Adverse Postoperative Outcomes Research Articles

Machine learning models on a web application to predict short-term postoperative outcomes following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

BackgroundThe frequency of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) has increased up to 400% since 2011, underscoring the need to preoperatively anticipate adverse postoperative outcomes given the procedure’s expanding use. Our study aims to accomplish two goals: firstly, to develop a suite of explainable machine learning (ML) models capable of predicting adverse postoperative outcomes following ACDF surgery, and secondly, to embed these models in a user-friendly web application, demonstrating their potential utility.MethodsWe utilized data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to identify patients who underwent ACDF surgery. The outcomes of interest were four short-term postoperative adverse outcomes: prolonged length of stay (LOS), non-home discharges, 30-day readmissions, and major complications. We utilized five ML algorithms - TabPFN, TabNET, XGBoost, LightGBM, and Random Forest - coupled with the Optuna optimization library for hyperparameter tuning. To bolster the interpretability of our models, we employed SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) for evaluating predictor variables’ relative importance and used partial dependence plots to illustrate the impact of individual variables on the predictions generated by our top-performing models. We visualized model performance using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and precision-recall curves (PRC). Quantitative metrics calculated were the area under the ROC curve (AUROC), balanced accuracy, weighted area under the PRC (AUPRC), weighted precision, and weighted recall. Models with the highest AUROC values were selected for inclusion in a web application.ResultsThe analysis included 57,760 patients for prolonged LOS [11.1% with prolonged LOS], 57,780 for non-home discharges [3.3% non-home discharges], 57,790 for 30-day readmissions [2.9% readmitted], and 57,800 for major complications [1.4% with major complications]. The top-performing models, which were the ones built with the Random Forest algorithm, yielded mean AUROCs of 0.776, 0.846, 0.775, and 0.747 for predicting prolonged LOS, non-home discharges, readmissions, and complications, respectively.ConclusionsOur study employs advanced ML methodologies to enhance the prediction of adverse postoperative outcomes following ACDF. We designed an accessible web application to integrate these models into clinical practice. Our findings affirm that ML tools serve as vital supplements in risk stratification, facilitating the prediction of diverse outcomes and enhancing patient counseling for ACDF.

The role and place of arthroscopy in the early diagnosis of monoarthrosis (literature review)

Background. Knee osteoarthritis is a progressive incurable disease that in severe cases leads to total joint replacement, which requires significant economic costs and medical and social adaptation, has a number of postoperative complications and adverse outcomes. Therefore, special attention has recently been paid to the prevention and treatment of the early stages of the disease. The purpose of the study was to conduct a systematic analysis of scientific literature on the prospects and possibilities of using arthroscopy in the early diagnosis of monoarthrosis. Material and methods. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed and MEDLINE databases for 2010–2024 using the following medical subject headings and keywords: “deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint”, “osteoarthritis of the knee joint”, “unilateral deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint”, “unilateral osteoarthritis of the knee joint”, “gonarthrosis”, “monoarthrosis”, “arthroscopy”, “diagnosis”, “treatment”. If necessary, literature sources beyond the search period were used in some cases. A general search revealed 48 references on the use of arthroscopy as a diagnostic and therapeutic method in the early stages of monoarthrosis. The primary exclusion concerned the literature in which arthroscopy was used for the diagnosis and treatment of late-stage knee osteoarthritis (n = 38). The secondary exclusion included literature sources that contained only background information (summary, figures, references) (n = 12). As a result, only relevant full-text articles in professional journals remained (n = 15). Results. The lack of correlation between clinical symptoms and radiological signs of knee osteoarthritis causes low availability of orthopaedic care: more than 30 % of newly diagnosed patients have a severe stage of the disease, and in some cases the pathology is detected only in connection with the manifestation of complications; the diagnosis of osteoarthritis due to a large percentage of painless development of the disease (40 %) is often established at terminal stages. All of this suggests the need for further research into the various factors that influence the frequency, prevalence, economic and social burden of knee osteoarthritis. Arthroscopy is potentially the gold standard for validating non-invasive assessment methods such as magnetic resonance imaging, as it provides high magnification and direct view of articular cartilage with non-destructive interactive assessment of its structure and functional properties. Arthroscopy allows for a more detailed description of the depth and extent of lesions, as well as the detection of subtle changes such as cartilage softening, fibrillations, and tangential peeling. Clinical symptoms and structural changes in the knee joint elements visualised during arthroscopy in patients with monoarthrosis are covered in a few studies, some of which were published 10 years ago. The results of modern arthroscopic studies can be an important contribution to the development of diagnostic and differential diagnostic criteria for the early stages of monoarthrosis. Conclusions. Based on information and analytical studies of modern scientific literature, it has been found that knee osteoarthritis is accompanied by persistent pain, significant limitation of the lower limb function, and reduced ability to work, which often leads to joint replacement. Diagnosis of osteoarthritis in the early stages is difficult due to the absence of pathognomonic clinical, radiological and laboratory parameters, and in case of monoarthrosis with synovitis, it is complicated by differentiation with specific arthritis of the knee joint. Arthroscopy allows performing the necessary scope of diagnostic and therapeutic measures with verification of the pathological process and determination of gonarthrosis stage.

