Routine intensive care unit admission among patients undergoing major pancreatic surgery for cancer: No effect on failure to rescue

Causes, management, and prognosis of severe gastrointestinal bleedings in critically ill patients with pancreatic cancer: A retrospective multicenter study

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a leading cause of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in pancreatic cancer patients.

AIMS

To analyze causes, ICU mortality and hemostatic treatment success rates of GI bleeding in pancreatic cancer patients requiring ICU admission.

METHODS

Retrospective multicenter cohort study between 2009 and 2021. Patients with a recent pancreatic resection surgery were excluded.

RESULTS

Ninety-five patients were included (62 % males, 67 years-old). Fifty-one percent presented hemorrhagic shock, 41 % required mechanical ventilation. Main GI bleeding causes were gastroduodenal tumor invasion (32 %), gastroesophageal varices (21 %) and arterial aneurysm (12 %). Arterial aneurysms were more frequent in patients with previous pancreatic resection (36 % vs 2 %, p < 0.001). Hemostatic procedures included gastroduodenal endoscopy in 81 % patients and arterial embolization in 28 % patients. ICU mortality was 19 %. Multivariate analysis identified four variables associated with mortality: performance status >2 (OR 9.34, p = 0.026), mechanical ventilation (OR 14.14, p = 0.003), treatment success (OR 0.09, p = 0.010), hemorrhagic shock (OR 11.24, p = 0.010). Treatment success was 46 % and was associated with aneurysmal bleeding (OR 29.89, p = 0.005), ongoing chemotherapy (OR 0.22, p = 0.016), and prothrombin time ratio (OR 1.05, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

In pancreatic cancer patients with severe GI bleeding, early identification of aneurysmal bleeding (particularly in case of previous resection surgery) and coagulopathy management may increase the treatment success and reduce mortality.

Oncology Intensive Care Units: Distinguishing Features and Clinical Considerations

The rapidly advancing field of cancer therapeutics has led to increased longevity among cancer patients as well as increasing complexity of cancer-related illness and associated comorbid conditions. As a result, institutions and organizations that specialize in the in-patient care of cancer patients have similarly evolved to meet the constantly changing needs of this unique patient population. Within these institutions, the intensive care units that specialize in the care of critically ill cancer patients represent an especially unique clinical resource. This article explores some of the defining and distinguishing characteristics associated with oncology ICUs.

Clinical features and outcomes of patients with pancreatic cancer requiring unplanned medical ICU admission: A retrospective multicenter study

BACKGROUND

We sought to describe the reasons for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and outcomes of patients with pancreatic cancer requiring unplanned medical ICU admission.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective cohort study in five ICUs from 2009 to 2020. All patients with pancreatic cancer admitted to the ICU were included. Patients having undergone recent surgery were excluded (< 4 weeks).

RESULTS

269 patients were included. Tumors were mainly adenocarcinoma (90%). Main reason for admission was sepsis/septic shock (32%) with a biliary tract infection in 44 (51%) patients. Second reason for admission was gastrointestinal bleeding (28%). ICU and 3-month mortality rates were 26% and 59% respectively. Performance status 3-4 (odds ratio OR 3.58), disease status (responsive/stable -ref-, newly diagnosed OR 3.25, progressive OR 5.99), mechanical ventilation (OR 8.03), vasopressors (OR 4.19), SAPS 2 (OR 1.69) and pH (OR 0.02) were independently associated with ICU mortality. Performance status 3-4 (Hazard ratio HR 1.96) and disease status (responsive/stable -ref-, newly diagnosed HR 2.67, progressive HR 4.14) were associated with 3-month mortality.

CONCLUSION

Reasons for ICU admissions of pancreatic cancer patients differ from those observed in other solid cancer. Short- and medium-term mortality are strongly influenced by performance status and disease status at ICU admission.

Development of a predictive model for unplanned intensive care unit admission after pancreatic resection within an enhanced recovery pathway

BACKGROUND

It is unclear whether routine postoperative admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) can improve outcomes for patients undergoing elective pancreatic surgery. Aim of the study was to determine preoperative and intraoperative predictors of unplanned ICU access in patients undergoing pancreatectomy treated within an established enhanced recovery pathway (ERP) and compare outcomes between direct and late ICU admission.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study was conducted on adult patients who underwent pancreatic resection (2015-2019) within an ERP. Patients with preoperatively planned ICU admission were excluded from the study. Multiple multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to verify the association of preoperative and intraoperative variables with study outcomes.

