Effect of surgeon and anesthesiologist volume on surgical outcomes

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Diagnosis and Management of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer in the Head and Neck Region: A Retrospective Cohort Study

The present study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer (NMSC) in the head and neck region. Conducted at the University Hospital "Le Scotte" in Siena, Italy, the research includes 111 patients treated from 2018 to 2021. The study aims to understand how pandemic-related healthcare changes affected NMSC treatment, focusing on differences in diagnosis and management before and during the pandemic. Methods involved retrospective analysis of patient demographics, clinical characteristics, lesion details, and treatment modalities, using Jamovi software (version 1.6) for statistical analysis. Results revealed the scalp as the most common NMSC site, with Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) being the predominant histotype. A significant rise in Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) cases and a reduction in surgery duration were noted during the pandemic. The shift to local anesthesia was more pronounced, reflecting the necessity to adapt to healthcare limitations. Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, there was no significant drop in NMSC cases, which is attributed to the noticeable nature of head and neck lesions. In conclusion, this study highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced surgical practices in NMSC management, emphasizing the need for effective healthcare strategies that balance quality patient care with public health safety measures.

Optimizing Patient Outcomes in Spinal Surgery: An Investigation Into Anesthesiologists' Case Volume

Introduction Nearly one million patients in the United States undergo spine surgical procedures annually to seek relief from chronic back and neck pain. A multidisciplinary approach is key to ensuring the efficiency and safety of the surgical process, with the anesthesia team, nursing, surgeon, and healthcare facilities all playing a role. The purpose of this study is to capture potential associations between the anesthesiologists' case volume and patient postoperative outcomes in the early recovery period. Methods A retrospective review of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), lumbar decompression (LD), and lumbar fusion (LF) patients from July 2019 to June 2023 was performed. Anesthesiologists were categorized into low, medium, and high volumes of spine surgical cases. Univariate analysis was performed on patient demographics, intraoperative measures, post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) measures, and postoperative measures by anesthesiologist volume. Results This study included 545 ACDF, 815 LD, and 1,144 LF patients. There were no differences between groups in ACDF patients by anesthesiologist volume. When examining patients undergoing LD, there was a difference in patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification of three or greater (low volume: 41.7% vs. medium volume: 53.7% vs. high volume: 45.0%; p=0.029). When examining patients undergoing LF, there were differences in patients with low temperatures in PACU (low volume: 2.8% vs. medium volume: 7.3% vs. high volume: 4.2%; p=0.044) and the percentage of patients with a 90-day emergency department return (low volume: 7.7% vs. medium volume: 11.9% vs. high volume: 7.0%; p=0.024). Conclusion While this study found a minimal impact of anesthesiologist volume on postoperative outcomes, recent literature has emphasized the critical role of teamwork and specialized surgical teams to enhance efficiency and patient care. Further studies are warranted to identify other variables in anesthesia, nursing, and surgical team workflow that may impact postoperative outcomes in spinal surgeries.

Association Between Familiarity of the Surgeon-Anesthesiologist Dyad and Postoperative Patient Outcomes for Complex Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery

Importance

The surgeon-anesthesiologist teamwork and relationship is crucial to good patient outcomes. Familiarity among work team members is associated with enhanced success in multiple fields but rarely studied in the operating room.

Objective

To examine the association between surgeon-anesthesiologist dyad familiarity-as the number of times working together-with short-term postoperative outcomes for complex gastrointestinal cancer surgery.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This population-based retrospective cohort study based in Ontario, Canada, included adults undergoing esophagectomy, pancreatectomy, and hepatectomy for cancer from 2007 through 2018. The data were analyzed January 1, 2007, through December 21, 2018.

Exposures

Dyad familiarity captured as the annual volume of procedures of interest done by the surgeon-anesthesiologist dyad in the 4 years before the index surgery.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Ninety-day major morbidity (any Clavien-Dindo grade 3 to 5). The association between exposure and outcome was examined using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Seven thousand eight hundred ninety-three patients with a median age of 65 years (66.3% men) were included. They were cared for by 737 anesthesiologists and 163 surgeons who were also included. The median surgeon-anesthesiologist dyad volume was 1 (range, 0-12.2) procedures per year. Ninety-day major morbidity occurred in 43.0% of patients. There was a linear association between dyad volume and 90-day major morbidity. After adjustment, the annual dyad volume was independently associated with lower odds of 90-day major morbidity, with an odds ratio of 0.95 (95% CI, 0.92-0.98; P = .01) for each incremental procedure per year, per dyad. The results did not change when examining 30-day major morbidity.

