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Hickner BT, Portuondo JI, Mehl SC, Shah SR, Raval MV, Massarweh NN. Complication Timing, Failure to Rescue, and Readmission After Inpatient Pediatric Surgery. J Surg Res 2024; 302:263-273. [PMID: 39116825 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2024.07.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Complications are associated with postoperative mortality and readmission. However, the timing of complications relative to discharge and the extent to which timing is associated with failure to rescue (FTR) and readmission after pediatric surgery is unknown. Our goal was to describe the timing of complications relative to discharge after inpatient pediatric surgery and determine the association between complication timing, FTR, and unplanned readmission. MATERIALS AND METHODS National cohort study of patients within the NSQIP-Pediatric database who underwent inpatient surgery (2012-2019). Complications were categorized based on when they occurred relative to discharge: only pre-discharge, only post-discharge, both. The association between perioperative outcomes and the timing of postoperative complications was evaluated with multivariable hierarchical regression. RESULTS Among 378,551 patients, 30,213 (8.0%) had at least one postoperative complication. Relative to patients with pre-discharge complications, post-discharge complications were associated with significantly decreased odds of FTR (odds ratio 0.21, 95% confidence interval [0.15-0.28]) and significantly increased odds of readmission (odds ratio 19.37 [17.93-20.92]). Odds of FTR and readmission in patients with complications occurring both before and after discharge were similar to that of patients with only post-discharge complications. CONCLUSIONS FTR and readmission are associated with complications occurring at different times relative to discharge (FTR primarily pre-discharge; readmission primarily post-discharge). This suggests a 'one size fits all' approach to surgical quality improvement may not be effective and different approaches are needed to address different quality indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian T Hickner
- Michael E DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
| | - Jorge I Portuondo
- Michael E DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety, Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Steven C Mehl
- Michael E DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; Texas Children's Hospital Department of Surgery, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Mehul V Raval
- Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center, Center for Healthcare Studies, Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Nader N Massarweh
- Surgical and Perioperative Care, Atlanta VA Health Care System, Decatur, Georgia; Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Department of Surgery, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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2
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Chen VW, Rosen T, Dong Y, Richardson PA, Kramer JR, Petersen LA, Massarweh NN. Case Sampling for Evaluating Hospital Postoperative Morbidity in US Surgical Quality Improvement Programs. JAMA Surg 2024; 159:315-322. [PMID: 38150240 PMCID: PMC10753439 DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2023.6524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Importance US surgical quality improvement (QI) programs use data from a systematic sample of surgical cases, rather than universal review of all cases, to assess and compare risk-adjusted hospital postoperative complication rates. Given decreasing postoperative complication rates over time and the types of cases eligible for abstraction, it is unclear whether case sampling is robust for identifying hospitals with higher than expected complications. Objective To compare the assessment of hospital 30-day complication rates derived from sampling strategy used by some US surgical QI programs relative to universal review of all cases. Design, Setting, and Participants This US hospital-level analysis took place from January 1, 2016, through September 30, 2020. Data analysis was performed from July 1, 2022, through December 21, 2022. Quarterly, risk-adjusted, 30-day complication observed to expected (O-E) ratios were calculated for each hospital using the sample (n = 502 730) and universal review (n = 1 725 364). Outlier hospitals (ie, those with higher than expected mortality) were identified using an O-E ratio significantly greater than 1.0. Patients 18 years and older who underwent a noncardiac operation at US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals with a record in the VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program (systematic sample) and the VA Corporate Data Warehouse surgical domain (100% of surgical cases) were included. Main Outcome Measure Thirty-day complications. Results Most patients in both the representative sample and the universal sample were men (90.2% vs 91.2%) and White (74.7% vs 74.5%). Overall, 30-day complication rates were 7.6% and 5.3% for the sample and universal review cohorts, respectively (P < .001). Over 2145 hospital quarters of data, hospitals were identified as an outlier in 15.0% of quarters using the sample and 18.2% with universal review. Average hospital quarterly complication rates were 4.7%, 7.2%, and 7.4% for outliers identified using the sample only, universal review only, and concurrent identification in both data sources, respectively. For nonsampled cases, average hospital quarterly complication rates were 7.0% at outliers and 4.4% at nonoutliers. Among outlier hospital quarters in the sample, 54.2% were concurrently identified with universal review. For those identified with universal review, 44.6% were concurrently identified using the sample. Conclusion In this observational study, case sampling identified less than half of hospitals with excess risk-adjusted postoperative complication rates. Future work is needed to ascertain how to best use currently collected data and whether alternative data collection strategies may be needed to better inform local QI efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivi W. Chen
