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PURPOSE: Major emergency abdominal surgery is associated with severe in-hospital complications and loss of performance. After discharge, a substantial fraction of patients are readmitted emergently; however, limited knowledge exists of the long-term consequences. The aim of this study was to examine the risks and causes of short-term (30-day) and long-term (180-day) readmission among patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery.METHODS: This study included 504 patients who underwent major emergency abdominal surgery at the Zealand University Hospital between March 1, 2017, and February 28, 2019. The population was followed from 0 to 180 days after discharge, and detailed readmission information was registered. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the independent risk factors for readmission within 30 and 180 days.RESULTS: From 0 to 30 days after discharge, 161 (31.9%) patients were readmitted emergently, accumulating to 241 (47.8%) patients within 180 days after discharge. The main reasons for short-term readmission were related to the gastrointestinal tract and surgical wounds, whereas long-term readmissions were due to infections, cardiovascular complications, and abdominal pain. Stomal placement was an independent risk factor for short-term readmission, whereas an ASA score of 3 was a risk factor for both short-term and long-term readmission.CONCLUSION: Close to 50% of all patients who underwent major emergency abdominal surgery had one or more emergency readmission within 180 days of discharge, and these data points towards the risk factors involved.

Endothelial dysfunction result from inflammation and excessive production of reactive oxygen species as part of the surgical stress response. Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) potentially exerts anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, which might stabilise the endothelial function after non-cardiac surgery. This was a single centre randomised clinical trial including 60 patients undergoing sub-acute laparoscopic cholecystectomy due to acute cholecystitis. Patients were randomised to RIPC or control. The RIPC procedure consisted of four cycles of five minutes of ischaemia and reperfusion of one upper extremity. Endothelial function was assessed as the reactive hyperaemia index (RHI) and circulating biomarkers of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability (L-arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), L-arginine/ADMA ratio, tetra- and dihydrobiopterin (BH 4 and BH 2), and total plasma biopterin) preoperative, 2-4 h after surgery and 24 h after surgery. RHI did not differ between the groups ( p = 0.07). Neither did levels of circulating biomarkers of NO bioavailability change in response to RIPC. L-arginine and L-arginine/ADMA ratio was suppressed preoperatively and increased 24 h after surgery ( p < 0.001). The BH 4/BH 2-ratio had a high preoperative level, decreased 2-4 h after surgery and remained low 24 h after surgery ( p = 0.01). RIPC did not influence endothelial function or markers of NO bioavailability until 24 h after sub-acute laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In response to surgery, markers of NO bioavailability increased, and oxidative stress decreased. These findings support that a minimally invasive removal of the inflamed gallbladder countereffects reduced markers of NO bioavailability and increased oxidative stress caused by acute cholecystitis.

Myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS) is associated with a 2-3-fold increased risk of subsequent major cardiovascular events and postoperative mortality. The pathological mechanism behind MINS is not fully uncovered. We hypothesized that patients with MINS following hip fracture surgery would have an altered haemostatic balance pre- and postoperative compared with patients without MINS. This was investigated in a prospective single-centre observational study including patients consecutively. The outcomes were changes in thrombin generation, fibrinogen/fibrin turnover, tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and fibrin structure measurements in patients developing MINS and patients who did not. Outcomes were measured preoperatively and two hours postoperatively. Seventy-two patients were included whereof 26 (36%) patients developed MINS. D-dimer delta values were significantly higher in patients developing MINS than in patients who did not (p = 0.01). After adjusting for age, sex, smoking, alcohol abuse, atrial fibrillation, anticoagulant medication preoperative CRP, preoperative creatinine and duration of surgery, the association remained significant (p = 0.04). There were no significant changes in thrombin generation, in markers of fibrinogen/fibrin turnover besides D-dimer, or in fibrin structure measurements pre- and postoperatively between patients with and without MINS. As such, a relationship between the coagulative and fibrinolytic activity and MINS cannot be ruled out in patients with MINS after hip fracture surgery.Registration: The study was an observational sub-study to a multicentre randomised clinical trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02344797).

