Low Surgical Volume Research Articles

Potential factors in postoperative dislocation of Oxford phase III mobile bearing UKA in Chinese patients: a single-center retrospective study

BackgroundBearing dislocation is the main complication after mobile bearing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to analyze the potential risk factors of bearing dislocation after Oxford phase III mobile bearing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty in Chinese patients.MethodsWe retrospectively investigated 492 patients (578 knees) who underwent Oxford phase III mobile bearing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty in our institution between February 2009 and June 2019. The patients were divided into two groups based on surgeons’ annual surgical volume. Those with/ without bearing dislocation were compared based on patient, surgeon and implant factors.ResultsAmong the 492 patients, 21 (4.3%, 4 men and 17 women) experienced bearing dislocation. Of these, 14 (4.0%) were in the high surgical volume group and 7 (5.1%) were in the low surgical volume group. Multivariate analysis revealed that trauma to the operated leg and daily life involving high knee flexion cumulatively predicted bearing dislocation (p < 0.05).ConclusionsTrauma to the operated leg and daily life involving high knee flexion were risk factors for bearing dislocation after Oxford phase III mobile bearing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.

Analysis of Surgical Volume in Military Medical Treatment Facilities and Clinical Combat Readiness of US Military Surgeons

Low surgical volume in the US Military Health System (MHS) has been identified as a challenge to military surgeon readiness. The Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, in partnership with the American College of Surgeons, developed the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) Clinical Readiness Program that includes a tool for quantifying the clinical readiness value of surgeon workload, known as the KSA metric. To describe changes in US military general surgeon procedural volume and readiness using the KSA metric. This cohort study analyzed general surgery workload performed across the MHS, including military and civilian facilities, between fiscal year 2015 and 2019 and the calculated KSA metric value. The surgeon-level readiness among military general surgeons was calculated based on the KSA metric readiness threshold. Data were obtained from TRICARE, the US Department of Defense health insurance product. The main outcomes were general surgery procedural volumes and the KSA metric point value of those procedures across the MHS as well as the number of military general surgeons meeting the KSA metric readiness threshold. Aggregate facility and regional market-level claims data were used to calculate the procedural volumes and KSA metric readiness value of those procedures. Annual adjusted KSA metric points earned were used to determine the number of individual US military general surgeons meeting the readiness threshold. The number of general surgery procedures generating KSAs in military hospitals decreased 25.6%, from 128 377 in 2015 to 95 461 in 2019, with a 19.1% decrease in the number of general surgeon KSA points (from 7 155 563 to 5 790 001). From 2015 to 2019, there was a 3.2% increase in both the number of procedures (from 419 980 to 433 495) and KSA points (from 21 071 033 to 21 748 984) in civilian care settings. The proportion of military general surgeons meeting the KSA metric readiness threshold decreased from 16.7% (n = 97) in 2015 to 10.1% (n = 68) in 2019. This study noted that the number of KSA metric points and procedural volume in military hospitals has been decreasing since 2015, whereas both measures have increased in civilian facilities. The findings suggest that loss of surgical workload has resulted in further decreases in military surgeon readiness and may require substantial changes in patient care flow in the MHS to reverse the change.

Military deployment's impact on the surgeon's practice.

As the United States withdraws from overseas conflicts, general surgeons remain deployed in support of global operations. Surgeons and surgical teams are foundational to combat casualty care; however, currently, there are few casualty producing events. Low surgical volume and acuity can have detrimental effects on surgical readiness for those frequently deployed. The surgical team cycle of deployment involves predeployment training, drawdown of clinical practice, deployment, postdeployment reintegration, and rebuilding of a patient panel. This study aims to assess these effects on typical general surgeon practices. Quantifying the overall impact of deployment may help refine and implement measures to mitigate the effects on skill retention and patient care. Surgeon case logs of eligible surgeons deploying between January 1, 2017, and January 1, 2020, were included from participating military treatment facilities. Eligible surgeons were surgeons whose case logs were primarily at a single military treatment facility 26 weeks before and after deployment and whose deployment duration, location, and number of deployed cases were obtainable. Starting 26 weeks prior to deployment, analyzing in 1-week intervals toward deployment time, case count decreased by 4.8% (p < 0.0001). With each 1-week interval, postdeployment up to the 26-week mark, case count increased by 6% (p < 0.0001). Cases volumes most prominently drop 3 weeks prior to deployment and do not reach normal levels until approximately 7 weeks postdeployment. Case volumes were similar across service branches. There is a significant decrease in the number of cases performed before deployment and increase after return regardless of military branch. The perideployment surgical volume decline should be understood and mitigated appropriately; predeployment training, surgical skill retention, and measures to safely reintegrate surgeons back into their practice should be further developed and implemented. Economic/Decision, Level III.

