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The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, severity, and treatment modalities of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in moderate and late preterm infants with a gestational age (GA)31 + 6 weeks.ROP screening results of preterm infants with GA31 + 6 weeks to 36 + 6 weeks between March 2013 and January 2019 were evaluated retrospectively. Infants were divided into 2 groups according to GA as 32-33 + 6 weeks (moderate preterm) and 34-36 + 6 weeks (late preterm). In these groups, any ROP and severe ROP (requiring treatment) development rates and ROP types and treatment modalities were evaluated.A total of 4156 preterm infants, 1875 (45.1%) female and 2281 (54.9%) male, were included. Overall, 1466 (35.2%) of the infants were moderate preterm and 2690 (64.8%) were late preterm. The incidences of any ROP and severe ROP were 22% and 2.5%, respectively. The rate of severe ROP was 5.3% in moderate preterm infants and 0.9% in late preterm infants. Significant correlations were determined between duration of hospital stay, birth weight (BW), and GA with ROP development (r = +0.415, r = -0.258, r = -0.199, respectively; p0.001 for all). Of 102 patients (2.5%) requiring treatment, 64 (62.7%) had laser, 34 (33.3%) had intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB), 2 (1.9%) had sequential IVB and laser, and 2 (1.9%) had vitreoretinal surgery.ROP seems to still be an important health problem in moderate and late preterm infants in our country according to data from screening high-risk preterm infants with a GA31 + 6 weeks. In this cohort, ROP development correlates with GA, BW, and duration of hospitalization significantly.

Background Chronological age per se cannot be considered a prognostic risk factor for outcomes after elective surgery, whereas frailty could be. A simple and easy-to-get marker for frailty, such as handgrip strength (HGS), may support the surgeon in decision for an adequate healthcare plan. Aims The aims of this study were to: (1) determine the prevalence of frailty in an abdominal surgery setting independent of age; (2) evaluate the predictive validity of HGS for the length of hospital stay (LOS). Methods This is a retrospective study conducted in subjects who underwent abdominal surgical procedures. Only subjects with complete cognitive, functional, nutritional assessments and available measurement of HGS at admission were included. A final cohort of 108 patients were enrolled in the study. Results Subjects had a mean age of 67.8 ± 15.8 years (age range 19–93 years old) and were mostly men. According to Fried’s criteria, 17 (15.7%, 4F/13 M) were fit, 58 (23.7%; 24F/34 M) were pre-frail and 33 (30.6%; 20F/13 M) were frail. As expected, HGS significantly differed between groups having frail lower values as compared with pre-frail and fit persons (fit: 32.99 ± 10.34 kg; pre-frail: 27.49 ± 10.35 kg; frail: 15.96 ± 9.52 kg, p p = 0.020) independent of multiple covariates, including age. Discussion Most of the population undergoing abdominal surgery is pre-frail or frail. The measurement of handgrip strength is simple and inexpensive, and provides prognostic information for surgical outcomes. Muscle strength, as measured by handgrip dynamometry, is a strong predictor of LOS in a surgical setting.

Purpose 1) To assess the efficacy of C reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell count (WBC) levels as a diagnostic, prognostic, and monitoring tools for determining the severity of bacterial orofacial infections, length of hospital stay (LOS), and the effectiveness of treatment. 2) To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of CRP and WBC as an inflammatory markers in bacterial orofacial infections. Methods This prospective study included 30 patients. The predictor variables were serial readings of CRP and WBC that were correlated with clinical course of orofacial infection including severity of infection, length of hospital stay, and effectiveness of treatment. P value was set at ( Results The sample composed of 30 patients with a mean age of 26.7 years, 47% female. Predrainage CRP and WBC were significantly positive in predicting severity of infection and length of hospital stay. Predrainage CRP readings were elevated in 93% of patients whereas WBC predrainage readings were elevated in only 56% of patients with orofacial infections. Sensitivity and specificity of CRP are 87.5 and 68%, respectively while sensitivity and specificity of WBC are 62.6 and 86.4%, respectively. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that CRP and WBC are useful diagnostic and prognostic, as well as monitoring, tools in bacterial orofacial infections CRP being more sensitive than WBC.

