Effect of Pre-Existing Sarcopenia on Oncological Outcomes for Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma Undergoing Curative Surgery: A Propensity Score-Matched, Nationwide, Population-Based Cohort Study

Adverse postoperative outcomes in elderly patients with sarcopenia

PURPOSE

No study has compared 30-day and 90-day adverse postoperative outcomes between old-age patients with and those without sarcopenia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We categorize elderly patients receiving major surgery into two groups according to the presence or absence of preoperative sarcopenia that were matched at a 1:4 ratio through propensity score matching (PSM). We analyzed 30-day or 90-day adverse postoperative outcomes and mortality in patients with and without sarcopenia receiving major surgery.

RESULTS

Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that the patients with preoperative sarcopenia were at significantly higher risk of 30-day postoperative mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]. = 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI]. = 1.03-1.52) and 30-day major complications such as postoperative pneumonia (aOR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.00-1.40), postoperative bleeding (aOR = 2.18; 95% CI = 1.04-4.57), septicemia (aOR = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.03-1.66), and overall complications (aOR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.00-1.46). In addition, surgical patients with sarcopenia were at significantly higher risk of 90-day postoperative mortality (aOR = 1.50; 95% CI = 1.29-1.74) and 90-day major complications such as pneumonia (aOR = 1.27; 95% CI = 1.10-1.47), postoperative bleeding (aOR = 1.90; 95% CI = 1.04-3.48), septicemia (aOR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.28-1.82), and overall complications (aOR = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.08-1.42).

CONCLUSIONS

Sarcopenia is an independent risk factor for 30-day and 90-day adverse postoperative outcomes such as pneumonia, postoperative bleeding, and septicemia and increases 30-day and 90-day postoperative mortality among patients receiving major surgery. No study has compared 30-day and 90-day adverse postoperative outcomes between patients with and those without sarcopenia. We conducted a propensity score?matched (PSM) population-based cohort study to investigate the adverse postoperative outcomes and mortality in patients undergoing major elective surgery with preoperative sarcopenia versus those without preoperative sarcopenia. We demonstrated that sarcopenia is an independent risk factor for 30-day and 90-day adverse postoperative outcomes, such as postoperative pneumonia, bleeding, septicemia, and mortality after major surgery. Therefore, surgeons and anesthesiologists should attempt to correct preoperative sarcopenia, swallowing function, and respiratory muscle training before elective surgery to reduce postoperative complications that contribute to the decrease in surgical mortality.

The influence of advanced age on long-term postsurgical analgesic use in patients receiving neuraxial anaesthesia for elective surgery

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relationship between age and long-term postsurgical analgesic use in patients who underwent elective surgery with neuraxial anaesthesia.

DESIGN

Retrospective observational study using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan from 2015 to 2019.

SETTING

National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan.

PATIENTS

A total of 12,810 patients (6405 younger and 6405 older) matched using propensity score matching.

INTERVENTIONS

Older (≥65 years).

MEASUREMENTS

The use of long-term (3 or 6 months) postoperative analgesics, including opioids, as a surrogate marker of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) was analysed using logistic regression.

MAIN RESULTS

After 3 months of surgery, older adults had higher use of all analgesics (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.03-1.28) and opioids (OR = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.09-1.28) compared to younger patients. Similar results were observed after 6 months of surgery (all analgesic use: OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.03-1.20; opioid use: OR = 1.33; 95% CI = 1.07-1.81).

CONCLUSION

The findings from this study suggest that older adults are more likely to experience CPSP and have increased use of long-term analgesics, including opioids, after undergoing elective surgery with neuraxial anaesthesia. The study highlights the need for improved pain management strategies for older adults after surgery.

SIGNIFICANCE

Older age is an independent risk factor for long-term analgesic use after surgery under neuraxial anaesthesiaanesthesia, indicating an increased risk for chronic postsurgical pain.

Impact of sarcopenia on outcomes in surgical patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Surgeons have historically used age as a preoperative predictor of postoperative outcomes. Sarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass due to disease or biological age, has been proposed as a more accurate risk predictor. The prognostic value of sarcopenia assessment in surgical patients remains poorly understood. Therefore, the authors aimed to synthesize the available literature and investigate the impact of sarcopenia on perioperative and postoperative outcomes across all surgical specialties.

METHODS

The authors systematically assessed the prognostic value of sarcopenia on postoperative outcomes by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, searching the PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE databases from inception to 1st October 2022. Their primary outcomes were complication occurrence, mortality, length of operation and hospital stay, discharge to home, and postdischarge survival rate at 1, 3, and 5 years. Subgroup analysis was performed by stratifying complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification system. Sensitivity analysis was performed by focusing on studies with an oncological, cardiovascular, emergency, or transplant surgery population and on those of higher quality or prospective study design.

