Predictive value of SinoSCORE on in-hospital mortality and postoperative complications after coronary artery bypass surgery

Objective To evaluate the performance of the Sino System for Coronary Operative Risk Evaluation (SinoSCORE) on in hospital mortality and postoperative complications in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in a single heart center. Methods From January 2007 to December 2008,clinical information of 201 consecutive patients undergoing isolated CABG in our hospital was collected. The SinoSCORE was used to

Time Course of Postoperative Complications in Low-Risk Women after Planned Cesarean Section

Objectives: Length of hospital stay after cesarean section is today much shorter than previously, and a stay of only 1 day is used in many departments. However, complications requiring immediate treatment must be diagnosed before leaving hospital. We assessed the time interval from planned cesarean section to diagnosis of major complications in low-risk women to estimate a safe time of discharge. Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study among 5633 women undergoing planned cesarean section from 2001-2017 at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. The inclusion criterion was postoperative complication graded as Clavien-Dindo ≥ II. Exclusion criteria were preoperative comorbidity or problems during surgery indicative of need for prolonged stay. Time from cesarean section to suspicion of a postoperative complication was the primary endpoint. Results: The study population consisted of 116 women with unexpected postoperative complications, 47 classified as Clavien-Dindo II and 69 as Clavien-Dindo III-IV. In 63 of the 116, the diagnoses were suspected within 24 hours (Clavien-Dindo II: 25, Clavien-Dindo III-IV: 38). These included all cases of relaparotomy and uterine atony with immediate need of medical treatment. Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction was diagnosed within 2 days, while other complications were suspected and treated 2 to 10 days postoperatively. Conclusions: Among low-risk women with a postoperative complication, all cases requiring relaparotomy and medically treated uterine atony were suspected within 24 hours after surgery. Discharge 24 hours after planned cesarean section seems safe in low-risk patients.

Risk factors associated with postoperative hospital stay after pancreaticoduodenectomy： a retrospective study

Background Postoperative hospital stay after pancreaticoduodenectomy （PD） is relatively longer than after other gastrointestinal operations.The aim of the current study was to investigate the risk factors associated with prolonged hospital stay after PD.Methods Patients who had PD at the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between December 2008 and November 2012 were selected for this retrospective study.Clinical and pathological data were collected and analyzed.The primary outcome was postoperative length of stay.Normal discharge or recovery was defined as a postoperative hospital stay of no more than 10 days; otherwise it was defined as delayed discharge or recovery （including hospital death）.Results Atotal of 152 patients were enrolled in the present study.Postoperative hospital stay was （19.7±7.7） days （range 7-57）.Of the 152 patients,67 were discharged within the normal time and 85 had delayed discharge.Postoperative complications occurred in 62.5% （95/152）,and the mortality rate was 3.29% （5/152）.Multiple regression analysis showed that delayed discharge was significantly associated with postoperative complications （adjusted odds ratio （OR） 10.40,95% confidence interval （CI） 3.58-30.22）,age （adjusted OR 4.09,95% CI 1.16-14.39）,body mass index （BMI） （adjusted OR 4.40,95% CI 1.19-16.23）,surgical procedure （adjusted OR 26.14,95% CI 4.94-153.19）,blood transfusion （adjusted OR 7.68,95% Cl 2.09-28.27）,and fluid input （adjusted OR 3.47,95% CI 1.24-11.57）.Conclusions Postoperative complications increase the time to postoperative hospital discharge.The length of hospital stay after PD is also associated with age,BMI,blood transfusion,surgical procedure,and fluid input.Further studies with more patients are needed in future.

Care Measures and Health Outcomes in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Brazil

Introduction: In low- and middle-income countries, including Brazil, conditions that favor mortality in the PICU remain significant. Compared to developed countries, there is a shortage of skilled human resources, lower availability of technological resources, greater difficulty of access and a higher incidence of infections, including both those acquired prior to admission and those resulting from treatment and hospitalization (i.e., healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)). HAIs in the PICU include ventilator-associated pneumonia and catheter-related bloodstream infections. Actions for the prevention of HAIs can minimize the occurrence of negative outcomes. Materials and Methods: This is an epidemiological study comparing admissions at the PICU of a high-complexity hospital in South Brazil over two three-year periods: 2012-2014 (before the measures were adopted) and 2015-2017 (after the measures). The care measures were adopted mainly at the beginning of 2015 and consisted of expansion of physical therapy care, adoption of care protocols, acquisition of new materials and equipment (transparent dressings for central catheters, high-tech mechanical ventilators and multiparametric monitors) and multidisciplinary team training. The frequency of the outcomes mortality, length of PICU stay, diagnosis of catheter-related bloodstream infection, need for and duration of ventilatory support and diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia were compared between the two trienniums using logistic regression with adjustment for age in months and need of vasoactive drugs. Results: A total of 1140 admissions were analyzed (470 in the first triennium and 670 in the second), representing an increase in the admission rate of 42.6% after the adoption of the measures. After adjustments, significant reductions in the frequency of mortality (adjusted OR [adjOR] = 0.54;CI 95%: 0.34 - 0.84), length of PICU stay > 7 days (adjOR = 0.75;CI 95%: 0.57 - 0.97) and duration of ventilatory support > 7 days (adjOR = 0.54;CI 95%: 0.39 - 0.74) were observed. Conclusion: The results indicate the benefits of care measures for children admitted to the PICU in terms of a reduction in adverse events and expansion of access.

