Emergent General Surgery Operations in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Gastrointestinal complications requiring operative intervention after cardiovascular surgery: Predictors of in-hospital mortality

BACKGROUND

Risk factors for in-hospital mortality related to gastrointestinal complications requiring operative intervention after cardiovascular surgery have not been previously described.

METHODS

Adult patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery followed by gastrointestinal surgery during the same admission between January 2010 and June 2023 were included. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to assess overall survival based on identified risk factors.

RESULTS

Gastrointestinal complications requiring operative intervention after cardiac surgery occurred in 151 patients, with an overall in-hospital mortality of 35.76% (n = 54). The most common diagnosis was bowel ischemia (50.33%). On multivariable logistic regression, the history of cirrhosis (odds ratio: 37.96, 95% confidence interval: 3.57-543.90) and the clinical condition at the time of emergency general surgery consultation, described by elevated lactate (odds ratio: 5.76, 95% confidence interval: 1.71-22.82), platelets <50 × 109/L (odds ratio: 11.34, 95% confidence interval: 1.60-162.37), ≥3 vasoactive medications (odds ratio: 4.93, 95% CI: 1.29-20.14), and the need for renal replacement therapy (odds ratio: 5.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.46-20.79) were predictive of in-hospital mortality. In-hospital mortality was low when none of the risk factors identified on multivariable analysis were present (2.38%, n = 1 of 42), but in-hospital mortality was universal among patients with 4-5 risk factors (100%, n = 8 of 8).

CONCLUSIONS

Gastrointestinal complications after cardiac surgery are disastrous when patient illness becomes severe. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for gastrointestinal complications to promote early involvement of general surgery. Knowledge of these risk factors could help guide discussions among the multidisciplinary care team, patients, and their families.

Outcomes after noncardiac surgery in patients with left ventricular assist devices: a systematic review

Background

The number of patients living with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) has gradually increased in the past decade. Non-cardiac surgery (NCS) in patients with LVAD poses a unique situation with its inherent challenges.

Aim

We conducted a comprehensive review to investigate the perioperative complications and mortality associated with emergent or elective NCS in patients with LVAD.

Method

A comprehensive literature search for any papers referring to continuous LVAD patients with NCS. All publications with at least five durable LVAD patients who had NCS were eligible for inclusion.

Result

Twenty articles matching our criteria were found and included in our study. This systematic review included 6,476 LVAD patients who underwent 6,824 NCS. There were 5-3,216 LVAD patients with NCS in each study. The median age was between 39 and 65 years, and most of the patients (78.8%) were male. Thirty-day postoperative mortality ranged from 0% to 60%. Eight studies reported no death within the 30 days of the operation. Common complications include gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, intracranial bleeding, infection, acute kidney injury (AKI), urinary tract infection (UTI), stroke, sepsis, pneumonia, and VAD exchange. Emergent abdominal surgery had the highest (up to 60%) mortality rate, and vascular and neurological operations had the highest complication rates. Due to the diverse range of patients in each publication and the combination of outcomes presented in various publications, a meta-analysis was not conducted.

Conclusion

In LVAD patients, noncardiac surgery may be performed effectively and safely. LVAD patients who undergo non-cardiac surgery may require more transfusions due to their complex coagulopathies. However, perioperative management of LVAD patients undergoing emergent NCS should be optimized to reduce mortality.

Systematic Review Registration

https://osf.io/fetsb/.