Case-mix-adjusted length of stay and mortality in 23 Finnish ICUs

Objectives  To create a tool for benchmarking intensive care units (ICUs) with respect to case-mix adjusted length of stay (LOS) and to study the association between clinical and economic measures of ICU performance. Design  Observational cohort study. Setting  Twenty-three ICUs in Finland. Patients  A total of 80,854 consecutive ICU admissions during 2000–2005, of which 63,304 met the inclusion criteria. Interventions  None. Measurements and results  Linear regression was used to create a model that predicted ICU LOS. Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II, age, disease categories according to Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III, single highest Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System score collected during the ICU stay and presence of other ICUs in the hospital were included in the model. Probabilities of hospital death were calculated using SAPS II, age, and disease categories as covariates. In the validation sample, the created model accounted for 28% of variation in ICU LOS across individual admissions and 64% across ICUs. The expected ICU LOS was 2.53 ± 2.24 days and the observed ICU LOS was 3.29 ± 5.37 days, P < 0.001. There was no association between the mean observed − mean expected ICU LOS and standardized mortality ratios of the ICUs (Spearman correlation 0.091, P = 0.680). Conclusions  We developed a tool for the assessment of resource use in a large nationwide ICU database. It seems that there is no association between clinical and economic quality indicators. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Venous thromboembolism and mortality after hip fracture surgery: the ESCORTE study.

BACKGROUND: Recent changes in the management of hip fracture surgery patients may have modified the epidemiology of postoperative complications. OBJECTIVES: We performed an observational study of a cohort of patients undergoing hip fracture surgery to update the epidemiological data on this population. The primary study outcome was the incidence of confirmed symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) [defined as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism (PE), or both] at 3 months. Overall mortality at 1, 3 and 6 months was also evaluated. Patients/methods: Consecutive patients aged at least 18 years hospitalized in French public or private hospitals (531 centers) undergoing hip fracture surgery were recruited prospectively during 2 months in 2002 and a follow-up at 6 months. Predictive factors for VTE at 3 months and for death at 6 months were also analyzed. RESULTS: Data from 6860 (97.3%) of the 7019 recruited patients were included in the analysis. The median age was 82 years. Low molecular weight heparins were administered perioperatively in 97.6% of patients; 69.5% received this treatment for at least 4 weeks. The actuarial rate of confirmed symptomatic VTE at 3 months was 1.34% (85 events, 95% CI: 1.04-1.64). There were 16 PEs (actuarial rate: 0.25%), three of which were fatal. Overall, 1006 (14.7%) patients were dead at 6 months. Cardiovascular disease was the most frequent cause of death (270 patients; 26.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The current rate of postoperative VTE is low, but overall mortality remains high. Indeed, hip fracture patients belong to a vulnerable group of old people with comorbid diseases and a high risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. An interdisciplinary approach could be the challenge to improve short and long-term outcome.     

Predictors for mortality after prolonged mechanical ventilation after cardiac surgery in children

PURPOSE: To identify early mortality-associated clinical risk factors preceding, during, and after cardiac surgery in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of the 722 children admitted to our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) from January 1992 to January 1997 after repair of congenital heart defects, 70 required 48 hours or more of mechanical ventilation. Their clinical records were analyzed for perioperative predictors of mortality. RESULTS: The children's ages were 3.6 +/- 4.1 years (range, 4 d-16 y). The overall mortality was 5.9%. Eleven of the 70 children (15.7%) who required mechanical ventilation for 48 hours or more did not survive compared with 30 of the 652 (4.6%) children ventilated for less than 48 hours. The preoperative predictors identified as being significantly associated with increased mortality were younger age (P <.05) and the presence of congestive heart failure (P <.01). The main cause of early postoperative mortality was multiorgan dysfunction (9 children, 81.8%), whereas septic complications also were responsible for late (< 1 wk postoperatively) death (the other 2 children, 17.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Younger age and congestive heart failure were the main preoperative predictors of mortality. Multiorgan dysfunction and septic complication were predictive of an increased risk for death after cardiac surgery. These factors should be investigated in greater depth to assist in guiding aggressive therapeutic approaches for combating early signs of organ system dysfunction and infectious complications in these high-risk patients.     

