Multimodal Prehabilitation for Patients with Crohn's Disease Scheduled for Major Surgery: A Narrative Review

Approximately 15-50% of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) will require surgery within ten years following the diagnosis. The management of modifiable risk factors before surgery is essential to reduce postoperative complications and to promote a better postoperative recovery. Preoperative malnutrition reduced functional capacity, sarcopenia, immunosuppressive medications, anemia, and psychological distress are frequently present in CD patients. Multimodal prehabilitation consists of nutritional, functional, medical, and psychological interventions implemented before surgery, aiming at optimizing preoperative status and improve postoperative recovery. Currently, studies evaluating the effect of multimodal prehabilitation on postoperative outcomes specifically in CD are lacking. Some studies have investigated the effect of a single prehabilitation intervention, of which nutritional optimization is the most investigated. The aim of this narrative review is to present the physiologic rationale supporting multimodal surgical prehabilitation in CD patients waiting for surgery, and to describe its main components to facilitate their adoption in the preoperative standard of care.

Optimizing the transfusion strategy in surgical patients in a Lebanese university hospital

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Our aim was to analyze factors that influence transfusion requirements in surgical patients in order to achieve a transfusion-saving strategy.

METHODS

Data was collected from patient's files at the Notre Dame de Secours-Jbeil University Hospital Center between January 2017 and June 2019. Selection was made for 400 patients who had undergone surgery and required transfusion. The studied variables were age, sex, and type of surgery whether planned or urgent with its expected level of bleeding. The presence of chronic anemia, coronary artery disease, values of hemoglobin and hematocrit before and after transfusion, iron status preoperatively, and post-operation complications were also noted.

RESULTS

The analysis of 400 transfused surgical patients showed that the mean age was 62 ± 18 years with 52.5% women and 47.5% men. In 82.3% of patients, surgical bleeding was expected, 77.8% of surgeries were scheduled, and 22.3% were urgent. Fifty-two percent of patients were known to have coronary artery disease. Orthopedic (35%) and cardiothoracic (29.5%) surgeries had the highest transfusion rate. Among all patients, only 106 patients (26.5%) underwent a preoperative iron workup. The pre-transfusion levels of hemoglobin were 9.9 ± 0.6 and hematocrit of 29.7 ± 1.9. 26.3% of patients had a post-transfusion complication. On the other hand, 19.5% of women and 20% of men were already anemic when admitted to the hospital. Anemic women required 7.6 times more transfusions than non-anemic, while anemic men required 12.38 times more transfusions than non-anemic men. Age, presence of coronary artery disease, and chronic anemia have been found to be factors increasing the risk of post-transfusion complications. Finally, urgent and unplanned surgeries are 2.9 times more likely to cause post-transfusion complications.

CONCLUSION

This study therefore confirms that anemic patients are more likely to receive perioperative blood transfusions. Consequently, in order to reduce blood transfusion and its complications, it would be beneficial primarily to diagnose and treat anemia preoperatively. Other transfusion-saving strategies could also be useful in the setting of surgical bleeding, such as the use of tranexamic acid and different autologous transfusion methods like the cell saver.

Preoperative screening and prehabilitation strategies prior to ileocolic resection in patients with Crohn's disease are not incorporated in routine care

PURPOSE

Recently, recommendations on perioperative care have been published to optimize postoperative outcomes in preoperative patients with inflammatory bowel disease. This study evaluated the current use of preoperative screening and prehabilitation strategies (PS) prior to elective ileocolic resection (ICR) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD).

METHODS

Patients with CD who underwent an elective ICR were identified from a Dutch prospective cohort study. Primary endpoint was to evaluate to what extent IBD-relevant PS were applied in patients with CD prior to ICR according to the current recommendations.

