Major Surgery Patients Research Articles

Predictors of Intraoperative Pressure Injury in Patients Undergoing Major Hepatobiliary Surgery.

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors associated with pressure injury (PI) development in patients undergoing major hepatobiliary surgery requiring general anesthesia. Retrospective medical review and analysis. Medical records from 803 patients undergoing hepatobiliary surgery from October 2015 to October 2016 were reviewed. The study setting was a 3400-bed military academic medical center in the northeast region of China. Demographic variables, comorbid conditions, preoperative Braden Scale for Pressure Sore Risk scores, preoperative serum hemoglobin and albumin levels, type of surgery, positioning, surgical time, hypotensive episodes, blood loss, body temperature, and other potential risk factors for PI development were collected. Pressure injury occurrences during a 48-hour period after surgery were recorded along with stage. Data were analyzed using univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analysis to build a predictive model for factors associated with PI occurrences. The prevalence of PIs in major hepatobiliary surgery patients was 19.8%, 4.9%, and 4.1% in the immediate postoperative period, on the first day and the second day after surgery, respectively. Pancreaticoduodenectomy surgery (odds ratio [OR]: 3.957, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.145-7.302, P < .001), open surgery (OR: 2.917, 95% CI: 1.558-5.463, P = .001), surgical time (cutoff point at 197 minutes for increased risk of PI, OR: 1.004, 95% CI: 1.002-1.006, P = .001), and intraoperative hypotensive episodes (OR: 1.022, 95% CI: 1.005-1.039, P = .010) were associated with an increased likelihood of PI development. Among patients undergoing major hepatobiliary surgery such as pancreaticoduodenectomy, prolonged surgical time, open surgery, and intraoperative hypotension were found to be associated with an increased likelihood of developing a PI. Maintaining hemodynamic stability and taking more effective measures for skin care during these procedures may reduce the risk of PI in this vulnerable population.

Efficacy of enteral nutritional support after hospital discharge in major gastrointestinal surgery patients: a systematic review

Nutritional support for malnourished patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery reduces the complication rate and shortens the length of stay. The efficacy of nutritional support after hospital discharge was analyzed in this systematic review. The search strategy (nutrition OR "enteral nutrition" OR "nutritional supplements" OR "oral nutritional supplements" OR "sip feed" OR "sip feeding" OR "dietary counseling") AND ("patient discharge" OR discharge OR postdischarge) AND (surgery OR operation OR "surgical procedure") was followed in Medline, CENTRAL, and Trip databases. Inclusion criteria comprised: type of study (randomized controlled trial), language (English, Spanish), and subjects (patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery). The risk of bias was assessed by using the Cochrane methodology. Five studies which were published in six different articles and recruited 446 patients were included. A high risk of bias was detected for most of them. Nutritional support improved energy intake and protein intake when high-protein oral supplements were provided. The intervention was associated with better weight prognosis, but the data about body composition were inconsistent. In most of the trials, nutritional intervention did not enhance functional capacity or quality of life. None of the studies analyzed the effects on complications after discharge. Nutritional support provided at discharge may increase dietary intake and improve body weight, but the low quality of studies can weaken the validity of results.

Effects Of Mouth Dissolving Mosapride Tablets (Mdmts) On Gut Recovery After Major Abdominal Gynecological Surgery (Mags)

