Failure To Rescue Rates Research Articles

Risk model for predicting failure to rescue after hepatectomy: Cohort study of 1371 consecutive patients.

Although hepatectomy is a complex surgical procedure, its incidence among older patients has increased due to global aging. However, few studies have focused on the association between age and failure to rescue (FTR) posthepatectomy. This study aimed to investigate the association between age and FTR and develop a risk model for FTR following hepatectomy. We analyzed a total of 1371 consecutive patients who underwent primary hepatectomy between July 2003 and September 2022. The patients were divided into three groups according to their age: young-old (<65years), pre-old (65-74years), and old group (≥75years). Additionally, the associations among age, FTR, and risk factors for FTR were investigated. Subsequently, a risk model was developed to predict the FTR. Of the 1371 patients, 373 (27.2%) experienced major complications, and FTR occurred in 15 patients. The older group showed a higher FTR rate (8.4%) than the young-old (1.3%) and pre-old (4.3%) groups (p=0.03). Multivariate analyses indicated that older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.15; p=0.045) and American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status score ≥3 (OR 4.35; 95% CI 1.24-15.2; p=0.02) were independent predictive factors for FTR. The risk model exhibited an accuracy with an area under the curve of 0.80 (95% CI 0.69-0.92). Calibration plots of the model revealed a concordance index of 0.73. This study identified an association between age, FTR, and risk factors for FTR posthepatectomy. Together, our risk model is a clinically relevant, internally validated, and useful tool for predicting FTR posthepatectomy.

Failure to Rescue After Resection of Perhilar Cholangiocarcinoma in an International Multicenter Cohort.

Failure to rescue (FTR) is defined as the inability to prevent death after the development of a complication. FTR is a parameter in evaluating multidisciplinary postoperative complication management. The aim of this study was to evaluate FTR rates after major liver resection for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) and analyze factors associated with FTR. Patients who underwent major liver resection for pCCA at 27 centers were included. FTR was defined as the presence of a Dindo grade III or higher complication followed by death within 90 days after surgery. Liver failure ISGLS grade B/C were scored. Multivariable logistic analysis was performed to identify predictors of FTR and reported using odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals. In the 2186 included patients, major morbidity rate was 49%, 90-day mortality rate 13%, and FTR occurred in 24% of patients with a grade III or higher complication. Across centers, major complication rate varied from 19 to 87%, 90-day mortality rate from 5 to 33%, and FTR ranged from 11 to 50% across hospitals. Age [1.04 (1.02-1.05) years], ASA 3 or 4 [1.40 (1.01-1.95)], jaundice at presentation [1.79 (1.16-2.76)], right-sided resection [1.45 (1.06-1.98)], and annual hospital volume < 6 [1.44 (1.07-1.94)] were positively associated with FTR. When liver failure is included, the odds ratio for FTR is 9.58 (6.76-13.68). FTR occurred in 24% of patients after resection for pCCA. Liver failure was associated with a nine-fold increase of FTR and hospital volume below six was also associated with an increased risk of FTR.

Predictors for 30-day mortality in hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing liver resection

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks among the most prevalent and fatal liver cancers globally. Liver surgery, particularly resection, offers the potential for cure but poses challenges, especially in Indonesia, where patients often present in advanced stages. This study aimed to determine the intraoperative and perioperative factors associated with 30-day mortality of HCC patients undergoing liver resection at a tertiary referral hospital. The study included HCC patients undergoing liver resection at Karadi General Hospital, Semarang, Indonesia, between January 2018 and September 2023. Demographic data, intraoperative, perioperative, and postoperative factors were collected, with the primary outcome being 30-day mortality. Factors influencing 30-day survival were assessed using a log-rank test and the survival analysis employed Kaplan-Meier curves. Among 58 HCC patients who had liver resection, 62.1% were males, with a mean age was 57.27±9.56 years old. Preoperative comorbidities, notably hepatitis B, affected 34.4% of patients. Child-Pugh Score categorized 91.4% as class A. The study found a 30-day mortality rate of 10.3% with no subsequent increase in incidence. The failure-to-rescue rate (FTR) of this study was found to be 46%. Factors associated with 30-day mortality were Child-Pugh classification (p&lt;0.001), intraoperative bleeding (p=0.001), creatinine levels (p=0.005), Clavien-Dindo classification (p&lt;0.001), and posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) (p&lt;0.001). This study suggests that pre-operative (Child-Pugh classification), intraoperative (blood loss volume) and postoperative factors (Creatinine level, Clavien-Dindo classification, and PHLF) could predict the mortality rate of HCC patients undergoing liver resection.