Trends in Surgical Volume in the Military Health System-A Potential Threat to Mission Readiness.

The Military Health System (MHS) is tasked with a dual mission both to provide medical services for covered patients and to ensure that its active duty medical personnel maintain readiness for deployment. Knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) is a metric evaluating the transferrable skills incorporated into a given surgery or medical procedure that are most relevant for surgeons deployed to a theatre of war. Procedures carrying a high KSA value are those utilizing skills with high relevance for maintaining deployment readiness. Given ongoing concerns regarding surgical volumes at MTFs and the potential adverse impact on military surgeon mission readiness were high-value surgeries to be lost to the civilian sector, we evaluated trends in the setting of high-value surgeries for beneficiaries within the MHS. We retrospectively analyzed inpatient admissions data from MTFs and TRICARE claims data from civilian hospitals, 2005-2019, to identify TRICARE-covered patients covered under "purchased care" (referred to civilian facilities) or receiving "direct care" (undergoing treatment at MTFs) and undergoing seven high-value/high-KSA surgeries: colectomy, pancreatectomy, hepatectomy, open carotid endarterectomy, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair, esophagectomy, and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Overall and procedure-specific counts were captured, MTFs were categorized into quartiles by volume, and independence between trends was tested with a Cochran-Armitage test, hypothesizing that the proportion of cases referred for purchased care was increasing. We captured 292,411 cases, including 7,653 pancreatectomies, 4,177 hepatectomies, 3,815 esophagectomies, 112,684 colectomies, 92,161 CABGs, 26,893 AAA repairs, and 45,028 carotid endarterectomies. The majority of cases included were referred for purchased care (90.3%), with the proportion of cases referred increasing over the study period (P < .01). By procedure, all cases except AAA repairs were increasingly referred for treatment over the study period (all P < .01, except esophagectomy P = .04). On examining volume, we found that even the highest-volume-quartile MTFs performed a median of less than one esophagectomy, hepatectomy, or pancreatectomy per month. The only included procedure performed once a month or more at the majority of MTFs was CABG. On examining volume and referral trends for high-value surgeries within the MHS, we found low surgical volumes at the vast majority of included MTFs and an increasing proportion of cases referred to civilian hospitals over the last 15years. Our findings illustrate missed opportunities for maintaining the mission readiness of military surgical personnel. Prioritizing the recapture of lost surgical volume may improve the surgical teams' mission readiness.

Regional Specialty Surgical Practice Efficiencies Gained as a Result of COVID-19.

ObjectiveTo identify opportunities for discontinuing elective and nonemergency surgical cases in a regional surgical practice in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Patients and MethodsCOVID-19 began to affect surgical practices across the United States in March 2020. On March 17, 2020, all elective and nonemergency surgical care was deferred to prepare the Mayo Clinic Health System sites in northwestern Wisconsin for an anticipated surge in patients with COVID-19. When the decision was made to reactivate the surgical practice, several major structural and operational changes were made to the regional surgical practice to optimize efficiencies.ResultsThe structural and operational changes implemented during reactivation resulted in improved utilization of surgical resources including improvement in operating room (OR) block utilization, increased available OR time, and increased case volumes.ConclusionSurgical and procedural leaders should consider a limited-time deferral of elective surgical cases to implement widespread OR efficiency strategies. The time selected for deferral of surgical cases should target a period of historically low surgical volume to minimize disruption to patient care and impact on overall OR functions.

