Predictors for Perioperative Outcomes following Total Laryngectomy: A University HealthSystem Consortium Discharge Database Study

Phase II Clinical Trial of Intravenous Levothyroxine to Mitigate Pharyngocutaneous Fistula in Euthyroid Patients Undergoing Salvage Laryngectomy

PURPOSE

Patients undergoing head and neck cancer surgery after prior radiation or chemoradiation are at high risk for wound complications. Hypothyroidism is a known risk factor for wound complications, especially fistulae after salvage total laryngectomy. The purpose of this phase II clinical trial is to investigate the effect of perioperative intravenous levothyroxine supplementation on wound complications in patients undergoing salvage total laryngectomy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Euthyroid patients previously treated with radiation/chemoradiation undergoing total laryngectomy were prospectively recruited (n = 72). Postoperatively, intravenous levothyroxine was administered at a weight-based dose (1.3 mcg/kg/d) and transitioned to enteral dosing on day 7. Free T3, T4, and thyroid-stimulating hormones were collected, and dosing was adjusted accordingly. The primary endpoints were rates of fistula formation and fistula requiring reoperation, compared with matched historic controls. All patients were monitored for adverse effects.

RESULTS

The rate of postoperative hypothyroidism was 21% compared with 49% in a matched historic cohort. The rate of fistula formation was 18.1%, whereas the rate of fistula requiring reoperation was 4.2%, significantly lower than rates in our historic cohort (34.6% and 14.8%, respectively; P = 0.02 and 0.01). Postoperative hypothyroidism and recurrent clinical stage predicted fistula requiring reoperation in multivariate analysis; other acute phase reactants were not predictive. There were no observed adverse events related to levothyroxine supplementation.

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative intravenous levothyroxine supplementation reduced rates of acute hypothyroidism, fistula formation, and fistula requiring reoperation in patients undergoing salvage total laryngectomy without adverse effects. Intravenous levothyroxine is a viable strategy to reduce wound complications in this high-risk patient population.

Association between modified frailty index and surgical outcomes in intradural skull base surgery

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of preoperative frailty on short-term outcomes following intradural resection of skull base lesions. The 2005-2017 ACS-NSQIP database was queried for 30-day post-operative outcomes of patients undergoing intradural resection of the skull base, extracted by CPT codes 61601, 61606, 61608, and 61616. Five-item modified frailty index (mFI) was calculated based on the history of diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, chronic hypertension, and functional status. A total of 701 patients (58.8% female, 72.0% white) were included with a mean age of 51.8 ± 14.7 years. Compared to patients with mFI = 0 (n = 403), patients with mFI ≥ 1 (n = 298) were more likely to have higher rates of reoperation (13.4% vs. 8.7%, p = 0.045), medical complications (20.5% vs. 9.2%, p < 0.001), surgical complications (13.8% vs. 8.4%, p = 0.024), discharge to non-home facility (DNHF) (24.8% vs. 13.3%, p < 0.001), and prolonged length of hospitalization (7.3 ± 6.8 days vs. 5.6 ± 5.0, p = 0.003). Moreover, mFI = 1-3 was also associated with higher BMI, non-white race, high ASA, and older age (all p < 0.05). Upon adjusting for age, BMI, race, ASA score, and surgical site, multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that higher mFI (treated as a continuous variable) was associated with higher odds of medical complications (OR = 1.630, CI = 1.153-2.308, p = 0.006), surgical complications (OR = 1.594, CI = 1.042-2.438, p < 0.031), and LOS ≥ 10 days (OR = 1.609, CI = 1.176-2.208, p = 0.003). In conclusion, the 5-item mFI can be an independent predictor of several important short-term surgical outcomes following intradural resection of skull base lesions, warranting further investigations into its clinical utility.