Frailty in intracranial meningioma resection: the risk analysis index demonstrates strong discrimination for predicting non-home discharge and in-hospital mortality.

Frailty is an independent risk factor for adverse postoperative outcomes following intracranial meningioma resection (IMR). The role of the Risk Analysis Index (RAI) in predicting postoperative outcomes following IMR is nascent but may inform preoperative patient selection and surgical planning. IMR patients from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample were identified using diagnostic and procedural codes (2019-2020). The relationship between preoperative RAI-measured frailty and primary outcomes (non-home discharge (NHD), in-hospital mortality) and secondary outcomes (extended length of stay (eLOS), complication rates) was assessed via multivariate analyses. The discriminatory accuracy of the RAI for primary outcomes was measured in area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve analysis. A total of 23,230 IMR patients (mean age = 59) were identified, with frailty statuses stratified by RAI score: 0-20 "robust" (R)(N = 10,665, 45.9%), 21-30 "normal" (N)(N = 8,895, 38.3%), 31-40 "frail" (F)(N = 2,605, 11.2%), and 41+ "very frail" (VF)(N = 1,065, 4.6%). Rates of NHD (R 11.5%, N 29.7%, F 60.8%, VF 61.5%), in-hospital mortality (R 0.5%, N 1.8%, F 3.8%, VF 7.0%), eLOS (R 13.2%, N 21.5%, F 40.9%, VF 46.0%), and complications (R 7.5%, N 11.6%, F 15.7%, VF 16.0%) significantly increased with increasing frailty thresholds (p < 0.001). The RAI demonstrated strong discrimination for NHD (C-statistic: 0.755) and in-hospital mortality (C-statistic: 0.754) in AUROC curve analysis. Increasing RAI-measured frailty is significantly associated with increased complication rates, eLOS, NHD, and in-hospital mortality following IMR. The RAI demonstrates strong discrimination for predicting NHD and in-hospital mortality following IMR, and may aid in preoperative risk stratification.

Accounting for Concomitant Disease in Hypoglycemic Cardiac Surgery Patients: An Adjusted Analysis of Postoperative Outcomes

ObjectivePrevious retrospective studies have established a relationship between postoperative hypoglycemia and adverse outcomes following cardiac surgery, but none have accounted for the cause of hypoglycemia. MethodsA retrospective review was performed of cardiac surgery patients at a single institution between 2016 and 2021. Patients were categorized as hypoglycemic if they had one or more postoperative blood glucose measurement less than 70 mg/dL, and normoglycemic otherwise. Hypoglycemia was subcategorized as non-iatrogenic (underlying liver failure, adrenal insufficiency, sepsis, or shock) or iatrogenic (insulin infusion continued while nil-per-os or infusion protocol violated) via manual chart review. Baseline characteristics were compared between groups using Pearson’s chi-squared, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis testing, and outcomes were compared using multivariable logistic regression. Results5,373 patients and 183,346 glucose measurements were included. Hypoglycemia occurred in 5% (267) of patients, of which 63% (169) were iatrogenic and 37% (98) were non-iatrogenic. In a multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, case urgency, pre-existing diabetes, and bypass time, both iatrogenic and non-iatrogenic hypoglycemia were associated with higher odds of renal failure, prolonged ventilation, and prolonged ICU length of stay relative to normoglycemia, but the magnitude was substantially lower in iatrogenic hypoglycemia. Non-iatrogenic hypoglycemic patients had 68.6 times greater odds of mortality relative to normoglycemic patients (OR 68.6, CI 39.5-119), but iatrogenic hypoglycemic patients had no increased odds of mortality (OR 1.45, CI 0.77-2.73). ConclusionsWhen excluding patients with conditions known to cause hypoglycemia from the analysis, the morbidity and mortality of iatrogenic hypoglycemia from tight postoperative glycemic control is dramatically attenuated.

Predicting Prolonged Length of Hospital Stay and Identifying Risk Factors Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty: A Supervised Machine Learning Methodology

Ankle osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating condition that arises as a result of trauma or injury to the ankle and often progresses to chronic pain and loss of function that may require surgical intervention. Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) has emerged as a means of operative treatment for end-stage ankle OA. Increased hospital length of stay (LOS) is a common adverse postoperative outcome that increases both the complications and cost of care associated with arthroplasty procedures. The purpose of this study was to employ four machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict LOS in patients undergoing TAA using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. The ACS-NSQIP database was queried to identify adult patients undergoing elective TAA from 2008 to 2018. Four supervised ML classification algorithms were utilized and tasked with predicting increased hospital length of stay (LOS). Among these variables, female sex, ASA Class III, preoperative sodium, preoperative hematocrit, diabetes, preoperative creatinine, other arthritis, BMI, preoperative WBC, and Hispanic ethnicity carried the highest importance across predictions generated by 4 independent ML algorithms. Predictions generated by these algorithms were made with an average AUC of 0.7257, as well as an average accuracy of 73.98% and an average sensitivity and specificity of 48.47% and 79.38%, respectively. These findings may be useful for guiding decision-making within the perioperative period and may serve to identify patients at increased risk for a prolonged LOS.