Identifying the Surgical Profiles of U.S. Acute Care Hospitals: A Latent Class Analysis

Surgical services are key strategic and operational activities that have important implications for a hospital’s performance. Little is known, however, about whether and how the types of surgical services offered by hospitals vary at an organizational level. The purpose of this study was to identify different surgical profiles based on the type and volume of surgical services provided by hospitals. The study was an observational pooled, cross-sectional study. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify different surgical profiles. Bivariate analyses were used to assess whether there were differences between the surgical profiles with respect to hospital and community characteristics. Our analysis revealed six surgical profiles among U.S hospitals: Specialist hospitals; No Focus hospitals; Cardiovascular Focus hospitals; Low Surgical Volume hospitals; High Surgical Volume hospitals; and Generalist hospitals. These profiles covaried systematically with organizational characteristics (ownership type, size, payer mix) and community characteristics including minority composition and level of education. These findings point to new ways of thinking about managing the portfolio of surgical services offered by hospitals.

Review of a Role 2 in Afghanistan: Understanding the Data on Medical and Surgical Volumes in a Deployed Setting.

The U.S. forward military surgical assets have deployed throughout the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of operations to maintain surgical support for injured service members in compliance with the "golden hour" as specified in the Gates Memorandum. The support of evacuation times of less than 60 minutes to a surgical capability has resulted in smaller surgical teams being deployed to an increased number of locations. Over the last 5 years, the combat trauma patient encounters have decreased. Although some Role2 medical treatment facilities (MTFs) maintain a medical mission, most of them are set up to provide trauma care. The largest and busiest Role2 MTF is located near Kabul and serves the NATO population. The aims of this review are to examine the epidemiological data of the largest Role2 MTF in theater, to examine damage control surgical capability optimization in a facility with a largely medical mission, and to analyze what this may mean in the context of surgical skill atrophy. As part of a performance improvement project, a retrospective review of prospectively collected data at the Hamid Karzai NATO Role2 MTF was conducted. Four years of clinical and epidemiological data were reviewed. Independent source verification of the records was conducted by validating records via comparison to the ancillary services' records. When available, data on other MTFs in Afghanistan were used for comparison. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze demographics, evacuations, surgeries, and admissions. Over the studied period, 0.7% of patients were seen for battle injuries. The average number of patients seen was 636 per month with 184 per month in 2016 and a steady increase to 805 per month in 2019. The operative volume was a mean of 2.8 surgeries per month with a median of 2 surgeries per month (orthopedic and general surgery combined). Other Role2 facilities were on average seeing even fewer operative patients, although there were some treating more operative patients. From available data, no other Role2 MTFs were treating close to as many total patients (all types combined). The two Role3 facilities evaluated saw significantly more operative patients at an average of 53 surgeries per month. The ratio of operative cases per surgeon is substantially higher at these Role3 facilities, when compared to Role2 facilities, although still significantly lower than would be expected at an U.S. Level 1 trauma center. This is consistent with other larger epidemiological studies on forward MTF workload. The vast majority of patient care is related to treatment of disease and preventative medicine. Only 0.7% of the large volume of patient visits evaluated were for battle injuries. There is a scarcity of both surgical and trauma patients, with a more pronounced reduction at Role2 compared to Role3 facilities. This is especially evident here with a facility that has such a large patient population but low trauma or surgical patient volume. Sustaining trauma and surgical skills for both surgeons and trauma teams with a paucity of trauma patients is a significant concern.

Association between hospital surgical volume and complications after total hip arthroplasty in femoral neck fracture: A propensity score-matched cohort study