RESULTS

In total, 109 CD patients were included. Screening of nutritional status was performed in 56% of the patients and revealed malnutrition in 46% of these patients. Of the malnourished patients, 46% was referred to a dietitian. Active smoking and alcohol consumption were reported in 20% and 28%; none of these patients were referred for a cessation program. A preoperative anemia was diagnosed in 61%, and ferritin levels were assessed in 26% of these patients. Iron therapy was started in 25% of the patients with an iron deficiency anemia. Exposure to corticosteroids at time of ICR was reported in 29% and weaned off in 3%. Consultation of a dietitian, psychologist, and physiotherapist was reported in 36%, 7%, and 3%. Physical fitness was assessed in none of the patients.

CONCLUSION

PS are not routinely applied and not individually tailored in the preoperative setting prior to elective ICR in patients with CD. Prior to implementation, future research on the costs and effectiveness of PS on postoperative outcomes and quality of life is necessary.

Reduzindo as transfusões de sangue em pacientes com artroplastia total primária do quadril: A eficácia dos testes rápidos de Hb e uma clínica especializada em anemia pré-operatória

Objetivo A anemia pré-operatória em pacientes ortopédicos, está associada a maiores taxas de transfusão de sangue alogênico, resultando em desfechos mais desfavoráveis. Até 25% dos pacientes encaminhados para cirurgia ortopédica de grande porte, apresentam algum grau de anemia. O controle adequado do sangue do paciente no perioperatório é essencial, a fim de reduzir as sequelas da anemia e a necessidade de transfusões. Avaliamos a eficácia do teste rápido, em conjunto com uma clínica especializada no tratamento da anemia pré-operatória, com o objetivo de detectar e tratar a anemia dos pacientes a serem submetidos a artroplastia total primária do quadril.

Métodos A comparação das taxas totais de transfusão de sangue alogênico, foi realizada em pacientes submetidos a artroplastia total primária do quadril, antes e depois da implementação dos testes rápidos e da clínica especializada no tratamento da anemia pré-operatória ao longo de um ano. Também foi feita uma comparação entre os pacientes com anemia, que foram encaminhados para a clínica, com aqueles que não foram encaminhados. Foram revisados os níveis de hemoglobina pré-operatória, as taxas de transfusão de sangue alogênico e o tratamento clínico em 1.095 pacientes.

Resultados Houve uma redução significativa nas taxas de transfusão, em pacientes submetidos à ATQ primária, caindo de 10,0% para 6,2% (p <0,05, teste χ2), após a implementação do teste rápido e da clínica especializada em anemia pré-operatória. A taxa de transfusão de sangue alogênico para pacientes anêmicos tratados na clínica foi de 6,7%, em comparação com 26,9% para pacientes anêmicos no pré-operatório, que não foram tratados na clínica (p <0,05, teste exato de Fisher). Em média, o tratamento na clínica aumentou a taxa de hemoglobina dos pacientes em 20 g/L, passando de 104 g/L para 124 g/L p <0,001.

Conclusões O teste rápido, juntamente com a clínica especializada no tratamento da anemia pré-operatória, reduziu a necessidade de transfusão de sangue alogênico perioperatório, em pacientes submetidos a artroplastia total primária do quadril, proporcionando uma identificação rápida e um tratamento eficaz da anemia pré-operatória.

Prehabilitation prior to intestinal resection in Crohn’s disease patients: An opinion review

Patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) are at a considerable risk for intestinal surgery. Approximately 25% of patients with CD will undergo an intestinal resection within 10 years of diagnosis. Postoperative complications after CD surgery have been reported in 20%-47% of the patients. Both general and CD-related risk factors are associated with postoperative complications, and comprise non-modifiable (e.g., age) and potentially modifiable risk factors (e.g., malnutrition). Prehabilitation focuses on the preoperative period with strategies designed to optimize modifiable risk factors concerning the physical and mental condition of the individual patient. The aim of prehabilitation is to enhance postoperative recovery and return to or even improve preoperative functional capacity. Preoperative improvement of nutritional status, physical fitness, cessation of smoking, psychological support, and critical revision of preoperative use of CD medication are important strategies. Studies of the effect on postoperative outcome in CD patients are scarce, and guidelines lack recommendations on tailored management. In this opinion review, we review the current evidence on the impact of screening and management of nutritional status, physical fitness, CD medication and laboratory values on the postoperative course following an intestinal resection in CD patients. In addition, we aim to provide guidance for individualized multimodal prehabilitation in clinical practice concerning these modifiable factors.