The Barthel Index predicts surgical textbook outcomes following hepatectomy for elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter cohort study

BackgroundThe burgeoning demand for hepatectomy in elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) necessitates improved perioperative care. Geriatric populations frequently experience functional decline and frailty, predisposing them to adverse postoperative outcomes. The Barthel Index serves as a reliable measure for assessing functional capacity, and this study evaluates its impact on surgical textbook outcomes (TOs) in elderly HCC patients. MethodsA multicenter retrospective cohort study analyzed elderly patients (≥70 years) following hepatectomy for HCC between 2013 and 2021. Utilizing a Barthel Index cut-off value of 85, patients were divided into two groups: with and without preoperative functional decline and frailty. The primary outcome was the rate of TO, encompassing seven criteria. TO rates were compared between groups, and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified independent risks for achieving TOs. ResultsOf 497 elderly patients, 157 (31.6 ​%) exhibited preoperative functional decline and frailty (Barthel Index score <85). The overall TO rate was 58.6 ​%. Patients with preoperative Barthel Index score <85 had significantly lower TO rates compared to patients with score ≥85 (29.3 ​% vs. 72.1 ​%, P ​< ​0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed preoperative Barthel Index score <85 as an independent risk for achieving TO (odds ratio 3.413, 95 ​% confidence interval 1.879–6.198, P ​< ​0.001). Comparable results were observed in the subgroups of patients undergoing open and laparoscopic hepatectomy. ConclusionPreoperative Barthel Index-based assessment of functional decline and frailty significantly predicts TOs following hepatectomy in elderly HCC patients, enabling identification of high-risk patients and informing preoperative management and postoperative care within geriatric oncology.

Preoperative nutritional status and postoperative health outcomes in older adults undergoing spine surgery: Electronic health records analysis

AimTo examine whether a high nutritional risk status, assessed via the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), is independently associated with postoperative health outcomes, including unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, infectious complications, and prolonged length of stay in older patients undergoing spine surgery. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective descriptive study analyzing electronic health records from a tertiary hospital, including data from 1,014 patients aged ≥70 undergoing elective spine surgery between February 2013 and March 2023. ResultsHigh nutritional risk patients had significantly higher odds of unplanned ICU admission, infectious complications, and prolonged length of stay compared to low-risk patients. For each one-point increase in GNRI, there was a significant 0.91- and 0.95-fold decrease in the odds of unplanned ICU admission and infectious complications, respectively. ConclusionGNRI screening in older patients before spine surgery may have potential to identify those at elevated risk for postoperative adverse outcomes.

Transfers and anesthesia-related postoperative outcomes after 3361 same-day cancer surgeries at a freestanding surgery center: An observational retrospective study.

Expanding outpatient surgery to the increasing number of procedures and patient populations warrants continuous evaluation of postoperative outcomes to ensure the best care and safety. We describe adverse postoperative outcomes and transfer rates related to anesthesia in a large sample of patients who underwent same-day cancer surgery at a freestanding ambulatory surgery center. Between January 2017 and June 2021, 3361 cancer surgeries, including breast and plastic, head and neck, gynecology, and urology, were performed. The surgeries were indicated for diagnosis, staging, and/or treatment. We report the incidence of transfers and adverse postoperative outcomes related to anesthesia. Breast and plastic surgeries were the most common (1771, 53%), followed by urology (1052, 31%), gynecology (410, 12%), and head and neck surgeries (128, 4%). Based on patients'first procedure, comorbidity levels were highest for urology (75% American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status score 3, 1.7% score 4) and lowest for breast surgeries (31% score 3, 0.2% score 4). Most gynecology surgeries used general anesthesia (97.6%), whereas breast surgeries used the least (38%). A total of sevenpatients (0.2%; 95% CI: 0.08%-0.4%) were immediately transferred to an outside hospital; fourdue to anesthesia-related reasons. Only 7 (0.2%) patients needed additional postoperative care related to anesthesia-related adverse events, specifically cardiac events (4), difficult intubations (2), desaturation (1), and agitation, nausea, and headache (1). The incidence of anesthesia-related adverse postoperative outcomes is low in cancer patients undergoing outpatient surgeries at our freestanding ambulatory surgery center. This suggests that carefully selected cancer patients, including patients with metastatic cancer, can undergo anesthesia for same-day surgery, making cancer care accessible locally and reducing stress associated with travel for treatment. More research investigating complication rates related to surgery and to cancer disease trajectory are needed to establish a complete evaluation of safety for outpatient cancer surgery.