Association of Preoperative Anemia With 30-Day Morbidity and Mortality Among Patients With Thyroid Cancer Who Undergo Thyroidectomy

Importance

Despite the ease of preoperative anemia diagnosis and the availability of treatment options, the morbidity and mortality associated with this condition remain unacceptably high, and the literature describing the association of preoperative anemia with postoperative outcomes following thyroid surgery in patients with thyroid cancer remain sparse. Reporting outcomes in this patient population may help to facilitate preoperative optimization.

Objective

To assess whether an association exists between preoperative anemia and outcomes following thyroid surgery in patients with thyroid cancer.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective, cross-sectional, cohort study used the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to identify 32 166 patients between 2007 and 2016 with Current Procedural Terminology codes for thyroid surgery and with the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code of malignant thyroid cancer.

Exposures

Preoperative anemia as defined using the World Health Organization criteria of hematocrit less than 36% in nonpregnant females and less than 39% in males.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association of preoperative anemia with the following 30-day postoperative outcomes: pulmonary, infectious, and cardiac complications, overall and serious morbidity (surgical site infection and medical complications), prolonged hospital length of stay (≥75th percentile for the cohort), and mortality.

Results

Among the 24 912 patients with thyroid cancer who underwent thyroidectomy included in the final analysis, the median (interquartile range) age was 51 (40-62) years and the majority were women (18 705 [75.1%]). The prevalence of preoperative anemia was 12.5% (n = 3108). Within the overall study population, hypertension (9242 patients [37.1%]) followed by active smoking (2992 patients [12.0%]) were the most prevalent comorbidities. The unadjusted odds of anemia vs no anemia were significantly higher for every 10-year increase in age (odds ratio [OR], 1.10; 95% CI, 1.08-1.13) and for black vs white patients (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 2.51-3.17). The adjusted odds of postoperative overall morbidity (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.29-2.17), mortality (OR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.37-8.28), and pulmonary (OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.65-3.34) and infectious (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.12-2.29) complications were higher in patients with preoperative anemia than in those without preoperative anemia.

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings from this study suggest that preoperative anemia may not only be associated with racial differences and a higher comorbidity burden but may also increase the likelihood of postoperative morbidity and mortality. These results may provide a basis for further risk reduction strategies and preoperative optimization.

Anemia and blood transfusion requirements in endoscopic sinus surgery: A propensity-matched analysis

OBJECTIVE

Massive bleeding requiring blood transfusion is a feared complication of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). In an effort to improve healthcare quality and outcomes, research is focused on identifying the risk factors for complications following surgical procedures. Blood transfusions have been linked to increased complication rates, but their role has not been extensively studied in ESS.

METHODS

The American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) participant user files 2005 to 2014 were queried for all cases of ESS. Patients were divided into cohorts based on anemia (hematocrit <39.00 in men and <36.00 in women) and hematocrit levels. Univariate analyses and a propensity score-matching algorithm were employed.

RESULTS

Of 630 cases of ESS, 117 (18.6%) had preexisting anemia. Anemic patients were more likely to be black (19.8% vs. 6.7%, P ≤ 0.001), undergo longer operation times (117.50 minutes ±155.73 vs. 129.85 minutes ±36.03, P = 0.005), have diabetes (28.2% vs. 10.9%, P ≤ 0.001), and have hypertension (46.2% vs. 33.1%, P = 0.010). Following propensity score matching, 109 cases were selected for each cohort, with no significant differences in demographics, comorbidities, operation time, or outpatient status. The anemic cohort was independently associated with an increase in overall postoperative complications (17.4% vs. 7.3%, P = 0.038). Transfusion use was significantly associated with preoperative hematocrit levels <30 (30.0% vs. 4.5%, P = 0.001) and between 30 and 34.99 (13.9% vs. 2.5%, P = 0.011).

CONCLUSION

Preoperative anemia is a significant predictor of overall complications and bleeding requiring transfusion for patients undergoing ESS. These results highlight the need for careful preoperative assessment and management of anemia in this population.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

NA Laryngoscope, 130:1377-1382, 2020.