A systematic review describing the clinical effects of early postoperative feeding after abdominal surgery

PURPOSE: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) occur in up to 30% of patients undergoing surgery and are a significant contributor to the overall risk of surgery. A preoperative risk prediction tool for postoperative pulmonary complications could succour clinical identification of patients at increased risk and support clinical decision making. This original study aimed to externally validate a risk model for predicting postoperative pulmonary complications (ARISCAT) in a cohort of patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery at a Danish University Hospital.METHODS: ARISCAT was validated prospectively in a cohort of patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery between March 2017 and January 2019. Predicted PPCs by ARISCAT were compared with observed PPCs. ARISCAT was validated with calibration, discrimination and accuracy and in adherence to the TRIPOD statement.RESULTS: The study included a total of 585 patients with a median age of 70 years. The majority of patients underwent emergency laparotomy without bowel resection. The predicted PPC frequency by ARISCAT was 24.9%, while the observed frequency of PPCs in the cohort was 36.1%. The slope of the calibration plot was 0.9546, the y axis interception was 0.1269 and the plot was well fitted to a linear slope. The Hosmer Lemeshow goodness-of-fit analysis showed good calibration (p > 0.25). ARISCAT showed good discrimination with AUC 0.83 (95% CI 0.79-0.86) on a receiver-operating characteristics curve and the accuracy was also good with a Brier score of 0.19.CONCLUSIONS: ARISCAT was a promising tool to predict PPCs in a high-risk surgical population undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery.

Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) prior to surgery has recently been shown to reduce the risk of myocardial injury and myocardial infarction after hip fracture surgery. This study investigated whether RIPC initiated antithrombotic mechanisms in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. This trial was a predefined sub-study of a multicentre randomized clinical trial. Adult patients with cardiovascular risk factors undergoing hip fracture surgery between September 2015 and September 2017 were randomized 1 : 1 to RIPC or control. RIPC was initiated before surgery with a tourniquet applied to the upper arm and it consisted of four cycles of 5 min of forearm ischemia followed by five minutes of reperfusion. The outcomes such as surgery-induced changes in thrombin generation, fibrinogen/fibrin turnover, tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and fibrin structure measurements were determined preoperatively (prior to RIPC) and 2 h postoperatively. One hundred and thirty-seven patients were randomized to RIPC (n = 65) or control (n = 72). There were no significant changes in thrombin generation, fibrinogen/fibrin turnover or fibrin structure measurements determined pre and postoperatively between patients in the RIPC and control groups. Subgroup analyses on patients not on anticoagulant therapy (n = 103), patients receiving warfarin (n = 17) and patients receiving direct oral anticoagulant therapy (n = 18) showed no significant changes between the RIPC-patients and controls. RIPC did not affect changes in thrombin generation, fibrin turnover or fibrin structure in adult patients undergoing hip fracture surgery suggesting that the cardiovascular effect of RIPC in hip fracture surgery is not related to alterations in fibrinogen/fibrin metabolism.

BACKGROUND: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a frequent and serious postoperative complication in trauma or critically ill patients in the intensive care unit. We aimed to estimate the risk of AKI following major emergency abdominal surgery and the association between AKI and 90-day postoperative mortality.METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we included patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery at the Department of Surgery, Zealand University Hospital, Denmark, from 2010 to 2016. The primary outcome was the occurrence of AKI within postoperative day seven (POD7). AKI was defined according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO)-criteria. The risk of AKI was analysed with a multivariable logistic regression. The association between AKI and 90-day mortality was analysed with a multivariable survival analysis.RESULTS: In the cohort, 122 out of 703 (17.4%) surgical patients had AKI within POD7. Of these, 82 (67.2%) had AKI stage 1, 26 (21.3%) had AKI stage 2, and 14 (11.5%) had AKI stage 3. Fifty-eight percent of the patients who developed postoperative AKI did so within the first 24 h of surgery. Ninety-day mortality was significantly higher in patients with AKI compared with patients without AKI (41/122 (33.6%) versus 40/581 (6.9%), adjusted hazard ratio 4.45 (95% confidence interval 2.69-7.39, P < 0.0001)), and rose with increasing KDIGO stage. Pre-existing hypertension and intraoperative peritoneal contamination were independently associated with the risk of AKI.CONCLUSIONS: The risk of AKI is high after major emergency abdominal surgery and is independently associated with the risk of death within 90 days of surgery.

BACKGROUND: The fluid balance associated with a better outcome following emergency surgery is unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the association of the perioperative fluid balance and postoperative complications during emergency gastrointestinal surgery.METHODS: We retrospectively included patients undergoing emergency surgery for gastrointestinal obstruction or perforation. A perioperative fluid balance of 2.5 L divided the cohort in a conservative and liberal group. Outcome was Clavien-Dindo graded complications registered 90 days postoperatively. We used logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists' classification, use of epidural analgesia, use of vasopressor, type of surgery, intraabdominal pathology, and hospital. Predicted risk of complications was demonstrated on a continuous scale of the fluid balance.RESULTS: We included 342 patients operated between July 2014 and July 2015 from three centers. The perioperative fluid balance was 1.6 L IQR [1.0 to 2.0] in the conservative vs. 3.6 L IQR [3.0 to 5.3] in the liberal group. Odds ratio of overall 2.6 (95% CI 1.5 to 4.4), p < 0.001, and cardiopulmonary complications 3.2 (95% CI 1.9 to 5.7), p < 0.001, were increased in the liberal group. A perioperative fluid balance of 0-2 L was associated with minimal risk of cardiopulmonary complications compared to 1.5-3.5 L for renal complications.CONCLUSION: We found a perioperative fluid balance above 2.5 L to be associated with an increased risk of overall and cardiopulmonary complications following emergency surgery for gastrointestinal obstruction or perforation. A perioperative fluid balance of 0-2 L was associated with the lowest risk of cardiopulmonary complications and 1.5-3.5 L for renal complications.