Impact of Nighttime Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit Staffing on Failure to Rescue and Revenue

Failure to rescue (FTR) is mortality following postoperative complication. We investigated the impact of nighttime intensivist staffing and FTR after cardiac surgery. We included patients who underwent cardiac surgery to examine FTR, defined as mortality in those who experienced a Society of Thoracic Surgeons-defined major complication. Era 2 (7/2021-6/2023) and Era 1 (7/2016-6/2021) were characterized by presence and absence of nighttime intensivists staffing, respectively. Complications and FTR rates, daily ICU census, and relative value units (RVUs) were compared. Among 5,654 patients, 17% (284/1,661) in Era 2 had at least one complication versus 19% (769/3,993) in Era 1 (P=0.057). Among patients with complications, FTR incidence was 8% (22/284) in Era 2 versus 19% (145/769) in Era 1 (P<0.001). Daily average ICU census did not change (12.3 in Era 2 vs. 12.0 in Era 1, P=0.386). Comparing mean annual RVUs during the two fiscal years in Era 2 (35,613/year) to what would have been expected based on the last two fiscal years of Era 1 (26,744/year), a significant increase of +8,870/year was observed (95% CI=3,876-13,863, P=0.028). Multivariable analyses found no difference in the risk of major complications comparing Era 2 versus Era 1 (OR=1.04, 95% CI=0.89-1.23, P=0.602), and a 59% reduction in FTR risk in Era 2 versus Era 1 (OR=0.41, 95% CI=0.25-0.67, P<0.001). Nighttime ICU coverage reduced FTR rates in post-cardiotomy patients while complication rates and ICU census remained stable. Furthermore, the increase in RVUs suggested an economically sustainable model.

451. PREDICTIVE FACTORS FOR PNEUMONIA AND ANASTOMOTIC LEAK AFTER TRANSTHORACIC ESOPHAGECTOMY FOR CANCER AND FAILURE TO RESCUE ANALYSIS ON 1355 PATIENTS

Abstract Background Pneumonia (PN) and anastomotic leak (AL) represent the most feared complications after transthoracic esophagectomy for cancer, the former more commonly observed after open and the latter after minimally-invasive (MI) procedures. Studies comparing these two complications with focus on predictive risk factors and procedure-related failure-to-rescue (FTR) are sparse. Aim of the study was to explore such aspects with a large multicentric dataset. Methods All patients who underwent an Ivor Lewis transthoracic esophagectomy for cancer between 2008 and 2022 in four tertiary centers were queried. Predictive risk factors for pneumonia, anastomotic leak and in-hospital mortality were analyzed with univariable models. FTR was defined as in-hospital death following a major complication. Patients were then classified and compared according to the type of operation [open, hybrid-laparoscopic, hybrid-robotic, standard minimally-invasive (MIE) or robotic minimally-invasive (RAMIE)]. Pneumonia and anastomotic leak associated FTR was calculated and compared across the groups. Machine-learning models (neuronal nets, support vector machines and random forests classifier) were applied to predict complications and FTR. Results In total, 1,355 patients were included. Significant (p&amp;lt;0.05) predictors for PN (n=211, 15.6%) were ASA=4, preexisting cardiac and pulmonary conditions, conversion (thoracotomy), neoadjuvant therapy and age. Those for AL (n=160, 11.8%) were preexisting cardiac condition, conversion (thoracotomy) and operation time. Overall FTR-rate was 3.6%. Age&amp;gt;65y, preexisting cardiac and pulmonary condition, AL, PN, postoperative bleeding, sepsis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia and need for blood transfusion were the risk factors significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. PN- and AL- associated FTR rates did not significantly differ among the different operation types (Figure 1). Machine-learning models were unable to predict complications or FTR properly. Conclusions Our study showed that there is a greater number of factors associated with pneumonia rather than anastomotic leak, probably making the prevention of this complication more challenging to achieve. However, pneumonia- and leak-associated FTR-rates did not significantly differ among the groups, demonstrating that the implementation of minimally-invasive procedures can be safely carried out, if experience is provided.