Aim. To access whether receiving mouth dissolving mosaperide tablets (MDMTs) in immediate postoperative period in addition to routine care accelerates the recovery of upper and lower gastrointestinal function after major abdominal gynecological surgery (MAGS).Patients & Methods: A randomized controlled study was conducted from December 2014 to December 2015. Patients scheduled to undergo abdominal hysterectomy were assigned to receive MDMTs beside routine care immediately postoperatively or routine care alone after surgery. patient's postoperative charts were reviewed to establish incidence of postoperative nausea, vomiting, use of analgesics, use of antiemetics, cases developing postoperative ileus (P01) (nausea, vomiting, distention, absence of bowel sounds) and its degree mild (resolved spontaneously on basic support), moderate (required nasogastric tube insertion beside basic support), severe (POI that resist management lines including antiemetic and persist for > 2 days), time to discharge and time from end of surgery to first postoperative hearing intestinal sounds, toleration of fluids intake, toleration to solid foods intake, passage of flatus, as well as first defecation.Results: A total of 120 patients were randomly assigned to receive MDMTs (n=60, 2 were excluded, 58 were available for intension to treat analysis) or routine postoperative care alone (n =60, 4 were excluded, 56 were available for intension to treat analysis). The mean time to first hunger, toleration of liquids and solids, bowel movement, flatus as well as first defecation were significantly shorter in participants whom assigned to receive MDMTs (P = 0002, P = 0.027, P < 0.0001, P = 0.0001, P < 0.000, P = 0.0006 respectively). Participants assigned to receiving MDMTs than routine care experienced significant postoperative nausea (P = 0.004) vomiting (P = 0.005) and mild and moderate POI (P = 0.008, P = 0.02 respectively). MDMTs intake was well tolerated and well accepted by patients and no intervention — related side effects were observed.Conclusion: Receiving MDMTs after MAGS accelerates the time of gut recovery, shortened the length of hospital stay as well as reduce the incidence of POI. This simple, inexpensive and well tolerated treatment could be added to routine postoperative care of major gynecological abdominal surgery patients.

Abstract 520: Acoustic Tweezing Thromboelastometry

Background: Critical care patients such as trauma and major surgery patients often develop coagulopathy due to depletion of both pro- and anti-coagulants. They are at high risk of both bleeding and thrombotic complications and require monitoring of their coagulation status. The contact of a blood sample with artificial surfaces and its exposure to clot activators, which happen in all commercially available coagulation analyzers, may lead to improper assessment of blood coagulation and thus errors in predicting bleeding/thrombosis risks. Objective: Real-time assessment of whole blood or blood plasma coagulation by novel non-contact acoustic tweezing technology. Method: 4-5 microliter drops of whole blood collected from healthy volunteers or commercial control plasma were levitated in air by acoustic radiation forces. Their coagulation kinetics including reaction time, fibrin network formation time (FNFT), clot formation time and maximum clot strength was assessed from mechanical (drop shape) and photo-optical (light intensity) data. FNFT was determined as a difference between mechanical and photo-optical reaction times. Results: Whole blood samples were exposed to pro- or anti-coagulants during levitation in the acoustic tweezing device. Changes in the coagulation status between different experimental groups were detected within 10 minutes. Similarly, less than 7 minutes was required to detect significant changes in reaction time, clot formation time and maximum clot strength between low, normal, and high fibrinogen level control plasma samples. FNFT was shown to be significantly reduced in plasma samples with a higher level of Factor XIII. Conclusions: The acoustic tweezing technology integrates photo-optical tests used in plasma coagulation assays with viscoelastic tests used in whole blood analysis. Its key disruptive features are the increased reliability and accuracy due to non-contact measurement, small sample volume requirement, relatively short procedure time (&lt;10 minutes), and the ability to assess the level of Factor XIII function from FNFT measurements. Our technology addresses a current lack of reliable methods to measure blood coagulation in patients with coagulopathy.

The value of arterial pressure waveform cardiac output measurements in the radial and femoral artery in major cardiac surgery patients

