Early Extubation after Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: Systematic Review,Meta‐analysis,and Evidence‐Based Recommendations

Abstract Objective: To derive evidence‐based recommendations regarding early extubation strategy after congenital cardiac surgery. Outcomes: Incidence of total mortality, morbidity, reintubation, length, and costs of intensive care unit and hospital stay. Evidence: Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane‐controlled trial register on the Cochrane library were searched from the earliest achievable date of each database to present. No language restrictions were applied. Retrieved reprints were evaluated according to a priori inclusion criteria, and those included were critically appraised using established internal validity criteria. Benefits and Harms: Early extubation (in the operating room or ≤6 hours after surgery) was associated with a lower early mortality. There was a trend toward lower ICU and hospital length of stays, lower hospital costs, and less respiratory morbidity. There was no difference in the rate of reintubation in those extubated early versus late. Conclusion: Early extubation appears safe and is associated with reduction in length of ICU and hospital stay without adverse effects on mortality or morbidity. However, studies to date are poor, heterogeneous, and not suitable to determine a causal effect. Therefore, there is need for a well‐designed randomized clinical trial to demonstrate the potential significant benefits of early extubation . (J Card Surg 2010;25:586‐595)     

Cardiac Surgery in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis (CASTER) Study: Early and Long-Term Outcomes

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Bariatric Surgery Is Effective and Safe in Patients Over 55: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Effective weight loss and reduction in comorbidities has been convincingly demonstrated with bariatric surgery. Concerns regarding increased perioperative complications and poor results have led to a reluctance to offer such surgery to older patients. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published evidence for those in the ≥55-year age group. An electronic search was conducted of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases from 1990 to December 2010. We included laparoscopic studies published in English where the results were broken down by surgical procedure, reporting a minimum 6-month follow-up for ≥10 patients aged ≥55. After an initial screen of 2,543 titles, 298 abstracts were reviewed. Eighteen studies were included in the analysis. Of these, 10 included patients undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) (663 patients), and 11 included patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) (543 patients). Meta-analyses of body mass index (BMI) reductions indicated sustained and clinically significant BMI reductions for both RYGB (mean percentage of excess weight loss at 1?year, 72.6?%) and LAGB (mean percentage of excess weight loss at 1?year, 39.1?%). The 30-day mortality was 0.30 and 0.18?% for LRYGB and LAGB, respectively. Meta-analysis of old versus young patients revealed better comorbidity and mortality outcomes for younger patients. Bariatric surgery for patients ≥55?years achieves weight loss and reduction in comorbidities and mortality comparable to the general bariatric surgery population. Based on the above findings, patients should not be denied bariatric surgery on the basis of age alone.     

Clinical Outcome,Social Impact and Patient Expectation: a Purposive Sampling Pilot Evaluation of Patients in Benin Seven Years After Surgery

Background

Access to affordable and timely surgery is not equitable around the world. Five billion people lack access, and while non-governmental organizations (NGOs) help to meet this need, long-term surgical outcomes, social impact or patient experience is rarely reported.

Method

In 2016, Mercy Ships, a surgical NGO, undertook an evaluation of patients who had received surgery seven years earlier with Mercy Ships in 2009 in Benin. Using purposive sampling, patients who had received maxillofacial, plastics or orthopedic surgery were invited to attend a surgical evaluation day. In this pilot study, we used semi-structured interviews and questionnaire responses to assess patient expectation, surgical and social outcome.

Results

Our results show that seven years after surgery 35% of patients report surgery-related pain and 18% had sought further care for a clinical complication of their condition. However, 73% of patients report gaining social benefit from surgery, and overall patient satisfaction was 89%, despite 35% of patients saying that they were unclear what to expect after surgery indicating a mismatch of doctor/patient expectations and failure of the consent process.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our pilot study shows that NGO surgery in Benin provided positive social impact associated with complication rates comparable to high-income countries when assessed seven years later. Key areas for further study in LMICs are: evaluation and treatment of chronic pain, consent and access to further care.