Daytime Surgery Research Articles

Effect of Different Infusion Volume on Perioperative Bladder and Blood Volume in Patients Undergoing Daytime Surgery.

Effect of Different Infusion Volume on Perioperative Bladder and Blood Volume in Patients Undergoing Daytime Surgery.

High complication rate among patients undergoing appendectomy in Ontario: a population-based retrospective cohort study

Appendectomy is a common emergency procedure. The risks have been reported in previous studies but often are limited to inpatient complications. The purpose of this study was to describe inpatient and outpatient rates of complications associated with appendectomy in a contemporary population-based cohort and explore factors associated with these complications. We conducted a retrospective study using linked data for Ontario within Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences databases. Patients who underwent emergent appendectomy between 2009 and 2014 were included. The primary outcome was a complication (death, readmission, emergency department visit, lengthy [> 7 d] hospital stay, percutaneous abscess drainage, reoperation or 1 of the predefined complication codes) occurring within 30 days of surgery. We used modified Poisson regression to identify predictors of complications. A total of 50 369 patients underwent emergent appendectomy over the study period, of whom 16 953 (33.7%) had a perforated appendix. Overall, 14 451 patients (28.7%) (8428 [25.2%] in the nonperforated group and 6023 [35.5%] in the perforated group) had at least 1 complication. The most common complication was an emergency department visit (7942 patients [15.8%]), followed by surgical site infection (4792 [9.5%]). Increasing age, female sex, rural residence, perforation status, daytime surgery and open surgical technique were associated with increased risk of complications. We found a higher rate of complications after appendectomy than previously reported. The most common complication was presentation to the emergency department. Our definition of complications is more inclusive than in previous studies and provides a deeper understanding of complications after appendectomy.

Pediatric Supracondylar Humerus Fractures: Does After-Hours Treatment Influence Outcomes?

To compare the outcomes of pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures treated during daytime hours to those treated after-hours. Retrospective. Academic Level I trauma center. Two hundred ninety-eight pediatric patients treated with surgical reduction and fixation of closed supracondylar fractures were included. Seventy-seven patients underwent surgery during daytime hours (06:00-15:59 on weekdays). One hundred eighty-six patients underwent surgery after-hours (16:00-05:59 on weekdays and any surgery on weekends or holidays). Surgeon subspecialty, operative duration, and radiographic and clinical outcomes, including range of motion and carrying angle, were extracted from the patient medical records. There were no patient-related demographic differences between the daytime hours and after-hours groups. Daytime surgery was more likely to be performed by a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon than after-hours surgery. Fractures treated after-hours had more severe injury patterns. After-hours surgery was not independently associated with rate of open reduction, operative times, complications, achievement of functional range of motion, or radiographic alignment. A late-night surgery subgroup analysis demonstrated an increased rate of malunion in patients undergoing surgery between the hours of 23:00 and 05:59. There is no difference in the operative duration or outcomes after surgical treatment of pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures performed after-hours when compared with daytime surgery. However, late-night surgery performed between 23:00 and 05:59 may be associated with a higher rate of malunion. Surgeons can use these data to make better-informed decisions about the timing of surgery in this patient population. Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Development and application of a surgical information acquisition system based on performance assessment

Covered in the paper is the development of the hospital′s surgical information acquisition system during the healthcare reform and upgrading of its performance assessment scheme. Such a system is designed to precisely collect surgery scheduling, daytime surgery, and outpatient surgery workload, conducive to developing a performance assessment scheme based on surgery workload, motivating medical workers, and improving quality of care. Key words: Performance assessment; Surgical information; Acquisition system; Development; Application

A Visual Analog Scale to assess anxiety in children during anesthesia induction (VAS-I): Results supporting its validity in a sample of day care surgery patients.

The modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale is widely used to assess children's anxiety during induction of anesthesia, but requires training and its administration is time-consuming. A Visual Analog Scale, in contrast, requires no training, is easy-to-use and quickly completed. The aim of this study was to evaluate a Visual Analog Scale as a tool to assess anxiety during induction of anesthesia and to determine cut-offs to distinguish between anxious and nonanxious children. Four hundred and one children (1.5-16 years) scheduled for daytime surgery were included. Children's anxiety during induction was rated by parents and anesthesiologists on a Visual Analog Scale and by a trained observer on the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale. Psychometric properties assessed were: (i) concurrent validity (correlations between parents' and anesthesiologists' Visual Analog Scale and modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale scores); (ii) construct validity (differences between subgroups according to the children's age and the parents' anxiety as assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory); (iii) cross-informant agreement using Bland-Altman analysis; (iv) cut-offs to distinguish between anxious and nonanxious children (reference: modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale ≥30). Correlations between parents' and anesthesiologists' Visual Analog Scale and modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale scores were strong (0.68 and 0.73, respectively). Visual Analog Scale scores were higher for children ≤5 years compared to children aged ≥6. Visual Analog Scale scores of children of high-anxious parents were higher than those of low-anxious parents. The mean difference between parents' and anesthesiologists' Visual Analog Scale scores was 3.6, with 95% limits of agreement (-56.1 to 63.3). To classify anxious children, cut-offs for parents (≥37 mm) and anesthesiologists (≥30 mm) were established. The present data provide preliminary data for the validity of a Visual Analog Scale to assess children's anxiety during induction.

Renal Transplantation and Outcome.

Emergency surgery represents an independent risk factor for death and postoperative complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the literature data regarding outcome of daytime or nighttime renal transplantation surgery. Relevant papers, focused on renal transplantation surgery, time of the day, and complications, were searched across the PubMed database. We used the following search terms: "renal", "transplantation", "surgery", "daytime", "nighttime", and "outcome". A total of five papers, including 6,991 adult patients were evaluated. All patients received renal transplantation from deceased donor. Daytime or nighttime surgery do not seem to negatively impact on graft survival in renal transplantation. However, two out five studies reported higher odds of complications after nighttime operation. Since it is not possible to predict the availability of a deceased donor, nighttime surgery remains a valid option when necessary, maybe deserving a higher level of caution to reduce or avoid complications.

Day and night surgery: is there any influence in the patient postoperative period of urgent colorectal intervention?

Medical activity performed outside regular work hours may increase risk for patients and professionals. There is few data with respect to urgent colorectal surgery. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of daytime versus nighttime surgery on postoperative period of patients with acute colorectal disease. A retrospective study was conducted in a sample of patients with acute colorectal disease who underwent urgent surgery at the General Surgery Unit of Braga Hospital, between January 2005 and March 2013. Patients were stratified by operative time of day into a daytime group (surgery between 8:00 and 20:59) and the nighttime group (21:00-7:59) and compared for clinical and surgical parameters. A questionnaire was distributed to surgeons, covering aspects related to the practice of urgent colorectal surgery and fatigue. A total of 330 patients were included, with 214 (64.8%) in the daytime group and 116 (35.2%) in the nighttime group. Colorectal cancer was the most frequent pathology. Waiting time (p < 0.001) and total length of hospital stay (p = 0.008) were significantly longer in the daytime group. There were no significant differences with respect to early or late complications. However, 100% of surgeons reported that they are less proficient during nighttime. Among patients with acute colorectal disease subjected to urgent surgery, there was no significant association between nighttime surgery and the presence of postoperative medical and surgical morbidities. Patients who were subjected to daytime surgery had longer length of stay at the hospital.

Exploration the mode of the daytime operation in patients with cataract

Objective To explore the differences between daytime and hospitalization cataract surgery and provide the basis for selection of optimal way. Methods We chose 200 surgery patients with cataract in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from August 2014 to December 2014 and randomly divided them into control group (100 cases, regular hospitalization surgery) and observation group (100 cases, daytime surgery). Then, we compared the hospitalization days, medical expenses, incidence of complication, treatment effects and patients′ satisfaction. Results There was one day for hospitalization and (7 100±80) yuan for medical expense in the observation group lower than these in the control group [(5±0.3) d, 8 150 yuan], and the differences were statistically significant (t=8.376, 6.529; P 0.05). The satisfaction was 98.0% in the observation group higher than that in the control group (χ2=4.714, P<0.05). Conclusions Daytime cataract surgery can improve the bed turnover rate, shorten the hospitalization days, reduce the medical expenses, simplify the medical treatment process, meet the patient′s needs for fast, economical and practical nursing, and ease the medical disputes. Key words: Cataract; Day operation; Hospitalization operation

Nighttime kidney transplantation is associated with less pure technical graft failure.