Intraoperative Fluorescent Angiography Predicts Pharyngocutaneous Fistula After Salvage Laryngectomy

BACKGROUND

Technology to assess tissue perfusion is exciting with translational potential, although data supporting its clinical applications have been lagging. Patients who have undergone radiation are at particular risk of poor tissue perfusion and would benefit from this expanding technology. We designed a prospective clinical trial using intraoperative indocyanine green angiography to evaluate for wound-healing complications in patients undergoing salvage laryngectomy after radiation failure.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This prospective trial included patients undergoing salvage laryngectomy at a National Cancer Institute-designated tertiary cancer center between 2016 and 2018. After tumor extirpation and prior to reconstruction, 10 mg indocyanine green dye was infused and the fluorescence (F_HYPO) and ingress rate of the pharyngeal mucosa recorded. The primary outcome measure was formation of a pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF).

RESULTS

Patients who developed a PCF had significantly lower F_HYPO (87 vs 172, p < 0.001) and ingress rates (6.7 vs 15.8, p = 0.043) compared with those who did not develop a fistula. There were no fistulas in patients with F_HYPO > 150 (n = 21) or ingress > 15 (n = 15). There was a 50% fistula rate in patients with F_HYPO ≤ 103 (n = 10) and ingress rate ≤ 6 (n = 6).

CONCLUSIONS

Intraoperative indocyanine green angiography can assess hypoperfusion in patients and predict risk of PCFs after salvage laryngectomy, and can thus intraoperatively risk-stratify patients for postoperative wound-healing complications.

Direct complications and routine ICU admission after total laryngectomy

BACKGROUND

In the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NCI), patients are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after total laryngectomy (TL).

AIMS/OBJECTIVES

To assess direct complications and the need for ICU admission after TL.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Patients who underwent a TL in the NCI were reviewed on the occurrence of an event requiring ICU treatment within the first 24 hours postoperatively. The predictive value of predetermined risk factors was assessed with multivariable logistic analysis. The optimal threshold of the risk score assigned by the resulting model was determined.

RESULTS

An event occurred in 25 of the 113 patients (22%) of which 72% included norepinephrine dependence. Risk analysis showed that patients with either CRT prior to TL or a procedure including pharynx reconstruction, or both, should be indicated for ICU stay. Applying the rule on this cohort, 57 patients (50%) would have been sent to the ward postoperatively of which seven (12%) developed an event requiring ICU treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

A substantial proportion of the patients developed an event within the first 24 hours after TL. Our risk stratification of patients based on the mentioned risk factors is insufficiently accurate.

SIGNIFICANCE

The study provides an overview of direct postoperative complications after TL.

Race, Bundled Payment Policy, and Discharge Destination After TKA: The Experience of an Urban Academic Hospital

Background

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) provides good clinical outcomes for the treatment of end-stage osteoarthritis; however, discharge destination after TKA has major implications on postoperative adverse outcomes and readmissions. With the initiation of Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI), it is unclear how racial disparities in discharge destination after TKA will be affected by the new bundled payment for TKA.

Methods

Bundled Payments for Care Improvement was implemented in July 01, 2014, at the University of Pennsylvania. We compared differences during early implementation (July 1, 2014, to, March 30, 2016) and during late policy implementation (April 1, 2016, to February 28, 2017) in patient characteristics (including race: African American [AA], white, and other race), discharge destination (skilled nursing facility [SNF], inpatient rehabilitation facility, home, home with home health, or other), and outcomes.

Results

We identified 2276 patients who underwent TKA (43.8% AA, 48.2% white, and 8.0% other race). African American patients were more likely to be discharged to SNF as opposed to home than white patients both during the early BPCI (AA: 53.0%, n = 320; white: 32.4%, n = 210, P < .05) and late BPCI implementation (AA: 44.4%, n = 169, white: 26.9%, n = 120, P < .05), though all races showed trends to decreasing SNF use during the late BPCI implementation.

Discussion

There were no significant differences in readmissions, length of stay, mortality, or intensive care unit days during early and late implementation of BPCI or when AA patients were compared to white patients.

