Search

Background Post-discharge venous thromboembolism (VTE) chemoprophylaxis decreases VTEs following cancer surgery, however identifying high-risk patients remains difficult. Our objectives were to (1) identify factors available at hospital discharge associated with post-discharge VTE following hepatectomy for malignancy and (2) develop and validate a post-discharge VTE risk calculator to evaluate patient-specific risk. Methods Patients who underwent hepatectomy for malignancy from 2014 to 2017 were identified from the ACS NSQIP hepatectomy procedure targeted module. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with post-discharge VTE. A post-discharge VTE risk calculator was constructed, and predicted probabilities of post-discharge VTE were calculated. Results Among 11 172 patients, 95 (0.9%) developed post-discharge VTE. Post-discharge VTE was associated with obese BMI (OR 2.29 vs. normal BMI [95%CI 1.31–3.99]), right hepatectomy/trisegmentectomy (OR 1.63 vs. partial/wedge [95%CI 1.04–2.57]), and several inpatient postoperative complications: renal insufficiency (OR 5.29 [95%CI 1.99–14.07]), transfusion (OR 1.77 [95%CI 1.12–2.80]), non-operative procedural intervention (OR 2.97 [95%CI 1.81–4.86]), and post-hepatectomy liver failure (OR 2.22 [95%CI 1.21–4.08]). Post-discharge VTE risk ranged from 0.3% to 30.2%. Twenty iterations of 10-fold cross validation identified internal validity. Conclusions Risk factors from all phases of care, including inpatient complications, are associated with post-discharge VTE following hepatectomy. Identifying high-risk patients may allow for personalized risk-based post-discharge chemoprophylaxis prescribing.

Background Guidelines recommend extended chemoprophylaxis for venous thromboembolism in high-risk patients having operations for inflammatory bowel disease. Quantifying patients' risk of venous thromboembolism, however, remains challenging. We sought (1) to identify factors associated with postdischarge venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing colorectal resection for inflammatory bowel disease and (2) to develop a postdischarge venous thromboembolism risk calculator to guide prescribing of extended chemoprophylaxis. Methods Patients who underwent an operation for inflammatory bowel disease from 2012 to 2018 were identified from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program for colectomy and proctectomy procedure targeted modules. Postdischarge venous thromboembolism included pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis diagnosed after discharge from the index hospitalization. Multivariable logistic regression estimated the association of patient/operative factors with postdischarge venous thromboembolism. A postdischarge venous thromboembolism risk calculator was subsequently constructed. Results Of 18,990 patients, 199 (1.1%) developed a postdischarge venous thromboembolism within the first 30 postoperative days. Preoperative factors associated with postdischarge venous thromboembolism included body mass index (1.9% with body mass index ≥35 vs 0.8% with body mass index 18.5–24.9; odds ratio 2.34 [95% confidence interval 1.49–3.67]), steroid use (1.3% vs 0.7%; odds ratio 1.91 [95% confidence interval 1.37–2.66]), and ulcerative colitis (1.5% vs 0.8% with Crohn’s disease; odds ratio 1.76 [95% confidence interval 1.32–2.34]). Minimally invasive surgery was associated with postdischarge venous thromboembolism (1.2% vs 0.9% with open; odds ratio 1.42 [95% confidence interval 1.05–1.92]), as was anastomotic leak (2.8% vs 1.0%; odds ratio 2.24 [95% confidence interval 1.31–3.83]) and ileus (2.1% vs 0.9%; odds ratio 2.60 [95% confidence interval 1.91–3.54]). The predicted probability of postdischarge venous thromboembolism ranged from 0.2% to 14.3% based on individual risk factors. Conclusion Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors are associated with postdischarge venous thromboembolism after an operation for inflammatory bowel disease. A postdischarge venous thromboembolism risk calculator was developed which can be used to tailor extended venous thromboembolism chemoprophylaxis by individual risk.

Background The national comprehensive cancer network defines adequate lymphadenectomy as evaluation of ≥ 15 lymph nodes in esophageal cancer. However, varying thresholds have been suggested following neoadjuvant therapy. Objectives Our objectives were to (1) explore trends in adequate lymphadenectomy rates over time; (2) evaluate unadjusted lymphadenectomy yield by treatment characteristics; and (3) identify independent factors associated with adequate lymphadenectomy. Methods The National Cancer Data Base was used to identify patients who underwent esophagectomy for cancer from 2004 to 2015. Adequate lymphadenectomy trends over time were evaluated using the Cochrane–Armitage test, and lymph node yield by treatment approach was compared using the Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Associations with treatment factors were assessed by multivariable logistic regression. Results Among 24,413 patients, 9919 (40.6%) had adequate lymphadenectomy. Meeting the nodal threshold increased over time (52.6% in 2015 vs. 26.0% in 2004; p

Patients with esophageal cancer have poor overall survival, with positive resection margins worsening survival. Margin positivity rates are used as quality measures in other malignancies, but modifiable risk factors are necessary to develop actionable targets for improvement. Our objectives were to (1) evaluate trends in esophageal cancer margin positivity, and (2) identify modifiable patient/hospital factors associated with margin positivity. Patients who underwent esophagectomy from 2004 to 2015 were identified from the National Cancer Database. Trends in margin positivity by time and hospital volume were evaluated using Cochrane–Armitage tests. Associations between patient/hospital factors and margin positivity were assessed by multivariable logistic regression. Among 29,706 patients who underwent esophagectomy for cancer, 9.37% had positive margins. Margin positivity rates decreased over time (10.62% in 2004 to 8.61% in 2015; p

The liver is the second leading site of colorectal cancer metastases, following the lymph nodes. Although metastatic resection for colorectal cancer liver metastases has been shown to improve survival, many patients cannot undergo surgery. Several nonsurgical therapies are available in these situations, however high-quality evidence comparing the effectiveness of these therapies is sparse. Here, we review the currently available evidence in support of nonresectional regional therapies for colorectal metastases to the liver.

Palliative care, unlike hospice, can be utilized concurrently with disease-modifying or curative therapies. Some of the benefits of palliative care include improved quality of life, less end-of-life treatment, and decreased medical costs. Furthermore, palliative care can help guide treatment decisions to be in line with patients' physical, psychological, and spiritual needs. On the basis of these benefits, we advocate for palliative care involvement early in the course of advanced malignancy and other terminal diagnoses.