BackgroundFor displaced femoral neck fractures (FNF), total hip arthroplasty (THA) or hemiarthroplasty (HA) is preferred rather than fracture fixation. THA for patients with FNF requires skilled operators since patient with FNF likely to have osteoporosis and a higher risk of complications. Several reports suggest that higher hospital surgical volume was associated with a lower risk of complications after THA for osteoarthritis. However, little is known concerning this association with THA for FNF. Herein, we investigated the association between THA and complication and the recovery of physical function after THA to optimize the quality of FNF. MethodsA nationwide retrospective cohort study of elderly undergoing THA between April 1, 2011, to March 31, 2018 was performed. The association between hospital surgical volume and complication after THA for FNF was visually described with the restricted cubic spline regression analysis. Then the risk of complications was quantified with propensity score matching analysis based on the cutoff point identified by the restricted cubic spline curve. Primary outcome was secondary revision surgery, and the secondary outcomes included surgical and systemic complications, and the recovery of physical function at hospital discharge. ResultsBy visualization of the spline curve, we identified 20 cases per year as cutoff point of low hospital surgical volume. Following 1,396 patients’ propensity score-match analysis (mean age 75.2 [SD] 8.8, female 80.4%), the risk of secondary revision surgery was significantly higher among the low hospital surgical volume group (absolute risk difference (RD), 2.44%; p = 0.011). Also, the incidence of blood transfusion was higher in the low hospital surgical volume group (RD, 4.01%; p = 0.049). However, there was no significant difference in the recovery of the transferring and walking ability at discharge between high and low hospital surgical volume groups (63.5% vs 62.6%, 58.5% vs 57.5%; p = 0.74, 0.71, respectively). ConclusionOur research demonstrated that an increase in hospital surgical volume significantly reduced the incidence of secondary revision surgery after a certain inflection point, but not significantly improved short-term physical functions.

Association between surgical volumes and real-world healthcare cost when using a mesh capturing device for pelvic organ prolapse: A 5-years comparison between single- versus multicenter use

Introduction and hypothesisThe aim of this study was to evaluate whether high surgical volume at a single center was associated with lower healthcare costs compared to lower surgical volume in a multicenter setting.MethodsAll patients had symptomatic and anatomical apical prolapse (POP-Q ≥ stage II) with or without cystocele and were operated on by a standard surgical procedure using the Uphold mesh. Data on time of resource use in terms of surgery time, hospital stay and re-interventions across 5 years were compared between the single center (97 patients) and multicenter (173 patients, at 24 clinics). Unit costs for surgical time, inpatient and outpatient visits were extracted from the single-center hospital’s operation analysis program and prime production cost. Total costs were estimated for primary surgery and during 5-year follow-up.ResultsCosts for primary surgery were comparable between the single and the multicenter ($13,561 ± 2688 and $13,867 ± 1177, P = 0.29). Follow-up costs 5 years after primary surgery were 2.8 times higher at the multicenter than single center ($3262 vs. $1149, P < 0.001). Mean cost per patient over 5 years was significantly lower at the single than multicenter [$14,710 (CI: 14,168–15,252) vs. $17,128 (CI: 16,952–17,305), P < 0.001)].ConclusionsUsing a mesh kit for apical pelvic organ prolapse in a high surgical volume center was associated with reduced healthcare costs compared with a lower volume multiple-site setting. The cost reduction at the high surgical volume center increased over time because of lower surgical and medical re-intervention rates for postoperative complications and recurrence.

Otolaryngology Resident Wellness, Training, and Education in the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To determine changes in the residency experience early in the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate wellness measures among otolaryngology residents. A web-based survey was administered to U.S. otolaryngology residents. Responses to the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale were recorded along with data on burnout, demographics, wellness, sleep, training, and education. 119 U.S. otolaryngology residents representing 27 of 42 states with otolaryngology residency programs responded to the survey. 24.4% (95% CI 17.0-31.8%) self-reported some level of burnout, while 10.9% met SMBM criteria for "clinically relevant" burnout. 51.3% experienced more stress, and 58.8% reported more anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to males, females had a higher prevalence of burnout (38.9% vs 12.3%, P = .001) and anxiety (75.9% vs 43.8%, P < .001). PGY-2s had a greater mean SMBM index (3.64) and higher rates of self-reported burnout (54.2%) than their counterparts at other levels of training. Residents reported less time spent in the hospital, lower surgical volume, and less procedural independence. Educational didactics, primarily via videoconference, were more frequent for 63.9% of respondents. While burnout among otolaryngology residents was low early in the COVID-19 pandemic, likely due to separation from the workplace environment, trainees had higher levels of anxiety and stress. The surgical experience was negatively impacted by the pandemic, but remote didactics and educational opportunities increased. These findings may inform otolaryngology residency programs on the need to promote resident wellness and aid in devising strategies to improve the educational experience during this unique global health crisis as well as in the long term.