Hypogonadism, frailty, and postoperative outcomes among men undergoing radical nephrectomy.

Hypogonadism and frailty may impact postoperative outcomes for men undergoing radical nephrectomy (RN). We aimed to determine the prevalence of hypogonadism in men undergoing RN and whether hypogonadism and frailty are associated with adverse postoperative outcomes. We identified men undergoing RN between 2012 and 2021 using the IBM Marketscan database. Frailty was determined using the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS). Patients were considered to have hypogonadism if diagnosed <5 years before RN. Length of stay (LOS), complications, emergency department (ED) visits, and readmissions were evaluated between men with and without hypogonadism at the time of surgery. Subgroup analysis of men with hypogonadism was performed to determine the effect of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) on clinical outcomes. Among 13 598 men who underwent RN, 972 (7.1%) had hypogonadism. Men with hypogonadism were more frail compared to men without hypogonadism (HFRS: median: 8.2, interquartile range [IQR]: 5.2-11.7 vs. median: 7.0, IQR: 4.3-10.7, p < 0.001) and had increased incidence of postoperative ileus (13.0% vs. 10.8%, p = 0.045), acute kidney injury (25.5% vs. 21.6% p = 0.005), and cardiac arrest (1.2% vs. 0.6%, p = 0.034). Hypogonadism was not associated with LOS, 90-day ED visit or readmission. However, high-risk frailty was associated with increased risk of 90-day ED visit (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.1, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.9-2.4, p < 0.001) and 90-day inpatient readmission (HR: 2.6, 95% CI: 2.2-3.1, p < 0.001), compared to low-risk frailty patients. Among men with hypogonadism, TRT was not associated with any postoperative outcomes. Hypogonadism and frailty should be considered in the preoperative evaluation for men undergoing RN as risk factors for adverse postoperative outcomes.

A Standardized Post-gastrostomy Feeding Protocol for Pediatric Patients Reduces Time to Postoperative Goal Feeding Volume.

Gastrostomy creation is a common pediatric surgical procedure, but the time to initiation of feeds and to goal feeding volumes postoperatively varies greatly. Delays in reaching goal feeding volumes promote malnutrition and may prolong hospital length of stay. We hypothesized that implementing an accelerated, standardized post-gastrostomy feeding protocol would allow patients to reach goal feeding volumes sooner, without increasing postoperative complications. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children who underwent gastrostomy tube placement between 1/1/2022 and 11/30/2023. The feeding protocol was implemented on 11/16/2022, with patients separated into pre- and post-protocol cohorts. Abstracted data included comorbidities, time to initiation of enteral feeds, time to goal feeding volume, and postoperative complications. 322 patients were included: 166 pre-protocol and 156 post-protocol. The post-protocol cohort had a greater proportion of patients with gastrointestinal and/or cardiac comorbidities (P < .001). Through the protocol, postoperative enteral feeds were initiated significantly faster (5.4hrs [IQR 43-7.7] vs 7.0hrs [IQR 5.6-14.3]; P < .001). The post-protocol cohort also achieved goal feeding volumes sooner (12.8hrs [IQR 9.1-25.3] vs 26.3hrs [IQR 21.6-38.9]; P < .001). Postoperative complication rates did not differ between cohorts. Sub-analysis of children with complex cardiac conditions also demonstrated faster time to goal nutrition without an associated increase in postoperative events. These findings demonstrate that our accelerated post-gastrostomy feeding protocol was effective in achieving goal enteral nutrition earlier without increasing postoperative adverse outcomes. This protocol may be used by other centers to safely expedite time to goal enteral feeds in children postoperatively.

Preoperative Ultrasound for the Prediction of Postinduction Hypotension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Postinduction hypotension (PIH) is closely associated with postoperative adverse outcomes. Preoperative hypovolemia is a key risk factor, and many parameters are available from ultrasound to detect hypovolemia, but the accuracy of PIH from ultrasound remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the commonly used measurements from ultrasound to predict PIH. We searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, and Web of Science databases from their inception to December 2023. Thirty-six studies were included for quantitative analysis. The pooled sensitivities for the inferior vena cava collapsibility index (IVC-CI), maximum inferior vena cava diameter (DIVCmax), minimum inferior vena cava diameter (DIVCmin), and carotid artery corrected flow time (FTc) were 0.73 (95% CI = 0.65, 0.79), 0.66 (95% CI = 0.54, 0.77), 0.74 (95% CI = 0.60, 0.85), and 0.81 (95% CI = 0.72, 0.88). The pooled specificities for the IVC-CI, DIVCmax, DIVCmin, and carotid artery FTc were 0.82 (95% CI = 0.75, 0.87), 0.75 (95% CI = 0.66, 0.82), 0.76 (95% CI = 0.65, 0.84), and 0.87 (95% CI = 0.77, 0.93). The AUC for the IVC-CI, DIVCmax, DIVCmin, and carotid artery FTc were 0.84 (95% CI = 0.81, 0.87), 0.77 (95% CI = 0.73, 0.81), 0.82 (95% CI = 0.78, 0.85), and 0.91 (95% CI = 0.88, 0.93). Our study demonstrated that ultrasound indices are reliable predictors for PIH. The carotid artery FTc is probably the optimal ultrasound measurement for identifying patients who will develop PIH in our study.