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas
- Michael E DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Tracey Rosen
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Yongquan Dong
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Peter A. Richardson
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas
- Section of Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Jennifer R. Kramer
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas
- Section of Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Laura A. Petersen
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas
- Section of Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Nader N. Massarweh
- Surgical and Perioperative Care, Atlanta VA Health Care System, Decatur, Georgia
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Surgery, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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3
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Mehl SC, Portuondo JI, Tian Y, Raval MV, Shah SR, Vogel AM, Wesson D, Massarweh NN. Utility of Hospital Failure to Rescue for Analyzing Variation in Pediatric Postoperative Mortality. Pediatr Crit Care Med 2024; 25:e64-e72. [PMID: 37695135 DOI: 10.1097/pcc.0000000000003363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the association between pediatric hospital performances in terms of failure to rescue (FTR), defined as postoperative mortality after a surgical complication, and mortality among patients without a surgical complication. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Forty-eight academic, pediatric hospitals; data obtained from Pediatric Health Information System database (Child Health Corporation of America, Shawnee Mission, KS) (2012-2020). PATIENTS Children who underwent at least one of 57 high-risk operations associated with significant postoperative mortality. EXPOSURES Hospitals were stratified into quintiles of reliability adjusted FTR (lower than average FTR in quintile 1 [Q1], higher than average FTR in quintile 5 [Q5]). Multivariable hierarchical regression was used to evaluate the association between hospital FTR performance and mortality among patients who did not have a surgical complication. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Among 203,242 children treated across 48 academic hospitals, the complication and overall postoperative mortality rates were 8.8% and 2.3%, respectively. Among patients who had a complication, the FTR rate was 8.8%. Among patients who did not have a complication, the mortality rate was 1.7%. There was a 6.5-fold increase in reliability adjusted FTR between the lowest and highest performing hospitals (lowest FTR hospital-2.7%; 95% CI [1.6-3.9]; highest FTR hospital-17.8% [16.8-18.8]). Complex chronic conditions were highly prevalent across hospitals (Q1, 72.7%; Q2, 73.8%; Q3, 72.2%; Q4, 74.0%; Q5, 74.8%; trend test p < 0.01). Relative to Q1 hospitals, the odds of mortality in the absence of a postoperative complication significantly increased by 33% at Q5 hospitals (odds ratio 1.33; 95% CI [1.07-1.66]). This association was consistent when limited to patients with a complex chronic condition and neonates. CONCLUSION FTR may be a useful and valid surgical quality measure for pediatric surgery, even when considering patients without a postoperative complication. These findings suggest practices and processes for preventing FTR at high performing pediatric hospitals might help mitigate the risk of postoperative mortality even in the absence of a postoperative complication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven C Mehl
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Jorge I Portuondo
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Yao Tian
- Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center, Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Mehul V Raval
- Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center, Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Sohail R Shah
- Pediatrix Surgery of Houston, Department of Surgery, Houston, TX
| | - Adam M Vogel
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - David Wesson
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Nader N Massarweh
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
- Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center, Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Pediatrix Surgery of Houston, Department of Surgery, Houston, TX
- Surgical and Perioperative Care, Atlanta VA Health Care System, Decatur, GA
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- Department of Surgery, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
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Juviler P, Meyers JM, Levatino E, Axford J, Barker E, Correll L, Decker AS, Faria J, Gloff M, Loria A, McKenna M, Schriefer J, Stevens TP, Verna S, Wegman S, Wolcott K, Wakeman D. Reducing Unplanned Intubations in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit After Children's Surgery: A Quality Improvement Project. J Pediatr Surg 2024; 59:45-52. [PMID: 37845122 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2023.