Conclusions and Relevance

Among adults undergoing complex gastrointestinal cancer surgery, increasing familiarity of the surgeon-anesthesiologist dyad was associated with improved short-term patient outcomes. For each additional time that a unique surgeon-anesthesiologist dyad worked together, the odds of 90-day major morbidity decreased by 5%. These findings support organizing perioperative care to increase the familiarity of surgeon-anesthesiologist dyads.

Trends in Surgical Volume in the Military Health System-A Potential Threat to Mission Readiness

INTRODUCTION

The Military Health System (MHS) is tasked with a dual mission both to provide medical services for covered patients and to ensure that its active duty medical personnel maintain readiness for deployment. Knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) is a metric evaluating the transferrable skills incorporated into a given surgery or medical procedure that are most relevant for surgeons deployed to a theatre of war. Procedures carrying a high KSA value are those utilizing skills with high relevance for maintaining deployment readiness. Given ongoing concerns regarding surgical volumes at MTFs and the potential adverse impact on military surgeon mission readiness were high-value surgeries to be lost to the civilian sector, we evaluated trends in the setting of high-value surgeries for beneficiaries within the MHS.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed inpatient admissions data from MTFs and TRICARE claims data from civilian hospitals, 2005-2019, to identify TRICARE-covered patients covered under "purchased care" (referred to civilian facilities) or receiving "direct care" (undergoing treatment at MTFs) and undergoing seven high-value/high-KSA surgeries: colectomy, pancreatectomy, hepatectomy, open carotid endarterectomy, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair, esophagectomy, and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Overall and procedure-specific counts were captured, MTFs were categorized into quartiles by volume, and independence between trends was tested with a Cochran-Armitage test, hypothesizing that the proportion of cases referred for purchased care was increasing.

RESULTS

We captured 292,411 cases, including 7,653 pancreatectomies, 4,177 hepatectomies, 3,815 esophagectomies, 112,684 colectomies, 92,161 CABGs, 26,893 AAA repairs, and 45,028 carotid endarterectomies. The majority of cases included were referred for purchased care (90.3%), with the proportion of cases referred increasing over the study period (P < .01). By procedure, all cases except AAA repairs were increasingly referred for treatment over the study period (all P < .01, except esophagectomy P = .04). On examining volume, we found that even the highest-volume-quartile MTFs performed a median of less than one esophagectomy, hepatectomy, or pancreatectomy per month. The only included procedure performed once a month or more at the majority of MTFs was CABG.

CONCLUSION

On examining volume and referral trends for high-value surgeries within the MHS, we found low surgical volumes at the vast majority of included MTFs and an increasing proportion of cases referred to civilian hospitals over the last 15 years. Our findings illustrate missed opportunities for maintaining the mission readiness of military surgical personnel. Prioritizing the recapture of lost surgical volume may improve the surgical teams' mission readiness.

Impact of Anesthesiologist Experience on Early Outcomes in Adult Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Liver transplantation is a complex surgical procedure. The experience of the anesthesiologist, and its potential relationship to patient morbidity and mortality, is yet to be determined. We sought to explore this possible association using our institutional training patterns as the subject of study.

METHODS

This is a single center retrospective analysis investigating the association of an anesthesiologist's experience with liver transplantation and its potential effect on early patient outcomes in adult liver transplant recipients from January 2010 to September 2016. Training of team members consisted of a 6-month period of clinical shadowing with a senior anesthesiologist and co-staffing 8 liver transplant procedures before solo staffing a liver transplant. Specifically, patient outcomes for the first 5 transplants after this training were investigated.