BackgroundA relatively new uncalibrated arterial pressure waveform cardiac output (CO) measurement technique is the Pulsioflex-ProAQT® system. Aim of this study was to validate this system in cardiac surgery patients with a specific focus on the evaluation of a difference in the radial versus the femoral arterial access, the value of the auto-calibration modus and the ability to show fluid-induced changes.MethodsIn twenty-five patients scheduled for ascending aorta, aortic arch replacement, or both we measured CO simultaneously by transpulmonary thermodilution (COtd) and by using the ProAQT® system connected to the radial (COpR), as well as the femoral artery catheter (COpF). Hemodynamic data were assessed at predefined time points; from incision until 16 h after ICU admission.ResultsIn total 175 (radial) and 179 (femoral) pairs of CO measurement were collected. The accuracy of COpR/COpF was evaluated showing a mean bias of −0.31 L/min (±2.9 L/min) and -0.57 L/min (± 2.8 L/min) with percentage errors of 49 and 46% respectively. Trending ability of the ProAQT® device was evaluated; the four quadrant concordance rates in the radial and femoral artery were 74 and 75% and improved to 77 and 85% after auto-calibration. The mean angular biases in the radial and femoral artery were 6.4° and 6.0° and improved to 5° and 3.3° after auto-calibration. The polar concordance rates in the radial and femoral artery were 65 and 70% and improved to 76 and 84% after auto-calibration. Considering the fluid-induced changes in stroke volume(SV), the coefficient of correlation between the changes in SVtd and SVp was 0.57 (p < 0.01) in the radial artery and 0.60 (p < 0.01) in the femoral artery.ConclusionsThe ProAQT® system can be of additional value if the clinician wants to determine fluid responsiveness in cardiac surgery patients. However, the ProAQT® system provided inaccurate CO measurements compared to transpulmonary thermodilution. The trending ability was poor for COpR but moderate for COpF. Auto-calibration of the system did not improve accuracy of CO measurements nor did it improve the prediction of fluid responsiveness. However, the trending ability was improved by auto-calibration, possibly by correcting a drift over a longer time period.

Clinical course and therapeutic outcomes of operatively and non-operatively managed patients with denosumab-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (DRONJ)

PurposeDetails regarding risk factors, onset, and outcomes for denosumab-related osteonecrosis (DRONJ) are sparse. This study examines the clinical characteristics and operative and non-operative therapeutic outcomes in patients with DRONJ not previously exposed to other antiresorptives. MethodsA retrospective medical record review was conducted, and data were collected, including clinical findings, management, healing outcomes, and radiologic, histologic, and micro-computed tomography (CT) analyses. ResultsSeventeen patients were treated with denosumab, with 14.1 ± 8.3 doses before DRONJ onset. The majority of lesions were observed at sites of dental prostheses (41%) and dental extractions (35%). Sixteen patients were managed non-operatively (10/16) or operatively (6/16) with either major (5/6) or minor surgery (1/6) and included in the follow-up analysis. Complete healing was significant in patients treated with major surgery (80%) compared to the non-operative group (20%; p < 0.035). Denosumab was discontinued in 60% of non-operative patients and major surgery patients with no effect on healing. Histologic findings of 4 patients analyzed exhibited a decreased number of osteocyte lacunae, and micro-CT of 3 patients scanned revealed trabecular thickening. ConclusionDRONJ lesions occurred mostly at sites of prostheses sores after a mean of 14 doses of denosumab. Major surgery demonstrated more complete healing than non-operative management, and denosumab cessation did not improve healing outcomes.

Cigarette smoking as a risk factor for acute respiratory distress syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Numerous experimental studies have linked cigarette smoking to lung injury. However, it is still debated on whether cigarette smoking is a risk factor for the development of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS). The study aimed to solve the controversy by performing systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: Electronic databases including PubMed, Google scholar, Embase and Scopus were searched from inception to April 2014. Studies investigated the association of cigarette smoking and ALI/ARDS were included. Non-randomized studies were assessment for their methodological quality by using Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Meta-analysis was performed by using random effects model and subgroup analyses were performed to address the clinical heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed by using Egger’s test. Results: Of the 17 studies included in the analysis, 15 provided data on effect size and were meta-analyzable. Component studies involved heterogeneous populations including major surgery, trauma, septic shock, general population, influenza A infection and transfusion. The combined results showed that cigarette smoking was not a risk factor for the development of ALI/ARDS [odds ratio (OR): 1.00, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99–1.01]. In subgroup analysis, the same result was obtained in general population (OR: 2.03, 95% CI: 0.06–4.01), patients with major surgery or trauma (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 0.48–1.93) and patients with other risks of ALI/ARDS (OR: 1.00, 95% CI: 0.99–1.01). Conclusions: The study demonstrates that cigarette smoking is not associated with increased risk of ALI/ARDS in critically ill patients. However, the relationship in general population is still controversial and requires further confirmation.