Enhanced recovery pathways in pancreatic surgery: State of the art

Pancreatic surgery is being offered to an increasing number of patients every year. Although postoperative outcomes have significantly improved in the last decades, even in high-volume centers patients still experience significant postoperative morbidity and full recovery after surgery takes longer than we think. In recent years, enhanced recovery pathways incorporating a large number of evidence-based perioperative interventions have proved to be beneficial i n t e r m s o f i m p rove d p o s t o p e ra t i ve o u t c o m e s, and accelerated patient recovery in the context of gastrointestinal, genitourinary and orthopedic surgery. The role of these pathways for pancreatic surgery is still unclear as high-quality randomized controlled trials are lacking. To date, non-randomized studies have shown that care pathways for pancreaticoduodenectomy and distal pancreatectomy are safe with no difference in postoperative morbidity, leading to early discharge and no increase in hospital readmissions. Hospital costs are reduced due to better organization of care and resource utilization. However, further research is needed to clarify the effect of enhanced recovery pathways on patient recovery and post-discharge outcomes following pancreatic resection. Future studies should be prospective and follow recent recommendations for the design and reporting of enhanced recovery pathways.

Sarcopenia adversely impacts clinical outcomes in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Sarcopenia is a syndrome marked by a gradual and widespread reduction in skeletal muscle mass and strength,as well as a decline in functional ability,which is associated with malnutrition,hormonal changes,chronic inflammation,distur-bance of intestinal flora,and exercise quality.Pancreatoduodenectomy is a com-monly employed clinical intervention for conditions such as pancreatic head cancer,ampulla of Vater cancer,and cholangiocarcinoma,among others,with a notably high rate of postoperative complications.Sarcopenia is frequent in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy.However,data regarding the effects of sarcopenia in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy(PD)are both limited and inconsistent.The PubMed,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,and Embase databases were screened for studies published from the time of database inception to June 2023 that described the effects of sarcopenia on the outcomes and complications of PD.Two researchers independently assessed the quality of the data extracted from the studies that met the inclusion criteria.Meta-analysis using RevMan 5.3.5 and Stata 14.0 software was conducted.Forest and funnel plots were used,respectively,to demonstrate the outcomes of the sarcopenia group vs the non-sarcopenia group after PD and to evaluate potential publication bias.RESULTS Sixteen studies encompassing 2381 patients were included in the meta-analysis.The patients in the sarcopenia group(n=833)had higher overall postoperative complication rates[odds ratio(OR)=3.42,95%confidence interval(CI):1.95-5.99,P<0.0001],higher Clavien-Dindo class≥Ⅲ major complication rates(OR=1.41,95%CI:1.04-1.90,P=0.03),higher bacteremia rates(OR=4.46,95%CI:1.42-13.98,P=0.01),higher pneumonia rates(OR=2.10,95%CI:1.34-3.27,P=0.001),higher pancreatic fistula rates(OR=1.42,95%CI:1.12-1.79,P=0.003),longer hospital stays(OR=2.86,95%CI:0.44-5.28,P=0.02),higher mortality rates(OR=3.17,95%CI:1.55-6.50,P=0.002),and worse overall survival(hazard ratio=2.81,95%CI:1.45-5.45,P=0.002)than those in the non-sarcopenia group(n=1548).However,no significant inter-group differences were observed regarding wound infections,urinary tract infections,biliary fistulas,or postoperative digestive bleeding.CONCLUSION Sarcopenia is a common comorbidity in patients undergoing PD.Patients with preoperative sarcopenia have increased rates of complications and mortality,in addition to a poorer overall survival rate and longer hospital stays after PD.

The effect of intraoperative goal-directed fluid therapy in patients under anesthesia for gastrointestinal surgery