RESULTS

The study included 1486 consecutive patients (cancer diagnosis 60%, pancreaticoduodenectomy 60%; laparoscopic approach 20%; vascular resection 9%). Sixty-six (4.4%) patients had an unplanned ICU admission. Direct admission occurred in 22 (33%) patients and late ICU admission in 44 (67%) patients. Mortality was significantly lower in direct admission group (n = 3, 14%) compared to late admission (n = 25, 57%; p > 0.001). A comprehensive model including preoperative and intraoperative variables identified ASA score ≥ 3 (OR 5.59, p value < 0.001), history of hypertension (OR 2.29, p = 0.029), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 3.05, p = 0.026), proximal pancreatic resection (OR 2.79, p value 0.046), multivisceral resection (OR 8.86, p value < 0.001), high intraoperative blood loss (OR 1.01 per ml, p < 0.001), and increased serum lactate at the end of surgery (OR 1.25, p = 0.017) as independent factors associated with ICU admission. Area under the ROC curve was 0.891.

CONCLUSION

Patient comorbidities, surgical complexity, and lactic acidosis at the end of surgery were associated with unplanned postoperative ICU admission. Late ICU admission had very high mortality rates compared to direct admission. Our findings suggest that patients with a combination of preoperative and intraoperative risk factors could benefit from upfront postoperative ICU admission to potentially improve postoperative outcomes.

Real-time mortality risk calculator following pancreatoduodenectomy: quantifying the impact of perioperative events

BACKGROUND

Estimation of mortality risk traditionally has only included preoperative factors. We sought to develop "real-time" mortality risk-calculator for patients who undergo pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) based on preoperative factors, as well as events that occurred during the course of patient's surgery and hospitalization.

METHODS

Patients who underwent PD from 2014 to 2018 were identified in the ACS-NSQIP dataset. Training and validation cohorts were created. Pre-, intra-, and post-operative models to predict 30-day mortality were developed based on perioperative variables selected by stepwise cox regression analyses; model performance was assessed using AUC.

RESULTS

Among 17,683 patients who underwent PD, 1.6% died within 30-days. Patient factors and events associated with 30-day mortality were incorporated into a risk calculator (https://ktsahara.shinyapps.io/Real-timePD/). The accuracy of the risk-calculator increased relative to hospital time-course in both the training (AUC, pre-:0.696, intra-:0.724, post-operative:0.871) and validation (AUC, pre-:0.681, intra-:0.702, post-operative:0.850) cohorts. One in 3 patients had a concordant calculated risk of mortality using pre-versus postoperative variables to inform the risk model (kappa = 0.474).

CONCLUSION

Risk of mortality fluctuated over the hospital course following PD and preoperative risk assessment was often discordant with risk assessed at other periods. The proposed "real-time" calculator may help better stratify patients with increased risk of 30-day mortality.

Failure to Rescue After the Whipple: What Do We Know?

Mortality after pancreatoduodenectomy has improved over time. This progress is likely related to advancements in failure to rescue (FTR-the percentage of patients who die after developing a major complication). Several factors associated with FTR include patient-specific risks, development of certain postoperative complications, surgeon-specific factors, hospital-specific factors, rescue techniques, and regional differences. Efforts should be made to explore additional factors such as the influence of safety culture in the postoperative setting. Improvement in FTR may be better explored through randomized controlled postoperative management trials. In stable patients, management of complications by interventional radiology is preferred over reoperation.

Nomogram to Predict Intensive Care Following Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer: A Useful Clinical Tool to Guide the Decision-Making of Intensive Care Unit Admission

BACKGROUND

We aimed to generate and validate a nomogram to predict patients most likely to require intensive care unit (ICU) admission following gastric cancer surgery to improve postoperative outcomes and optimize the allocation of medical resources.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 3,468 patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer from January 2009 to June 2018. Here, 70.0% of the patients were randomly assigned to the training cohort, and 30.0% were assigned to the validation cohort. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method was performed to screen out risk factors for ICU-specific care using the training cohort. Then, based on the results of LASSO regression analysis, multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to establish the prediction nomogram. The calibration and discrimination of the nomogram were evaluated in the training cohort and validated in the validation cohort. Finally, the clinical usefulness was determined by decision curve analysis (DCA).