PurposeTo minimize cold ischemia time, transplantations with kidneys from deceased donors are frequently performed during the night. However, sleep deprivation of those who perform the transplantation may have adverse effects on cognitive and psychomotor performance and may cause reduced cognitive flexibility. We hypothesize that renal transplantations performed during the night are associated with an increased incidence of pure technical graft failure.MethodsA retrospective analysis of data of the Dutch Organ Transplant Registry concerning all transplants from deceased donors between 2000 and 2013 was performed. Nighttime surgery was defined as the start of the procedure between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. The primary outcome measure was technical graft failure, defined as graft loss within 10 days after surgery without signs of (hyper)acute rejection.ResultsOf 4.519 renal transplantations in adult recipients, 1.480 were performed during the night. The incidence of pure technical graft failure was 1.0 % for procedures started during the night versus 2.6 % for daytime surgery (p = .001). In a multivariable model, correcting for relevant donor, recipient and graft factors, daytime surgery was an independent predictor of pure technical graft failure (p < .001).ConclusionsLimitation of this study is mainly to its retrospective design, and the influence of some relevant variables, such as the experience level of the surgeon, could not be assessed. We conclude that nighttime surgery is associated with less pure technical graft failures. Further research is required to explore factors that may positively influence the performance of the surgical team during the night.

Intramedullary Nailing of Diaphyseal Femur Fractures Secondary to Gunshot Wounds

The purpose of this study was to determine significant factors that may impact the postoperative differences in femoral version (DFV) and differences in femoral length (DFL) between the fixed and uninjured sides after intramedullary nailing (IMN) secondary to gunshot wounds. Retrospective data registry study. Academic level I trauma center. Over a 10-year period, 417 patients underwent IMN of a diaphyseal femur fracture (OTA/AO 32A-C). Of these, 57 patients sustained fractures caused by gunshots and had a postoperative computed tomographic scanogram. DFV and DFL. The effect of the following variables on DFV and DFL were determined through univariate and stepwise multivariate regression analyses: age, sex, body mass index, trauma fellowship-trained versus nontrauma surgeon, daytime versus nighttime surgery, antegrade versus retrograde nail insertion, use of traction, type of operating table, and AO and Winquist classifications. The mean postoperative DFV for all patients was 8.62 degrees (±6.67 degrees). Postoperative DFV greater than 15 degrees was found in 12.3% of all patients. After IMN, no significant differences in DFV were found with increasing complexity of AO/OTA or Winquist fracture classification. None of the aforementioned independent variables were significantly predictive of postoperative DFV in univariate or multivariate analyses. The mean postoperative DFL for all patients was 5.25 mm (±4.36 mm). In a multivariate model, classification as Winquist type 3 or 4 was weakly (adjusted R = 0.075) but significantly predictive of less DFL than categorization as type 1 or 2 (P = 0.027). Although gunshot-associated femur fractures may present surgical challenges for treatment through IMN, acceptable femoral rotation and length are obtainable regardless of the fracture complexity or a variety of demographic and surgically-related variables. Prognostic level II.