Purpose Pulmonary parenchyma saving method (cystotomy and enucleation) has been globally accepted in lung hydatidosis. However, whether capitonnage is performed or not after cystotomy is still controversial. This study aims to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of 12 pediatric patients with pulmonary hydatid cysts. These 12 patients (10 males and 2 females), with an average age of 8.7 years, underwent cystotomy without capitonnage. The mean follow-up period was 36 months. Results Among the 12 patients, 10 underwent thoracotomy cystotomy and 2 underwent thoracoscopic surgery with excellent outcomes except one case of postoperative broncho-pleura fistula, which was treated through thoracoscopic surgery. The mean hospital stay was 8 days. No death or recurrence occurred during the follow-up period. Conclusion Good therapeutic effect can be expected by combining cystotomy of pulmonary hydatid cysts with postoperative anti-hydatid drug therapy. For those unruptured (uncomplicated) hydatid lung cysts, cystotomy with the non-capitonnage method seems to be the best option, which needs to be verified by well-designed studies.

A woman in her 60s with a history of lower extremity vascular disease presented with extreme pain and wounds in her legs which had kept her from walking for several weeks. The patient’s pain became intolerable throughout her hospital stay despite multiple surgical revascularisations. Biopsy of the patient’s calf wounds revealed evidence of calciphylaxis, a diagnosis which corresponds with this patient’s extreme pain. Our patient had no history of end-stage renal disease.

Operations require collaboration between surgeons, anaesthetia professionals, and nurses. The aim of this study was to determine whether intraoperative briefings influence patient outcomes.In a before-and-after controlled trial (9 months baseline; 9 months intervention), intraoperative briefings were introduced in four general surgery centres between 2015 and 2018. During the operation, the responsible surgeon (most senior surgeon present) briefed the surgical team using the StOP? protocol about: progress of the operation (Status), next steps (Objectives), possible problems (Problems), and encouraged asking questions (?). Differences between baseline and intervention were analysed regarding surgical-site infections (primary outcome), mortality, unplanned reoperations, and duration of hospital stay (secondary outcomes), using inverse probability of treatment (IPT) weighting based on propensity scores.In total, 8256 patients underwent surgery in the study. Endpoint data were available for 7745 patients (93.8 per cent). IPT-weighted and adjusted intention-to-treat analyses showed no differences in surgical-site infections between baseline and intervention (9.8 versus 9.6 per cent respectively; adjusted difference (AD) -0.15 (95 per cent c.i. -1.45 to 1.14) per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.92, 95 per cent c.i. 0.83 to 1.15; P = 0.797), but there were reductions in mortality (1.6 versus 1.1 per cent; AD -0.54 (-1.04 to -0.03) per cent; OR 0.60, 0.39 to 0.92; P = 0.018), unplanned reoperations (6.4 versus 4.8 per cent; AD -1.66 (-2.69 to -0.62) per cent; OR 0.72, 0.59 to 0.89; P = 0.002), and fewer prolonged hospital stays (21.6 versus 19.8 per cent; AD -1.82 (-3.48 to -0.15) per cent; OR 0.87, 0.77 to 0.98; P = 0.024).Short intraoperative briefings improve patient outcomes and should be performed routinely.Outcomes of surgery depend on patient characteristics and surgeon expertise, but also on teamwork, notably communication. The present study introduces the StOP? protocol, in which the surgeon informs the team about the current status (St), objectives regarding next steps (O), and potential problems (P), and encourages the team to ask questions and raise concerns (?). The results suggest an effect of the StOP? intervention on patient mortality, risk of unplanned reoperation, and duration of hospital stay, but not on surgical-site infections. The study is promising regarding the effect of structured intraoperative communication on important patient outcomes. The study compared patient outcomes at baseline and after implementation of the StOP? protocol, which enhances exchange of structured information within the interdisciplinary surgical team during the course of the operation. The intention-to-treat analyses in this multicentre before-and-after study of 8256 patients undergoing general surgery showed no differences between baseline and intervention for surgical-site infections, but revealed reduced mortality and unplanned reoperations, and fewer prolonged hospital stays during the intervention period.

Acute cholecystitis (AC) is a life-threatening emergency in elderly patients.To compare the commonly used management strategies for elderly patients with AC as well as resulting morbidity, mortality and length of hospital stay (LOS).All patients ≥ 65 years admitted to our emergency department for AC between January 1st, 2014 and December 31st, 2018 were included in the study. We compared patients that received medical treatment to patients who received operative procedures. In order to correct for baseline covariates and factors associated to clinical management, we used a 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. The primary outcome was the overall in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included occurrence of major complications and LOS.A total of 1075 patients were enrolled: 483 patients received a medical treatment and 592 patients underwent interventional procedures. After PSM, 770 patients (385 for each treatment group) were included in the analysis. The analysis revealed that both mortality and cumulative major complications were similar in medical and interventional group. We found that among comorbidities, Charlson comorbidity index and congestive heart failure were significantly higher in the medical treatment group (5 [4-6] vs. 4 [3-6] and 11.7% vs. 4.7%, respectively; p0.001). LOS was slightly lower in the medical treatment group (7.0 days [4.9-11.1] vs. 7.9 [4.9-13.5]; p = 0.046).Medical management outcomes for AC in elderly patients were similar to operative treatments in terms of mortality and cumulative major complications. A conservative approach should always be considered.