Chloride toxicity in critically ill patients: What's the evidence?

Crystalloids have become the fluid of choice in critically ill patients and in the operating room both for fluid resuscitation and fluid maintenance. Among crystalloids, NaCl 0.9% has been the most widely used fluid. However, emerging evidence suggests that administration of 0.9% saline could be harmful mainly through high chloride content and that the use of fluid with low chloride content may be preferable in major surgery and intensive care patients. Administration of NaCl 0.9% is the leading cause of metabolic hyperchloraemic acidosis in critically ill patients and side effects might target coagulation, renal function, and ultimately increase mortality. More balanced solutions therefore may be used especially when large amount of fluids are administered in high-risk patients. In this review, we discuss physiological background favouring the use of balanced solutions as well as the most recent clinical data regarding the use of crystalloid solutions in critically ill patients and patients undergoing major surgery.

Prevalences of nutritional risk,undernutrition-overweight,and obesity as well as nutritional support in hospitalized general surgical patients in Beijing teaching hospitals

Objecflve To determine the prevalences of nutritional risk,undemutrition,overweight,and obesity as well as nutritional support and the changes of nutritional risks from admission to discharge or over a two-week period.Methods A consecutive sampling was performed.Dam were collected from general surgical depart-ments in three Beijing teaching hospitals from March to July in 2007.Patients were screened using Nutritional Risk Screening 2002(NRS2002)on admission and two weeks after admission(or discharge).The nutritional supper apphcation during hospital stay was recorded.NRS2002 score≥3 was classified as nutritional risk.BMI<1 8.5kg/m2 with impaired genend condition was defined as undemutrition.Results Among 300 enrolled patients,the NRS2002 WaS completed by 99.0%(297/300)of all patients.The nutritional risk and the prevalence of under_nutrition,overweight,and obesity was 30.0%,8.1%,38.3%,and 9.4%,respectively at admission.Fifty of 90(62.2%)patients who were at nutritional risk received nutritional support while 40 of 210(19.O%)non-risk patients received nutritional support.Especially among major abdominal surgery patients,56 of 90(71.6%)pa-tients who were at nutritional risk received nutritional supper while 35 of 81(43.2%)non-risk pafients received nutritional support.The prevalence of nutritional risk changed from 30.0%to 35.8%(X2=2.271,P=0.132).Conclusions NRS2002 is a feasible nutritional risk screening tool among general surgical pafienm in selected Bei-jing teaching hospitals.Nutritional support is somehow inappropriately apphed in general surgical hospitalized pa-tients.The prevalence of nutritional risk remains unchanged in general surgical patients during hospitalization. Key words: Nutritional risk; Undemutrition; Nutritional support; Nutritional Risk Screening 2002; Bodymass index; Hospitalized patients

What Should Pre-operative Clinics Do to Optimize Patients for Major Surgery?

What Should Pre-operative Clinics Do to Optimize Patients for Major Surgery?

Diagnostic Accuracy of Computed Tomography Angiography as Compared to Conventional Angiography in Patients Undergoing Noncoronary Cardiac Surgery.

Objective:To compare the diagnostic accuracy of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) angiography with conventional angiography in patients undergoing major noncoronary cardiac surgeries.Materials and Methods:We studied fifty major noncoronary cardiac surgery patients scheduled for invasive coronary angiography, 29 (58%) female and 21 (42%) male. Inclusion criteria of the study were age of the patients ≥40 years, having low or intermediate probability of coronary artery disease (CAD), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >35%, and patient giving informed consent for undergoing MSCT and conventional coronary angiography. The patients with LVEF <35%, high pretest probability of CAD, and hemodynamically unstable were excluded from the study.Results:The diagnostic accuracy of CT coronary angiography was evaluated regarding true positive, true negative values. The overall sensitivity and specificity of CT angiography technique was 100% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 39.76%–100%) and 91.30% (95% CI: 79.21%–97.58%). The positive (50%; 95% CI: 15.70%–84.30%) and negative predictive values (100%; 95% CI: 91.59%–100%) of CT angiography were also fairly high in these patients.Conclusion:Our study suggests that this non-invasive technique may improve perioperative risk stratification in patients undegoing non-cardiac surgery.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) and its applicability for major spine surgery.