BACKGROUND: Major emergency abdominal surgery is associated with excess mortality. Transfusion is known to be associated with increased morbidity and emergency surgery is an independent risk factor for perioperative transfusion. The primary objectives of this study were to identify risk factors for transfusion, and secondarily to investigate the influence of transfusion on clinical outcomes after major emergency abdominal surgery.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This study combined retrospective observational data including intraoperative, postoperative, and transfusion data in patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery from January 2010 to October 2016 at a Danish university hospital. The primary outcome was a transfusion of any kind from initiation of surgery to postoperative day 7. Secondary outcomes included 7-, 30-, 90-day and long-term mortality (median follow-up = 34.6 months, IQR = 13.0-58.3), lengths of stay, and surgical complication rate (Clavien-Dindo score ≥ 3a).RESULTS: A total of 1288 patients were included and 391 (30%) received a transfusion of any kind. Multivariate logistic regression identified age, hepatic comorbidity, cardiac comorbidity, post-surgical anemia, ADP-receptor inhibitors, acetylsalicylic acid, anticoagulants, and operation type as risk factors for postoperative transfusion. 60.1% of the transfused patients experienced a serious surgical complication within 30 days of surgery compared with 28.1% of the non-transfused patients (p < 0.001). Among patients receiving a postoperative transfusion, unadjusted long-term mortality was increased with a hazard ratio of 3.8 (95% CI 2.9-5.0), p < 0.01. Transfused patients had significantly higher mortality at 7-, 30-, 90- and long-term, as well as a longer hospital stay but in the multivariate analyses, transfusion was not associated with mortality.CONCLUSION: Peri- and postoperative transfusion in relation to major emergency abdominal surgery was associated wit

BACKGROUND: Myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery is a strong predictor of 30-day mortality and morbidity. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of myocardial injury in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery in an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol and its association with 90-day mortality and morbidity. DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study. SETTING: This study was conducted at Zealand University Hospital, Denmark, between June 2015 and July 2017. PATIENTS: Adult patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery were included if troponin was measured at least twice during the first 7 days after surgery. The patients were followed for 90 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Myocardial injury was defined as an elevated troponin I measurement (>45 ng/L) without evidence of a nonischemic origin causing the elevation. Ninety-day mortality and complications were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 586 patients were included of which 42 were diagnosed with myocardial injury. Thirteen patients (2%) died within 90 days of surgery. There was no significant difference in 90-day mortality between patients with and without myocardial injury (5% (2/42) versus 2% (11/544); p = 0.24). We found a higher incidence of postoperative complications within 90 days of surgery in the myocardial injury group than in the nonmyocardial injury group (43% (18/42) versus 20% (107/544); p < 0.01). We found a significant difference between the myocardial injury group and nonmyocardial injury group in terms of medical complications (33% (14/42) versus 9% (50/544); p < 0.01) but not surgical complications (19% (8/42) versus 16% (85/544); p = 0.56). Myocardial injury was an independent predictor of postoperative complications within 90 days of surgery (adjusted OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.31-5.55). LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by its retrospective design. CONCLUSION: Myocardial injury occurs frequently in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery in a

BACKGROUND: Optimal recovery can be defined as the adequate in-hospital length of stay with minimal postoperative complications and readmissions. The quality of recovery beyond the immediate postoperative period after major emergency abdominal surgery is yet to be fully described. We hypothesized that long-term measures of overall recovery were affected after surgery. The study aimed to investigate patient-focused recovery-related parameters 1 year after major emergency abdominal surgery.METHOD: This is a prospective study including patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery at a Danish secondary referral center. Three questionnaires were answered regarding the recovery following the procedure; Activities Assessment Scale (AAS); Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15), and Self-complete Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (S-LANSS). All questionnaires were answered at postoperative days (PODs) 14, 30, 90, and 365.RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were included, and 68 were available for follow-up until 1 year after surgery. The response rates differed between the follow-up time points, with a response rate of 85% (n = 59) at POD30 and 50% (n = 36) at POD365. A decrease in the level of physical function following surgery was observed in 60% of the patients at POD14, which improved to 36% at POD365. Twenty-four patients (48%) reported postoperative pain at POD14, which declined to 9 (26%) at POD365. The maximum overall recovery was reached at POD30, which remained stable throughout the study period.CONCLUSION: One in three patients reported physical functional impairment, and one in four patients reported pain 1 year after their surgical procedure.