Conclusion

We found no significant changes in racial variations in discharge destination and outcomes after elective TKA. Bundled Payments for Care Improvement has encouraged better preoperative preparation of patients and discharge planning; however, payment reforms alone might not be sufficient to address variation in post-op management following elective surgery.

Factors associated with complications in total laryngectomy without microvascular reconstruction

BACKGROUND

There is little population-level data evaluating risk factors for postoperative complications after total laryngectomy.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective review of the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program identifying patients who underwent total laryngectomy as a primary procedure from 2005 to 2014. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify variables that were independently associated with overall and major complications.

RESULTS

Eight hundred seventy-one cases met inclusion criteria. Three hundred twenty-eight patients (37.7%) had complications, with operative time (hours; P < .0001), class III (P < .001) wound status, and patient age (decade; P = .003) associated with overall complications. Two hundred one patients had major complications that were associated with steroid use (P = .01) and class III (P = .0083) wound classification. Preoperative hematocrit was correlated with a reduction of all and major complications on multivariate analysis (P < .0001 and P = .036).

CONCLUSION

Identifying and optimizing risk factors may improve outcomes in total laryngectomy.

Hypothyroidism and Wound Healing After Salvage Laryngectomy

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing salvage laryngectomy are predisposed to radiation-induced hypothyroidism and impaired wound healing secondary to the tissue effects of prior treatment. The impact of hypothyroidism on postoperative wound healing is not established.

METHODS

A single-institution retrospective case series was performed. The inclusion criteria specified preoperatively euthyroid adults who underwent salvage laryngectomy with concurrent neck dissection between 1997 and 2015 for persistent or recurrent laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma after radiation or chemoradiation therapy (n = 182). The principal explanatory variable was postoperative hypothyroidism, defined as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) higher than 5.5 mIU/L. The primary end points of the study were pharyngocutaneous fistulas and wounds requiring reoperation. Multivariate analysis was performed.

RESULTS

The fistula rate was 47% among hypothyroid patients versus 23% among euthyroid patients. In the multivariate analysis, the patients who experienced hypothyroidism in the postoperative period had a 3.6-fold greater risk of fistula [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-7.1; p = 0.0002]. The hypothyroid patients had an 11.4-fold greater risk for a required reoperation (24.4 vs 5.4%) than the euthyroid patients (95% CI 2.6-49.9; p = 0.001). The risk for fistula (p = 0.003) and reoperation (p = 0.001) increased with increasing TSH. This corresponds to an approximate 12.5% incremental increase in the absolute risk for fistula and a 10% increase in the absolute risk for reoperation with each doubling of the TSH.

CONCLUSION

Postoperative hypothyroidism independently predicts postoperative wound-healing complications. The association of hypothyroidism with fistula formation may yield opportunities to modulate wound healing with thyroid supplementation or to provide a biomarker of wound progression.

Association of Modified Frailty Index Score With Perioperative Risk for Patients Undergoing Total Laryngectomy

Importance

Objective preoperative risk assessment tools, such as the Modified Frailty Index (mFI), may inform patient and physician decision making when considering total laryngectomy. Estimation of outcomes may help to set realistic expectations about recovery and outcomes and facilitate optimal resource management.

Objective

To evaluate the association between the mFI score as a measure of frailty and outcomes following total laryngectomy.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Retrospective evaluation using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP), a risk- and case-mix-adjusted national quality assessment program. The ACS NSQIP database identified 595 patients who underwent total laryngectomy between 2006 and 2012. Patients were assessed for demographics and comorbidity and were stratified on the basis of calculated mFI score. Outcomes, including postoperative complications, length of hospitalization, and discharge destination, were evaluated as a function of increasing frailty using multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Risk of postoperative complications, length of hospitalization, and discharge disposition.