This article examines the relevance of applying the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) approach to patients undergoing major spinal surgery. The history of ERAS, details of the components of the approach and the underlying rationale are explained. Evidence on outcomes achieved by using the ERAS approach in other orthopaedic and complex surgical procedures is then outlined. Data on major spinal surgery rates and current practice are reviewed; the rationale for using ERAS in major spinal surgery is discussed, and potential challenges to its adoption are acknowledged. A thorough literature search is then undertaken to examine the use of ERAS pathways in major spinal surgery, and the results are presented. The article then reviews the evidence to support the application of individual ERAS components such as patient education, multimodal pain management, surgical approach, blood loss, nutrition and physiotherapy in major spinal surgery, and discusses the need for further robust research to be undertaken. The article concludes that given the rising costs of surgery and levels of patient dissatisfaction, an ERAS pathway that focuses on optimising clinical procedures by adopting evidence-based practice and improving logistics should enable major spinal surgery patients to recover more quickly with lower rates of morbidity and improved longer-term outcomes.

Success of an interdisciplinary educational program on nursing knowledge about epidural analgesia in a critical care setting

Nursing education is a key component to the delivery of safe epidural analgesia in the post-operative critical care setting [1]. An audit of our practice revealed a significant failure rate in epidural analgesia in elective major abdominal surgery patients and a high proportion of missing documentation in cases where epidural analgesia had failed.

Perioperative diabetes care: development and validation of quality indicators throughout the entire hospital care pathway

BackgroundIn this study, we aim to develop a set of quality indicators for optimal perioperative diabetes care throughout the hospital care pathway and to gain insight into the feasibility of...

Short-term and long-term outcomes of single-incision versus multi-incision laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancer: a propensity-score-matched analysis of 214 cases.

The aim of this study was to reveal the short-term and long-term outcomes of single-incision laparoscopic colorectal resection (SILC) compared with multi-incision laparoscopic colorectal resection (MILC) for colorectal cancer using propensity score matching analysis. The study group included 235 patients who underwent SILC and 730 patients who underwent MILC for colorectal cancer between April 2009 and September 2014. The propensity score matching for age, gender, body mass index, tumor location (right-sided colon/sigmoid colon/upper rectum), lymph node dissection (D1/D2/D3), pathologic T (≤T3) stage and TNM (0-I/II/III) stage produced 107 matched pairs. The exclusion criteria for SILC were as follows: (1) tumors located at the transverse, descending colon or lower rectum, (2) stage IV tumors, synchronous or previous malignancies, (3) locally advanced tumors >T4, (4) acute obstructions or previous major abdominal surgery and (5) obese patients: BMI > 30. No significant differences were observed in operating time, bleeding volumes, starting time of liquid diet and length of hospital stay between the SILC and MILC groups. However, the SILC group showed less analgesic requirements (1.1 vs. 1.9 times; p = 0.0006) and shorter length of incision (2.7 vs. 4.3 cm; p = 0.0000) compared to MILC group. The overall rate of postoperative complications was similar in both groups (2.8 vs. 3.7%, p = 0.70). The 5-year overall survival rate of SILC and MILC was 100 and 95% (p = 0.125) and 5-year disease-free survival rates in stages 0-III were 97 and 94% (p = 0.189), 100 and 92% in stage II and 90 and 85% in stage III, respectively. This study suggests that SILC for colorectal cancer is a safe and feasible option with better cosmetic results and less pain in strictly selected patients. SILC can also produce good oncological results with similar postoperative outcomes to MILC.