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Unplanned intubation following children's surgery is associated with increased postoperative mortality. In response to being a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program - Pediatric (NSQIP-P) high outlier for postoperative unplanned intubation, we aimed to reduce postoperative unplanned intubation events by 25% in one year. METHODS/INTERVENTION A multidisciplinary team of stakeholders was assembled in 2018. Most unplanned intubation events occurred in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Based on apparent causes of unplanned intubations identified in case reviews, an extubation readiness checklist and a postoperative pain management guideline emphasizing non-opioid analgesics were implemented for NICU patients in September 2019. Postoperative unplanned intubation events were tracked prospectively and evaluated using quality improvement statistical process control methods. RESULTS Unplanned intubations in the NICU decreased from 0.27 to 0.07 events per patient in the post-intervention group (September 2019-June 2022, n = 145) compared to the pre-intervention group (January 2016-August 2019, n = 200), representing a 76% reduction. Postoperative opioid administration decreased significantly, while acetaminophen usage increased significantly over time. Balancing measures of postoperative pneumonia rate (1.5% vs 0.0%, p = 0.267) and median hospital length of stay [40 (IQR 51) days vs 27 (IQR 60), p = 0.124] were not different between cohorts. The 30-day mortality rate for postoperative patients in the NICU significantly declined [6.5% (n = 13) vs 0.7% (n = 1), p < 0.001]. CONCLUSIONS Postoperative unplanned intubation rates for NICU patients decreased following a quality improvement effort focused on opioid stewardship and extubation readiness. TYPE OF STUDY Prospective Quality Improvement. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Juviler
- Department of Surgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Jeffrey M Meyers
- Department of Pediatrics, Golisano Children's Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth Levatino
- Department of Surgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Jessica Axford
- Department of Pediatrics, Golisano Children's Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Erin Barker
- Department of Pediatrics, Golisano Children's Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Lynnie Correll
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Andrew S Decker
- Golisano Children's Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - John Faria
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Marjorie Gloff
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Anthony Loria
- Department of Surgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Margo McKenna
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Jan Schriefer
- Department of Pediatrics, Golisano Children's Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Timothy P Stevens
- Department of Pediatrics, Golisano Children's Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Sarah Verna
- Department of Surgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Sarah Wegman
- University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Kori Wolcott
- Department of Surgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Derek Wakeman
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Golisano Children's Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
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Bhatnagar A, Mackman S, Van Arendonk KJ, Thalji SZ. Associations between Hospital Setting and Outcomes after Pediatric Appendectomy. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:1908. [PMID: 38136110 PMCID: PMC10741462 DOI: 10.3390/children10121908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Prior studies of associations between hospital location and outcomes for pediatric appendectomy have not adjusted for significant differences in patient and treatment patterns between settings. This was a cross-sectional analysis of pediatric appendectomies in the 2016 Kids' Inpatient Database (KID). Weighted multiple linear and logistic regression models compared hospital location (urban or rural) and academic status against total admission cost (TAC), length of stay (LOS), and postoperative complications. Patients were stratified by laparoscopic (LA) or open (OA) appendectomy. Among 54,836 patients, 39,454 (73%) were performed at an urban academic center, 11,642 (21%) were performed at an urban non-academic center, and 3740 (7%) were performed at a rural center. LA was utilized for 49,011 (89%) of all 54,386 patients: 36,049 (91%) of 39,454 patients at urban academic hospitals, 10,191 (87%) of 11,642 patients at urban non-academic centers, and 2771 (74%) of 3740 patients at rural centers (p < 0.001). On adjusted analysis, urban academic centers were associated with an 18% decreased TAC (95% CI -0.193--0.165; p < 0.001) despite an 11% increased LOS (95% CI 0.087-0.134; p < 0.001) compared to rural centers. Urban academic centers were associated with a decreased odds of complication among patients who underwent LA (OR 0.787, 95% CI 0.650-0.952) but not after OA. After adjusting for relevant patient and disease-related factors, urban academic centers were associated with lower costs despite longer lengths of stay compared to rural centers. Urban academic centers utilized LA more frequently and were associated with decreased odds of postoperative complications after LA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sean Mackman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
| | - Kyle J. Van Arendonk
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Sam Z. Thalji
- Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
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6
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Willer BL, Mpody C, Nafiu O, Tobias JD. Racial Disparities in Pediatric Mortality Following Transfusion Within 72 Hours of Operation. J Pediatr Surg 2023; 58:2429-2434. [PMID: 37652843 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2023.