Impact of changed management policies on operating room efficiency

BackgroundTo increase operating room (OR) efficiency, a new resource allocation strategy, a new policy for patient urgency classification, and a new system for OR booking was implemented at a tertiary referral hospital. We investigated the impact of these interventions.MethodsWe carried out a before-and-after study using OR data. A total of 23 515 elective (planned) and non-elective (unplanned) orthopaedic and general surgeries were conducted during calendar year 2007 (period 1) and July 2008 to July 2009 (period 2). The Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test was used to calculate statistical significance.ResultsAn increased amount of case time (7.1%, p < 0.05) was conducted without any increase in out-of-hours case time. Despite having three fewer ORs for electives, slightly more elective case time was handled with 26% less use of overtime (p < 0.05). Mean OR utilization was 56% for the 17 mixed ORs, 60% for the 14 elective ORs, and 62% for the 3 dedicated ORs. A 20% growth (p < 0.05) of non-elective case time was primarily absorbed through enhanced daytime surgery, which increased over 48% (p < 0.05). As a result, the proportions of case time on evenings and nights decreased. Specifically, case time at night decreased by 26% (p < 0.05), and the number of nights without surgery increased from 55 to 112 (out of 315 and 316, respectively). Median waiting time for the middle urgencies increased with 1.2 hours, but over 90% received treatment within maximum acceptable waiting time (MAWT) in both periods. Median waiting time for the lowest urgencies was reduced with 12 hours, and the proportion of cases treated within MAWT increased from 70% to 89%. The proportion of high urgency patients (as a proportion of the total) was reduced from 20% to 12%. Consequently, almost 90% of the operations could be planned at least 24 hours in advance.ConclusionsThe redesign facilitated effective daytime surgery and a more selective use of the ORs for high urgency patients out of hours. The synergistic effect probably exceeded the sum of the individual effects of the changes, because the effects of each intervention facilitated the successful implementation of others.

Comparing Femoral Version After Intramedullary Nailing Performed by Trauma-Trained and Non-Trauma Trained Surgeons: Is There a Difference?

IntroductionAs with some procedures, trauma fellowship training and greater surgeon experience may result in better outcomes following intramedullary nailing (IMN) of diaphyseal femur fractures. However, surgeons with such training and experience may not always be available to all patients. The purpose of this study is to determine whether trauma training affects the post-operative difference in femoral version (DFV) following IMN. Materials and MethodsBetween 2000 and 2009, 417 consecutive patients with diaphyseal femur fractures (AO/OTA 32A-C) were treated via IMN. Inclusion criteria for this study included complete baseline and demographic documentation as well as pre-operative films for fracture classification and post-operative CT scanogram (per institutional protocol) for version and length measurement of both the nailed and uninjured femurs. Exclusion criteria included bilateral injuries, multiple ipsilateral lower extremity fractures, previous injury, and previous deformity. Of the initial 417 subjects, 355 patients met our inclusion criteria. Other data included in our analysis were age, sex, injury mechanism, open vs. closed fracture, daytime vs. nighttime surgery, mechanism of injury, and AO and Winquist classifications. Post-operative femoral version of both lower extremities was measured on CT scanogram by an orthopaedic trauma fellowship trained surgeon. Standard univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine statistically significant risk factors for malrotation between the two cohorts. ResultsOverall, 80.3% (288/355) of all fractures were fixed by trauma-trained surgeons. The mean post-operative DFV was 8.7° in these patients, compared to 10.7° in those treated by surgeons of other subspecialties. This difference was not statistically significant when accounting for other factors in a multivariate model (p>0.05). The same statistical trend was true when analyzing outcomes of only the more severe Winquist type III and IV fractures. Additionally, surgeon experience was not significantly predictive of post-operative version for either trauma or non-trauma surgeons (p>0.05 for both). ConclusionsPost-operative version or percentage of DFV >15° did not significantly differ following IMN of diaphyseal femur fractures between surgeons with and without trauma fellowship training. However, prospective data that removes the inherent bias that the more complex cases are left for the traumatologists are required before a definitive comparison is made.

Hip fracture surgery: Does time of the day matter? A case-controlled study

IntroductionA prevailing perception regarding night time surgery is that the probability of complications may be higher due to decreased availability of support staff, surgeon fatigue and other logistical factors. However there is little data supporting this notion in hip fracture surgery and we studied this in the context of Inter-trochanteric fractures fixed with dynamic hip screws (DHS). MethodsAll patients who underwent DHS fixation for inter-trochanteric fracture from January 2005 to December 2010 were included. Patients were divided into two groups. An after-hours group was defined as an operation done between 5:00 P.M. to7:00 A.M. and a daytime group was defined as surgery done between 7:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 19. ResultsDuring this period 194 patients underwent DHS fixation. One hundred and fourteen patients were included in the daytime group and 80 patients in the after-hours group. There was no difference in the rates of wound infection, length of hospital stay, postoperative ambulation status, intra op blood loss, type of anesthesia, and mortality between the two groups. Tip apex index was found to be similar between the two groups. Two patients in the daytime surgery required revision surgery compared to 5 patients in the after-hours group, however this difference was not statistically significant. DiscussionOutcomes in terms of adequacy of fixation, post-operative complications and post-operative 30-day mortality are comparable to routine day time surgery while offering the benefits of early fixation and mobilization to the patient. This also has a positive impact on the financial burden on this population as early fixation translates into decreased length of stay and reduced cost of treatment.