Observational evaluation of outcomes and resource utilization from hemostatic matrices in spine surgery

Objective:Studies have indicated that outcomes may differ by choice of flowable hemostat, but there is limited evidence in spine surgery. The objective of this study was to conduct a comparison of outcomes following use of advanced flowable hemostatic matrices in a large spine surgery population.Methods:This is an observational retrospective cohort analysis using Premier’s US Perspective Hospital Database. Two commonly-used hemostatic matrices (Floseal and Surgiflo kitted with thrombin) were compared in cases categorized as either major or severe spine surgery. Outcomes included complications, blood product administration, hospital length of stay (LOS), surgery time, and amount of matrix used in surgery.Results:Major spine surgery patients treated with Surgiflo were associated with increased risk of blood product transfusion (OR = 2.56, 95% CI = 1.79–3.65, p < 0.001), longer surgery time (+8.84 min, p < 0.0001), and increased product usage (+3.34 mL, p < 0.001), compared to Floseal; however, risk of complications and LOS did not differ by choice of matrix in this patient group. Severe spine surgery patients treated with Surgiflo were associated with longer surgical time (+26.9 min, p < 0.001) and increased product usage (+1.52 mL, p < 0.01), compared to Floseal; however, risk of complications, transfusion and LOS did not differ by choice of matrix in this patient group.Limitations:Inherent to limitations associated with database analysis, this study did not evaluate potential physician differences such as skill and experience, assess long-term outcomes, nor include cases with missing data.Conclusion:The results from this analysis indicated that surgery time, risk of blood transfusion, and amount of matrix used are greater with Surgiflo patients, compared to Floseal patients. Choice of matrix did not appear to impact hospital LOS or risk of surgical complications. Future research should evaluate the cost consequences of increased clinical and resource utilization by choice of hemostatic matrix in spine surgery.

Improved oxidative status in major abdominal surgery patients after N-acetyl cystein supplementation.

BackgroundIncreased levels of reactive oxygen species during and after surgery may affect inflammatory response, post-operative adhesion molecule formation, and hemodynamic stability. The glutathione redox cycle is an important regulator in oxidative stress and its reduced forms scavenge free radicals. N-acetyl cysteine, a precursor of reduced glutathione, is considered as a potentially therapeutic wide spectrum agent in clinical practice. We therefore examined whether N-acetyl cysteine improves some biochemical parameters in cancer patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.MethodsThirty-three patients diagnosed with pancreas, stomach, rectum, colon malignancies, and undergoing major abdominal surgery at Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital were randomly divided into two groups; control (CON) and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). The NAC group had 1,200 mg N-acetyl cysteine starting two days before the operation day, in addition to isonitrogenous and isocaloric total parenteral nutrition of 1.2 g/kg protein, 25 kcal/kg, and 60:40 carbohydrate/fat ratio. Blood and urine samples were drawn two days before the operation, on operation day, and on the first, third, and fifth days post-operation.ResultsPlasma malondialdehyde was significantly lower in the NAC group (P < 0.001). N-acetyl cysteine treatment did not affect plasma levels of vitamin A, C or E. The NAC group exhibited a higher ratio of reduced glutathione to oxidised glutathione (P = 0.019). Urinary nitrate level was also significantly lower in the NAC group (P = 0.016).ConclusionThe study demonstrated the clinical importance of N-acetyl cysteine supplementation on antioxidant parameters in abdominal surgery patients. In these patients N-acetyl cysteine and vitamin administration can be considered as an effective method for improvement of oxidative status.

Diagnostic Value of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 and Tissue Inhibitor of Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 in Sepsis-Associated Acute Kidney Injury.

Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) severely impacts morbidity and mortality in surgical patients with sepsis. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) have an important role in pathophysiology of sepsis but they have been unexplored in SA-AKI. We aimed to investigate the role of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in septic surgical patients with SA-AKI and to evaluate them as diagnostic biomarkers of SA-AKI. This prospective observational study compared 53 major abdominal surgery patients with sepsis divided into SA-AKI (n = 37) and non-SA-AKI (n =16) group to 50 controls without sepsis matched by age, gender, comorbidities and type of surgery. Blood and urine samples from septic patients were collected on admission to ICU and 24, 48, 72 and 96 h later and once from the controls. The levels of MMP-9, TIMP-1, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1, urea and creatinine were measured. MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio and disease severity scores, such as Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), were calculated. Septic patients with SA-AKI had higher serum TIMP-1 levels and lower serum MMP-9 levels and lower MMP-9/TIMP ratio, compared to septic patients without SA-AKI and controls. The levels of these biomarkers did not change significantly over time. MMP-9, TIMP-1 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio correlated with urea, creatinine, NGAL, and SOFA scores. Moreover, using the area under ROC curve, we showed that TIMP-1 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio, but not MMP-9, were good diagnostic biomarkers of SA-AKI. We report for the first time the potential diagnostic value of TIMP-1 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio in SA-AKI.