Role of preoperative erythropoietin in the optimization of preoperative anemia among surgical patients - A systematic review and meta-analysis

Preoperative anemia is a common finding. Preoperative allogeneic transfusion, iron therapy, vitamin supplementation and erythropoietin therapy are the current management strategies for preoperative anemia. Previous reviews regarding erythropoietin were limited to specialties, provided little evidence regarding the benefits and risks of erythropoietin in managing preoperative anemia and included non-anemic patients. The purpose of our systematic review was to determine the role of erythropoietin solely in preoperatively anemic patients and to investigate the complications of this treatment modality to produce a guideline for preoperative management of anemic patients for all surgical specialties. The PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library were searched for randomized trials evaluating the efficacy of erythropoietin in preoperative anemia. The risk ratio (RR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) was used to pool the estimates of categorical and continuous outcomes, respectively. Allogeneic transfusion and complications and the 90-day mortality were the primary outcomes, while the postoperative change in hemoglobin, bleeding in milliliters and the number of red blood cell (RBC) packs transfused were the secondary outcomes. Results: Eight studies were included, comprising 734 and 716 patients in the erythropoietin group and non-erythropoietin group, respectively. The pooled estimate by RR for allogeneic transfusion was 0.829 (p = 0.049), while complications and the 90-day mortality were among the 1,318 (p = 0.18) patients. Conclusion: Preoperative erythropoietin provides better outcomes, considering the optimization of preoperative anemia for elective surgical procedures. The benefits of erythropoietin are significantly higher, compared to the control group, while the risks remain equivocal in both groups. We recommend preoperative erythropoietin in anemic patients.

Post-Tonsillectomy Bleeding: A National Perspective

OBJECTIVES

Tonsillectomy is one of the most common otolaryngologic procedures. Hemorrhage after tonsillectomy is one of the most feared complications by surgeons and patients alike. The objective of this study was to analyze the risk factors associated with an increase in post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage in the pediatric population using a large national database.

METHODS

The Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) from 2000 to 2012 was queried for patients between the ages of 1 to 17 years with post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to obtain trends in patient demographics, comorbidities, and hospital information.

RESULTS

Overall 45 940 pediatric cases of tonsillectomy were identified of which 5470 (11.9%) resulted in postoperative hemorrhage. Patients with postoperative hemorrhage were significantly older with mean age of 8.62 (±4.75) compared to all patients. Females were found to have higher rates of hemorrhage when compared to males 14.6% versus 11.5% (P < .001). The rate of white patients who had hemorrhage was 16.3% (P < .001). The most common comorbidities significantly associated with hemorrhage were fluid and electrolyte disorders (6.6% P < .001), deficiency anemia (3.8%; P < .001), and coagulopathy (2.7%; P < .001). Urban nonteaching hospitals had higher rates of hemorrhage (19.6%; P < .001) and the Northeast was the most common region (15.2%; P < .001). On multivariate analysis, older patients and white ethnicity showed a significantly increased risk of hemorrhage. Patients with pre-existing comorbidities such as coagulopathy, deficiency anemia, and fluid and electrolyte disorders circulation were also found to have higher odds ratios of bleeding.

CONCLUSION

Postoperative hemorrhage is a common complication following tonsillectomy with a rate of 11.9% in this study. A higher rate of hemorrhage was seen with increasing age, white race, and males overall, as well as patients with fluid and electrolyte disorders. Urban non-teaching hospitals and the Northeast region also saw increased rates of hemorrhage.