RESULTS

Age, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, chronic pulmonary disease, heart disease, hypertension, combined organ resection, and preoperative and/or intraoperative blood transfusions were selected for the model. The concordance index (C-index) of the model was 0.843 in the training cohort and 0.831 in the validation cohort. The calibration curves of the ICU-specific care risk nomogram suggested great agreement in both training and validation cohorts. The DCA showed that the nomogram was clinically useful.

CONCLUSIONS

Age, ASA score, chronic pulmonary disease, heart disease, hypertension, combined organ resection, and preoperative and/or intraoperative blood transfusions were identified as risk factors for ICU-specific care after gastric surgery. A clinically friendly model was generated to identify those most likely to require intensive care.

Is Intensive Care Unit Monitoring Necessary After Maxillomandibular Advancement for Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

PURPOSE

Maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) is an accepted treatment modality for obstructive sleep apnea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of complications requiring an intensive care unit (ICU) level of care and the necessity of routine overnight ICU airway monitoring after MMA.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing MMA at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2003 to 2020. The primary predictor variable was postoperative admission to the ICU versus post anesthesia care unit (PACU) or ward. The primary outcome variable was grade IV or V complications as scored using the Clavien-Dindo classification system. The secondary outcome variables included postoperative SpO₂ nadir and length of hospital stay. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were computed to measure the association between complications and predictor variables.

RESULTS

The study sample consisted of 104 patients (74.0% male, mean age 37.6 ± 12.1 years), 61 of whom were admitted to the ICU (58.7%). During the initial 24 hours of airway monitoring, the mean SpO₂ nadir was 93.7 ± 2.59% for patients admitted to the ICU compared with 94.0 ± 6.56% for patients admitted to the PACU or ward (P = .862). Patients experienced 2 grade IV complications (1.92%) and no grade V complications, with no statistical association between complications and postoperative admission location (P = 1.000). Age (P = .002) and operative time (P = .046) were the only variables statistically associated with grade IV or V complications. There was no difference in length of hospital stay between patients admitted to the ICU (2.64 ± 1.37 days) versus PACU or ward (2.58 ± 1.62 days).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of complications requiring ICU-level care after MMA for obstructive sleep apnea is low. Additional studies are warranted to guide development of feasible, cost-effective perioperative protocols for patients undergoing MMA.

Implications of intensive care unit admissions among medicare beneficiaries following resection of pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Intensive care unit (ICU) use has increased among patients with cancer. We sought to define factors associated with ICU admissions among patients with pancreatic cancer and characterize trends in mortality among hospital survivors.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database was used to identify patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent resection. Multivariable analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with ICU admission and mortality among hospital survivors.

RESULTS

Among 6422 Medicare beneficiaries who underwent resection of pancreatic cancer, 2386 (37.1%) had an ICU admission. Patients with ICU admissions were more likely to be younger (10-year increase odds ratio [OR]: 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77-0.89), male (OR: 1.17, 95% CI 1.05-1.30) and undergo resection at a teaching hospital (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.05-1.36). While the majority of patients survived to hospital discharge (n = 2106; 88.3%), a majority of patients (n = 1296; 54.3%) died within 6 months. Among patients who had subsequent ICU admissions, 1- and 5-year survival was only 31.8% and 11.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Over one-third of patients with pancreatic cancer had an ICU admission. While most patients survived hospitalization, more than one-half of patients died within 6 months of discharge and two-thirds died within 1 year. These data should serve to guide patient-provider discussions around prognosis relative to ICU utilization.

Postoperative single-sequence (PoSSe) MRI: imaging work-up for CT-guided or endoscopic drainage indication of collections after hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery

Purpose

Fluid collections due to anastomotic leakage are a common complication after hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) surgery and are usually treated with drainage. We conducted a study to evaluate imaging work-up with a postoperative single-sequence (PoSSe) MRI for the detection of collections and indication of drainage.

Material and methods

Forty-six patients who developed signs of leakage (fever, pain, laboratory findings) after HPB surgery were prospectively enrolled. Each patient was examined by abdominal sonography and our PoSSe MRI protocol (axial T2-weighted HASTE only). PoSSe MRI examination time (from entering to leaving the MR scanner room) was measured. Sonography and MRI were evaluated regarding the detection and localization of fluid collections. Each examination was classified for diagnostic sufficiency and an imaging-based recommendation if CT-guided or endoscopic drainage is reasonable or not was proposed. Imaging work-up was evaluated in terms of feasibility and the possibility of drainage indication.

