TEPT combined with an abdominal approach or laparoscopy. Early postoperative complications (using the Clavien-Dindo grading system) were documented in 36 patients (15.7%), and late postoperative complications were noted in 9 patients (3.9%). The follow-up period in the remaining 165 children ranged from 1.2 to 14.0 years (median 5.0 years). A total of 106 of the patients older than four years old took part in an interview about bowel function, and 85 patients (80.2%) had bowel function scores (BFS) ≥ 18.

CONCLUSION

TEPT is effective and safe for HD in the neonatal period and presents with a low rate of complications and an acceptable outcome.

Intussusception Related to Small Intestinal Lipomas: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Introduction

Adult intussusception is a rare disease that is difficult to diagnose and treat and is even rarer when it is caused by a lipoma of the small intestine. We reported a case of a small intestine lipoma combined with intussusception, which can guide people in future clinical work.

Case Presentation

A 51-year-old female was admitted to the hospital with “abdominal pain for 1 month.” Enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen suggested a lipoma in the left lower quadrant and a proximal intussusception. After excluding surgical contraindications, laparoscopic exploration was performed on the second day of admission, which showed a small amount of ascites in the abdominal cavity, a small intestine–small intestine-type intussusception about 20 cm from the ileocecal area and about 140 cm from the ileocecal area, and a mass of about 2×4 cm that was palpable by laparoscopic intestinal forceps, which was protruded into the intestinal cavity with a soft texture and sound mobility. A 5 cm-long incision was made above the mass to dissect into the abdomen layer by layer, and the diseased intestine was dislodged outside the abdominal cavity with oval forceps. The intestine was reduced by hand and observed for half an hour after reduction, and the blood circulation and peristalsis of the intestine were observed to be still sound. The intestine was dissected at 2 cm from the upper and lower margins of the mass using linear anastomosis to operate small intestine side-to-side anastomosis. The intestine was opened concurrently and closed with a linear anastomosis, using 3-0 absorbable thread to reinforce anastomosis intermittently. The procedure went smoothly, and the patient was discharged on the 5th postoperative day.

Conclusion

A small intestinal lipoma combined with small intestinal intussusception is rare in clinical practice and needs to be diagnosed by asking history detailedly, physical examination, and relevant ancillary tests such as abdominal CT. Laparoscopic-assisted small incision surgery for adult intussusception combines the advantages of laparoscopic surgery and laparotomy, operating simply and easily.