The American surgeon
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The American surgeon · Oct 2009
Early predictors of the need for emergent surgery to control hemorrhage in hypotensive trauma patients.
Twenty-five to 30 per cent of hypotensive trauma patients require an emergent surgery, however, we have no reliable means to quickly determine that need. Our goal was to determine, via retrospective review, parameters available within minutes of arrival that predict the need for emergent surgery to control hemorrhage in hypotensive trauma patients. Inclusion criterion was initial systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 90 mm Hg in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Thirty-two per cent suffered penetrating trauma, 30 per cent needed emergent surgery, and 19 per cent died. Independent predictors were: prolonged extrication (odds ratio (OR) 2.3), no loss of consciousness (OR 2.8), intubation (OR 1.7), central line placement (OR 1.7), and blood transfusion (OR 2.1, all P < 0.05). We concluded that hypotensive trauma patients without head injuries who require prolonged extrication, intubation, central venous access, and blood transfusion in the ED are more likely to need emergent surgery.
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The American surgeon · Sep 2009
Comparative StudyIncidence of anastomotic leak in patients undergoing elective colon resection without mechanical bowel preparation: our updated experience and two-year review.
Mechanical bowel preparation before elective colon resection has recently been questioned in the literature. We report a prospective study evaluating the anastomotic leak rate in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery without preoperative mechanical bowel preparation. One hundred fifty-three patients undergoing elective colon resection from July 2006 to June 2008 were enrolled into this Institutional Review Board-approved study. ⋯ Five of the eight patients who developed an anastomotic leak had significant preoperative comorbidities, including neoadjuvant radiation therapy, diabetes mellitus, end-stage renal disease, prior anastomotic leak, and tobacco use. Elective colon resection can be performed safely without preoperative mechanical bowel preparation. Vigilance for anastomotic leak must be maintained at all times, especially in patients with comorbidities that predispose to anastomotic leak.
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The American surgeon · Sep 2009
Comparative StudyElective surgery in patients with end stage renal disease: what's the risk?
Little research has been performed in regards to the morbidity and outcomes associated with elective general surgery performed on patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). With minimal data about the severity of disease in these patients, we sought to quantify the differences in the ESRD patient undergoing elective surgical procedures compared with matched controls. A review of all ESRD patients undergoing elective surgical procedures at a University Medical Center between 2001 and 2005 was performed. ⋯ Incidence of death (4%) in the ESRD group was increased as well. Patients with ESRD require longer hospital stays and have an increased overall incidence and frequency of complications than patients with normal renal function undergoing elective general surgery procedures. The significantly increased morbidity should be considered when evaluating expected outcomes.
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The American surgeon · Sep 2009
Comparative StudyWasted hospital days impair the value of length-of-stay variables in the quality assessment of trauma care.
Hospital length of stay (LOS) is frequently used to evaluate the quality of trauma care but LOS may be impacted by nonmedical factors as well. We reviewed our experience with delays in patient discharge to determine its financial consequences and its impact on LOS. We performed an analysis of linked trauma registry and "delayed discharge" databases. ⋯ Discharge delays are an infrequent, although costly, occurrence that has a significant impact on LOS. LOS therefore may not be an appropriate metric for assessing the quality of trauma care, and should only be used if it has been corrected for discharge delays. Concerted efforts should be directed towards identifying and correcting the factors responsible for delayed discharge in trauma patients.
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The American surgeon · Sep 2009
Comparative StudyUnplanned intubation after surgery: risk factors, prognosis, and medical emergency team effects.
Unplanned intubation after surgery is a marker for severe adverse events. We investigated the incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of unplanned intubation after general and vascular surgery and sought to determine whether the deployment of a hospital-wide medical emergency team (MET) had a preventive effect. We included all patients undergoing general and vascular surgical procedures between April 1, 2006, and June 30, 2008, from our American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data. ⋯ Most (84%) unplanned intubations occurred in a critical care setting and the most common underlying reason was sepsis (40%). The overall case fatality rate was 43 per cent but varied significantly depending on the underlying reason for unplanned intubation. Incidence rates of unplanned intubation did not change significantly after MET deployment, suggesting that other strategies are needed to prevent this rare but highly morbid and mortal event.