Purpose of review Robotic pyeloplasty is still a relatively novel procedure. Clinically, early studies have shown high success rates, decreased complication rates, decreased length of hospital stay, and better cosmetic results. This goal of this article is to argue for the use of robotic pyeloplasty as the gold standard of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) treatment. Results of studies that have compared robotic pyeloplasty with other procedures currently used are reviewed. Recent findings Our study, a comprehensive review of published outcomes of robotic pyeloplasty and alternative therapies, consisted of 666 pediatric patients and 653 adult patients. Our review coincided with the previously established studies that robotic pyeloplasty shows equivalent surgical success rates as previous standard of care treatments. Open pyeloplasty has fallen out of favor as standard of care due to the increased length of hospital stay, increased adverse events, and the undesirable aesthetics. Summary The use of robotic pyeloplasty has shown to have clinical outcomes that are consistent with other intervention for UPJO, with a potential decrease in length of stay and morbidity. More work has to be done to develop ways to decrease cost of the robot to help establish it as the gold standard for UPJO treatment.

Background Perforated peptic ulcer is a morbid emergency general surgery condition. Best practices for postoperative care remain undefined. Surgical dogma preaches practices such as peritoneal drain placement, prolonged nil per os, and routine postoperative enteral contrast imaging despite a lack of evidence. We aimed to evaluate the role of postoperative enteral contrast imaging in postoperative perforated peptic ulcer care. Our primary objective was to assess effects of routine postoperative enteral contrast imaging on early detection of clinically significant leaks. Methods We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent repair of perforated peptic ulcer between July 2016 and June 2018. We compared outcomes between those who underwent routine postoperative enteral contrast imaging and those who did not. Results Our analysis included 95 patients who underwent primary/omental patch repair. The mean age was 60 years, and 54% were male. Thirteen (14%) had a leak. Eighty percent of patients had a drain placed. Nine patients had leaks diagnosed based on bilious drain output without routine postoperative enteral contrast imaging. Use of routine postoperative enteral contrast imaging varied significantly between institutions (30%–87%). Two late leaks after initial normal postoperative enteral contrast imaging were confirmed by imaging after a clinical change triggered the second study. Two patients had contained leaks identified by routine postoperative enteral contrast imaging but remained clinically well. Duration of hospital stay was longer in those who received routine postoperative enteral contrast imaging (12 vs 6 days, median; P = .000). Conclusion Routine postoperative enteral contrast imaging after perforated peptic ulcer repair likely does not improve the detection of clinically significant leaks and is associated with increased duration of hospital stay.

OBJECTIVE Systematic placement of a ureteral stent before surgery for posterior deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) was previously recommended, but it could increase perioperative complications. We evaluate the role of preoperative ureteral stent in women requiring surgery for ureteral involvement (UI) with large posterior DIE nodules and/or grade I-II hydronephrosis. METHODS Women undergoing minimally invasive surgery for DIE with UI having posterior nodules >3 cm and/or grade I-II hydronephrosis from 2014 to 2019 were retrospectively included. We progressively changed our strategy from a systematic pre-operative stent insertion (S-PS, up to 2016) to a non-systematic one (NS-PS, from 2016). RESULTS Eighty-eight women in the S-PS group and 96 in the NS-PS were included. Low urinary tract infections (UTI) were higher in the S-PS group (13.6% vs 2.1%, P = 0.003). Hospital stay was longer in women with S-PS (9.8 ± 5.3 days vs 6.7 ± 2.5 days, P