BACKGROUND: Early oral or enteral nutrition (EEN) has been proven safe, tolerable, and beneficial in elective surgery. In emergency abdominal surgery no consensus exists regarding postoperative nutrition standard regimens. This review aimed to assess the safety and clinical outcomes of EEN compared to standard care after emergency abdominal surgery.METHODS: The review protocol was performed according to the Cochrane Handbook and reported according to PRISMA. Clinical outcomes included mortality, specific complication rates, length of stay, and serious adverse events. Risk of bias was assessed by Cochrane risk of bias tool and Downs and Black. GRADE assessment of each outcome was performed, and Trial Sequential Analysis was completed to obtain the Required Information Size (RIS) of each outcome.RESULTS: From a total of 4741 records screened, a total of five randomized controlled trials and two non-randomized controlled trials were included covering 1309 patients. The included studies reported no safety issues regarding the use of EEN. A significant reduction in the mortality rate of EEN compared with standard care was seen (OR 0.59 (CI 95% 0.34-1.00), I2 = 0%). Meta-analyses on sepsis and postoperative pulmonary complications showed non-significant tendencies in favor of EEN compared with standard care. GRADE assessment of all outcomes was evaluated 'low' or 'very low'. Trial Sequential Analysis revealed that all outcomes had insufficient RIS to confirm the effects of EEN.CONCLUSION: EEN after major emergency surgery is correlated with reduced mortality, however, more high-quality data regarding the optimal timing and composition of nutrition are needed before final conclusions regarding the effects of EEN can be made.

INTRODUCTION Major emergency abdominal surgery results in a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been proposed as a predictor of post-operative outcomes in elective surgery. The aim of the present study was to examine whether preoperative NLR was associated with post-operative morbidity and mortality after major emergency abdominal surgery. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery in two university hospitals in Denmark between 2010 and 2016. Associations between preoperative NLR and 30-day post-operative complications and mortality were established through multivariate logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. RESULTS A total of 570 patients were included in the study. The overall 30-day mortality was 9.3% and 59.3% had post-operative complications. The median preoperative NLR was 8.6 (interquartile range: 4.8-14.7). Although NLR was higher in the group of patients who had complications or died after surgery, a multivariate analysis showed that the NLR was not associated with 30-day post-operative complications (odds ratio (OR) = 1.01 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99-1.02); p = 0.424) or mortality (OR = 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97-1.02); p = 0.57). The ROC analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.55 and 0.60 for 30-day post-operative complications and mortality, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Preoperative NLR was not associated with 30-day post-operative complications and mortality in patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery. FUNDING none. TRIAL REGISTRATION not relevant.

Purpose: Up to 30% of patients undergoing abdominal surgery suffer from postoperative pulmonary complications. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analyses was to investigate whether postoperative respiratory interventions and mobilization interventions compared with usual care can prevent postoperative complications following abdominal surgery. Methods: The review was conducted in line with PRISMA and GRADE guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, and PEDRO were searched for randomized controlled trials and observational studies comparing postoperative respiratory interventions and mobilization interventions with usual care in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Meta-analyses with trial sequential analysis on the outcome pulmonary complications were performed. Review registration: PROSPERO (identifier: CRD42019133629) Results: Pulmonary complications were addressed in 25 studies containing 2068 patients. Twenty-three studies were included in the meta-analyses. Patients predominantly underwent open elective upper abdominal surgery. Postoperative respiratory interventions consisted of expiratory resistance modalities (CPAP, EPAP, BiPAP, NIV), assisted inspiratory flow modalities (IPPB, IPAP), patient-operated ventilation modalities (spirometry, PEP), and structured breathing exercises. Meta-analyses found that ventilation with high expiratory resistance (CPAP, EPAP, BiPAP, NIV) reduced the risk of pulmonary complications with OR 0.42 (95% CI 0.18–0.97, p = 0.04, I2 = 0%) compared with usual care, however, the trial sequential analysis revealed that the required information size was not met. Neither postoperative assisted inspiratory flow therapy, patient-operated ventilation modalities, nor breathing exercises reduced the risk of pulmonary complications. Conclusion: The use of postoperative expiratory resistance modalities (CPAP, EPAP, BiPAP, NIV) after abdominal surgery might prevent pulmonary complications and it seems the preventive abilities were

