Time of surgery and surgeon level in supracondylar humerus fractures in pediatric patients:A retrospective study

BACKGROUND Supracondylar humerus fractures account for more than 60%of all elbow fractures and about 1/5 of all pediatric fractures.Unfortunately,these fractures can be associated with risk of complications including neurovascular injuries,malunions and limb deformities.Controversy exists regarding the effect of time of surgical intervention and/or level of surgeon performing the surgery on outcome of these fractures.AIM To determine whether time of surgical intervention and/or surgeon level influence the outcomes of surgically managed pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures.METHODS We retrospectively studied 155 pediatric patients presenting with a supracondylar humerus fracture in a level 1 trauma center from January 2006 to December 2019.The data extracted included demographic data,fracture characteristics,surgical data,and follow-up outcomes.The collected data was analyzed and P values of<0.05 were considered statistically significant.RESULTS Of the cohort,11%of patients had documented post-operative complications,of which the majority occurred in surgeries performed after day time working hours and in fractures requiring open reduction.While the lowest complication rate was found in surgeries performed by pediatric orthopaedic surgeons,this did not reach statistical significance.CONCLUSION In pediatric patients undergoing surgery for supracondylar fractures,we found a higher complication rate when surgeries were not performed during working hours.Surgeon level and training had no significant effect on the risk of post-operative complications.

Is it the time to reconsider the choice of valves for cardiac surgery： mechanical or bioprosthetic？

Valvular heart disease is a pathologic process involving one or more of the four valves(aortic,pulmonary,mitral and tricuspid)of the heart typified by stenosis or regurgitation and leading to patient symptoms.The most common causes are tissue degeneration,rheumatic fever and congenital heart diseases.Aortic valve replacement(AVR)using either mechanical or bioprosthetic(tissue)valves via open-heart surgical

Two surgical pathways for isolated hip fractures:A comparative study

BACKGROUND Hip fractures(HF)are common among the aging population,and surgery within 48 h is recommended.Patients can be hospitalized for surgery through different pathways,either trauma or medicine admitting services.AIM To compare management and outcomes among patients admitted through the trauma pathway(TP)vs medical pathway(MP).METHODS This Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective study included 2094 patients with proximal femur fractures(AO/Orthopedic Trauma Association Type 31)who underwent surgery at a level 1 trauma center between 2016-2021.There were 69 patients admitted through the TP and 2025 admitted through the MP.To ensure comparability between groups,66 of the 2025 MP patients were propensity matched to 66 TP patients by age,sex,HF type,HF surgery,and American Society of Anesthesiology score.The statistical analyses included multivariable analysis,group characteristics,and bivariate correlation comparisons with theχ^(2)test and t-test.RESULTS After propensity matching,the mean age in both groups was 75-years-old,62%of both groups were females,the main HF type was intertrochanteric(TP 52%vs MP 62%),open reduction internal fixation was the most common surgery(TP 68%vs MP 71%),and the mean American Society of Anesthesiology score was 2.8 for TP and 2.7 for MP.The majority of patients in TP and MP(71%vs 74%)were geriatric(≥65-years-old).Falls were the main mechanism of injury in both groups(77%vs 97%,P=0.001).There were no significant differences in pre-surgery anticoagulation use(49%vs 41%),admission day of the week,or insurance status.The incidence of comorbidities was equal(94%for both)with cardiac comorbidities being dominant in both groups(71%vs 73%).The number of preoperative consultations was similar for TP and MP,with the most common consultation being cardiology in both(44%and 36%).HF displacement occurred more among TP patients(76%vs 39%,P=0.000).Time to surgery was not statistically different(23 h in both),but length of surgery was significantly longer for TP(59 min vs 41 min,P=0.000).Intensive care unit and hospital length of stay were not statistically different(5 d vs 8 d and 6 d for both).There were no statistical differences in discharge disposition and mortality(3%vs 0%).CONCLUSION There were no differences in outcomes of surgeries between admission through TP vs MP.The focus should be on the patient’s health condition and on prompt surgical intervention.