The Impact of Postoperative COVID-19 Infection on 30-day Outcomes of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

Introduction: Preoperative Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections are associated with postoperative adverse outcomes. However, there is limited data on the impact of postoperative COVID-19 infection on postoperative outcomes of common general surgery procedures.Objective: To evaluate the impact of postoperative COVID-19 diagnosis on laparoscopic cholecystectomy outcomes.Methods: Patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis, acute cholecystitis, or gallstone pancreatitis who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy with or without intraoperative cholangiogram were identified using the 2021 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Patients were categorized into two groups: patients with and without a postoperative COVID-19 diagnosis. Coarsened Exact Matching was used to match the groups based on preoperative risk factors, and outcomes were compared.Results: A total of 47,948 patients were included. In the aggregate cohort, 31% were male, and mean age was 50years. Age, BMI, smoking, COPD, CHF, preoperative sepsis, and ASA class were significantly different between the two groups. After matching, there were no differences in characteristics. 30-day morbidity (OR = 2.7, 95% CI 1.4-5.1), pneumonia (OR = 5.0, 95% CI 1.7-15.0), DVT (OR = 8.22, 95% CI 1.0-66), reoperation (OR = 9.3, 95% CI 1.2-73.8), and readmission (OR = 4.8, 95% CI 2.3-10.1) continued to be significantly worse in the matched cohort.Conclusion: Postoperative COVID-19 infection was associated with worse outcomes after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. These findings suggest that even postoperative COVID-19 diagnosis increases the risk for adverse outcomes in patients recovering from laparoscopic cholecystectomy and may indicate that precautions should be taken and new COVID-19 infections even after surgery should be closely monitored.

Number of Healthy Teeth Can Predict the Response of Rectal Cancer to Chemoradiotherapy: A Retrospective Study.

It has been reported that the oral and gut microbiomes are associated with the prognosis in patients who undergo surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for colorectal cancer. This study is the first to identify a correlation between the number of healthy teeth, which is an oral health indicator, and the efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy for rectal cancer. This retrospective single-center study included 30 patients who underwent radical surgery after preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) between December 2013 and June 2021. The relationship between number of teeth before CRT and the efficacy of CRT, CRT-related adverse events, postoperative complications, and long-term postoperative outcomes was examined. The number of healthy teeth was significantly greater in patients with downstaging of their disease than in those without downstaging (P = .027) and in patients with a complete response according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors than in those who did not have a complete response (P = .014). Patients were divided into two groups according to whether they had ≥15 teeth or ≤14 teeth. There was no significant between-group difference in CRT-related adverse events. The incidence of all postoperative complications and grade II postoperative complications tended to be higher in patients with ≥15 teeth (P = .071 and P = .092, respectively), as did the 5-year overall survival rate (P = .083) and the 5-year disease-free rate (P = .007). The number of healthy teeth predicted the response to preoperative CRT, postoperative complications, and the outcome of subsequent surgery in patients with rectal cancer.

The Role of Surgeon Gender in Patient Surgeon-Selection in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: A Crowdsourcing Analysis