Will I be in pain? Patients' and nurses' attitudes to pain after abdominal surgery

This small-scale study found that nurses did not always administer all the analgesia prescribed to patients, even though patients reported suffering pain.     

Predicting operative mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery in males

The general practitioner often requires a simple and reliablemethod of determining the potential risks of surgical intervention.We derived and tested a simple clinical scoring system for thepreoperative prediction of 30-day mortality after coronary arterybypass surgery. From a national register of all open heart operationsin the Republic of Ireland 1984–1989, we identified 4276male patients who had primary isolated non-emergency coronaryartery bypass surgery. Using logistic regression, we deriveda clinical scoring system to predict operative (30-day) mortalityin patients operated on between 1984 and 1987. We then prospectivelyevaluated the score on patients seen over the next two years.Variables identified for our scoring system were age, recentmyocardial infarction, left ventricular failure, extensive distalcoronary artery disease and body surface area. Five risk categorieswere defined; mortality in the high-risk group was 9.7-fold(95% Cl: 4.6–20.7) greater than in the low-risk group.When tested on new patients, the relative mortality betweenthe two risk groups was 15.2 (4.6–50.5). The observedand predicted mortalities in each risk group showed close agreement.This clinical scoring system, easily used by a general practitioner,can predict operative mortality in males for whom primary isolatedcoronary artery bypass surgery is contemplated.     

心脏瓣膜置换后早期住院患者死亡因素分析

背景：积极加强对高危患者心脏瓣膜置换前、中和置换后的处理,可降低心脏瓣膜置换后早期死亡率。 目的：分析心脏瓣膜病患者置换治疗后早期住院死亡的危险因素,提高手术治愈率。方法：回顾分析488例心脏瓣膜病患者行手术治疗作为临床资料;以置换后早期住院死亡为研究终点,采用单素及多因素Logistic回归方法分析置换后早期死亡的危险因素。结果与结论：488例心脏瓣膜置换患者中,置换后早期死亡27例,总死亡率5.5%。主要的死亡原因是低心排综合征、恶性心律失常、多器官功能衰竭。单因素分析显示：年龄≥60岁、心功能IV级、联合瓣膜手术以及同期冠状动脉旁路移植、左室射血分数≤50%、左室舒张末内径≥70 mm、体外循环时间≥120 min、主动脉阻断时间≥ 60 min与心脏瓣膜后死亡的发生具有相关性（P 〈 0.05）。多因素Logistic回归分析结果：年龄≥ 60岁、心功能IV级、瓣膜手术同期冠状动脉旁路移植、体外循环时间≥120 min、左室射血分数≤50% 、左室舒张末内径≥70 mm是影响心瓣膜置换后早期死亡的独立危险因素。重视围手术期处理,针对这些因素合理把握手术指征、选择合适的手术方式以及心肌保护,可以进一步降低这类患者手术并发症和病死率。     

Gender-specific predictors of early mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Background

Female gender is a risk factor for early mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Yet, the causes for this excess mortality in women have not been fully explained.

Objectives

To analyse gender differences in early mortality (30?days post surgery) after CABG and to identify variables explaining the association between female gender and excess mortality, taking into account preoperative clinical and psychosocial, surgical and postoperative risk factors.

Methods

A total of 1,559 consecutive patients admitted to the German Heart Institute Berlin (2005–2008) for CABG were included in this prospective study. A comprehensive set of prespecified preoperative, surgical and postoperative risk factors were examined for their ability to explain the gender difference in early mortality.

Results

Early mortality after CABG was higher in women than in men (6.9 vs. 2.4?%, HR 2.91, 95?% CI 1.70–4.96, P?P?P?P?=?0.01), respiratory insufficiency (9.4 vs. 5.3?%, P?=?0.006) and resuscitation (5.2 vs. 1.8?%, P?=?0.001). The combination of these factors explained 71?% of the gender difference in early mortality; age and physical functioning alone accounted for 61?%. Adjusting for these variables, HR for female gender was 1.36 (95?% CI 0.77–2.41, P?=?0.29).