Association of preoperative anaemia with cardiopulmonary exercise capacity and postoperative outcomes in noncardiac surgery: a substudy of the Measurement of Exercise Tolerance before Surgery (METS) Study

BACKGROUND

Preoperative anaemia is associated with elevated risks of postoperative complications. This association may be explained by confounding related to poor cardiopulmonary fitness. We conducted a pre-specified substudy of the Measurement of Exercise Tolerance before Surgery (METS) study to examine the associations of preoperative haemoglobin concentration with preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing performance (peak oxygen consumption, anaerobic threshold) and postoperative complications.

METHODS

The substudy included a nested cross-sectional analysis and nested cohort analysis. In the cross-sectional study (1279 participants), multivariate linear regression modelling was used to determine the adjusted association of haemoglobin concentration with peak oxygen consumption and anaerobic threshold. In the nested cohort study (1256 participants), multivariable logistic regression modelling was used to determine the adjusted association of haemoglobin concentration, peak oxygen consumption, and anaerobic threshold with the primary endpoint (composite outcome of death, cardiovascular complications, acute kidney injury, or surgical site infection) and secondary endpoint (moderate or severe complications).

RESULTS

Haemoglobin concentration explained 3.8% of the variation in peak oxygen consumption and anaerobic threshold (P<0.001). Although not associated with the primary endpoint, haemoglobin concentration was associated with moderate or severe complications after adjustment for peak oxygen consumption (odds ratio=0.86 per 10 g L^-1 increase; 95% confidence interval, 0.77-0.96) or anaerobic threshold (odds ratio=0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.77-0.97). Lower peak oxygen consumption was associated with moderate or severe complications without effect modification by haemoglobin concentration (P=0.12).

CONCLUSION

Haemoglobin concentration explains a small proportion of variation in exercise capacity. Both anaemia and poor functional capacity are associated with postoperative complications and may therefore be modifiable targets for preoperative optimisation.

Perioperative Use of Vedolizumab is not Associated with Postoperative Infectious Complications in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis Undergoing Colectomy

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Preoperative use of vedolizumab has been associated with increased short-term postoperative infectious complications. We assessed this risk in a single-centre cohort of patients with ulcerative colitis undergoing colectomy.

METHODS

Chart review was performed for all colectomies between 2006 and 2016. Short-term postoperative [non]infectious complications were evaluated within 30 days after colectomy. The comprehensive complication index was calculated based on all reported events.

RESULTS

We identified 170 eligible patients [46% female, median age 40 years]. Thirty-four patients [20%] received vedolizumab within 16 weeks, 60 [35%] received anti-tumour necrosis factor [TNF] within 8 weeks, 32 [19%] received a moderate-to-high dose of prednisone and 71 [42%] received other therapies at colectomy. Pouch construction was performed at first stage in 47 patients [28%], and less frequently in patients under vedolizumab, anti-TNF or steroids [all p < 0.01]. Sixty-two short-term infectious and 75 noninfectious complications were reported in, respectively, 49 [29%] and 64 [38%] patients. Only pouch construction at first stage of surgery was independently associated with short-term postoperative infectious (odds ratio 2.40 [95% confidence interval 1.18-4.90], p = 0.016), overall complications (3.11 [1.52-6.40], p = 0.002) and more severe complications (comprehensive complication index 20.9 [0.0-30.8] vs 0.0 [0.0-20.9], p = 0.001). Perioperative medical therapy [including vedolizumab] did not influence short-term outcome, either in the overall population or in the subpopulation of patients with pouch construction at a second stage.

CONCLUSIONS

Perioperative use of vedolizumab was not associated with short-term postoperative [infectious] complications. However, postponing pouch construction to a second stage of surgery is advisable in patients under biological therapy or moderate-to-high doses of steroids.