Preoperative Medical Testing and Falls in Medicare Beneficiaries Awaiting Cataract Surgery

Delaying cataract surgery is associated with an increased risk of falls, but whether routine preoperative testing delays cataract surgery long enough to cause clinical harm is unknown. We sought to determine whether the use of routine preoperative testing leads to harm in the form of delayed surgery and falls in Medicare beneficiaries awaiting cataract surgery. Retrospective, observational cohort study using 2006-2014 Medicare claims. Medicare beneficiaries 66+ years of age with a Current Procedural Terminology claim for ocular biometry. We measured the mean and median number of days between biometry and cataract surgery, calculated the proportion of patients waiting ≥ 30 days or ≥ 90 days for surgery, and determined the odds of sustaining a fall within 90 days of biometry among patients of high-testing physicians (testing performed in ≥ 75% of their patients) compared with patients of low-testing physicians. We also estimated the number of days of delay attributable to high-testing physicians. Incidence of falls occurring between biometry and surgery, odds of falling within 90 days of biometry, and estimated delay associated with physician testing behavior. Of 248 345 beneficiaries, 16.4% were patients of high-testing physicians. More patients of high-testing physicians waited ≥ 30 days and ≥ 90 days to undergo surgery (31.4% and 8.2% vs. 25.0% and 5.5%, respectively; P < 0.0001 for both). Falls before surgery in patients of high-testing physicians increased by 43% within the 90 days after ocular biometry (1.0% vs. 0.7%; P < 0.0001). The adjusted odds ratio of falling within 90 days of biometry in patients of high-testing physicians versus low-testing physicians was 1.10 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.19; P= 0.008). After adjusting for surgical wait time, the odds ratio decreased to 1.07 (95% CI, 1.00-1.15; P= 0.06). The delay associated with having a high-testing physician was approximately 8 days (estimate, 7.97 days; 95% CI, 6.40-9.55 days; P < 0.0001). Other factors associated with delayed surgery included patient race (non-White), Northeast region, ophthalmologist ≤ 40 years of age, and low surgical volume. Overuse of routine preoperative medical testing by high-testing physicians is associated with delayed surgery and increased falls in cataract patients awaiting surgery.

The Emperor Has No Clothes: Low Cardiothoracic Surgical Volume in the Military

The Emperor Has No Clothes: Low Cardiothoracic Surgical Volume in the Military

Effect of full-time vs volunteer faculty supervision on resident cataract surgery complications.

To examine the effect of teaching experience of supervising surgeons on resident cataract surgery intraoperative complication rates. Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, USA. Retrospective chart review. Cataract surgeries performed by University of California San Francisco (UCSF) ophthalmology residents from 2010 to 2017 were reviewed. Only cases supervised by anterior segment attendings with more than 10 years of postresidency surgical experience were included. Cases were categorized as being supervised by either full-time UCSF teaching attendings or volunteer private practice attendings. Cases were graded as low risk (0 risk factors), intermediate risk (1 risk factor), or high risk (≥2 risk factors) based on 8 preoperative and intraoperative risk factors. Complication rates were compared between the 2 attending groups among varying risk grades. Of 1377 cases, 101 developed complications. Among low-risk cases, full-time teaching attendings (25/619 [4.04%]) had a similar complication rate to volunteer attendings (17/387 [4.39%]) (odds ratio [OR] 0.92; P = .79). In intermediate-risk cases, full-time teaching attendings (28/195 [14.36%]) had slightly worse complication rates than volunteer attendings (10/88 [11.36%]) (OR 1.63; P = .45). High-risk cases had the highest complication rates, with the complication rates of full-time teaching attendings (16/72 [22.22%]) somewhat lower than those of volunteer attendings (5/16 [31.25%]) (OR 0.64; P = .48). For low-risk resident-performed cataract surgeries, supervision by full-time faculty and volunteer attendings yielded similar complication rates; thus, residency programs might safely recruit volunteer attendings to supervise low-risk cataract surgeries to support resident training. The analysis of higher-risk cases was limited by a low surgical volume.