Effect of weekend admission on geriatric hip fractures

BACKGROUND The care discrepancy for patients presenting to a hospital on the weekend relative to the work week is well documented.With respect to hip fractures,however,there is no consensus about the presence of a so-called“weekend effect”.This study sought to determine the effects,if any,of weekend admission on care of geriatric hip fractures admitted to a large tertiary care hospital.It was hypothesized that geriatric hip fracture patients admitted on a weekend would have longer times to medical optimization and surgery and increased complication and mortality rates relative to those admitted on a weekday.AIM To determine if weekend admission of geriatric hip fractures is associated with poor outcome measures and surgical delay.METHODS A retrospective chart review of operative geriatric hip fractures treated from 2015-2017 at a large tertiary care hospital was conducted.Two cohorts were compared:patients who arrived at the emergency department on a weekend,and those that arrived at the emergency department on a weekday.Primary outcome measures included mortality rate,complication rate,transfusion rate,and length of stay.Secondary outcome measures included time from emergency department arrival to surgery,time from emergency department arrival to medical optimization,and time from medical optimization to surgery.RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in length of stay(P=0.2734),transfusion rate(P=0.9325),or mortality rate(P=0.3460)between the weekend and weekday cohorts.Complication rate was higher in patients who presented on a weekend compared to patients who presented on a weekday(13.3%vs 8.3%;P=0.044).Time from emergency department arrival to medical optimization(22.7 h vs 20.0 h;P=0.0015),time from medical optimization to surgery(13.9 h vs 10.8 h;P=0.0172),and time from emergency department arrival to surgery(42.7 h vs 32.5 h;P<0.0001)were all significantly longer in patients who presented to the hospital on a weekend compared to patients who presented to the hospital on a weekday.CONCLUSION This study provided insight into the“weekend effect”for geriatric hip fractures and found that day of presentation has a clinically significant impact on delivered care.

Commentary review:challenges of intraocular lens implantation for congenital cataract infants

As an indispensable part of congenital cataract surgery,intraocular lens(IOL)implantation in infantile patients has long-term positive impacts on visual rehabilitation,as well as postoperative complications inevitably.Timing of IOL implantation in infantile congenital cataract patients is not simply a point-in-time but a personalized decision that comprehensively takes age at surgery,risks of postoperative complications,and economic condition of family in consideration,and combines with choosing suitable IOL type and power.For infants with well-developed eyeballs and good systemic conditions,IOL implantation at six months of age or older is safe and effective.Otherwise,secondary IOL implantation may be a safer choice.

Surgical dilemmas in the management of colorectal liver metastases: the role of timing

Colorectal cancer(CRC) is an emerging health problem in the Western World both for its raising tendency as well as for its metastatic potential. Almost half of the patients with CRC will develop liver metastases during the course of their disease. The liver surgeon dealing with colorectal liver metastases faces several surgical dilemmas especially in the setting of the timing of operation. Synchronous resectable metastases should be treated prior or after induction chemotherapy? Furthermore in the case of synchronous colorectal liver metastases which organ should we first deal with, the liver or the colon? All these questions are set in the editorial and impulse for further investigation is put focusing on multidisciplinary approach and individualization of treatment modalities.

Timing of individualized surgical intervention in Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease(CD)is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract with an increasing incidence worldwide.Comprehensive therapy for CD focuses on symptom control and healing the intestinal mucosa to improve the quality of life and prevent complications.Surgical intervention plays a vital role in comprehensive therapy.However,deciding the optimal timing for surgical intervention has long been a focus of controversy.This review provides insights into the timing of surgery for CD and guides clinicians in daily treatment.

Better timing for HoLEP: a retrospective analysis of patients treated with HoLEP over a 10-year period with a 1-year follow-up

The aim of this study was to explore the optimal timing of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate(HoLEP)in patients presenting benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)with lower urinary tract symptoms(LUTS).A retrospective analysis was conducted based on the perioperative and postoperative outcome data of 1212 patients who underwent HoLEP in Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital(Shanghai,China)between January 2009 and December 2018.According to the preoperative International Prostate Symptom Score(IPSS),all patients whom we analyzed were divided into Group A(IPSS of 8–18)and Group B(IPSS of 19–35).Peri-and postoperative outcome data were obtained during the 1-year follow-up.IPSS changes were the main postoperative outcomes.The postoperative IPSS,quality of life,peak urinary flow rate,postvoid residual,and overactive bladder symptom score(OABSS)improved significantly.The IPSS improved further in the group with severe LUTS symptoms,but the postoperative IPSS was still higher than that in the moderate LUTS group.OABSSs showing moderate and severe cases after follow-up were more frequent in Group B(9.1%)than in Group A(5.2%)(P<0.05).There were no significant intergroup differences in the intraoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists or hospitalization expense scores,and the medication costs,as well as the total costs,were significantly higher in Group B.In this retrospective study,HoLEP was an effective treatment for symptomatic BPH.For patients with LUTS,earlier surgery in patients with moderate severity may result in a marginally better 12-month IPSS than that in men with severe symptoms.

Expert consensus on perioperative management of liver transplantation in adults with acute-on-chronic liver failure

Acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)is a syndrome in which acute liver failure with extrahepatic organ failure occurs on chronic liver disease.Recently,liver transplantation is the only effective treatment for ACLF.There is still room for discussion on the optimal surgery timing for ACLF,perioperative infection prevention and control,and maintenance of nutrition and organ function.The Transplantation Immu-nology Committee of Branch of Organ Transplantation Physician of Chinese Medical Doctor Association and Enhanced Recovery of Liver Transplantation Group of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Committee of Chinese Research Hospital Association invited relevant experts to discuss the perioperative management of ACLF liver transplantation in areas including surgery timing,organ protection,nutritional support,infection prevention and control,rehabilitation exercises,regulation of the internal environment,etc.An expert consensus was developed as reference for clinicians.