Background Postoperative pain after complex revision spine surgery, especially for the treatment of persistent spinal pain syndrome (PSPS), is frequently severe and can be debilitating, requiring the use of intravenous and oral opioids. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a continuous infusion regional anesthesia pump placed after thoracopelvic fusion for the treatment of PSPS. Methods We performed a retrospective comparative study of consecutive patients who had undergone thoracopelvic fusion for PSPS. The patients included in the present study had either had a continuous infusion regional anesthesia pump placed during surgery or had not (control). Demographics, use of preoperative and postoperative opioids, postoperative adverse events, length of hospital stay, and 90-day readmission were recorded. Results The patients in the pump group (n = 14) had used fewer opioids during their hospital stay compared with the control group (n = 12; P = 0.6). This difference was greater for postoperative days 1 and 2 (P = 0.3 and P = 0.2, respectively). No significant difference was found in opioid usage during the first 14 days after surgery (P = 0.8) or at the 3-month postoperative follow-up evaluation (P = 0.8). Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the 2 groups in terms of postoperative complications. The pump group had a 1.4-day shorter hospital stay (P = 0.7). The control group had more 90-day readmissions than did the pump group (P = 0.2). Conclusions Despite showing a trend toward less usage of opioids during the first 2 days after surgery and a shorter hospital stay with no increased complications in the pump group, the study data failed to demonstrate a statistically significant difference between the two groups.

Electrical injuries are an uncommon but very destructive type of burn, with serious complications and disabilities for the victims. This study was conducted due to the importance of understanding the epidemiology of electrical accidents in planning to prevent their occurrence. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study that was performed on patients with electrical burns referred to Shahid Motahari Educational and Medical Center from 2017 to 2018. Patients’ information was entered in the researcher-made information registration form, including demographic and accident-related information. In this study, most of the accidents occurred in the workplace with high-voltage electricity. Contact with overhead cables and wires was the most common cause of injury. Excision and graft surgeries were the most common type of surgery. The variables of sex, age, length of hospital stay, and type of job had a significant relationship with the type of voltage (P < .05). The difference between the ratio of men to women and the length of hospitalization in the group of injured with high-voltage electricity was greater and most of these patients were construction workers. The variables of sex, nationality, length of hospital stay, and cause of the accident had a significant relationship with the type of job (P < .05). Construction workers are the main group at risk of electrical damage in Iran. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct more extensive studies in the field of recognizing and implementing practical methods of preventing electrical injuries, especially in high-risk work environments.

Infectious diseases are an important cause of mortality in patients with renal failure. The markers used to diagnose infection in patients with renal failure have various limitations. Culture positivity is an objective guide in that context. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of frequently used markers of bacterial infection in predicting culture positivity in renal failure patients with renal failure hospitalized with suspected bacterial infection over an approximately 1.5-year period were included in this prospective observational study. Patients' demographic and laboratory findings were recorded. Demographic and laboratory findings and mortality were compared between patients with and without culture-positivity. Parameters affecting culture positivity were also analyzed. Four hundred twenty-six patients (median age 67.50, 45.5% female) were included in the study. Culture positivity was determined in 54.5% of patients. Hospital stay was longer (p

BACKGROUND: Impaired pretransplant performance status (PS) is associated with chronic liver disease (CLD). We studied its impact on hospital length of stay (LOS), complications, and readmissions in the first year after liver transplantation. METHODS: The Standard National Liver Transplant Registry was linked to a hospital administrative dataset, and all first-time liver transplant recipients with CLD aged ≥18 years in England were identified. A modified 3-level Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score was used to assess PS. Linear- and logistic-fixed effect regression models were used to estimate the effect of specific posttransplant complications and readmissions in the first year after transplantation. RESULTS: Six thousand nine hundred sixty-eight recipients were included. Impaired PS was associated with an increased LOS in the initial posttransplant period (comparing ECOG 1-3, adjusted difference 7.2 d; 95% confidence [CI], 4.8-9.6; P < 0.001) and in time spent on the ITU (adjusted difference 1.2 d; 95% CI, 0.4-2.0; P < 0.001). There was no significant association between ECOG status and total LOS of later admissions (adjusted difference, 2.5 d; 95% CI, -0.4-5.5; P = 0.23). Those with a poorer ECOG status had an increased incidence of renal failure (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.0; P = 0.004) and infection (odds ratio, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.4; P = 0.02) but not an increased incidence of readmission (odds ratio, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.9-1.5; P = 0.13). CONCLUSIONS: In liver transplant recipients with CLD, impaired pretransplant PS is associated with prolonged LOS in the immediate posttransplant period but not with LOS of later admissions in the first year after transplantation. Impaired PS increased the risk of renal failure and infection.

ObjectivePercutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is an alternative strategy for prevention of thromboembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation and unsuitable for long-term oral anticoagulation. The study aimed to evaluate the causes and timing of readmissions within 6 months following percutaneous LAAO in a real-world setting.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of percutaneous LAAO performed in the USA between January and June of 2016–2018 using the Nationwide Readmissions Database.ResultsOverall, 12 446 patients who underwent LAAO were included in the analyses and 3477 patients (28%) were readmitted within 6 months following the interventions. Readmitted patients were more often women (p=0.001). The index hospitalisation was characterised by longer duration of hospital stay (pConclusionsAfter percutaneous LAAO, over a quarter of the patients in the USA required rehospitalisation within 6 months, mainly due to heart failure and gastrointestinal bleeding.

To do a comparative surgical outcome and cost-benefit analysis of our simple modified Taylor retractor with both open and tubular techniques in lumbar discectomy.We retrospectively divided 52 lumbar disc patients operated by 2 different techniques between January 2019 and June 2020 into 2 groups- group 1 (n = 20): standard open macrodiscectomy (4-5 cm incision); group 2 (n = 32): unilateral translaminar microdiscectomy using our modified Taylor retractor with a small incision (18-20 mm, comparable to the tubular retractor). We compared both groups in terms of surgical outcomes and cost-benefit analysis. In addition, a cost-benefit comparison between our modified Taylor technique and that of the already published tubular microdiscectomy cohort was done.Complete symptom resolution occurred in 85% group 1 and 84.4% group 2 patients, with no difference in complication rates. Mean hospital stay was significantly less in group 2 (1.2 ± 0.37 days) as compared with group 1 (2.4 ± 1.15, P0.001). The mean total cost per patient was $2253.17 ± 69.16 in the modified Taylor microdiscectomy group compared with $2495.76 ± 214.85 (P0.001) in standard macrodiscectomy. Compared with the previously published tubular microdiscectomy cohort ($3069.91 ± 69.16), the modified Taylor retractor was $816.74 cheaper per patient with similar length of incision, surgical outcome, and hospital stay.Similar clinical outcomes at decreased costs are obtained using the modified Taylor retractor compared with the tubular retractor. The modified Taylor retractor has a simple design, is user-friendly, and frugal alternative to the tubular retractor system for microscopic discectomy, especially in the resource-constrained countries.

Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) remains the most clinically relevant complication of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP). The present study evaluated the efficacy of the “slow firing method” using a reinforced triple-row stapler (Covidien, Tokyo, Japan) during LDP. This retrospective single-center study included 73 consecutive patients who underwent LDP using the slow firing method. A black cartridge was used in all patients. The primary endpoint was the rate of clinically relevant POPF (CR-POPF) after LDP. Secondary endpoints included perioperative outcomes and factors associated with CR-POPF as well as the correlation between the transection time and thickness of the pancreas. Four patients (5.5%) developed CR-POPF (grade B). Overall morbidity rates, defined as grade ≥ II and ≥ III according to the Clavien-Dindo classification, were 21 and 11%, respectively. The median postoperative hospital stay was 10 days. Preoperative diabetes (13.6 vs. 0.2%, P = 0.044) and thickness of the pancreas ≥ 15 mm (13.8% vs. 0%, P = 0.006) were identified as independent risk factors for CR-POPF. The median transection time was 16 (8–29) min. The slow firing method using a reinforced triple-row stapler for pancreatic transection is simple, safe, and effective for preventing CR-POPF after LDP.

Wound complications are an important cause of postoperative morbidity among patients with gynaecologic malignancies. We evaluated whether the placement of closed‐incisional negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) at the time of laparotomy for gynaecologic cancer surgery reduced wound complication rates. A retrospective cohort study with primary wound closure performed by a gynaecologic oncologist was carried out. We evaluated two cohorts of patients who underwent surgery in 2017 with standard closure and patients who underwent surgery in 2019 with the placement of prophylactic ciNPT. Postoperative outcomes were examined. A total of 143 patients were included, 85 (59.4%) vs 58 (40.6%) with standard closure and ciNPT, respectively. The total complication rate in our sample was 38.71%. The rate of surgical complications in patients treated with ciNPT was 6.9% compared with 31.8% (P = .000) in patients treated with standard closure. In the analysis of complications, a significant reduction in infections (17.1%), seromas (15.4%), and wound dehiscence (17.1%) were observed when ciNPT was applied. The median hospital stay was 8 vs 6 days in the standard closure vs ciNPT groups (P = .048). The use of the prophylactic ciNPT following a laparotomy may decrease wound complications and hospital stays in oncological patients. ciNPT could be considered as part of clinical practice in patients at high risk of wound complications, such as patients with gynaecological malignancies.