Abstract Goals/Purpose Plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS), and especially aesthetic surgery, is uniquely characterized by an increased ability to research and select their surgeon. As the increasing number of female plastic surgeons begin to establish themselves in practice, it remains understudied if gender or implicit gender biases is a variable in patient surgeon-selection. Wallis, et al.’s landmark paper in 2023 suggested that female surgeons exhibited a lower risk-adjusted likelihood of adverse postoperative outcomes, including mortality, hospital readmission, and major medical complications, although the precise mechanisms remain unclear. Currently, it is unknown if the public is aware of these findings, and if it these findings would impact patient-surgeon selection. Patient-surgeon selection may be an opportunity where PRS may lead surgical subspecialties in addressing implicit surgeon gender biases due to the predominance of female patients, and improved gender representation in surgical training programs compared to other surgical subspecialties. The purpose of this study is to explore public preferences and perspectives on the role of surgeon gender in patient surgeon-selection in PRS, and if knowledge of gender-correlated surgical outcomes impact surgeon selection. A secondary aim is to examine if these public preferences differ between reconstructive versus aesthetic surgery. Methods/Technique A cross-sectional survey was distributed through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (mTurk). Subjects were at least 18 years old and residents of the United States. Participants were briefed about hypothetical scenarios involving aesthetic and reconstructive surgical procedures, and then asked to choose either a male and female surgeon. They were then presented with an excerpt of Wallis, et al. (2023) findings, and reassessed for surgeon gender preference. The participant cohort was stratified by gender, classifying them as female and male responders. Differences between groups were evaluated using the unpaired t-test and Fisher exact tests. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to assess associations between plastic surgeon gender preference and sociodemographic characteristics. Stata statistical software (STATA Corp., BE, 18.0) was used to conduct all statistical analyses. Results/Complications A total of 547 participants were included. Of those, 310 (56.7%) were male and 237 (43.3%) were female. The mean age was 33.8 (SD 6.8) for the male group and 35.1 (SD 7.2) for the female group. Both groups had similar percentages of level of education (p=0.071). Significant differences were observed in race (p=0.004), ethnicity (p&amp;lt;0.001), U.S. region of residency (p&amp;lt;0.001), and religion (p&amp;lt;0.001) (Table 1). Both groups had similar percentages of previous PRS background/interest (M: 81.3%, F: 86.1%, p=0.164). However, female participants had higher percentages of aesthetic background/interest (86.1%) compared to the male counterparts (78.7%, p=0.033). Similar interest/background in reconstructive procedures was found between groups (M: 60.0%, F: 45.6%, p=0.222) (Table 2). Statistically significant differences emerged in overall preferences for physician's gender (p&amp;lt;0.001), as well as preferences for the gender of plastic surgeons conducting aesthetic non-surgical (p&amp;lt;0.001), aesthetic surgical (p&amp;lt;0.001), and reconstructive surgical procedures (p&amp;lt;0.001), particularly favoring the same-gender preference. A higher percentage of male participants believed that the plastic surgeon's gender impacts surgical outcomes (77.4% vs. 62.0%, p&amp;lt;0.001), associating better outcomes with male surgeons (91.2%). The majority of female responders favored female surgeons for better outcomes (63.9%, p&amp;lt;0.001). Following exposure to an excerpt from the Wallis, et al. (2023) published article, preferences for female plastic surgeons increased among both groups, with statistically higher rates in the male group (79.4% vs. 69.6%; p=0.010) (Table 3). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that for aesthetic surgical procedures, female gender [10.65 OR; 95% CI (5.65–1.29); p&amp;lt;0.001], living in the Southwest region [1.88 OR; 95% CI (1.11–12.62); p=0.033], were factors independently linked to a higher preference for female plastic surgeons. Conversely, age [0.97 OR; 95% CI (0.94–0.99); p=0.025], and having a background/interest in reconstructive procedures [0.57 OR; 95% CI (0.35–0.93); p=0.027] were associated with a lower preference for female plastic surgeons in this category (Table 5). Following presentation of an excerpt from the Wallis, et al. (2023) article, Hispanic ethnicity [2.67 OR; 95% CI (1.31–5.48); p=0.007], residing in the Southeast region [3.12 OR; 95% CI (1.43–6.81); p=0.004], having a background/interest in aesthetic [2.05 OR; 95 %CI (1.16–3.63); p=0.014], and reconstructive procedures [3.86 OR; 95% CI (2.29–6.51); p&amp;lt;0.001] were associated with a higher likelihood of shifting preference towards female plastic surgeons (Table 7). Conclusion Participants demonstrated a predominant preference for surgeons of the same gender across aesthetic non-surgical, aesthetic surgical, and reconstructive procedures. Initially, gender biases affected perceptions of surgeon gender and surgical outcomes, particularly notable among male participants. However, this preference notably changed following exposure to a segment of published literature on surgeon outcomes based on gender. These findings support the importance of gender diversity in plastic surgery due to patient preference, and suggests that implicit gender biases in patient surgeon-selection persist, but can potentially be addressed with patient education. Rigorous future studies are required to expand hypothesizes generated from this proof-of-concept study, and should emphasize including non-binary populations.

Frailty in inflammatory bowel disease: analysis of the National Inpatient Sample 2015-2019.

Preoperative frailty has been associated with adverse postoperative outcomes in various populations, but of its use in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains sparse. The present study aimed to characterize the impact of frailty, as measured by the modified frailty index (mFI), on postoperative clinical and resource utilization outcomes in patients with IBD. This retrospective population-based cohort study assessed patients from the National Inpatient Sample database from 1 September 2015 to 31 December 2019. Corresponding International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision Clinical Modification codes were used to identify adult patients (>18 years of age) with IBD, undergoing either small bowel resection, colectomy or proctectomy. Patient demographics and institutional data were collected for each patient to calculate the 11-point mFI. Patients were categorized as either frail or robust using a cut-off of 0.27. Primary outcomes were postoperative in-hospital morbidity and mortality, whilst secondary outcomes included system-specific morbidity, length of stay, in-hospital healthcare costs and discharge disposition. Logistic and linear regression models were used for primary and secondary outcomes. Overall, 7144 patients with IBD undergoing small bowel resection, colectomy or proctectomy were identified, 337 of whom were classified as frail (i.e., mFI < 0.27). Frail patients were more likely to be women, older, have lower income and a greater number of comorbidities. After adjusting for relevant covariates, frail patients were at greater odds of in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 5.42, 95% CI 2.31-12.77, P < 0.001), overall morbidity (aOR 1.72, 95% CI 1.30-2.28, P < 0.001), increased length of stay (adjusted mean difference 1.3 days, 95% CI 0.09-2.50, P = 0.035) and less likely to be discharged to home (aOR 0.59, 95% CI 0.45-0.77, P < 0.001) compared to their robust counterparts. Frail IBD patients are at greater risk of postoperative mortality and morbidity, and reduced likelihood of discharge to home, following surgery. This has implications for clinicians designing care pathways for IBD patients following surgery.