Results

After exclusion of patients who experienced significant deviation from standard care protocols and those with missing or incomplete data, 343 individuals were included in the analysis. Of these, 278 (81.0%) were men, and the mean age was 63 years (95% CI, 61.9-64.4 years). Increasing frailty resulted in a nonlinear but progressive rise in incidence of postoperative adverse events. Overall, 96 (28.0%) patients experienced a postoperative complication, and patients with an mFI score of 3 or higher were more likely to develop postoperative complications than were patients with an mFI score of 0 (50.0% vs 16.7%; OR, 3.83; 95% CI, 1.72- 8.51). Patients in the highest frailty group experienced a longer mean duration of hospitalization (14.2 vs 9.5 days; difference, 4.7; 95% CI, 1.3-8.1 days) and were more likely to require skilled care after discharge (33.3% vs 3.2%; difference, 30.1%; 95% CI, 7.4%-52.9%).

Conclusions and Relevance

An mFI score of 3 or higher is associated with increased risk for postoperative complications, longer hospitalization, and need for postdischarge skilled care following total laryngectomy. The mFI provides a personalized risk assessment to better inform patients, physicians, and payers when planning a total laryngectomy.

Positron emission tomography-CT prediction of occult nodal metastasis in recurrent laryngeal cancer

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of positron emission tomography (PET)-CT in identifying occult nodal metastasis in clinically and radiographically N0 patients with recurrent laryngeal cancer undergoing salvage laryngectomy.

METHODS

Retrospective review of 46 clinically and radiographically N0 patients with recurrent laryngeal cancer who underwent a PET-CT examination before salvage laryngectomy with neck dissection from January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2014, was performed.

RESULTS

Two patients (16.7%) had true-positive PET-CT results, whereas 10 patients (83.3%) had false-negative scans, 1 patient (2.9%) had a false-positive result and 33 patients (97.1%) had a true-negative PET-CT. The sensitivity of PET-CT was 16.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.5% to 46.0%) with a specificity of 97.1% (95% CI, 83.8% to 99.9%), positive predictive value (PPV) of 66.7% (95% CI, 20.2% to 94.4%), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 76.7% (95% CI, 62.1% to 87.0%).

CONCLUSION

PET-CT has poor sensitivity and NPV making PET-CT an imperfect predictor of nodal disease in recurrent laryngeal cancer. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 980-987, 2017.

Complications, hospital length of stay, and readmission after total laryngectomy

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to describe the 30-day incidence of complications after total laryngectomy (TL) in a high-volume institution and their impact on the hospital length of stay (LOS) and readmission rates.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent TL at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from January 1, 2010 through June 30, 2013 was conducted. The patient demographics, treatment history, LOS, and 30-day post-TL complications and readmissions were extracted from the medical record. Univariate associations were analyzed, and stepwise backward selection methods were used to fit multivariate models.

RESULTS

Two hundred forty-five patients were included. Complications occurred in 83 patients (33.9%) and included 3 deaths (1.2%). Wound complications occurred in 53 patients (21.6%), and 34 were pharyngocutaneous fistulas (PCFs; 13.9% overall). Thirty-four patients (13.9%) were readmitted within 30 days. A multivariate analysis revealed the following: wound complications were associated with former (odds ratio [OR], 5.1; P = .03) and current smokers (OR, 5.8; P = .02), PCFs were associated with prior wide-field radiation (OR, 3.1; P = .01) but not prior narrow-field (larynx-only) radiation (OR, 1.4; P = .61), LOS was associated with the type of flap (P = .002) and postoperative hematomas (P = .05), and readmissions were associated with preoperative hypoalbuminemia (P = .003) and postoperative wound complications (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Complications occurred in approximately one-third of TL patients and particularly in patients with poor wound-healing risk factors such as prior smoking and radiation. As expected, LOS was longer among reconstructed patients. Readmission was associated with hypoalbuminemia and postoperative wound complications. These data can inform quality improvement efforts and the counseling of high-risk patients undergoing TL. Cancer 2017;123:1760-1767. © 2016 American Cancer Society.