Introduction We aimed to identify the associations between the lymphocytes (LYM) absolute count on admission and clinical outcomes in COVID‐19 patients. Methods In this retrospective study, 224 COVID‐19 patients who were admitted to General Hospital of Central Theater Command of the PLA from January 22 to April 4, 2020, were consecutively included. These patients were divided into the lymphopenia group and the nonlymphopenia group according to whether the LYM count on admission was below the normal range. Results During hospitalization, patients in the lymphopenia group have a much higher all‐cause mortality (14.5% vs 0.0%; P

Objective Many studies since the Term Breech Trial have demonstrated the safety of vaginal breech birth (VBB), and today it is an option for breech presentation at term. However, women with breech presentation often face a difficult decision regarding mode of birth, especially when planned cesarean was the standard of care in the not-so-distant past. We aim to clarify the decision-making process and barriers women face when making this decision. Methods Between January and April 2016, women who delivered with breech presentation were approached during their postpartum hospital stay to obtain consent for the study. The follow-up, semi-structured interview probed the woman's acquisition of knowledge and supports and barriers to her choices leading up to delivery. The responses were recorded and transcribed for analysis, and themes were identified for reporting. Results Of the 95 women who completed the interview, 21 preferred VBB but only 1 had a VBB. Most unplanned cesarean deliveries were performed for obstetrical indications, but 5 women expressed a lack of support for VBB or did not recall being provided options. Themes were identified with respect to the influences the women experienced, including passive external, provider-based, evidence-based, and internal. Conclusion Despite the availability of options for breech pregnancy, the majority of women continue to have planned cesarean deliveries. The retrospective process reveals that women did not fully understand the eligibility criteria for VBB and all available options (including external cephalic version). Shared decision-making and continuity of care should remain a priority during the counselling process and delivery of care.

Background Some prevalent but rarely studied causes of hospital admissions, such as sepsis is still unknown whether affected by air pollution. Methods We used time-series regression within generalized additive models to estimate the effect of air pollutant level on the sepsis-related hospital admissions, for the years 2017–18, using data from six cities in Sichuan, China. Potential effect modifications by age and sex were also explored. The effects of air pollutant on hospital stays for sepsis were also quantified. Results Positive associations between short-term exposure to NO2 and O3 and risk of sepsis-related hospital admissions and stays were found. Each 10 μg/m3 increase in short-term NO2 at lag 03 and O3 at lag 4 was associated with an increase of 2.76% (95% CI: 0.67, 4.84%) and 0.64% (95% CI: 0.14, 1.14%) hospital admissions, respectively. An increase of 0.72% (95% CI: 0.05, 1.40%) hospital stay was associated with 10 μg/m3 increase in O3 concentration at lag 4. Besides, the adverse effect of exposure to NO2 was more significant in males and population aged less than 14 years; while more significant in females and population aged 14 ~ 65 and over 65 years for exposure to O3. These associations remained stable after the adjustment of other air pollutants.8. Conclusion Exposure to ambient NO2 and O3 may cause substantial sepsis hospitalizations, and hospital stays in Sichuan, China. These associations were different in subgroup by age and sex.

OBJECTIVES This study investigated the effectiveness of the modified technique (Aydin Technique), which was applied for capitonnage in the surgical treatment of giant pulmonary hydatid cysts. METHODS Twenty-two cases were operated on for giant hydatid cysts with a total of 23 modified techniques for capitonnage (bilateral giant hydatid cyst in 1 case) in our clinic between January 2018 and December 2020. The demographic data were recorded. RESULTS Thirteen out of 22 (59.1%) of cases were male and 9 (40.9%) were female. The mean age was 22.0 ± 15.8 and 14 cases (63.6%) were children. Hydatid cysts were intact in 13 (56.5%) cases and ruptured in 10 (43.5%) cases. Hydatid cyst diameters were on average 123 ± 21 mm. A modified method was performed for capitonnage in all cases while decortication was performed in 2 (8.7%) cases due to pleural thickening. Radiological atelectasis was observed in 6 cases (27.3%) postoperatively. The patients with atelectasis recovered without any clinical problem and no intervention was needed. In 1 case, an infection developed at the incision site. Postoperative prolonged air leak, empyema and mortality were not observed in any of the cases. The postoperative mean length of hospital stay was 7.18 ± 2.15 days. The mean follow-up period was 19.5 ± 11.5 months. No recurrence was encountered in the follow-up of the patients. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study may suggest to perform this new-described modified Aydin technique to avoid major capitonnage complications of the giant pulmonary hydatid cyst surgery.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Gastrointestinal submucosal tumors (SMTs) can be removed by submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER). However, limited studies have evaluated STER for the removal of multiple upper gastrointestinal SMTs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of STER in the treatment of multiple upper gastrointestinal SMTs. METHODS From January 2011 to April 2020, the cases of patients with multiple upper gastrointestinal SMTs undergoing STER were retrospectively analyzed. Variables of clinicopathological characteristics, major adverse events (mAEs), and follow up were collected and analyzed. RESULTS Submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection was performed in 54 patients (48 male and 6 female patients) with 120 SMTs. Forty-four patients had two tumors, eight patients had three tumors, and two patients had four tumors. The median size of each patient was 1.8 cm (range 0.7 to 3.5 cm). Forty-five patients had tumors removed by one tunnel, and nine patients by two tunnels. The median procedure time was 50 min (range 14 to 120 min), and the mAE rate was 16.7% (9/54). No significant differences were found between patients with two tumors and those with > 2 tumors in terms of tunnel length, hospital stay, procedure time, and mAEs (all P > 0.05). In addition, patients with two tunnels had procedure time, hospital stay, and mAE rates comparable with those with one tunnel (all P > 0.05). No local recurrence or distant metastasis occurred during a median follow up of 64 months. CONCLUSIONS Submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection is a safe and effective technique for the resection of multiple upper gastrointestinal SMTs.