The burden of major complications on failure to rescue after surgery for acute type A aortic dissection: Analysis of more than 19,000 patients

BackgroundThe relationship between the number and type of postoperative complications and mortality in the setting for surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) remains underexplored despite its critical role in the failure-to-rescue (FTR) metric. MethodsThis retrospective study used data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgical Database on ATAAD surgeries performed between January 2018 and December 2022. Patients were categorized based on their number of major complications. The primary outcome was FTR. We used multilevel regression and classification and regression tree models. ResultsWe included 19,243 patients (33% females), with a median age of 61 years. Regarding complications, 47.7% of patients had 0, 20.2% had 1, 12.7% had 2, and 19.4% experienced 3 or more. The most frequently reported complications were prolonged mechanical ventilation (30.3%), unplanned reoperation (19.5%), and renal failure (17.2%). Cardiac arrest occurred in 7.1% of cases. FTR increased from 13% in patients with 1 complication to >30% in those with 4 or more complications. Cardiac arrest (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 10.9) and renal failure (aOR, 5.3) had the highest odds for mortality, followed by limb ischemia (aOR, 2.7), stroke (aOR, 2.6), and gastrointestinal complications (aOR, 2.4). Hospitals in the top performance quartile consistently showed lower FTR rates across all levels of complication. ConclusionsThe study validates a dose–response association between postoperative complications and mortality in patients undergoing surgery for ATAAD. Top-performing hospitals consistently show lower FTR rates independent of the number of complications. Future research should focus on the timing of complications and interventions to reduce the burden of complications.

Assessing quality of hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery: nationwide benchmarking.

Clinical auditing is a powerful tool to evaluate and improve healthcare. Deviations from the expected quality of care are identified by benchmarking the results of individual hospitals using national averages. This study aimed to evaluate the use of quality indicators for benchmarking hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery and when outlier hospitals could be identified. A population-based study used data from two nationwide Dutch HPB audits (DHBA and DPCA) from 2014 to 2021. Sample size calculations determined the threshold (in percentage points) to identify centres as statistical outliers, based on current volume requirements (annual minimum of 20 resections) on a two-year period (2020-2021), covering mortality rate, failure to rescue (FTR), major morbidity rate and textbook/ideal outcome (TO) for minor liver resection (LR), major LR, pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and distal pancreatectomy (DP). In total, 10 963 and 7365 patients who underwent liver and pancreatic resection respectively were included. Benchmark and corresponding range of mortality rates were 0.6% (0 -3.2%) and 3.3% (0-16.7%) for minor and major LR, and 2.7% (0-7.0%) and 0.6% (0-4.2%) for PD and DP respectively. FTR rates were 5.4% (0-33.3%), 14.2% (0-100%), 7.5% (1.6%-28.5%) and 3.1% (0-14.9%). For major morbidity rate, corresponding rates were 9.8% (0-20.5%), 28.1% (0-47.1%), 36% (15.8%-58.3%) and 22.3% (5.2%-46.1%). For TO, corresponding rates were 73.6% (61.3%-94.4%), 54.1% (35.3-100), 46.8% (25.3%-59.4%) and 63.3% (30.7%-84.6%). Mortality rate thresholds indicating a significant outlier were 8.6% and 15.4% for minor and major LR and 14.2% and 8.6% for PD and DP. For FTR, these thresholds were 17.9%, 31.6%, 22.9% and 15.0%. For major morbidity rate, these thresholds were 26.1%, 49.7%, 57.9% and 52.9% respectively. For TO, lower thresholds were 52.5%, 32.5%, 25.8% and 41.4% respectively. Higher hospital volumes decrease thresholds to detect outliers. Current event rates and minimum volume requirements per hospital are too low to detect any meaningful between hospital differences in mortality rate and FTR. Major morbidity rate and TO are better candidates to use for benchmarking.