Multicentre observational study of performance variation in provision and outcome of emergency appendicectomy

Identification of variation in practice is a key step towards standardization of service and determination of reliable quality markers. This study aimed to investigate variation in provision and outcome of emergency appendicectomy. A multicentre, trainee-led, protocol-driven, prospective observational cohort study was performed during May and June 2012. The main outcome of interest was the normal histopathology rate; secondary outcomes were laparoscopy and 30-day adverse event rates. Analysis included funnel plots and binary logistic regression models to identify patient- and hospital-related predictors of outcome. A total of 3326 patients from 95 centres were included. An initial laparoscopic approach was performed in 66.3 per cent of patients (range in centres performing more than 25 appendicectomies over the study period: 8.7-100 per cent). A histologically normal appendix was removed in 20.6 per cent of patients (range in centres performing more than 25 procedures: 3.3-36.8 per cent). Funnel plot analysis revealed that 22 centres fell below three standard deviations of the mean for laparoscopy rates. Higher centre volume, consultant presence in theatre and daytime surgery were independently associated with an increased use of laparoscopy, which in turn was associated with a reduction in 30-day morbidity (adjusted for disease severity). Daytime surgery further reduced normal appendicectomy rates. Increasing volume came at the cost of higher negative rates, and low negative rates came at the cost of higher perforation rates. This study reveals the extremely wide variation in practice patterns and outcomes among hospitals. Organizational factors leading to this variation have been identified and should be addressed to improve performance.

Delivery by Caesarean Section in Super-Obese Women: Beyond Pfannenstiel

J Obstet Gynaecol Can 2012;34(5):472–474 P in women who are super-obese, defined by body mass index over 50 kg/m2, has risen relentlessly across North America during the past decade. Currently 2% of deliveries are affected by super-obesity in parts of the southern United States, where young women of AfricanAmerican and Hispanic descent constitute the fastest growing segments of the population.1 In Canada, obstetricians are caring for increasing numbers of very overweight women from a variety of backgrounds. All obstetricians providing labour and delivery services to such women need to be prepared for delivery by Caesarean section (CS) because of the surgical challenges, especially since the risk of having to perform CS in labour may exceed 50%.2 Elective CS, often performed because of suspected macrosomia, may best serve many women in this BMI category. Increasingly such women are concentrated in focused antenatal clinics where preoperative discussions lead to elective daytime surgery performed by experienced personnel. Nevertheless, superobese women do begin labour spontaneously or may have labour induced, and thus the on-call labour and delivery obstetrician will face significant delivery challenges. What advice is available to assist on-call staff when performing CS in these women? Current editions of two leading textbooks offer no guidance on the approach to CS in super-obese women.3,4 By contrast, the online resource tool “UpToDate” devotes a section to this subject5 with the following advice: first, while elevation of the pannus may permit access to the abdomen through a traditional Pfannenstiel incision, the risk of wound infection may be reduced by weight-adjusted prophylactic pre-incision administration of intravenous antibiotics, minimal fat layer disturbance on entry, and closure of this layer on exit with skin staples to permit seroma drainage. This resource warns that postoperative wound complications should be anticipated in up to 25% of these patients and that the patients may require extended follow-up after initial discharge because the presentation is often delayed. If technically possible, a Pfannenstiel incision for entry beneath the pannus has important benefits, provided the surgeon can anticipate having easy access to a presenting fetal pole in the lower uterine segment. The skin incision should ideally be placed in healthy skin at least 2 cm above the natural crease. Modest use of the Trendelenberg position helps to keep the plane of surgery horizontal. Insertion of a self-retaining Mobius retractor (CooperSurgical, Inc., Trumbull CT), followed by lateral abdominal wet packs, gives optimal exposure and allows the operation to proceed with only one assistant. Before the surgery, the surgeon should become familiar with interior ring insertion and exterior ring rolling to maximize exposure.6 The uterus is closed in situ with this approach.