RESULTS

A total of 294 studies comprising 97 643 patients, of which 33 070 had sarcopenia, were included in our analysis. Sarcopenia was associated with significantly poorer postoperative outcomes, including greater mortality, complication occurrence, length of hospital stay, and lower rates of discharge to home (all P <0.00001). A significantly lower survival rate in patients with sarcopenia was noted at 1, 3, and 5 years (all P <0.00001) after surgery. Subgroup analysis confirmed higher rates of complications and mortality in oncological (both P <0.00001), cardiovascular (both P <0.00001), and emergency ( P =0.03 and P =0.04, respectively) patients with sarcopenia. In the transplant surgery cohort, mortality was significantly higher in patients with sarcopenia ( P <0.00001). Among all patients undergoing surgery for inflammatory bowel disease, the frequency of complications was significantly increased among sarcopenic patients ( P =0.007). Sensitivity analysis based on higher quality studies and prospective studies showed that sarcopenia remained a significant predictor of mortality and complication occurrence (all P <0.00001).

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia is a significant predictor of poorer outcomes in surgical patients. Preoperative assessment of sarcopenia can help surgeons identify patients at risk, critically balance eligibility, and refine perioperative management. Large-scale studies are required to further validate the importance of sarcopenia as a prognostic indicator of perioperative risk, especially in surgical subspecialties.

Chronic pain following elective surgery under general anesthesia in older adults

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between age and chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) in patients who underwent elective surgery under general anesthesia, with a focus on long-term postsurgical analgesic use. To our knowledge, no previous study has examined this relationship in detail between older and younger patients.

METHODS

We conducted a propensity score-matched (PSM) study to compare the rates of long-term (3 or 6 months) postoperative analgesic use between older adult (≥ 65 years) and younger (< 65 years) patients. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the use of analgesics as a surrogate indicator of CPSP.

RESULTS

The PSM analysis included 62,784 surgical patients (31,392 in each group). Three months after surgery, the rates of analgesic use were significantly higher in the older age group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41-1.49) as well as for opioid use specifically (aOR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.29-1.39). Six months after surgery, the rates of analgesic use remained higher in the older age group (aOR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.47-1.58), and similarly for opioid use specifically (aOR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.36-1.48).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that older adults have higher rates of long-term analgesic use for CPSP after elective surgery under general anesthesia. This study highlights the importance of addressing CPSP in older adult patients and considering age-related factors when managing postoperative pain.

Sarcopenia is associated with an increase in long-term use of analgesics after elective surgery under general anesthesia

PURPOSE

To elucidate the association of presurgical sarcopenia and long-term non-opioid analgesic and opioid use after elective surgery under general anesthesia.

METHODS

We conducted this population-based propensity score matched to investigate the effects of sarcopenia and long-term non-opioid analgesic and opioid use after elective surgery under general anesthesia between 1 October 2016 and 31 December 2019 from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Sarcopenia is a disease and coded as M62.84 in the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification. The primary outcome was the combined rate of the long-term use of all non-opioid analgesics or opioids over 3 and 6 months after elective surgery. By performing a logistic regression analysis, we calculated the adjusted ORs (aORs) with 95% CIs to identify the independent predictors for long-term non-opioid analgesic and opioid use after surgery.

RESULTS

In total, 2860 patients underwent elective surgery. The 3-month non-opioid analgesic and opioid use rates were respectively 49.7% and 1.8% in the sarcopenia group and 37.9% and 0.9% in the non-sarcopenia group; by contrast, 6-month non-opioid analgesic and opioid use rates were respectively 31.6% and 1.2% in the sarcopenia group and 17.2% and 0.3% in the non-sarcopenia group. Moreover, presurgical sarcopenia increased the risk of long-term non-opioid analgesic and opioid use after elective surgery under general anesthesia (aORs for non-opioid analgesic use over 3 and 6 months after surgery: 1.17 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.23) and 1.26 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.45), respectively; aORs for opioid use over 3 and 6 months after surgery: 1.17 (95% CI 1.07 to 2.21) and 1.23 (95% CI 1.10 to 3.64), respectively).

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia is associated with higher rates of long-term non-opioid analgesic and opioid use after elective surgery under general anesthesia.

SUMMARY

The aim of this study was to compare the long-term use of non-opioid analgesics and opioids after elective surgery under general anesthesia between patients with and without sarcopenia. Results suggest that patients with sarcopenia are more likely to have increased use of non-opioid analgesics and opioids after surgery. Further research is needed to determine if sarcopenia can be modified prior to surgery and if this impacts the need for long-term pain management with these medications.