Conclusions

Age, physical function and postoperative complications are key mediators of the overmortality of women after aortocoronary bypass surgery. Self-assessed physical functioning should be more seriously considered in preoperative risk assessment particularly in women.     

Increased long-term mortality with plasma transfusion after coronary artery bypass surgery

Purpose

Patients undergoing cardiac surgery often require transfusions of red blood cells, plasma and platelets. These components differ widely in both indications for use and composition. However, from a statistical point of view there is a significant colinearity between the components. This study explores the relation between the transfusion of different blood components and long-term mortality.

Methods

A retrospective single-centre study was performed including 5,261 coronary artery bypass grafting patients, excluding patients receiving more than eight units of red blood cells, those suffering early death (7 days) and emergency cases. Patients were followed up for a period of up to 7.5 years. A broad spectrum of potential risk factors was analysed using Cox proportional hazards survival regression. Non-significant risk factors were removed by step-wise elimination, and transfusion of red blood cells, plasma and platelets was forced to remain in the model.

Results

The transfusion of red blood cells was not associated with decreased long-term mortality (HR = 1.007, p = 0.775), whereas the transfusion of plasma was associated with decreased long-term survival (HR = 1.060, p < 0.001), and the transfusion of platelets was associated with increased long-term survival (HR = 0.817, p = 0.011). The risk associated with transfusion of plasma was mainly attributed to patients receiving large amounts of plasma. All hazard ratios are per unit of blood product transfused.

Conclusions

No association was found between the transfusion of red blood cells and mortality during the study period. However, transfusion of plasma was associated with increased mortality while transfusion of platelets was associated with decreased mortality during the study period.     

Intensive care-acquired hypernatremia after major cardiothoracic surgery is associated with increased mortality

Purpose  

Hypernatremia is common in the medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and has been described as an independent risk factor for mortality. Hypernatremia has not yet been studied in a collection of ICU patients after cardiothoracic surgery. Therefore, we wanted to determine the incidence of hypernatremia in a surgical ICU and its association with outcomes of critically ill surgical patients.     

The importance of independent risk-factors for long-term mortality prediction after cardiac surgery

The purpose of the present study was to determine independent predictors for long-term mortality after cardiac surgery. The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) was developed to score in-hospital mortality and recent studies have shown its ability to predict long-term mortality as well. We compared forecasts based on EuroSCORE with other models based on independent predictors. Medical records of patients with cardiac surgery who were discharged alive (n = 4852) were retrospectively reviewed. Their operative surgical risks were calculated according to EuroSCORE. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: training dataset (n = 3233) and validation dataset (n = 1619). Long-term survival data (mean follow-up 5.1 years) were obtained from the National Death Index. We compared four models: standard EuroSCORE (M1); logistic EuroSCORE (M2); M2 and other preoperative, intra-operative and post-operative selected variables (M3); and selected variables only (M4). M3 and M4 were determined with multivariable Cox regression analysis using the training dataset. The estimated five-year survival rates of the quartiles in compared models in the validation dataset were: 94.5%, 87.8%, 77.1%, 64.9% for M1; 95.1%, 88.0%, 80.5%, 64.4% for M2; 93.4%, 89.4%, 80.8%, 64.1% for M3; and 95.8%, 90.9%, 81.0%, 59.9% for M4. In the four models, the odds of death in the highest-risk quartile was 8.4-, 8.5-, 9.4- and 15.6-fold higher, respectively, than the odds of death in the lowest-risk quartile (P < 0.0001 for all). EuroSCORE is a good predictor of long-term mortality after cardiac surgery. We developed and validated a model using selected preoperative, intra-operative and post-operative variables that has better discriminatory ability.     