58: Vaginal hysterectomy 101: A step-by-step guide for learners emphasizing surgical anatomy

The purpose of this video is to provide learners with a step-by-step resource that reviews important surgical anatomy of the vaginal hysterectomy using a combination of diagrams and surgical video. Vaginal hysterectomy is cited to be the safest and most cost-effective route of hysterectomy. Despite these findings, the proportion of hysterectomies completed vaginally is decreasing. The Society of Gynecologic Surgeons’ Education Committee identifies critical factors that are associated with underuse of vaginal hysterectomy. These factors include inadequate surgical training due to a diminished number of cases completed by residents, as well as difficulty maintaining surgical skills due to low surgical volumes. This video aims to assist learners of vaginal hysterectomy by reviewing the key steps of a vaginal hysterectomy. Visual aids in the form of surgical video and diagrams help illustrate important anatomy and teaching points. In particular, there will be a focus on safe intraperitoneal entry during anterior and posterior colpotomy. The structures highlighted include the cervicovaginal epithelium, supravaginal septum, vesicocervical space, vesicouterine peritoneal fold, rectouterine peritoneal fold, uterosacral ligament, cardinal ligament, ureter, uterine artery, ovarian ligament, round ligament, and Fallopian tube. This video does not demonstrate bilateral salpingectomy or closure of the vaginal cuff. Vaginal hysterectomy is a key surgical skill to be mastered during residency training. This video is meant to be a resource for learners to help elucidate important steps of the vaginal hysterectomy.

Lower operating volume in shoulder arthroplasty is associated with increased revision rates in the early postoperative period: long-term analysis from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry

Improved short-term outcomes have been demonstrated with higher surgical volume in shoulder arthroplasty. There is however, little data regarding long-term outcomes. Revision data from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry from 2004-2017 was analyzed according to 3 selected surgeon volume thresholds: <10, 10-20, and >20 shoulder arthroplasty cases per surgeon, per year. There was a significantly higher rate of revision for stemmed total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) for osteoarthritis (OA) for the <10/yr compared with the >20/yr group for the first 1.5 years only (hazard ratio [HR] 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.71, P = .009). For reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) performed for OA, there was a higher revision rate for the <10/yr compared with the >20/yr group for the first 3 months only (HR 2.58, 95% CI 1.67-3.97, P < .001). In rTSA for cuff arthropathy, there was a significantly higher rate of revision for the <10/yr compared with the >20/yr group throughout the follow-up period (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.21-2.28, P = .001). There was no significant difference for the primary diagnosis of fracture. Lower surgical volume was associated with higher all-cause revision rates in the early postoperative period in TSA and rTSA for OA and throughout the follow-up period in rTSA for cuff arthropathy. Despite increases in the volume of shoulder arthroplasties performed in recent years, more than 78% of surgeons undertake fewer than 10 procedures per year.

The Limited Utility of Ranking Hospitals Based on Their Colon Surgery Infection Rates.

BackgroundThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) use colon surgical site infection (SSI) rates to rank hospitals and apply financial penalties. The CMS’ risk-adjustment model omits potentially impactful variables that might disadvantage hospitals with complex surgical populations.MethodsWe analyzed adult patients who underwent colon surgery within facilities associated with HCA Healthcare from 2014 to 2016. SSIs were identified from National Health Safety Network (NHSN) reporting. We trained and validated 3 SSI prediction models, using (1) current CMS model variables, including hospital-specific random effects (HCA-adapted CMS model); (2) demographics and claims-based comorbidities (expanded-claims model); and (3) demographics, claims-based comorbidities, and NHSN variables (claims-plus–electronic health record [EHR] model). Discrimination, calibration, and resulting rankings were compared among all models and the current CMS model with published coefficient values.ResultsWe identified 39 468 colon surgeries in 149 hospitals, resulting in 1216 (3.1%) SSIs. Compared to the HCA-adapted CMS model, the expanded-claims model had similar performance (c-statistic, 0.65 vs 0.67, respectively), while the claims-plus-EHR model was more accurate (c-statistic, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, .67–.73; P = .004). The sampling variation, due to the low surgical volume and small number of infections, contributed 74% of the total variation in observed SSI rates between hospitals. When CMS model rankings were compared to those from the expanded-claims and claims-plus-EHR models, 18 (15%) and 26 (22%) hospitals changed quartiles, respectively, and 10 (8.3%) and 12 (10%) hospitals changed into or out of the lowest-performing quartile, respectively.ConclusionsAn expanded set of variables improved colon SSI risk predictions and quartile assignments, but low procedure volumes and SSI events remain a barrier to effectively comparing hospitals.