Correlation Between Anesthesia Methods and Adverse Short-Term Postoperative Outcomes Depending on Frailty: A Prospective Cohort Study.

This study aims to investigate how the type of anesthesia used during major orthopedic surgery may impact adverse short-term postoperative outcomes depending on frailty. To conduct this investigation, we recruited individuals aged 65 years and older who underwent major orthopedic surgery between March 2022 and April 2023 at a single institution. We utilized the FRAIL scale to evaluate frailty. The primary focus was on occurrences of death or the inability to walk 60 days after the surgery. Secondary measures included death within 60 days; inability to walk without human assistance at 60 days; death or the inability to walk without human assistance at 30 days after surgery, the first time out of bed after surgery, postoperative blood transfusion, length of hospital stay, hospital costs, and the occurrence of surgical complications such as dislocation, periprosthetic fracture, infection, reoperation, wound complications/hematoma. In a study of 387 old adult patients who had undergone major orthopedic surgery, 41.3% were found to be in a frail state. Among these patients, 262 had general anesthesia and 125 had neuraxial anesthesia. Multifactorial logistic regression analyses showed that anesthesia type was not linked to complications. Instead, frailty (OR 4.04, 95% CI 1.04 to 8.57, P< 0.001), age (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00-1.10, P= 0.017), and aCCI scores, age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index, (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.66, P= 0.002) were identified as independent risk factors for death or new walking disorders in these patients 60 days after surgery. After adjusting for frailty, anesthesia methods was not associated with the development of death or new walking disorders in these patients (P > 0.05). In different frail populations, neuraxial anesthesia is likely to be comparable to general anesthesia in terms of the incidence of short-term postoperative adverse outcomes.

Practice Patterns and Outcomes of Skin Cancer Reconstruction of the Head, Neck, and Face by Surgical Specialty: An NSQIP Analysis.

Reconstructive procedures of the head, neck, and face after skin cancer resection are typically performed by surgeons trained in either ENT facial plastic surgery or plastic and reconstructive surgery. We analyzed a large national database to compare patient populations, practice, and outcomes of skin cancer reconstruction of the head, neck, and face performed by these 2 surgical specialties. Cases were selected from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Variables that differed significantly on univariate analysis were included in a nominal logistic regression, with having at least 1 wound-specific complication, medical complication, or unplanned reoperation within 30 days as the dependent variables. There were a total of 2850 cases, of which 61.36% were performed by ENT. Surgical specialty was not found to be a predictor of wound complications, medical complications, or unplanned reoperations. On multivariate analysis, operative times greater than 6 hours and anatomical location (specifically, skin cancer of the nose) predicted adverse outcomes. Significant differences were observed between the patient populations of the 2 specialties in terms of demographics, comorbidities, and the anatomical location of the cancer defect. Reconstruction of the head, neck, and face after skin cancer removal represents an important and common element in the scope of practice of both ENT facial plastic surgeons and plastic surgeons. No evidence was found to suggest that surgical specialty is associated with adverse postoperative outcomes. However, ENT facial plastic surgeons and plastic surgeons seem to manage unique patient populations and use different reconstructive techniques, reflecting their distinct training and areas of expertise. A multidisciplinary approach where the complementary skills of both specialties can be leveraged may optimize patient outcomes.

Malnutrition in Head and Neck Free Flap Reconstruction as a Predictor of Adverse Outcomes.