Failure to rescue following oesophagectomy in Australia: a multi-site retrospective study using American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Failure to rescue (FTR), defined as death after a major complication, is increasingly being used as a surrogate for assessing quality of care following major cancer resection. The aim of this paper is to determine the failure to rescue (FTR) rate after oesophagectomy and explore factors that may contribute to FTR within Australia. A retrospective review of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database from 2015 to 2023 at five Australian hospitals was conducted to identify patients who underwent an oesophagectomy. The primary outcome was FTR rate. Perioperative parameters were examined to evaluate predictive factors for FTR. Secondary outcomes include major complications, overall morbidity, mortality, length of stay and 30-day readmissions. A total of 155 patients were included with a median age of 65.2 years, 74.8% being male. The FTR rate was 6.3%. In total, 50.3% of patients (n = 78) developed at least one postoperative complication with the most common complication being pneumonia (20.6%) followed by prolonged intubation (12.9%) and organ space SSI/anastomotic leak (11.0%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine any factors that were predictive for FTR however none reached statistical significance. This study is the first to evaluate the FTR rates following oesophagectomy within Australia, with FTR rates and complication profile comparable to international benchmarks. Integration of multi-institutional national databases such as ACS NSQIP into units is essential to monitor and compare patient outcomes following major cancer surgery, especially in low to moderate volume centres.

Availability in ECMO Reduces the Failure to Rescue in Patients With Pulmonary Embolism After Major Surgery: A Nationwide Analysis of 2.4 Million Cases.

Postoperative pulmonary embolism (PE) is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication, which can be treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy, a novel therapy option for acute cardiorespiratory failure. We postulate that hospitals with ECMO availability have more experienced staff, technical capabilities, and expertise in treating cardiorespiratory failure. A retrospective analysis of surgical procedures in Germany between 2012 and 2019 was performed using hospital billing data. High-risk surgical procedures for postoperative PE were analyzed according to the availability of and expertise in ECMO therapy and its effect on outcome, regardless of whether ECMO was used in patients with PE. Descriptive, univariate, and multivariate analyses were applied to identify possible associations and correct for confounding factors (complications, complication management, and mortality). A total of 13,976,606 surgical procedures were analyzed, of which 2,407,805 were defined as high-risk surgeries. The overall failure to rescue (FtR) rate was 24.4% and increased significantly with patient age, as well as type of surgery. The availability of and experience in ECMO therapy (defined as at least 20 ECMO applications per year; ECMO centers) are associated with a significantly reduced FtR in patients with PE after high-risk surgical procedures. In a multivariate analysis, the odds ratio (OR) for FtR after postoperative PE was significantly lower in ECMO centers (OR, 0.75 [0.70-0.81], P < 0.001). The availability of and expertise in ECMO therapy lead to a significantly reduced FtR rate of postoperative PE. This improved outcome is independent of the use of ECMO in these patients.

Requirements for hospitals in Japan to have low operative mortality and failure-to-rescue rates.

We explored institutional factors in Japan associated with lower operative mortality and failure-to-rescue (FTR) rates for eight major gastrointestinal procedures. A 22-item online questionnaire was sent to 2119 institutional departments (IDs) to examine the association between institutional factors and operative mortality and FTR rates. IDs were classified according to the number of annual surgeries, board certification status, and locality. In addition, the top 20% and bottom 20% of IDs were identified based on FTR rates and matched with the results of the questionnaire survey. Factors associated with operative mortality were selected by multivariate analysis. Of the 1083 IDs that responded to the questionnaire, 568 (213 382 patients) were included in the analysis. Operative morbidity, operative mortality, and FTR rates in the top 20% and bottom 20% of IDs were 13.1% and 8.4% (p < 0.001), 0.52% and 4.3% (p < 0.001), and 4.0% and 51.2% (p < 0.001), respectively. Based on the patients' background characteristics, the top 20% of IDs handled more advanced cases. No significant difference in locality was seen between better or worse hospital FTR rates, but fewer esophagectomies, hepatectomies, and pancreatoduodenectomies were performed in depopulated areas. Six items were found to be associated with operative mortality by multivariate logistic analysis. Only 50 (8.8%) IDs met all five factors related to better FTR rates. The present findings indicate that several hospital factors surrounding surgical treatment, characterized by abundant human resources, are closely related to better postoperative recovery from severe complications.