RESULTS

The only independent risk factor for early death or early graft loss was the amount of packed red blood cells administered during transplantation. With respect to secondary outcomes, the amount of packed red blood cells and hospitalization at the time of transplant were associated with the number of days on a ventilator, length of intensive care unit stay, and overall hospital length of stay.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study conclude that the training model currently in place for our new team members has no negative impact on patient outcomes after liver transplantation.

Association Between Anesthesiologist Volume and Short-term Outcomes in Complex Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery

Importance

Intraoperative anesthesiology care is crucial to high-quality surgical care. The clinical expertise and experience of anesthesiologists may decrease the risk of adverse outcomes.

Objective

To examine the association between anesthesiologist volume and short-term postoperative outcomes for complex gastrointestinal (GI) cancer surgery.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This population-based cohort study used administrative health care data sets from various data sources in Ontario, Canada. Adult patients who underwent esophagectomy, pancreatectomy, or hepatectomy for GI cancer from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2018, were eligible. Patients with an invalid identification number, a duplicate surgery record, and missing primary anesthesiologist information were excluded.

Exposures

Primary anesthesiologist volume was defined as the annual number of procedures of interest (esophagectomy, pancreatectomy, and hepatectomy) supported by that anesthesiologist in the 2 years before the index surgery. Volume was dichotomized into low-volume and high-volume categories, with 75th percentile or 6 or more procedures per year selected as the cutoff point.

Main Outcome and Measures

The primary outcome was a composite of 90-day major morbidity (with a Clavien-Dindo classification grade 3-5) and readmission. Secondary outcomes were individual components of the primary outcome. The association between exposure and outcomes was examined using multivariable logistic regression models, accounting for potential confounders.

Results

Of the 8096 patients included, 5369 were men (66.3%) and the median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 65 (57-72) years. Operations were supported by 842 anesthesiologists and performed by 186 surgeons, and the median (IQR) anesthesiologist volume was 3 (1.5-6) procedures per year. A total of 2166 patients (26.7%) received care from high-volume anesthesiologists. Primary outcome occurred in 36.3% of patients in the high-volume group and 45.7% of patients in the low-volume group. After adjustment, care by high-volume anesthesiologists was independently associated with lower odds of the primary outcome (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76-0.94), major morbidity (aOR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.75-0.91), unplanned intensive care unit admission (aOR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76-0.94), but not readmission (aOR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.73-1.05) or mortality (aOR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.84-1.31). E-values analysis indicated that an unmeasured variable would unlikely substantively change the observed risk estimates.

Conclusions and Relevance

This study found that, among adults who underwent complex gastrointestinal cancer surgery, those who received care from high-volume anesthesiologists had a lower risk of adverse postoperative outcomes compared with those who received care from low-volume anesthesiologists. These findings support organizing perioperative care to increase anesthesiologist volume to optimize patient outcomes.

Variability in Anesthesia Models of Care in Cardiac Surgery

The operating room in a cardiothoracic surgical case is a complex environment, with multiple handoffs often required by staffing changes, and can be variable from program to program. This study was done to characterize what types of practitioners provide anesthesia during cardiac operations to determine the variability in this aspect of care. A survey was sent out via a list serve of members of the cardiac surgical team. Responses from 40 programs from a variety of countries showed variability across every dimension requested of the cardiac anesthesia team. Given that anesthesia is proven to have an influence on the outcome of cardiac procedures, this study indicates the opportunity to further study how this variability influences outcomes and to identify best practices.

Anaesthesia provider volume and perioperative outcomes in total joint arthroplasty surgery

BACKGROUND

While increased surgical-provider volume has been associated with improved outcomes, research regarding volume-outcome relationships within high-volume institutions and the role of anaesthesiologists is limited. Further, the effect of anaesthesia-care-team composition remains understudied. This analysis aimed to identify the impact of anaesthesiologist and surgeon volume on adverse events after total joint arthroplasties.

METHODS

We retrospectively identified 40 437 patients who underwent total joint arthroplasties at a high-volume institution from 2005 to 2014. The main effects of interest were anaesthesiologist and surgeon volume and experience along with anaesthesia-care-team composition. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate three outcomes: any complication, cardiopulmonary complication, and length of stay (>5 days). Odds ratios (ORs) and 99.75% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported.