Malnutrition is associated with increased mortality in patients with head and neck (H&N) cancer. Because albumin levels are used as a surrogate for nutritional status, the purpose of this study is to assess whether malnutrition is associated with adverse postoperative outcomes in H&N free flap reconstruction. The 2006-2018 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database was queried for patients undergoing flap procedures of the H&N based on Current Procedure Terminology codes. Patients were included if they were operated on by an otolaryngologist or when the primary surgical site was H&N. Nutritional status was categorized as malnourished (preoperative albumin level <3.5 g/dL) or normal (preoperative albumin level ≥3.5 g/dL). Major complications included pulmonary complications, cardiac complications, deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism, and sepsis/septic shock. Minor complications included surgical infection, urinary tract infection, bleeding, and dehiscence. Data were analyzed via univariate chi-square and multivariate regression analyses. Of the patients, 2532 (83.3%) had normal albumin and 506 (16.7%) had hypoalbuminemia. Patients with hypoalbuminemia were more likely to have smoking history (P = 0.008), pulmonary comorbidity (P < 0.001), renal comorbidity (P = 0.018), disseminated cancer (P < 0.001), steroid use (P < 0.001), recent weight loss (P < 0.001), bleeding disorder (P = 0.023), and preoperative transfusion (P < 0.001). After adjustment for preoperative variance, malnourished patients were more likely to experience death (P < 0.001), return to operating room (P < 0.001), free flap failure (P = 0.008), pulmonary complication (P < 0.001), deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism (P = 0.019), wound disruption (P = 0.042), intraoperative transfusion (P < 0.001), minor complication (P < 0.001), major complication (P < 0.001), and extended length of stay (P < 0.001). Of the patients with normal albumin, 2.1% experienced flap failure compared with 6.3% of patients with hypoalbuminemia. It should be noted that malnourished patients were 3.370 times more likely to experience flap failure (95% confidence interval, 1.383-8.212; P = 0.008) and 3.975 times more likely to experience death (95% confidence interval, 1.700-9.626; P = 0.001) than those with normal albumin. Malnutrition is associated with death, flap failure, minor complications, and other major complications following H&N free flap surgery, even after controlling for preoperative variance. Optimizing preoperative nutrition status before free flap procedures may ameliorate morbidity and mortality in H&N patients.

Machine learning prediction model of major adverse outcomes after pediatric congenital heart surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

Major adverse postoperative outcomes (APOs) can greatly affect mortality, hospital stay, care management and planning, and quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of five machine learning (ML) algorithms for predicting four major APOs after pediatric congenital heart surgery and their clinically meaningful model interpretations. Between August 2014 and December 2021, 23000 consecutive pediatric patients receiving congenital heart surgery were enrolled. Based on the split date of 1 January 2019, the authors selected 13927 participants for the training cohort, and 9073 participants for the testing cohort. Four predefined major APOs including low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS), pneumonia, renal failure, and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) were investigated. Thirty-nine clinical and laboratory features were inputted in five ML models: light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM), logistic regression (LR), support vector machine, random forest, and CatBoost. The performance and interpretations of ML models were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP). In the training cohort, CatBoost algorithms outperformed others with the mean AUCs of 0.908 for LCOS and 0.957 for renal failure, while LightGBM and LR achieved the best mean AUCs of 0.886 for pneumonia and 0.942 for DVT, respectively. In the testing cohort, the best-performing ML model for each major APOs with the following mean AUCs: LCOS (LightGBM), 0.893 (95% CI: 0.884-0.895); pneumonia (LR), 0.929 (95% CI: 0.926-0.931); renal failure (LightGBM), 0.963 (95% CI: 0.947-0.979), and DVT (LightGBM), 0.970 (95% CI: 0.953-0.982). The performance of ML models using only clinical variables was slightly lower than those using combined data, with the mean AUCs of 0.873 for LCOS, 0.894 for pneumonia, 0.953 for renal failure, and 0.933 for DVT. The SHAP showed that mechanical ventilation time was the most important contributor of four major APOs. In pediatric congenital heart surgery, the established ML model can accurately predict the risk of four major APOs, providing reliable interpretations for high-risk contributor identification and informed clinical decisions-making.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastritis cystica profunda (GCP) with early gastric cancer: A propensity score matching analysis

Background and aimCystic dilatation of the gastric glands within the mucosal layer is the hallmark of the rare condition known as gastritis cystica profunda (GCP). Although it has been proved that GCP is the precursor lesion for early gastric cancer (EGC), the management strategy of GCP-related EGC is not well established.The purpose of this research was to determine if ESD is effective and safe for GCP-related EGC. MethodsPatients with EGC who had ESD at Beijing Friendship Hospital between January 2015 and May 2023 were retrospectively included. All patients were divided into two groups: those with GCP-related EGC, and those with EGC alone. The two groups were matched 1:1 using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. Curative resection rate, postoperative adverse outcome rate (bleeding, perforation, stricture), and recurrence rate were the primary measures used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ESD. ResultsThere were a total of 386 participants (44 with GCP and 342 with EGC alone). Following PSM, 44 patients were paired and analyzed separately. Except for the presence of cysts in EUS (multiple/single/none cyst: 12/2/5 versus 1/0/25, P < 0.0001), there was no change in baseline characteristics, EUS appearance, or histology results between groups. Overall, there was no significant difference in curative resection rates between the GCP group (70.5 %) and the control group (81.8 %) (P = 0.211). Postoperative complications were comparative (9/44 vs 5/44, P = 0.244), as were rates of local recurrence (1/44 vs 0/44, P = 1.0), metachronous gastric cancer (1/44 vs 0/44, P = 1.0), and mortality (0/44 vs 0/44, P = 1.0). ConclusionsExistence of cysts in EUS is a characteristic presentation to distinguish GCP-related EGC from EGC-alone lesions. ESD might be a safe and effective therapy for patients with GCP-related EGC.