Utility of Hospital Failure to Rescue for Analyzing Variation in Pediatric Postoperative Mortality.

To evaluate the association between pediatric hospital performances in terms of failure to rescue (FTR), defined as postoperative mortality after a surgical complication, and mortality among patients without a surgical complication. Retrospective cohort study. Forty-eight academic, pediatric hospitals; data obtained from Pediatric Health Information System database (Child Health Corporation of America, Shawnee Mission, KS) (2012-2020). Children who underwent at least one of 57 high-risk operations associated with significant postoperative mortality. Hospitals were stratified into quintiles of reliability adjusted FTR (lower than average FTR in quintile 1 [Q1], higher than average FTR in quintile 5 [Q5]). Multivariable hierarchical regression was used to evaluate the association between hospital FTR performance and mortality among patients who did not have a surgical complication. Among 203,242 children treated across 48 academic hospitals, the complication and overall postoperative mortality rates were 8.8% and 2.3%, respectively. Among patients who had a complication, the FTR rate was 8.8%. Among patients who did not have a complication, the mortality rate was 1.7%. There was a 6.5-fold increase in reliability adjusted FTR between the lowest and highest performing hospitals (lowest FTR hospital-2.7%; 95% CI [1.6-3.9]; highest FTR hospital-17.8% [16.8-18.8]). Complex chronic conditions were highly prevalent across hospitals (Q1, 72.7%; Q2, 73.8%; Q3, 72.2%; Q4, 74.0%; Q5, 74.8%; trend test p < 0.01). Relative to Q1 hospitals, the odds of mortality in the absence of a postoperative complication significantly increased by 33% at Q5 hospitals (odds ratio 1.33; 95% CI [1.07-1.66]). This association was consistent when limited to patients with a complex chronic condition and neonates. FTR may be a useful and valid surgical quality measure for pediatric surgery, even when considering patients without a postoperative complication. These findings suggest practices and processes for preventing FTR at high performing pediatric hospitals might help mitigate the risk of postoperative mortality even in the absence of a postoperative complication.

Contemporary Relationship Between Hospital Volume and Outcomes in Congenital Heart Surgery

BackgroundStudies examining the volume-outcome relationship in congenital heart surgery (CHS) are more than a decade old. Since then, mortality has declined, and case-mix adjustment has evolved. We determined the current relationship between hospital CHS volume and outcomes. MethodsPatients aged ≤18 years undergoing index operations in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons-Congenital Heart Surgery Database (2017-2020) were included. Associations between annual hospital volume and case-mix–adjusted operative mortality, major complications, failure to rescue (FTR), and postoperative length of stay (PLOS) were assessed using Bayesian hierarchical models, overall, by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (STAT) category, and for the Norwood procedure. ResultsAcross 101 centers (76,714 index operations), median annual volume was 144 operations/y. Operative mortality was 2.7%. Lower-volume hospitals had higher mortality, with an apparent transition zone at ∼190 operations/y (95% credible interval [CrI], 115-450 operations/y), below which a sustained uptick in the estimated odds of death occurred. Odds of death compared with a 450 operations/y reference were 50 operations/y (odds ratio [OR], 1.84; 95% CrI, 1.41-2.37), 100 operations/y (OR, 1.37; 95% CrI, 1.08-1.71), 200 operations/y (OR, 0.92; 95% CrI, 0.1-1.18), 300 operations/y (OR, 0.89; 95% CrI, 0.76-1.04). The volume-outcome effect was more apparent for STAT 4 to 5 than STAT 1 to 3 operations. In the overall cohort, PLOS and complications were similar across hospital volumes, whereas FTR rates were higher at lower-volume hospitals. Lower-volume hospitals had worse outcomes after the Norwood procedure, most notably mortality and FTR. ConclusionsHospital volume is associated with mortality and FTR after CHS. The relationship is strongest for high-risk operations. These data can inform ongoing initiatives to improve CHS care.