Objectives To evaluate treatment outcomes in patients with severe maxillofacial infections requiring hospital care during a 17-year period. Methods A retrospective cohort study reviewed 5,465 medical records, and the following data were collected: the reason for infection, locations of inflamed regions, treatment provided, bacteriological findings, and treatment outcomes. Other information included sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender), presence of systemic diseases, and smoking history. Results The annual incidence rate of patients with acute maxillofacial infections was 206 ± 19 cases with a male to female ratio 1.4:1.0, a mean hospital stay of 7.9 ± 4.9 days. Older age (>65 years), smoking and systemic diseases (diabetes), the causative tooth (molar), and need for extraoral incision predicted longer hospitalization. Intravenous penicillin was the most common drug prescribed in 50.5% of cases. A total of 132 different microorganisms were identified. The highest microorganism resistance occurred for metronidazole and the highest sensitivity was to clindamycin. Conclusions Increased age, smoking, diabetes, causative tooth, and the occurrence of several infected spaces were associated with a longer hospital stay. Streptococcus α haemolyticus was the most common microorganism found in more than 70.0% of cases that were sensitive to intravenous penicillin.

Background Scope-induced duodenal perforation is a life-threatening complication and surgery remains the standard of care. With the advent of over-the-scope clip (OTSC), scope-induced perforations are increasingly managed conservatively, though there is no study comparing this form of non-surgical treatment with surgery. We aimed to compare OTSC and surgery in the management of scope-induced perforation of the duodenum. Methods We retrospectively collected data of scope-induced duodenal perforation patients. Perforations identified and treated within 24 h of procedure were analyzed. Factors analyzed were spectrum, etiology, baseline parameters, perforation size, outcome, comorbidities, and duration of hospital stay. Results A total of 25 patients had type I duodenal perforations, out of whom five were excluded due to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Of the twenty, eight were treated with OTSC placement while the rest underwent surgery. Age was comparable and the majority were females. Baseline parameters and comorbidities were similar in both the groups. The median size of perforation was 1.5 cm in both the OTSC group and the surgical group. All patients were treated with standard of care according to institutional protocols. Patients in the OTSC group were started orally after 48 h of OTSC placement, while in the surgery group median time to oral intake was 7 days. Two patients in the surgical group died while there was no mortality in the OTSC group (p = 0.48). Median hospital stay was shorter in the OTSC group (2 days vs. 22 days, p = 0.003). Conclusions OTSC is a feasible and better option in type I duodenal perforations with a shorter hospital stay.

Hip fracture is a serious clinical event with high morbidity and mortality. Sarcopenia is characterized by age-related loss of muscle mass and function, leading to several adverse health outcomes. In this systematic review, no limitation criteria were used for study selection and 327 studies were identified in the initial search. Of these, 11 studies comprising a total of 2,314 patients were selected. The overall proportion of older adults with hip fracture having sarcopenia was 44%, with a disparity of approximately 10% between men and women. Most studies have indicated that older adults with sarcopenia had poorer postoperative functional recovery than those without sarcopenia; the association between sarcopenia and high postoperative mortality or long hospital stay was heterogeneous. Well-organized studies with longer follow-up periods are warranted.