Results

Sonography, as first-line modality, detected 21 focal fluid collections and allowed to decide about the need for drainage in 41% of patients. The average time in the scanning room for PoSSe MRI was 9:23 min [7:50–13:32 min]. PoSSe MRI detected 46 focal collections and allowed therapeutic decisions in all patients. Drainage was suggested based on PoSSe MRI in 25 patients (54%) and subsequently indicated and performed in 21 patients (100% sensitivity and 84% specificity). No patient needed further imaging to optimize the treatment.

Conclusions

The PoSSe MRI approach is feasible in the early and intermediate postoperative setting after HPB surgery and shows a higher detection rate than sonography. Imaging work-up regarding drainage of collections was successful in all patients and our proposed PoSSe MRI algorithm provides an alternative to the standard work-up.

Perioperative Outcomes for Centers Routinely Admitting Postoperative Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair to the ICU

BACKGROUND

Intensive care unit (ICU) admission after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) varies across medical centers. We evaluated the association of postoperative ICU use with perioperative and long-term outcomes after EVAR.

STUDY DESIGN

The Vascular Quality Initiative (2003-2019) was queried for index elective EVARs. Included centers were categorized by percentage of patients with EVARs postoperatively admitted to the ICU; routine ICU (rICU) centers as ≥80% ICU admissions and nonroutine ICU (nrICU) centers as ≤20% ICU admissions. Patients admitted preoperatively or with same day discharge were excluded. Perioperative outcomes and survival were compared between rICU and nrICU centers.

RESULTS

Of 45,310 EVARs in the database, 35,617 were performed at rICU or nrICU centers - 5,443 (15.3%) at 71 rICU centers and 30,174 (84.7%) at 200 nrICU centers. Overall, mean age was 73.4 years and 81.6% were male. Postoperative myocardial infarction, pulmonary complications, stroke, leg ischemia, and in-hospital mortality were similar between rICU and nrICU centers (all p > 0.05). Postoperative length of stay (LOS) was prolonged at rICU centers (mean) (2.2 ± 3.6 vs 2 ± 4.2 days, p < 0.001). One-year survival was similar between rICU and nrICU centers, respectively, (94.9% vs 95.4%, p = 0.085). When compared with nrICU centers, rICU centers had similar 1-year mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR] 1.15, 95% CI 0.99-1.34, p = 0.076), but were associated with longer postoperative LOS (means ratio 1.1, 95% CI 1.08-1.13, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Routine ICU use after EVAR was associated with prolonged postoperative LOS, without improved perioperative/long-term morbidity or mortality. Updated care pathways to include postoperative admission to lower acuity care units may reduce costs without compromising care.

Development and Performance of a Clinical Decision Support Tool to Inform Resource Utilization for Elective Operations

IMPORTANCE

Hospitals ceased most elective procedures during the height of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. As hospitals begin to recommence elective procedures, it is necessary to have a means to assess how resource intensive a given case may be.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the development and performance of a clinical decision support tool to inform resource utilization for elective procedures.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

In this prognostic study, predictive modeling was used on retrospective electronic health records data from a large academic health system comprising 1 tertiary care hospital and 2 community hospitals of patients undergoing scheduled elective procedures from January 1, 2017, to March 1, 2020. Electronic health records data on case type, patient demographic characteristics, service utilization history, comorbidities, and medications were and abstracted and analyzed. Data were analyzed from April to June 2020.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Predicitons of hospital length of stay, intensive care unit length of stay, need for mechanical ventilation, and need to be discharged to a skilled nursing facility. These predictions were generated using the random forests algorithm. Predicted probabilities were turned into risk classifications designed to give assessments of resource utilization risk.

RESULTS

Data from the electronic health records of 42 199 patients from 3 hospitals were abstracted for analysis. The median length of stay was 2.3 days (range, 1.3-4.2 days), 6416 patients (15.2%) were admitted to the intensive care unit, 1624 (3.8%) received mechanical ventilation, and 2843 (6.7%) were discharged to a skilled nursing facility. Predictive performance was strong with an area under the receiver operator characteristic ranging from 0.76 to 0.93. Sensitivity of the high-risk and medium-risk groupings was set at 95%. The negative predictive value of the low-risk grouping was 99%. We integrated the models into a daily refreshing Tableau dashboard to guide decision-making.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The clinical decision support tool is currently being used by surgical leadership to inform case scheduling. This work shows the importance of a learning health care environment in surgical care, using quantitative modeling to guide decision-making.