Die Duokopfprothese zur Therapie der Schenkelhalsfraktur – Einfluss von OP-Dauer, Tageszeit und Erfahrung des Operateurs auf die Komplikationsrate

Bipolar hemiarthroplasty is frequently used in femoral neck fractures. There is only little evidence regarding differences in complication rates if the procedure is performed by either a junior or senior surgeon. 360 bipolar hemiarthroplasties were retrospectively investigated. Complication rates for junior and senior surgeons were evaluated as well as differences between daytime and nightshift surgery. We also assessed the duration of surgery for the two groups and its impact on the complication rate. The average duration of the procedure was 67 minutes (23-194) with statistically significant differences between junior and senior surgeons (77 vs. 61 minutes, p < 0.001). Complications occurred in 27 (7.5%) of all cases. Postoperative infections were most frequently found (3.1% of all complications), followed by haematomas and dislocations of the implant (1.7% and 1.1 %, respectively). 25 patients required revision operations. More complications were found in cases performed by junior surgeons (9.56% vs. 6.25%). This difference was not significant (p = 0.248). During on-call duty we also observed more complications compared to daytime surgery (11% vs. 7%). There was no coherence between the duration of surgery and the incidence of complications. Bipolar hemiarthroplasty is a reliable treatment option for femoral neck fractures even when performed by a junior surgeon. The higher incidence of complications during nighttime surgery should be a reason to perform those cases that are not urgent during the daytime shift.

Is After-Hours Orthopaedic Surgery Associated with Adverse Outcomes?

Treatment of fractures is sometimes performed after normal daytime operating hours and in such instances may be performed under less than ideal conditions. The consequence of performing operations under such conditions is largely unknown and was therefore studied in the context of intramedullary nail fixation of tibial and femoral shaft fractures. Two hundred and three consecutive patients with either a femoral or tibial shaft fracture (Orthopaedic Trauma Association classification 32 or 42) treated with intramedullary nail fixation were included in a prospective, multicenter, nonrandomized study. Patients were divided into an after-hours group defined as an operation beginning from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M. or a daytime group defined as an operation beginning from 6:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. These groups were further divided on the basis of the injured bone into the following subgroups: after-hours femoral fracture (fifty-five patients), daytime femoral fracture (forty-four patients), after-hours tibial fracture (forty-eight patients), and daytime tibial fracture (fifty-six patients). The demographic and fracture characteristics were similar among the subgroups. All patients were treated with the same type of femoral antegrade, femoral retrograde, or tibial nail fixation with reaming. Data for fracture-healing, complications, operative time, and fluoroscopy time were collected prospectively. The healing rates were similar between daytime and after-hours surgery groups for both the tibial and femoral nailing. On the basis of univariate analysis, operative times were shorter in the after-hours group compared with the daytime group for both the tibial and femoral nail fixation groups (p < 0.02), but regression analysis failed to identify time of surgery as an independent variable associated with operative time. Radiation exposure was similar for the after-hours group and the daytime group for both tibial and femoral nail fixation (p > 0.05). The after-hours group had more unplanned reoperations than the daytime group (p < 0.02). Removal of painful hardware was more frequent in the after-hours femoral fracture group (27%) than in the daytime femoral fracture group (3%) (p < 0.02), and after-hours surgery was an independent variable associated with the need for removal of painful femoral fracture hardware (p < 0.05). Rates of nonunion, infectious complications, and radiation exposure are similar for after-hours and daytime surgery for intramedullary nail fixation of both femoral and tibial fractures. After-hours femoral nail fixation was associated with an increased frequency for removal of painful hardware, which may be related to technical errors associated with nonideal conditions and shorter operative times. An increase in the allocated amount of daytime operative time for orthopaedic trauma surgery has the potential to reduce minor complication rates for intramedullary nail fixation.