BACKGROUND Intraoperative fluid management is an important aspect of anesthesia mana-gement in gastrointestinal surgery.Intraoperative goal-directed fluid therapy(GDFT)is a method for optimizing a patient's physiological state by monitoring and regulating fluid input in real-time.AIM To evaluate the efficacy of intraoperative GDFT in patients under anesthesia for gastrointestinal surgery.METHODS This study utilized a retrospective comparative study design and included 60 patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery at a hospital.The experimental group(GDFT group)and the control group,each comprising 30 patients,received intraoperative GDFT and traditional fluid management strategies,respectively.The effect of GDFT was evaluated by comparing postoperative recovery,com-plication rates,hospitalization time,and other indicators between the two patient groups.RESULTS Intraoperative blood loss in the experimental and control groups was 296.64±46.71 mL and 470.05±73.26 mL(P<0.001),and urine volume was 415.13±96.72 mL and 239.15±94.69 mL(P<0.001),respectively.The postoperative recovery time was 5.44±1.1 days for the experimental group compared to 7.59±1.45 days(P<0.001)for the control group.Hospitalization time for the experimental group was 10.87±2.36 days vs 13.65±3 days for the control group(P<0.001).The visual analogue scale scores of the experimental and control groups at 24 h and 48 h INTRODUCTION Gastrointestinal surgery is one of the most common procedures in the field of general surgery[1],involving the stomach,intestines,liver,pancreas,spleen,and other internal abdominal organs[2,3].With advancements in surgical technology and anesthesia methods,the safety and success rates of surgery have significantly improved[4,5].However,intraop-erative fluid management remains a critical challenge[6].Traditional fluid management strategies often rely on experience and basic physiological parameters,which may lead to excessive or insufficient fluid input,thereby affecting postoperative recovery and complication rates.Intraoperative goal-directed fluid therapy(GDFT)is an emerging fluid management strategy that dynamically adjusts fluid input volume by monitoring the patient's hemodynamic parameters in real-time to optimize the patient's physiological state[7,8].GDFT has shown superiority in many surgical fields;however,its application in gastrointestinal surgery requires further research and verification[9,10].The application of intraoperative GDFT in clinical settings has gradually increased in recent years[11,12].Studies have demonstrated that GDFT can optimize tissue perfusion and oxygenation by precisely controlling fluid input and reducing the occurrence of postoperative complications[13,14].For example,in cardiac and major vascular surgeries,GDFT significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury and cardiovascular events[15,16].Similarly,in abdominal surgery,GDFT effectively reduced postoperative infections and expedited recovery[17].However,studies on the utilization of GDFT in gastrointestinal surgery are relatively limited and they are confounded by contradictory findings[18].Traditional fluid management strategies typically rely on estimating fluid input volume based on the patient's weight,preoperative status,and basic physiological parameters[19].However,this method lacks real-time dynamic adjustment,which may result in either insufficient or excessive fluid input,consequently affecting postoperative recovery.Insufficient fluid input can lead to hypovolemia and inadequate tissue perfusion,whereas excessive fluid input can cause tissue edema and postoperative complications,such as pulmonary edema and heart failure.GDFT involves dynamically adjusting fluid input volume by monitoring the patient's hemodynamic parameters in real-time,such as cardiac output,pulse pressure variability,and central venous pressure.Commonly used monitoring equipment include esophageal Doppler and pulse wave profile analyzers[20].These devices provide real-time hemo-dynamic data to assist anesthesiologists in tailoring fluid therapy to a patient's specific condition.Firstly,the patient's volume responsiveness is assessed by preloading fluid;secondly,fluid input volume is dynamically adjusted based on real-time monitoring data;finally,vasoactive and inotropic drugs are administered in combination to further optimize the patient’s hemodynamic status.Through personalized fluid management,GDFT can more accurately maintain intraop-erative hemodynamic stability and reduce complications[21].Gastrointestinal surgery involves procedures on multiple organs,often requiring prolonged operative times and extensive tissue trauma,which presents challenges for intraop-erative fluid management.Surgical procedures can lead to significant bleeding and fluid loss,requiring prompt and effective fluid replenishment.In addition,the slow recovery of gastrointestinal function after surgery and susceptibility to complications such as intestinal obstruction and delayed gastric emptying elevate the necessity for postoperative fluid management.

Effect of methylprednisolone therapy on hospital stay and viral clearance in patients with moderate COVID-19

Background:The benefits and harms of methylprednisolone treatment in patients with moderate coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)remain controversial.In this study,we investigated the effect of methylprednisolone on mortality rate,viral clearance,and hospitalization stay in patients with moderate COVID-19.Methods:This retrospective study included 4827 patients admitted to Wuhan Huoshenshan and Wuhan Guanggu hospitals from February to March 2020 diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia.The participants’epidemiological and demographic data,comorbidities,laboratory test results,treatments,outcomes,and vital clinical time points were extracted from electronic medical records.The primary outcome was in-hospital death;secondary outcomes were time from admission to viral clearance and hospital stay.Univariate and multivariate logistic or linear regression analysis were used to assess the roles of methylprednisolone in different outcomes.The propensity score matching(PSM)method was used to control for confounding factors.Results:A total of 1320 patients were included in this study,of whom 100 received methylprednisolone.Overall,in-hospital mortality was 0.91%(12/1320);the 12 patients who died were all in the methylprednisolone group,though multivariate logistic regression analysis showed methylprednisolone treatment was not a risk factor for in-hospital death in moderate patients before or after adjustment for confounders by PSM.Methylprednisolone treatment was correlated with longer length from admission to viral clearance time and hospital stay before and after adjustment for confounders.Conclusions:Methylprednisolone therapy was not associated with increased in-hospital mortality but with delayed viral clearance and extended hospital stay in moderate COVID-19 patients.