Relationship between the length of hospital stay after hip fracture surgery and ambulatory ability or mortality after discharge in Japan

Aim:  To examine whether the length of hospital stay after hip fracture surgery is related to patients' ambulatory ability or mortality after discharge.
Methods:  This is a retrospective observational study of patients who had undergone hip fracture surgery at one of three hospitals in Japan. The medical records of patients who were ≥65 years and who had hip fracture surgery within the past 2.5 years were reviewed regarding the demographics, treatments, and health outcomes during the hospital stay. A mail survey, asking about health outcomes after discharge, was sent to the study participants and/or their family members. The response rate of the survey was 70% ( n  = 149).
Results:  The patients who were discharged between 30 and 39 days after surgery had significantly lower current ambulatory ability, compared to the patients who stayed for ≥40 days, after adjusting for patient characteristics, treatments, and hospital. The patients who were discharged within 2 weeks after surgery and the patients who were discharged between 30 and 39 days after surgery had a significantly higher risk of mortality, compared to the patients who stayed in the hospital for ≥40 days, after adjustments were made.
Conclusions:  If patients are discharged to a rehabilitation hospital before they are totally recovered from surgery, the emphasis might be on their rehabilitation without adequate management of their comorbidities. Additional prospective studies are needed to determine the effects of a shorter length of hospital stay after hip fracture surgery on patient outcomes.     

Long-term mortality and pacing outcomes of patients with permanent pacemaker implantation after cardiac surgery

Background: Approximately 20,000 permanent pacemakers (PPMs) are implanted annually for bradycardia or atrioventricular (AV) block after cardiac surgery. Little is known about the long‐term pacing and mortality outcomes and the temporal trends of these patients. Methods: We examined 6,268 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery at the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Medical Center between 1987 and 2010. Patients who had a PPM within 30 days of cardiac surgery were identified. Pacemaker interrogation records were retrospectively reviewed and mortality was ascertained. Results: Overall, 141 (2.2%) patients underwent PPM implantation for high‐degree AV block (55%) and bradycardia (45%), 9 ± 6 days after surgery. Age, diuretic use, cardiopulmonary bypass time (CPBT), and valve surgery were independent predictors of PPM requirement. After 5.6 ± 4.2 years of follow‐up, 40% of the patients were PPM dependent. Longer CPBT (P = 0.03), PR interval >200 ms (P = 0.03), and QRS interval > 120 ms (P = 0.04) on baseline electrocardiogram predicted PPM dependency . In univariable analysis, PPM patients had a higher long‐term mortality than those without PPM (45% vs 36%; P = 0.02). However, after adjusting for age, sex, type of surgery, and CPBT, PPM requirement was not associated with long‐term mortality (hazard ratio 1.3; 95% confidence interval 0.9–1.9; P = 0.17). Compared to before, incidence of PPM implantation increased after the year 2000 (1.9% vs 2.6%; P = 0.04). Conclusion: The majority of patients who require PPM after cardiac surgery are not PPM dependent in the long term. Requiring a PPM after surgery is not associated with long‐term mortality after adjustment for patient‐related risk factors and cardiac surgical procedure. (PACE 2011; 34:331–338)     

加速康复外科理念在胸腰椎骨折手术中的应用效果

目的评价加速康复外科(ERAS)理念在胸腰椎骨折手术中的应用效果。方法回顾性分析2016年1月至2018年12月收治的75例胸腰椎骨折手术患者的临床资料,其中40例将ERAS理念应用于手术治疗中的患者被设为加速康复组,35例常规手术治疗的患者被设为常规组,比较两组的治疗效果。结果所有患者随访12~18个月,平均(15.23±2.53)个月。加速康复组的失血量、术后住院天数少于常规组,离床活动时间早于常规组(P<0.05);术后12月随访,常规组出现2例断钉,2例螺钉松动拔出,加速康复组内固定并发症发生率低于常规组(P<0.05);术后1 d、7 d、30 d、3个月,加速康复组的VAS评分低于常规组(P<0.05);术后12个月,加速康复组的伤椎Cobb角小于常规组,伤椎椎体前缘高度压缩率低于常规组(P<0.05)。结论ERAS理念运用于胸腰椎骨折手术中能够促进患者早期康复,减少内固定并发症的发生。