Complications and reoperation after pelvic organ prolapse, impact of hysterectomy, surgical approach and surgeon experience.

The surgical treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is associated with specific complications. Our primary objective was to assess the recurrence requiring reoperation after prolapse surgery, and our secondary objectives were to assess the early complications and secondary surgery for urinary incontinence. Retrospective study of a population-based cohort of all hospital or outpatient stays including POP surgery from 2008 to 2014, using the French nationwide discharge summary database. We calculated the rates of hospital readmission following surgery as well as the rates of reoperation for recurrent prolapse and subsequent procedures performed for urinary incontinence. A total of 310,938 patients had undergone surgery for POP. Two hundred fourteen (0.07%) patients died, and 0.45% were admitted to an intensive care unit; 4.4% of the patients underwent surgery for the recurrence of prolapse. Concomitant hysterectomy in the first surgery was associated with a significantly lower risk of POP surgery recurrence: (hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 0.51 [0.49; 0.53]). A total of 1386 (2.5%) patients were readmitted to the hospital for early (30-day) complications of prolapse surgery. The most frequent reasons for early readmission were local infection (32.8%), hemorrhage (21.4%) and pain (17.2%). Risk factors for complications were obesity, hospitals with low levels of activity and associated incontinence surgery; 4.6% of the patients required secondary surgery for urinary incontinence; obesity was a risk factor (HR [95% CI] = 1.12 [1.01; 1.24]), and the vaginal route was a protective factor (odds ratio = 1.86 for laparoscopy, 1.44 for laparotomy and 1.25 for multiple approaches). POP surgery is associated with low rates of complication and recurrence. Complications occurred most commonly following combined surgeries for both prolapse and incontinence and in hospitals with low surgical volumes. Concomitant hysterectomy appears to be protective for the need for additional prolapse surgery, and the vaginal route leads to a lower frequency of secondary surgery for urinary incontinence.

The Impact of Surgeon Volume and Training Status on Implant Alignment in Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Implant malalignment may predispose patients to prosthetic failure following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A more thorough understanding of the surgeon-specific factors that contribute to implant malalignment following TKA may uncover actionable strategies for improving implant survival. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of surgeon volume and training status on malalignment. In this retrospective multicenter study, we performed a radiographic analysis of 1,570 primary TKAs performed at 4 private academic and state-funded centers in the U.S. and U.K. Surgeons were categorized as high-volume (≥50 TKAs/year) or low-volume (<50 TKAs/year), and as a trainee (fellow/resident under the supervision of an attending surgeon) or a non-trainee (attending surgeon). On the basis of these designations, 3 groups were defined: high-volume non-trainee, low-volume non-trainee, and trainee. The postoperative medial distal femoral angle (DFA), medial proximal tibial angle (PTA), and posterior tibial slope angle (PSA) were radiographically measured. Outlier measurements were defined as follows: DFA, outside of 5° ± 3° of valgus; PTA, >±3° deviation from the neutral axis; and PSA, <0° or >7° of flexion for cruciate-retaining or <0° or >5° of flexion for posterior-stabilized TKAs. "Far outliers" were defined as measurements falling >± 2° outside of these ranges. The proportions of outliers were compared between the groups using univariate and multivariate analyses. When comparing the high and low-volume non-trainee groups using univariate analysis, the proportions of knees with outlier measurements for the PTA (5.3% versus 17.4%) and PSA (17.4% versus 28.3%) and the proportion of total outliers (11.8% versus 20.7%) were significantly lower in the high-volume group (all p < 0.001). The proportions of DFA (1.9% versus 6.5%), PTA (1.8% versus 5.7%), PSA (5.5% versus 12.6%), and total far outliers (3.1% versus 8.3%) were also significantly lower in the high-volume non-trainee group (all p < 0.001). Compared with the trainee group, the high-volume non-trainee group had significantly lower proportions of DFA (12.6% versus 21.6%), PTA (5.3% versus 12.0%), PSA (17.4% versus 33.3%), and total outliers (11.8% versus 22.3%) (all p < 0.001) as well as DFA (1.9% versus 3.9%; p = 0.027), PSA (5.5% versus 12.6%; p < 0.001), and total far outliers (3.1% versus 6.4%; p = 0.004). No significant differences were identified when comparing the low-volume non-trainee group and the trainee group, with the exception of PTA outliers (17.4% versus 12.0%; p = 0.041) and PTA far outliers (5.7% versus 2.6%; p = 0.033). Findings from multivariate analysis accounting for the effects of patient age, body mass index, and individual surgeon demonstrated similar results. Low surgical volume and trainee status were risk factors for outlier and far-outlier malalignment in primary TKA, even when accounting for differences in individual surgeon and patient characteristics. Trainee surgeons performed similarly, and certainly not inferiorly, to low-volume non-trainee surgeons. Even among high-volume non-trainees, the best-performing cohort in our study, the proportion of TKA alignment outliers was still high. Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Simulator Availability in Meeting the Requirements of United States Army Ophthalmology Individual Critical Task Lists.