Background: Endothelial dysfunction seems to play a role in the pathophysiology of myocardial injury after surgery. The aim of this randomised clinical trial was to examine whether remote ischaemic preconditioning in relation to hip fracture surgery ameliorates post-operative systemic endothelial dysfunction. Methods: This was a planned single-centre pilot sub-study of a multicentre, randomised clinical trial. Patients ≥45 years with a cardiovascular risk factor were randomised to remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) or control (standard treatment) performed in relation with their hip fracture operation. RIPC consisted of four cycles of 5 minutes forearm ischaemia and reperfusion. The procedure was performed non-invasively with a tourniquet. The endothelial function was assessed with non-invasive digital pulse amplitude tonometry on post-operative day 1 and expressed as the reactive hyperaemia index (RHI). Endothelial dysfunction was defined as RHI < 1.22. Results: Between February 2015 and December 2016, 18 patients were allocated to the RIPC group and 20 patients to the control group. The endothelial function was impaired in both groups on post-operative day 1. RHI did not differ between the groups, 1.47 (95% CI 1.20-1.75) in the RIPC group vs. 1.54 (95% CI 1.17-1.91) in the control group, P =.76. Endothelial dysfunction was present in 3/18 patients (16.7%) in the RIPC group and 8/20 patients (40%) in the control group, P =.11. Conclusion: No beneficial effect of remote ischaemic preconditioning on the systemic endothelial dysfunction, assessed at a single time point on post-operative day one, was detected after hip fracture surgery.

Purpose: Enhanced recovery after surgery programs is widely implemented in elective settings, however, until recently, rarely in emergency surgery. The purpose of this study was to present detailed contents and data on implementation of an emergency abdominal perioperative protocol on the basis of compliance. Methods: A multidisciplinary perioperative bundle for major emergency abdominal surgery was developed and implemented in March 2017 covering surgical, emergency, anesthesiological, radiological, physiotherapy, and nutritional support. The bundle consisted of preoperative-, intraoperative-, and postoperative initiatives. Fifteen core protocol items were identified for audit and compliance rates for each protocol item and overall compliance rates were evaluated and quarterly stratified throughout the first year of implementation. Results: A total of 227 consecutive patients underwent major emergency abdominal surgery from March 2017 throughout February 2018. The specific protocol items showed high individual compliance rates throughout all quarters of the first year. Time to suspicion of diagnosis at the emergency department, rate of perioperative thoracic epidural, and postoperative referral to physiotherapy showed the lowest compliance rates. The overall compliance rate of all 15 protocol items was 83% (min–max 71.4–100%). Conclusion: We found it possible to implement a comprehensive detailed perioperative protocol in emergency abdominal surgery across multiple specialties with an overall good compliance of protocol items.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative endothelial dysfunction is a predictor of myocardial injury and major adverse cardiac events. Non-cardiac surgery is known to induce acute endothelial changes. The aim of this explorative cohort study was to assess the extent of systemic endothelial dysfunction after major emergency abdominal surgery and the potential association with postoperative myocardial injury.METHODS: Patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery were included in this prospective cohort study. The primary outcome was the change in endothelial function expressed as the reactive hyperemia index from 4-24 h after surgery until postoperative day 3-5. The reactive hyperemia index was assessed by non-invasive digital pulse tonometry. Secondary outcomes included changes in biomarkers of nitric oxide metabolism and bioavailability. All assessments were performed at the two separate time points in the postoperative period. Clinical outcomes included myocardial injury within the third postoperative day and major adverse cardiovascular events within 30 days of surgery.RESULTS: Between October 2016 and June 2017, 83 patients were included. The first assessment of the endothelial function, 4-24 h, was performed 15.8 (SD 6.9) hours after surgery and the second assessment, postoperative day 3-5, was performed 83.7 (SD 19.8) hours after surgery. The reactive hyperemia index was suppressed early after surgery and did not increase significantly; 1.64 (95% CI 1.52-177) at 4-24 h after surgery vs. 1.75 (95% CI 1.63-1.89) at postoperative day 3-5, p = 0.34. The L-arginine/ADMA ratio, expressing the nitric oxide production, was reduced in the perioperative period and correlated significantly with the reactive hyperemia index. A total of 16 patients (19.3%) had a major adverse cardiovascular event, of which 11 patients (13.3%) had myocardial injury. The L-arginine/ADMA ratio was significantly decreased at 4-24 h after surgery in patients suffering myocardial injury.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to examine the risk of post-operative myocardial injury after major emergency abdominal surgery and identify pre- and intra-operative risk factors of post-operative myocardial injury. Moreover, the study aimed to examine the association between post-operative myocardial injury and clinical outcomes.METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study including patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery from February 2017 to January 2019. Troponin I was assessed on post-operative days 1-3. Post-operative myocardial injury was defined as a cardiac troponin I ≥ 45 ng per litre. Post-operative clinical outcomes included in-hospital myocardial infarction, in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular events, reoperation, admission to the intensive care unit, lengths of stay, 30- and 90-day all-cause mortality.RESULTS: 98 out of 401 patients (24.4%) sustained a post-operative myocardial injury within the third post-operative day. Increasing age was an independent risk factor of post-operative myocardial injury (age per 10 years adjusted odds ratio 2.2 [95% CI 1.7-2.9], P < .0001). Patients with post-operative myocardial injury had an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, a higher admission rate to the intensive care unit, a longer median post-operative length of stay and a higher 30- and 90-day all-cause mortality compared with patients without myocardial injury.CONCLUSION: One in four patients suffered a post-operative myocardial injury within the third post-operative day. Post-operative myocardial injury was a risk factor of adverse cardiac and non-cardiac clinical outcomes. Troponin monitoring could potentially improve the post-operative risk stratification in this cohort of high-risk surgical patients.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) occurs frequently following cardiothoracic surgery and is associated with a higher mortality and a longer hospital stay. The condition is less studied following noncardiothoracic surgery as well as emergency surgery.OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the occurrence of atrial fibrillation following emergency noncardiothoracic surgery and associated risk factors and mortality.DESIGN: We conducted a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Observational studies and randomised controlled trials were assessed for risk of bias using the Downs and Black checklist and Cochrane Handbook for Systematic reviews of intervention.DATA SOURCES: A systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus was carried out in August 2019. No publication date- or source restrictions were imposed.ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Observational and randomised controlled trials were included if data on POAF occurring after an emergency, noncardiothoracic, surgical intervention on adult patients could be extracted.RESULTS: We identified 15 studies eligible for inclusion covering orthopaedic-, abdominal-, vascular-, neuro- and miscellaneous noncardiothoracic surgery. The occurrence of POAF after emergency noncardiothoracic surgery ranged from 1.5 to 12.2% depending on type of surgery and intensity of cardiac monitoring. Studies that investigated risk factors and associated mortality found emergency surgery and increasing age to be associated with risk of POAF. Moreover, POAF was generally associated with an increase in long-term and short-term mortality.CONCLUSION: In this study, atrial fibrillation occurred frequently, especially following emergency orthopaedic, vascular and neurosurgery. Emergency surgery and age were independent risk factors for developing atrial fibrillation. POAF seems to be related t