RESULTS

Across all three models, anaesthesiologist volume and experience, and anaesthesia-care-team composition were not significant predictors. Surgeon annual case volume >50 was associated with significantly reduced odds of any complication (annual case volume: 50-149; OR: 0.80; CI: 0.66-0.98) and prolonged length of stay (OR: 0.69; CI: 0.60-0.80). Surgeon experience >20 yr was associated with significantly reduced odds of prolonged length of stay (OR: 0.85; CI: 0.75-0.95).

CONCLUSIONS

Anaesthesiologist volume and experience, and anaesthesia-care-team composition did not impact the odds of an adverse outcome, although a higher surgeon volume was associated with decreased odds of complications and prolonged length of stay. Further study is necessary to determine if these findings can be extrapolated to less specialised, lower volume surgical settings.

Intraoperative Management by a Craniofacial Team Anesthesiologist is Associated With Improved Outcomes for Children Undergoing Major Craniofacial Reconstructive Surgery

The benefits of using a dedicated team for complex surgeries are well established for certain specialties, but largely unknown for others. The aim of this study was to determine whether management by a dedicated craniofacial team anesthesiologist would impact perioperative outcomes for children undergoing major surgery for craniosynostosis. Sixty-two children undergoing complex cranial vault reconstruction were identified. Fifty-four patients were managed by the craniofacial anesthesia team, while 8 patients were not. Primary outcome measures were calculated blood loss, red blood cell transfusion volume, blood donor exposures, extubation rate, and postoperative complication rate. Secondary outcome measures included intraoperative opioid administration, crystalloid and colloid administration, intraoperative complication rate, and intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay. Children cared for by the craniofacial team had significantly lower calculated blood loss, reduced red blood cell transfusion volume, fewer blood donor exposures, less crystalloid administration, higher rate of postoperative extubation, fewer postoperative complications, and decreased ICU and hospital length of stay than patients who were managed by noncraniofacial team anesthesiologists. There were no significant differences in demographics, opioid administration, colloid volume administration, or intraoperative complication rates between the 2 groups. Management by a craniofacial team anesthesiologist was associated with improved outcomes in children undergoing major craniofacial reconstructive surgery. While some variability can be attributed to provider-volume relationship, these findings suggest that children may benefit from a subspecialty anesthesia team-based approach for the management of craniofacial surgery, and potentially other similar high-risk cases.

The impact of anesthesia and surgical provider characteristics on outcomes after spine surgery

PURPOSE

Information regarding the impact of provider characteristics on perioperative outcomes in the spine surgery setting is limited. Existing studies primarily consider the impact of surgical provider volume. This analysis sought to identify the impact of anesthesiologist and surgeon volume and experience as well as anesthesia care team composition on adverse outcomes following anterior cervical discectomy and fusions (ACDF) and posterior lumbar fusions (PLF).

METHODS

We identified 5900 patients who underwent ACDF or PLF procedures at a high-volume orthopedic institution from 2005 to 2014. Provider characteristics of interest were anesthesiologist and surgeon volume and experience along with anesthesia care team composition. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the outcomes of any complication, cardiopulmonary complication, and prolonged length of stay (> 7 days). Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to determine how much variation in outcomes could be explained by provider characteristics.

RESULTS

There were no significant relationships between provider characteristics and perioperative outcomes among ACDF patients. Within the PLF cohort, surgeon annual case volume > 25 was associated with decreased odds of prolonged length of stay, while anesthesia resident involvement was associated with increased odds of prolonged length of stay. Surgeon characteristics explained the greatest proportion of variation in outcomes while anesthesiologist characteristics explained the least.

CONCLUSIONS

Anesthesia provider volume and experience did not significantly impact the odds of adverse outcome for ACDF and PLF patients. Higher surgeon volume was exclusively associated with decreased odds of prolonged length of stay following PLF. Further study is necessary to determine if these relationships persist in a less-specialized setting. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Treatment at low-volume hospitals is associated with reduced short-term and long-term outcomes for patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma

BACKGROUND

Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) are rare tumors for which complete surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment. The objective of the current study was to determine the impact of hospital case volume on outcomes in patients with RPS.