The Value of the Dedicated Orthopaedic Trauma Operating Room

Trauma centers and orthopaedic surgeons have traditionally been faced with limited operating room (OR) availability for fracture surgery. Orthopaedic trauma cases are often waitlisted and done late at night. We investigated the feasibility of having an unbooked orthopaedic trauma OR to reduce nighttime cases and improve OR flow. A retrospective analysis was performed for two 1 year time periods before and after the introduction of an unbooked trauma OR. The unbooked trauma OR is kept open for urgent and semi-urgent cases from 7:45 am to 5 pm 6 days per week, and is under the control of Orthopaedics; no elective cases are scheduled in the unbooked trauma room. We collected OR time data on two common surgical cases (dynamic hip screw and closed femoral nailing) done before and after introduction of the unbooked orthopaedic trauma OR. We also reviewed data on waitlist cases, surgical time, anesthetic times, OR utilization, and surgical complications before and after the introduction of the unbooked trauma room. The availability of the unbooked trauma OR significantly improved operating suite flow. The proportion of hip fractures done after 5 pm was reduced by 72% (p<0.01). The number of all orthopaedic waitlist cases started after 5 pm was reduced by 6% (p<0.021). The distinct shift toward performing add-on cases during daytime hours resulted in a 6% reduction in OR over-utilization. Closed femoral nailing done at night required significantly more OR time (261 minutes versus 219 minutes, p<0.04). Hip fracture surgeries and femoral nailings done at night were noted to have a higher incidence of surgical complications (p<0.04 and p<0.036). The availability of an unbooked orthopaedic trauma room resulted in a measurable shift from performing "add-on" cases to daytime surgery and may reduce complications. We recommend that hospitals and orthopaedic trauma services commit resources toward having an open OR reserved for orthopaedic trauma.

Deriving the indications for laparoscopic appendectomy from a comparison of the outcomes of laparoscopic and open appendectomy

Background: Indications for laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) remain controversial and poorly defined. We sought to identify indications for LA through a comparison of LA and open appendectomies (OA). Methods: We reviewed demographics, coexisting medical conditions, radiology and pathology data, hospital course, and complications from charts on all LA patients and a comparison group of OA done from 1991 to 1998. Results: The following were significantly associated with LA: female sex, higher mean body mass index (BMI), coexisting medical problems, private insurance, and daytime surgery. The OA group was significantly more likely to have: a radiology report suggesting the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, perforation of the appendix, intensive care unit admission, and complications in their hospital course. Forty-one percent of the LA patients did not have appendicitis, compared with 20% of the OA patients. Conclusions: Daytime surgery, women, private insurance, coexisting medical problems, prior abdominal surgery, higher BMI, and less severe disease appear to be used by surgeons as indicators for LA. The threshold for surgical exploration appears to be lower for LA.

Liver transplantation: Current status, complications and prevention

The results of liver transplantation have improved dramatically over the past 15 years and this has produced a marked increase in demand for the procedure. Perioperative problems due to haemorrhage have been largely solved by surgical experience, the use of veno-venous bypass and careful control of coagulation parameters. Developments in graft preservation with the introduction of University of Wisconsin Solution led to improved early graft function as well as allowing day-time surgery. The number of technical failures and subsequent need for retransplantation have been markedly reduced: many units have almost eradicated failure due to hepatic artery thrombosis, although biliary complications still occur, which can often be managed non-operatively with the help of skilled radiologists using percutaneous techniques. Despite advances in immunosuppression, rejection remains a significant problem with many patients requiring additional high dose therapy with inherent risks of infective complications. In addition to conventional bacterial infections, opportunistic organisms including Pneumocystis carinii, cytomegalovirus and fungi pose a particular problem. Specific protocols for prophylaxis against opportunistic infection have been developed which have significantly reduced morbidity and mortality. Current survival after liver replacement is 80-90% at 12 months and, apart from patients grafted for malignancy, the survival curves are relatively flat. The next decade is likely to see refinements in selection and timing to reduce morbidity and costs of liver transplantation. Future developments include the use of xenografts which could provide a limitless number of donor livers and allow liver replacement to be performed as an elective service.