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the timewise postoperative respiratory function measured by spirometry and peak flow during the first postoperative week after major emergency abdominal surgery. Patients were tested daily with forced expiratory volume (FEV) and peak flow (PEF) from postoperative day (POD) 1 through to POD7. FEV1, FEV6, FEV1/FEV6 ratio and PEF were analysed by unadjusted linear regression with 95% confidence interval (CI) on mean values for each postoperative day. A total of 35 consecutive patients were included in the study. The FEV at 1 second was 51% of predicted at POD1, which increased to 67% at POD7 (p = 0.005), whereas FEV6 was 55% of predicted at POD1, which increased to 70% at POD7 (p = .008). Respiratory function was not significantly correlated to synchronous pain scores. In conclusion, respiratory function following major emergency abdominal surgery was reduced throughout the first postoperative week irrespective of pain scores.

BACKGROUND: Major emergency abdominal surgery results in high morbidity and mortality. We aimed to describe patient-reported quality of recovery after major emergency abdominal surgery.METHODS: A prospective observational cohort study of patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery at a University Hospital was conducted in the period between November 2016 and February 2017. Patients were interviewed using the 15-item questionnaire Quality of Recovery (QoR-15) six times over the first 30 postoperative days. Patients' maximum score of QoR-15 ranging from 0-150 were divided into four groups depending on recovery status going from poor (score of 0-89), moderate (score of 90-121), good (score of 122-135) to excellent (score of 136-150) recovery.RESULTS: A total of 37 patients were included in the trial. At postoperative day (POD) 1 the recovery status of the patients was mainly poor to moderate (poor N.=8 [22%], moderate N.=23 [62%], good N.=4 [11%] and excellent N.=2 [5%]). Sixteen (55%) of the patients reported a poor or moderate recovery within the first 7 days after surgery, which advanced to good or excellent recovery (N.=19 [68%]) from POD 14. The patients were not fully recovered at POD 30 (N.=18 [62%] had an excellent recovery).CONCLUSIONS: Recovery measured by QoR-15 is substantially affected after major emergency abdominal surgery even after 14- and 30 days postoperatively. The patients were poor or only moderately recovered within the first seven postoperative days and only 62% of the patients were fully recovered at postoperative day 30.