METHODS

A total of 6950 patients with primary RPS who underwent surgical resection were identified from the National Cancer Data Base (1998-2011). Treating hospitals were classified by annual case volume; low-volume hospitals (LVHs) and high-volume hospitals (HVHs) were defined as those with ≤10 cases per year and >10 cases per year, respectively. Overall survival (OS) was compared using Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox proportional hazard models were created to compare risks.

RESULTS

Of the 1131 reporting hospitals, the majority (1127 hospitals; 99.6%) were LVHs treating the majority of patients (6270 patients; 90.2%). Patients treated at LVHs were more likely to have lower grade and smaller tumors, receive radiotherapy, and undergo incomplete macroscopic (R2) resection. Patients treated at HVHs had lower 30-day readmission rates (1.8% vs 3.4%; P<.001), 30-day (1.9% vs 3.1%; P=.004) and 90-day (3.2% vs 5.7%; P=.007) mortality, longer median OS (76.2 months vs 64.2 months; P<.001), and higher 5-year OS rates (58% vs 52%; P<.001). After controlling for age, sex, insurance status, tumor size, tumor grade, surgical resection margin status, and radiotherapy administration, treatment at an HVH was found to be independently associated with a reduced risk of death (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.91 [P=.003]).

CONCLUSIONS

Primary RPS are rare tumors, and to our knowledge few surgeons and institutions have significant experience and expertise in their multidisciplinary management and surgical resection. Although additional studies are needed, patient outcomes may be impacted by the case volume and expertise of the treating facility.

Intraoperative Fluid Excess Is a Risk Factor for Pancreatic Fistula after Partial Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Background. After pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), pancreatic fistulas (PF) are a frequent complication. Infusions may compromise anastomotic integrity. This retrospective analysis evaluated associations between intraoperative fluid excess and PF. Methods. Data on perioperative parameters including age, sex, laboratory findings, histology, infusions, surgery time, and occurrence of grade B/C PF was collected from all PD with pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) performed in our department from 12/2011 till 02/2015. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR), infusion rate, and the ratio of both and its association with PF were calculated. ROC analysis was employed to identify a threshold. Results. Complete datasets were available for 83 of 86 consecutive cases. Median age was 66 years (34–84; 60% male), GFR was 93 mL/min (IQR 78–113), and surgery time was 259 min (IQR 217–307). Intraoperatively, 13.6 mL/min (7–31) was infused. In total, n = 18 (21%) PF occurred. When the infusion : GFR ratio exceeded 0.15, PF increased from 11% to 34% (p = 0.0157). No significant association was detected for any of the other parameters. Conclusions. This analysis demonstrates for the first time an association between intraoperative fluid excess and PF after PD with PJ even in patients with normal renal function. A carefully patient-adopted fluid management with due regard to renal function may help to prevent postoperative PF.

Readmission after major surgery: effect of the postdischarge environment

BACKGROUND

Although uncoordinated postdischarge care has been associated with poor clinical outcomes, the effect of discharge to a low healthcare resource area (LHRA) on readmission remains undetermined. We sought to assess how the quality of discharge area health resources impact readmission following major surgery.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was performed by linking Maryland state data for 2012-2015 to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Area Health-Resource File. Patients undergoing one of 11 common surgical procedures were identified. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the effect of discharge area health resource quality on readmission.

RESULTS

A total of 76,747 patients were identified of which 9.4% were discharged to a high healthcare resource area (HHRA), whereas 81.9% of patients were discharged to an LHRA. Perioperative morbidity and length of stay were comparable between HHRA versus LHRA patients (both P > 0.05). Among all patients, 30-d and 90-d readmission was 6.5% and 12.4%, respectively. On multivariable analysis, discharge to LHRA was independently associated with a 19% (odds ratio = 1.19; 95% CI, 1.01-1.41; P = 0.043) and 18% (odds ratio = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.04-1.33; P = 0.010) greater odds of 30-d and 90-day readmission, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients discharged to an area characterized by LHRA were more likely to be readmitted at 30 d and 90 d following index discharge.