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Postoperative bleeding and transfusion are correlated with mortality risk. Furthermore, postoperative bleeding may often initiate the cascade of complications that leads to death. Given that minority children have increased risk of surgical complications, this study aimed to investigate the association of race with pediatric surgical mortality following postoperative transfusion. METHODS We used the NSQIP-P PUF to assemble a retrospective cohort of children <18 who underwent inpatient surgery during 2012-2021. We included White, Black, Hispanic, and 'Other' children who received a transfusion within 72 h of surgery. The primary outcome was defined as all-cause mortality within 30 days following the primary surgical procedure. Using logistic regression models, we estimated the risk-adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of mortality, comparing each racial/ethnic cohort to White children. RESULTS A total of 466,230 children <18 years of age underwent inpatient surgical procedures from 2012 to 2021. Of these, 46,200 required transfusion and were included in our analysis. The majority of patients were non-Hispanic White (64.6%, n = 29,850), while 18.9% (n = 8752) were non-Hispanic Black, 11.7% (n = 5387) were Hispanic, and 4.8% (n = 2211) were 'Other' race. The overall rate of mortality following transfusion was 2.5%. White children had the lowest incidence of mortality (2.0%), compared to children of 'Other' race (2.5%), Hispanic children (3.1%), and Black children (3.6%). After adjusting for sex, age, comorbidities, case status, preoperative transfusion within 48 h, and year of operation, we found that Black children experienced 1.24 times the odds of mortality following a postoperative transfusion compared to a White child (aOR: 1.24; 95%CI, 1.03-1.51; P = 0.025). Hispanic children were also significantly more likely to die following a postoperative transfusion than White children (aOR: 1.19; 95%CI, 1.02-1.39; P = 0.027). CONCLUSION We found that minority children who required a postoperative transfusion had a higher odds of death than White children. Future studies should explore adverse events following postoperative transfusion and the differences in their management by race that may contribute to the higher mortality rate for minority children. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level II. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER AND REGISTRY Not applicable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany L Willer
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
| | - Christian Mpody
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Joseph D Tobias
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
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Mehl SC, Portuondo JI, Tian Y, Raval MV, King A, Rialon KL, Vogel AM, Wesson DE, Shah SR, Massarweh NN. Hospital Variation in Mortality and Failure to Rescue after Surgery for High-Risk Neonatal Diagnoses. Neonatology 2023; 121:34-45. [PMID: 37844560 DOI: 10.1159/000533825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A large proportion of postoperative mortality after pediatric surgery occurs among neonates with specific high-risk diagnoses. The extent to which there is hospital-level mortality variation among patients with these diagnoses and whether this variation is associated with differences in failure to rescue (FTR) is unclear. METHODS The Pediatric Health Information System® database (2012-2020) was used to identify patients who underwent surgery for eight high-risk neonatal diagnoses: gastroschisis; volvulus; necrotizing enterocolitis; intestinal atresia; meconium peritonitis; tracheoesophageal fistula; congenital diaphragmatic hernia; and perinatal intestinal perforation. Hospitals were stratified into tertiles of reliability-adjusted inpatient mortality rates (lower than average mortality - tertile 1 [T1]; higher than average mortality - tertile 3 [T3]). Multivariable hierarchical regression was used to evaluate the association between hospital-level, reliability-adjusted mortality and FTR. RESULTS Overall, 20,838 infants were identified across 48 academic, pediatric hospitals. Adjusted hospital mortality rates ranged from 4.0% (95% CI, 0.0-8.2) to 16.3% (12.2-20.4). Median case volume (range, 80-1,238) and number of NICU beds (range, 24-126) were not significantly different across hospital tertiles. Compared to the hospitals with the lowest postoperative mortality (T1), the odds of FTR were significantly higher in hospitals with the highest (T3) postoperative mortality (odds ratio 1.97 [1.50-2.59]). CONCLUSIONS Significant variation in neonatal hospital mortality for high-risk diagnoses does not appear to be explained by hospital structural characteristics. Rather, difference in FTR suggests quality improvement interventions targeting early recognition and management of postoperative complications could improve surgical quality and safety for high-risk neonatal care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven C Mehl
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jorge I Portuondo
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Yao Tian
- Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center, Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Mehul V Raval
- Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center, Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Alice King
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kristy L Rialon
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Adam M Vogel
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - David E Wesson
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Nader N Massarweh
- Surgical and Perioperative Care, Atlanta VA Health Care System, Decatur, Georgia, USA
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Surgery, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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8
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Mehl SC, Portuondo JI, Tian Y, Raval MV, Shah SR, Vogel AM, Wesson D, Massarweh NN. Hospital Variation in Mortality After Inpatient Pediatric Surgery. Ann Surg 2023; 278:e598-e604. [PMID: 36259769 DOI: 10.1097/sla.0000000000005729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim was to determine the association between risk adjusted hospital perioperative mortality rates, postoperative complications, and failure to rescue (FTR) after inpatient pediatric surgery. BACKGROUND FTR has been identified as a possible explanatory factor for hospital variation in perioperative mortality in adults. However, the extent to which this may be the case for hospitals that perform pediatric surgery is unclear. METHODS The Pediatric Health Information System database (2012-2020) was used to identify patients who underwent one of 57 high-risk operations associated with significant perioperative mortality (n=203,242). Academic, pediatric hospitals (n=48) were stratified into quintiles based on risk adjusted inpatient mortality [lower than average, quintile 1 (Q1); higher than average, quintile 5 (Q5)]. Multivariable hierarchical regression was used to evaluate the association between hospital mortality rates, complications, and FTR. RESULTS Inpatient mortality, complication, and FTR rates were 2.3%, 8.8%, and 8.8%, respectively. Among all patients who died after surgery, only 34.1% had a preceding complication (Q1, 36.1%; Q2, 31.5%; Q3, 34.7%; Q4, 35.7%; Q5, 32.2%; trend test, P =0.49). The rates of observed mortality significantly increased across hospital quintiles, but the difference was <1% (Q1, 1.9%; Q5; 2.6%; trend test, P <0.01). Relative to Q1 hospitals, the odds of complications were not significantly increased at Q5 hospitals [odds ratio (OR): 1.02 (0.87-1.20)]. By comparison, the odds of FTR was significantly increased at Q5 hospitals [OR: 1.60 (1.30-1.96)] with a dose-response relationship across hospital quintiles [Q2-OR: 0.99 (0.80-1.22); Q3-OR: 1.26 (1.03-1.55); Q4-OR: 1.33 (1.09-1.63)]. CONCLUSIONS The minority of pediatric surgical deaths are preceded by a postoperative complication, but variation in risk adjusted mortality across academic, pediatric hospitals may be partially explained by differences in the recognition and management of postoperative complications. Additional work is needed to identify children at greatest risk of postoperative death from perioperative complications as opposed to those at risk from pre-existing chronic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven C Mehl
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Jorge I Portuondo
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Yao Tian
- Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center, Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL
- Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Mehul V Raval
- Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center, Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL
- Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Sohail R Shah
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Adam M Vogel
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - David Wesson
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Nader N Massarweh
- Surgical and Perioperative Care, Atlanta VA Health Care System, Decatur, GA
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- Department of Surgery, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
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Mehl SC, Portuondo JI, Fallon SC, Shah SR, Wesson DE, Vogel AM, King A, Lopez ME, Massarweh NN. Variation in Complications and Mortality According to Infant Diagnosis. Ann Surg 2023; 278:e165-e172. [PMID: 35943204 DOI: 10.1097/sla.0000000000005658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Investigate patterns of infant perioperative mortality, describe the infant diagnoses with the highest mortality burden, and evaluate the association between types of postoperative complications and mortality in infants. BACKGROUND The majority of mortality events in pediatric surgery occur among infants (ie, children <1 y old). However, there is limited data characterizing patterns of infant perioperative mortality and diagnoses that account for the highest proportion of mortality. METHODS Infants who received inpatient surgery were identified in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric database (2012-2019). Perioperative mortality was stratified into mortality associated with a complication or mortality without a complication. Complications were categorized as wound infection, systemic infection, pulmonary, central nervous system, renal, or cardiovascular. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between different complications and complicated mortality. RESULTS Among 111,946 infants, the rate of complications and perioperative mortality was 10.4% and 1.6%, respectively. Mortality associated with a complication accounted for 38.8% of all perioperative mortality. Seven diagnoses accounted for the highest proportion of mortality events (40.3%): necrotizing enterocolitis (22.3%); congenital diaphragmatic hernia (7.3%); meconium peritonitis (3.8%); premature intestinal perforation (2.5%); tracheoesophageal fistula (1.8%); gastroschisis (1.4%); and volvulus (1.1%). Relative to wound complications, cardiovascular [odds ratio (OR): 19.4, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 13.9-27.0], renal (OR: 6.88; 4.65-10.2), and central nervous system complications (OR: 6.50; 4.50-9.40) had the highest odds of mortality for all infants. CONCLUSIONS A small subset of diagnoses account for 40% of all infant mortality and specific types of complications are associated with mortality. These data suggest targeted quality improvement initiatives could be implemented to reduce adverse surgical outcomes in infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven C Mehl
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Jorge I Portuondo
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Sara C Fallon
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Sohail R Shah
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - David E Wesson
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Adam M Vogel
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Alice King
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Monica E Lopez
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Section of Surgical Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Nader N Massarweh
- Surgical and Perioperative Care, Atlanta VA Health Care System, Decatur, GA
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- Department of Surgery, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
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