Background: In a retrospective cohort study, we looked at the incidence and risk factors of developing in-hospital venous thromboembolism (VTE) after major emergency abdominal surgery and the risk factors for developing a venous thrombosis. Methods: Data were extracted through medical records from all patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery at a Danish University Hospital from 2010 until 2016. The primary outcome was the incidence of venous thrombosis developed in the time from surgery until discharge from hospital. The secondary outcomes were 30-day mortality and postoperative complications. Multivariate logistic analyses were used for confounder control. Results: In total, 1179 patients who underwent major emergency abdominal surgery during 2010–2016 were included. Thirteen patients developed a postoperative venous thromboembolism (1.1%) while hospitalized. Eight patients developed a pulmonary embolism all verified by CT scan and five patients developed a deep venous thrombosis verified by ultrasound scan. Patients diagnosed with a VTE were significantly longer in hospital with a length of stay of 34 versus 14 days, P < 0.001, and they suffered significantly more surgical complications (69.2% vs. 30.4%, P = 0.007). Thirty-day mortality was equal in patients with and without a venous thrombosis. In a multivariate analysis adjusting for gender, ASA group, BMI, type of surgery, dalteparin dose and treatment with anticoagulants, we found that a dalteparin dose ≥5000 IU was associated with the risk of postoperative surgical complications (odds ratio 1.55, 95% CI 1.11–2.16, P = 0.009). Conclusion: In this study, we found a low incidence of venous thrombosis among patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery, comparable to the incidence after elective surgery.

Purpose: Patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery have a high mortality rate. Preoperative risk prediction tools of in-hospital mortality could assist clinical identification of patients at increased risk and thereby aid clinical decision-making and postoperative pathways. The aim of this study was to validate the preoperative score to predict mortality (POSPOM) in a population of patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery. Methods: POSPOM was investigated in a retrospectively collected cohort of patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery at a Danish University Hospital from 2010 to 2016. Predicted in-hospital mortality by POSPOM was compared to observed in-hospital mortality. Calibration was assessed by Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit and calibration plot. Discrimination was assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and accuracy was assessed with Brier score. Results: The study included 979 patients (513 females) with a median age of 64 (IQR 55–77) years. The majority of patients underwent open surgery (94.5%). The observed in-hospital mortality rate was 10.9%. The estimated mean in-hospital mortality rate by POSPOM was 6.7%. POSPOM showed a good discrimination [AUC 0.82 (95% CI 0.78–0.85)] and an excellent accuracy [Brier score 0.09 (95% CI 0.07–0.10)]. However, a poor calibration was found (p < 0.01) as POSPOM underestimated in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: POSPOM is not an ideal prediction model for in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery due a poor calibration.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency laparotomy is a high-risk procedure associated with severe post-operative morbidity and high mortality. The aim was to conduct a nationwide cohort consisting of all patients undergoing emergency laparotomy during an 11-year period and to examine both short- and long-term outcomes.METHODS: Adult patients treated with emergency laparotomy due to gastrointestinal conditions from 2003 through 2013 were identified in the Danish National Patient Register. Demographic data and surgical outcomes were identified in nationwide registers.RESULTS: A total of 47,300 patients were included in the study. Hereof, 15,015 patients underwent minor laparotomy (open appendectomy or cholecystectomy) and the rest underwent major laparotomy (n = 32,285). In all, 8,193 patients (17.3%) were readmitted within 30 days from surgery, whereas 7,521 patients (15.9%) underwent gastrointestinal reoperation. A total of 10,944 patients (23.1%) experienced a post-operative complication. The post-operative mortality at 7, 30, 90 and 365 days was 8.5%, 13.3%, 16.9% and 21.9%, respectively. When excluding minor laparotomies (open appendectomy and cholecystectomy), the 7-, 30-, 90- and 365-day mortality was 12.1%, 18.7%, 23.6% and 30.5%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: More than one in every five patients died within one year after undergoing emergency laparotomy, and mortality rates were even higher when excluding minor laparotomies as almost one in every three patients died within one year.FUNDING: This study received support from the Frimodt-Heinecke Foundation and from the foundation Manufacturer Frands Køhler Nielsens and wife memorial fund.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered with Researchregistry.com (Id no: researchregistry2930).

Background: The aim of this register-based cohort study was to characterize patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) following non-cardiac surgery and identify risk factors associated with 30-days, 90-days and 1-year mortality after ICU admission. Methods: Patients aged 18+ years admitted to the intensive care unit within 30-days of non-cardiac surgery at four Capital Region hospitals in Denmark between January 2005 and December 2014 were included. Patients were identified through the Danish National Patient Register. The outcomes were 30-days, 90-days and 1-year mortality after ICU admission. Unadjusted and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors of mortality. Results: The study included 3311 ICU patients. Gastrointestinal surgery accounted for 71.3%, orthopaedic surgery for 18.4% and urologic surgery for 10.2% of the population. For the total population, the median length of stay in hospital was 18 days (9-36, 25th-75th percentile) and 2 days (1-4, 25th-75th percentile) in the ICU. Thirty-days, 90-days and 1-year mortality were 37.8%, 44.5% and 51.2% respectively. Mortality within the ICU was 22.3% while the post-ICU in-hospital mortality was 19.4%. Higher age, comorbidity, delayed ICU admission, acute surgery, and gastrointestinal and orthopaedic surgery increased 30-days, 90-days and 1-year mortality. Conclusions: Short- and long-term mortality in non-cardiac surgical patients admitted to the ICU is very high, especially among the elderly comorbid patients undergoing acute surgery. Future research should focus on targeting clinically modifiable risk factors and performing tailored treatment for these high-risk patients.