Volume-failure-to-rescue relationship in acute type A aortic dissections: An analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database

ObjectiveTo determine the relationship between volume of cases and failure-to-rescue (FTR) rate after surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) across the United States. MethodsThe Society of Thoracic Surgeons adult cardiac surgery database was used to review outcomes of surgery after ATAAD between June 2017 and December 2021. Mixed-effect models and restricted cubic splines were used to determine the risk-adjusted relationships between ATAAD average volume and FTR rate. FTR calculation was based on deaths associated with the following complications: venous thromboembolism/deep venous thrombosis, stroke, renal failure, mechanical ventilation >48 hours, sepsis, gastrointestinal complications, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and unplanned reoperation. ResultsIn total, 18,192 patients underwent surgery for ATAAD in 832 centers. The included hospitals' median volume was 2.2 cases/year (interquartile range [IQR], 0.9-5.8). Quartiles’ distribution was 615 centers in the first (1.3 cases/year, IQR, 0.4-2.9); 123 centers in the second (8 cases/year, IQR, 6.7-10.2); 66 centers in the third (15.6 cases/year, IQR, 14.2-18); and 28 centers in the fourth quartile (29.3 cases/year, IQR, 28.8-46.0). Fourth-quartile hospitals performed more extensive procedures. Overall complication, mortality, and FTR rates were 52.6%, 14.2%, and 21.7%, respectively. Risk-adjusted analysis demonstrated increased odds of FTR when the average volume was fewer than 10 cases per year. ConclusionsAlthough high-volume centers performed more complex procedures than low-volume centers, their operative mortality was lower, perhaps reflecting their ability to rescue patients and mitigate complications. An average of fewer than 10 cases per year at an institution is associated with increased odds of failure to rescue patients after ATAAD repair.

Peri-operative predictive factors of failure to rescue after highly advanced hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery.

39 Background: Failure to rescue (FTR), defined as postoperative complications leading to mortality, is a recently described outcome metric to evaluate the quality of treatment. However, predictive factors of FTR, particularly after highly advanced hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery (HBPS), have not been adequately investigated. Thus, it remains unclear. The object of this study is to identify the perioperative predictive factors of FTR after highly advanced HBPS. Methods: This single-institution retrospective study included 177 patients who developed severe postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo classification≧grade3a) after highly advanced HBPS from 2010 to 2022 at Gifu University Hospital. We statistically analyzed pre-, intra-, and post-operative risks for FTR using logistic regression. Results: Nine postoperative mortalities occurred, for overall mortality rate of 1.3% (9 / 686) and FTR rate of 5.1% (9 /177). In univariate analysis, liver disease comorbidity, intra-operative blood loss, intra-operative blood transfusion, post-operative liver failure, post-operative respiratory failure, and post-operative bleeding were significantly correlated with FTR. A multivariate analysis revealed that intra-operative blood loss (&gt;1600ml; odds ratio [OR] 77255486; 95% confidence interval [CI] 18.26–; p &lt;0.0001) and post-operative respiratory failure (OR 43422062; 95% CI 9.83–; p &lt;0.0005) were independently associated with FTR. Conclusions: FTR have been shown to be associated with hospital factors. This study showed that FTR may be also associated with peri-operative factors. Prevention of massive intra-operative blood loss and postoperative respiratory failure may be able to decrease FTR.

Outcomes Associated With Esophageal Perforation Management: Results From a French Nationwide Population-based Cohort Study.

To evaluate outcomes associated with esophageal perforation (EP) management at a national level and determine predictive factors of 90-day mortality (90dM), failure-to-rescue (FTR), and major morbidity (MM, Clavien-Dindo 3-4). EP remains a challenging clinical emergency. Previous population-based studies showed rates of 90dM up to 38.8% but were outdated or small-sized. Data from patients admitted to hospitals with EP were extracted from the French medico-administrative database (2012-2021). Etiology, management strategies, and short and long-term outcomes were analyzed. A cutoff value of the annual EP management caseload affecting FTR was determined using the "Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector" method. Random effects logistic regression model was performed to assess independent predictors of 90dM, FTR, and MM. Among 4765 patients with EP, 90dM and FTR rates were 28.0% and 19.4%, respectively. Both remained stable during the study period. EP was spontaneous in 68.2%, due to esophageal cancer in 19.7%, iatrogenic postendoscopy in 7.3%, and due to foreign body ingestion in 4.7%. Primary management consisted of surgery (n = 1447,30.4%), endoscopy (n = 590,12.4%), isolated drainage (n = 336,7.0%), and conservative management (n = 2392,50.2%). After multivariate analysis, besides age and comorbidity, esophageal cancer was predictive of both 90dM and FTR. An annual threshold of ≥8 EP managed annually was associated with a reduced 90dM and FTR rate. In France, only some university hospitals fulfilled this condition. Furthermore, primary surgery was associated with a lower 90dDM and FTR rate despite an increase in MM. We provide evidence for the referral of EP to high-volume centers with multidisciplinary expertise. Surgery remains an effective treatment for EP.