The long-term impact of early cardiovascular therapy intensification for postoperative troponin elevation after major vascular surgery.

Acute cardiac events are a frequent cause of morbidity after vascular surgery. The impact of early evidence-based treatment for patients with an acute cardiac event after vascular surgery on long-term postoperative outcomes has not been extensively studied. We hypothesized that providing appropriate evidence-based treatment to patients with elevated postoperative cardiac troponin levels may limit long-term mortality. We conducted a study of 667 consecutive major vascular surgery patients with an elevated postoperative troponin I level. We then determined which of these patients received medical therapy as per the 2007 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association recommendations for the medical management of patients with chronic stable angina. All patients with troponin elevation were then matched with 2 control patients without postoperative troponin elevation. Matching was done using logistic regression and nearest-neighbor matching methods. The primary study end point was 12 months survival without a major cardiac event (i.e., death, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, or pulmonary edema requiring hospitalization). Therapy was intensified in 43 of 66 patients (65%) who suffered a troponin I elevation after surgery. Patients with a troponin I elevation not receiving intensified cardiovascular treatment had a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.77 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13-2.42; P = 0.004) for the primary study outcome as compared with the control group. In contrast, patients with a troponin I elevation who received intensified cardiovascular treatment had an HR of 0.63 (95% CI, 0.10-1.19; P = 0.45) for the primary outcome as compared with the control group. Patients with a troponin I elevation not receiving treatment intensification likely were at higher risk for a major cardiac event (HR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.05-24.2; P = 0.04) compared with patients who did receive treatment intensification. The main finding of this study was that in patients with elevated troponin I levels after noncardiac surgery, long-term adverse cardiac outcomes may likely be improved by following evidence-based recommendations for the medical management of acute coronary syndromes.

Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare-associated infections in the United States, 2009-2011.

Little is known about racial and ethnic disparities in the occurrence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in hospitalized patients. To determine whether racial/ethnic disparities exist in the rate of occurrence of HAIs captured in the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System (MPSMS). Chart-abstracted MPSMS data from randomly selected all-payer hospital discharges of adult patients (18 years old or above) between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011, for 3 common medical conditions: acute cardiovascular disease (composed of acute myocardial infarction and heart failure), pneumonia, and major surgery for 6 HAI measures (hospital-acquired antibiotic-associated Clostridium difficile, central line-associated bloodstream infections, postoperative pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and ventilator-associated pneumonia). The study sample included 79,019 patients who had valid racial/ethnic information divided into 6 racial/ethnic groups-white non-Hispanic (n = 62,533), black non-Hispanic (n = 9,693), Hispanic (n = 4,681), Asian (n = 1,225), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (n = 94), and other (n = 793)-who were at risk for at least 1 HAI. The occurrence rate for HAIs was 1.1% for non-Hispanic white patients, 1.3% for non-Hispanic black patients, 1.5% for Hispanic patients, 1.8% for Asian patients, 1.7% for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander patients, and 0.70% for other patients. Compared with white patients, the age/gender/comorbidity-adjusted odds ratios of occurrence of HAIs were 1.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99-1.23), 1.3 (95% CI, 1.15-1.53), 1.4 (95% CI, 1.07-1.75), and 0.7 (95% CI, 0.40-1.12) for black, Hispanic, Asian, and a combined group of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and other patients, respectively. Among patients hospitalized with acute cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, and major surgery, Asian and Hispanic patients had significantly higher rates of HAIs than white non-Hispanic patients.