Objective To investigate whether remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) prevents myocardial injury in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. Design Phase II, multicentre, randomised, observer blinded, clinical trial. Setting Three Danish university hospitals, 2015-17. Participants 648 patients with cardiovascular risk factors undergoing hip fracture surgery. 286 patients were assigned to RIPC and 287 were assigned to standard practice (control group). Intervention The RIPC procedure was initiated before surgery with a tourniquet applied to the upper arm and consisted of four cycles of forearm ischaemia for five minutes followed by reperfusion for five minutes. Main outcome measures The original primary outcome was myocardial injury within four days of surgery, defined as a peak plasma cardiac troponin I concentration of 45 ng/L or more caused by ischaemia. The revised primary outcome was myocardial injury within four days of surgery, defined as a peak plasma cardiac troponin I concentration of 45 ng/L or more or high sensitive troponin I greater than 24 ng/L (the primary outcome was changed owing to availability of testing). Secondary outcomes were peak plasma troponin I and total troponin I release during the first four days after surgery (cardiac and high sensitive troponin I), perioperative myocardial infarction, major adverse cardiovascular events, and all cause mortality within 30 days of surgery, length of postoperative stay, and length of stay in the intensive care unit. Several planned secondary outcomes will be reported elsewhere. Results 573 of the 648 randomised patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis (mean age 79 (SD 10) years; 399 (70%) women). The primary outcome occurred in 25 of 168 (15%) patients in the RIPC group and 45 of 158 (28%) in the control group (odds ratio 0.44, 95% confidence interval 0.25 to 0.76; P=0.003). The revised primary outcome occurred in 57 of 286 patients (20%) in the RIPC group and 90 of 287 (31%) in t

BACKGROUND: ABO dependent variation in von Willebrand factor (vWF) and factor VIII have an impact on hemostasis. Several contradictory studies have investigated the influence of ABO blood type in surgical hemorrhage. Emergency surgery is associated with an increased risk of perioperative hemorrhage leading to inferior clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate if patients with blood type O received more transfusions with blood components compared with non-O patients after major emergency abdominal surgery.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This retrospective observational study combined perioperative data including hemoglobin with transfusion data in patients undergoing emergency surgery at a university hospital between January 2010 and October 2016. The primary outcome was postoperative transfusion stratified into early transfusion, within 24 hours after surgery, and late transfusion from 24 hours to 7 days (POD7) after surgery.RESULTS: A total of 869 patients were included, 363 patients with blood type O (42.0%) and 501 (58.0%) with blood type non-O. We found no difference in the need for transfusion with 42 (11.6%) patients with blood type O and 66 (13.2%) patients with blood type non-O receiving early transfusion and 39 (13.4%) and 48 (11.9%) of O and non-O patients, respectively, receiving late transfusion. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed an adjusted OR of 0.915 (95% CI 0.569-1.471) for early transfusion and an adjusted OR of 1.307 (95% CI 0.788-2.169) for late transfusion in patients with blood type O. Likewise, no difference was seen with respect to the change in hemoglobin levels before and after surgery as well as transfused volume.CONCLUSION: We did not find an association between transfusion or perioperative changes in hemoglobin with respect to blood type ABO.

Melatonin has attenuated myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in experimental studies. We hypothesized that the administration of melatonin during acute myocardial reperfusion improves myocardial salvage index in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Patients (n = 48) were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to intracoronary and intravenous melatonin (total 50 mg) or placebo. The myocardial salvage index assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at day 4 (± 1 day) after primary percutaneous coronary intervention was similar in the melatonin group (n = 22) at 55.3% (95% CI 47.0–63.6) and the placebo group (n = 19) at 61.5% (95% CI 57.5–65.5), p = 0.21. The levels of high-sensitive troponin T, creatinine kinase myocardial band, and oxidative biomarkers (advanced oxidation protein products, malondialdehyde, myeloperoxidase) were similar in the groups. The frequency of clinical events at 90 days did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, melatonin did not improve the myocardial salvage index after primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction compared with placebo.