IntroductionIndividual Critical Task Lists (ICTLs) are a list of requirements set forth by the United States Army which each soldier must fulfill to maintain competency in a specialty. By providing senior leadership objective criteria with which to evaluate the competency of each service member, ICTLs support commanders in ensuring that soldiers are mission ready and deployable. Board-certified ophthalmologists can meet ICTL requirements by demonstrating skills on an actual patient, a simulator, and/or cadaveric or live tissue. We sought to determine the availability of simulators that can be used to meet Army ophthalmology ICTL requirements.MethodsWe reviewed the current Army ICTLs for ophthalmologists. We performed an online search, as well as an extensive review of Pubmed, AccessMedicine, Academic Search Elite, Thieme, and ScienceDirect, to identify available simulators for each ICTL. We did not use any date or language restrictions in the electronic search for trials. We last searched the electronic databases on April 27, 2019.ResultsArmy Ophthalmologists are required to maintain current status in 19 areas based on ICTLs established by the Critical Task Site and Selection Board. Eight of these requirements are not amenable to a simulation of any kind. Of the 11 remaining ICTLs, approximately 82% can be satisfied with a simulator alone based on current simulator availability. The remaining 18% of applicable ICTLs can be satisfied using cadaveric or live tissue training.ConclusionsArmy ophthalmologists can keep current with their ICTLs, and thus maintain mission readiness, by using either simulators or cadaveric or live tissues. This is particularly important for ophthalmologists who are either located in remote or austere locations without resources or areas with low surgical volumes. Several tasks are applicable to other medical specialties which can benefit from the same simulators.

Hospital Charges for Urologic Surgery Episodes of Care Are Rising Despite Declining Costs

ObjectiveTo investigate the temporal relationship of hospital charges relative to recorded costs for surgical episodes of care. Patients and MethodsThis retrospective cohort study selected individuals who underwent any of 8 index urologic surgical procedures at 392 unique institutions from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2015. For each surgical encounter, cost and charge data reported by hospitals were extracted and adjusted to 2016 US dollars. Trend analysis and multivariable logistic regression modeling were used to assess outcomes. The primary outcome was trend in median charge and cost. Secondary outcomes consisted of hospital characteristics associated with membership in the highest quartile of institutional charge-to-cost ratio. ResultsCohort-level median cost per encounter trended down from $6824 in 2005 to $5586 in 2015 (P for trend<.001), and charges increased from $20,210 to $25,773 during the same period (P for trend<.001). Hospitals in the highest quartile of institutional charge-to-cost ratio were more likely to be safety net, nonteaching, urban, lower surgical volume, smaller, and located outside the Midwest (P<.001 for each characteristic). ConclusionThe pricing trends shown herein could indicate some success in cost-containment for surgical episodes of care, although higher hospital charges may be increasingly used to bolster reimbursement from third-party payers and to compensate for escalating costs in other areas.