Routine Intensive Care Unit Admission Following Liver Resection: What Is the Value Proposition?

INTRODUCTION

The value of routine ICU admission after elective surgery has been debated due to the lack of robust evidence supporting its benefit, as well as the increased incurred costs. We sought to analyze outcomes of patients undergoing hepatectomy who were routinely admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) compared with surgical ward admission.

METHODS

Patients were identified in the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database from 2010 to 2016. Routine postoperative ICU admission was defined as ICU admission for ≤ 24 h on postoperative day 0. Potential association between routine ICU admission with extended length-of-stay (LOS), failure-to-rescue, and total inpatient costs was analyzed.

RESULTS

In total 7970 patients underwent hepatectomy; 37.7% (n = 3001) had routine ICU admission and 62.3% (n = 4969) surgical ward admission. Among the 3001 patients who had routine ICU admission, 1137 (37.9%) had a major and 1864 (62.1%) had a minor hepatectomy. Routine ICU admission was not associated with lower failure-to-rescue (routine ICU 4.9% vs. ward 1.8%; p < 0.001). Patients routinely admitted to the ICU had longer median LOS (routine ICU 7 days, IQR 5-15 days vs. ward 5 days, IQR 4-7 days; p < 0.001). Median payments were higher for routine ICU admission than for surgical ward admission ($50,501, IQR $34,270-$80,459 vs. $39,774, IQR $28,555-$58,270, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Routine ICU admission was associated with longer LOS and higher hospital payments, yet did not translate into lower failure-to-rescue among patients undergoing hepatectomy.

Development and validation of a real-time mortality risk calculator before, during and after hepatectomy: an analysis of the ACS NSQIP database

BACKGROUND

Although most conventional risk prediction models have been based on preoperative information, intra- and post-operative events may be more relevant to mortality after surgery. We sought to develop a mortality risk calculator based on real time characteristics associated with hepatectomy.

METHODS

Patients who underwent hepatectomy between 2014 and 2017 were identified in the ACS-NSQIP dataset. Three prediction models (pre-, intra-, post-operative) were developed and validated using perioperative data.

RESULTS

Among 14,720 patients, 197 (1.3%) experienced 30-day mortality. The predictive ability of the real-time mortality risk calculator was very good based on only preoperative factors (AUC; training cohort: 0.813, validation cohort: 0.731). Incorporating intra-operative variables into the model increased the AUC (training: 0.838, validation: 0.777), while the post-operative model achieved an AUC of 0.922 in the training and 0.885 in the validation cohorts, respectively. While patients with low preoperative risk had only very small fluctuations in the estimated 30-day mortality risk during the intraoperative (Δ0.4%) and postoperative (Δ0.6%) phases, patients who were already deemed high risk preoperatively had additional increased mortality risk based on factors that occurred in the intraoperative (Δ5.4%) and postoperative (Δ9.3%) periods.

CONCLUSION

A real-time mortality risk calculator may better help clinicians identify patients at risk of death at the different stages of the surgical episode.

Insurance Coverage Type Impacts Hospitalization Patterns Among Patients with Hepatopancreatic Malignancies

INTRODUCTION

Disparities in health and healthcare access remain a major problem in the USA. The current study sought to investigate the relationship between patient insurance status and hospital selection for surgical care.

METHODS

Patients who underwent liver or pancreatic resection for cancer between 2004 and 2014 were identified in the National Inpatient Sample. The association of insurance status and hospital type was examined.

RESULTS

In total, 22,254 patients were included in the study. Compared with patients with private insurance, Medicaid patients were less likely to undergo surgery at urban non-teaching hospitals (OR = 0.36, 95%CI 0.22-0.59) and urban teaching hospitals (OR = 0.54, 95%CI 0.34-0.84) than rural hospitals. Medicaid patients were less likely to undergo surgery at private investor-owned hospitals (OR = 0.53, 95%CI 0.38-0.73) than private non-profit hospitals. In contrast, uninsured patients were 2.2-fold more likely to go to government-funded hospitals rather than private non-profit hospitals (OR = 2.19, 95%CI 1.76-2.71).

CONCLUSION

Insurance status was strongly associated with the type of hospital in which patients underwent surgery for liver and pancreatic cancers. Addressing the reasons for inequitable access to different hospital settings relative to insurance status is essential to ensure that all patients undergoing pancreatic or liver surgery receive high-quality surgical care.