The Emerging Role of "Failure to Rescue" as the Primary Quality Metric for Cardiovascular Surgery and Critical Care.

We conducted a thorough literature review on the emerging role of failure to rescue (FTR) as a quality metric for cardiovascular surgery and critical care. For this purpose, we identified all original research studies assessing the implementation of FTR in cardiovascular surgery and critical care from 1992 to 2023. All included studies were evaluated for their quality. Although all studies defined FTR as mortality after a surgical complication, a high heterogeneity has been reported among studies regarding the included complications. There are certain factors that affect the FTR, divided into hospital- and patient-related factors. The identification of these factors allowed us to build a stepwise roadmap to reduce the FTR rate. Recently, FTR has further evolved as a metric to assess morbidity instead of mortality, while being also evaluated in the context of interventional cardiology. All these advances are further discussed in the current review, thus providing all the necessary information to surgeons, anesthesiologists, and physicians willing to implement FTR as a metric of quality in their establishment.

Validation of the orthopedic frailty score for measuring frailty in hip fracture patients: a cohort study based on the United States National inpatient sample

BackgroundThe Orthopedic Frailty Score (OFS) has been proposed as a tool for measuring frailty in order to predict short-term postoperative mortality in hip fracture patients. This study aims to validate the OFS using a large national patient register to determine its relationship with adverse outcomes as well as length of stay and cost of hospital stay.MethodsAll adult patients (18 years or older) registered in the 2019 National Inpatient Sample Database who underwent emergency hip fracture surgery following a traumatic fall were eligible for inclusion. The association between the OFS and mortality, complications, and failure-to-rescue (FTR) was determined using Poisson regression models adjusted for potential confounders. The relationship between the OFS and length of stay and cost of hospital stay was instead determined using a quantile regression model.ResultsAn estimated 227,850 cases met the study inclusion criteria. There was a stepwise increase in the rate of complications, mortality, and FTR for each additional point on the OFS. After adjusting for potential confounding, OFS 4 was associated with an almost ten-fold increase in the risk of in-hospital mortality [adjusted IRR (95% CI): 10.6 (4.02–27.7), p < 0.001], a 38% increased risk of complications [adjusted IRR (95% CI): 1.38 (1.03–1.85), p = 0.032], and an almost 11-fold increase in the risk of FTR [adjusted IRR (95% CI): 11.6 (4.36–30.9), p < 0.001], compared to OFS 0. Patients with OFS 4 also required a day and a half additional care [change in median length of stay (95% CI): 1.52 (0.97–2.08), p < 0.001] as well as cost approximately $5,200 more to manage [change in median cost of stay (95% CI): 5166 (1921–8411), p = 0.002], compared to those with OFS 0.ConclusionPatients with an elevated OFS display a substantially increased risk of mortality, complications, and failure-to-rescue as well as a prolonged and more costly hospital stay.

Center case volume is associated with Society of Thoracic Surgeons–defined failure to rescue in cardiac surgery

ObjectiveOur understanding of the impact of a center's case volume on failure to rescue (FTR) after cardiac surgery is incomplete. We hypothesized that increasing center case volume would be associated with lower FTR. MethodsPatients undergoing a Society of Thoracic Surgeons index operation in a regional collaborative (2011-2021) were included. After we excluded patients with missing Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality scores, patients were stratified by mean annual center case volume. The lowest quartile of case volume was compared with all other patients. Logistic regression analyzed the association between center case volume and FTR, adjusting for patient demographics, race, insurance, comorbidities, procedure type, and year. ResultsA total of 43,641 patients were included across 17 centers during the study period. Of these, 5315 (12.2%) developed an FTR complication, and 735 (13.8% of those who developed an FTR complication) experienced FTR. Median annual case volume was 226, with 25th and 75th percentile cutoffs of 136 and 284 cases, respectively. Increasing center-level case volume was associated with significantly greater center-level major complication rates but lower mortality and FTR rates (all P values < .01). Observed-to-expected FTR was significantly associated with case volume (P = .040). Increasing case volume was independently associated with decreasing FTR rate in the final multivariable model (odds ratio, 0.87 per quartile; confidence interval, 0.799-0.946, P = .001). ConclusionsIncreasing center case volume is significantly associated with improved FTR rates. Assessment of low-volume centers' FTR performance represents an opportunity for quality improvement.

Center-Level Variation in Failure to Rescue After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

BackgroundAlthough failure to rescue (FTR) is increasingly recognized as a quality metric, studies in congenital cardiac surgery remain sparse. Within a national cohort of children undergoing cardiac operations, we characterized the presence of center-level variation in FTR and hypothesized a strong association with mortality but not complications. MethodsAll children undergoing congenital cardiac operations were identified in the 2013 to 2019 Nationwide Readmissions Database. FTR was defined as in-hospital death after cardiac arrest, ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation, prolonged mechanical ventilation, pneumonia, stroke, venous thromboembolism, or sepsis, among other complications. Hierarchical models were used to generate hospital-specific, risk-adjusted rates of mortality, complications, and FTR. Centers in the highest decile of FTR were identified and compared with others. ResultsOf an estimated 74,070 patients, 1.9% died before discharge, at least 1 perioperative complication developed in 43.0%, and 4.1% experienced FTR. After multilevel modeling, decreasing age, nonelective admission, and increasing operative complexity were associated with greater odds of FTR. Variations in overall mortality and FTR exhibited a strong, positive relationship (r = 0.97), whereas mortality and complications had a negligible association (r = −0.02). Compared with others, patients at centers with high rates of FTR had similar distributions of age, sex, chronic conditions, and operative complexity. ConclusionsIn the present study, center-level variations in mortality were more strongly explained by differences in FTR than complications. Our findings suggest the utility of FTR as a quality metric for congenital heart surgery, although further study is needed to develop a widely accepted definition and appropriate risk-adjustment models.

Volume-outcome relationship in complication-related mortality after percutaneous coronary interventions: an analysis on the failure-to-rescue rate in the Japanese Nationwide Registry.

In-hospital mortality following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) varies across institutions with different annual PCI volumes. The failure to rescue (FTR) rate, defined as the mortality rate following PCI-related complications, may account for the volume-outcome relationship. The Japanese Nationwide PCI Registry, a consecutive, nationally mandated registry between 2019 and 2020, was queried. The FTR rate is defined as 'the number of patients who died following PCI-related complications' divided by 'the number of patients who experienced at least one PCI-related complication.' Multivariate analysis was used to calculate the risk-adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of the FTR rates among hospitals stratified into tertiles as low (≤ 236/year), medium (237-405/year), and high (≥ 406/year). A total of 465,716 PCIs and 1007 institutions were included. A volume-outcome relationship was observed for in-hospital mortality, and the medium-volume (aOR 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.85-0.96), as well as high-volume (aOR 0.84, 95% CI 0.79-0.89) hospitals, had significantly lower in-hospital mortality than low-volume hospitals. Complication rates were lower at high-volume centers (1.9%, 2.2%, and 2.6% for high-, medium-, and low-volume centers, respectively; p < 0.001). The overall FTR rate was 19.0%. The FTR rates for the low-, medium-, and high-volume hospitals were 19.3%, 17.7%, and 20.6%, respectively. The medium-volume hospitals had a lower FTR rate (aOR 0.82, 95% [CI] 0.68-0.99), whereas the FTR rate was similar at the high-volume hospitals compared with that of the low-volume hospitals (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 0.83-1.26). In-hospital mortality was low after PCI in high-volume hospitals. However, the FTR rate in high-volume hospitals was not necessarily lower than that in low-volume hospitals. The FTR rate did not account for the volume-outcome relationship in PCI.