This study aimed to evaluate the preoperative and intraoperative factors that may cause systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and to investigate the effect of the duration between urine culture (UC) and operation on postoperative SIRS. Three hundred and fifty-six patients who had PCNL between January 2015 and June 2019 were retrospectively included in the study. UC was obtained from all patients before the operation and during the puncture at the beginning of the operation. Postoperatively, patients were closely monitored for fever and other signs of SIRS. The post-PCNL SIRS incidence was 7%. In univariable and multivariable analyses, the rate of ipsilateral PCNL history, recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) history, operation time and the length of hospital stay were significant predictive factors for SIRS. The duration between UC and PCNL was not a statistically significant variable in both univariable and multivariable analysis. Our study concluded that the duration between UC and PCNL is not an influential factor for post-PCNL SIRS. Clarifying this issue may be possible with prospective studies in which the effects of factors such as ipsilateral PCNL history and recurrent urinary tract infection history which has been proven to be risk factors for post-PCNL SIRS are restricted.

BACKGROUND/AIM We created a novel, preoperative wellness program (WP) that promotes recovery. This study assessed its impact on patient outcomes after pancreatectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Pancreatoduodenectomies (PD) and distal pancreatectomies (DP) performed from 2015 to 2018 were reviewed using our institutional NSQIP database. Patients in the WP had their medical conditions optimized and were provided with the following: chlorhexidine, topical mupirocin, incentive spirometer, and immune-nutrition supplements. RESULTS Out of a total of 669 pancreatectomy patients (411 PD, 258 DP), 308 were enrolled in the WP (188 PD, 120 DP). In the PD subgroup, on multivariable analysis (MVA), the WP patients had shorter lengths of hospital stay (LOS) (12 vs. 10 days, p

Background: Most of the evidence for enhanced recovery programs (ERPs) in colorectal surgery relies on nonrandomized studies with control groups either historical or operated on at different facili...

Background Studies demonstrate wide variation in postoperative opioid prescribing and that patients are at risk of chronic opioid abuse after surgery. The factors that influence prescribing, however, remain obscure. This study investigates whether day of the week or the postoperative day at the time of discharge impacts prescribing patterns. Methods We identified patients who underwent commonly performed procedures at our institution from January 2014 through April 2019 and analyzed the relationship between postoperative opioids prescribed (oral morphine milligram equivalents) and both the day of the week and the postoperative day at discharge. Results In ambulatory operations (n = 13,545), each day progressing from Monday was associated with increased morphine milligram equivalents prescribed on discharge (P = .0080). For inpatient cases (n = 10,838), surgeons prescribed more morphine milligram equivalents at discharge in the latter half of the week and during the weekend (P = .0372). Every additional postoperative day at discharge was associated with a +19.25 morphine milligram equivalent prescribed (P Conclusion More opioids were prescribed on discharges later in the week and after prolonged hospital stays perhaps to avoid patients running out of medication. Providers may unintentionally allow such non-clinical factors to influence postoperative opioid prescribing. Increased awareness of these inadvertent biases may help decrease excess prescribing of potentially addicting opioids after an operation.

Hao Chen,1 Yu Hara,1 Nobuyuki Horita,1 Yusuke Saigusa,2 Takeshi Kaneko1 1Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan; 2Department of Biostatistics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, JapanCorrespondence: Hao ChenDepartment of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, 236-0004, JapanTel +81 045-352-7962Fax +81 045-352-7963Email chinsmd@gmail.comBackground: Community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most common diseases in elderly persons and usually results in a prolonged hospital stay. Discharge planning plays an important role in reducing the length of hospitalization. This study was designed to determine whether early screening for risk factors for delayed discharge could improve the quality of discharge planning.Methods: This retrospective, observational study was conducted in two medical facilities from January 2016 to December 2018. Hospital A used a screening tool on admission (screening group): screening for risk factors for delayed discharge and initiating discharge planning immediately for those for whom it was applicable, and discharge planning in the stable phase for those for whom it was not applicable; and Hospital B initiated discharge planning without screening (usual group). Propensity score-matched pneumonia patients in the two groups were then compared. The primary outcome was length of hospital stay.Results: A total of 648 patients were enrolled in this study. After adjusting for age, sex, aspiration, comorbidity, pneumonia severity index, and key person, 118 pairs underwent analysis. Length of stay was significantly different (20 days vs 13 days, p< 0.001) between the groups. There were no differences in duration of antibiotic treatment, in-hospital mortality, and 30-day readmission (9 days vs 9 days, p=0.744; 10 (8.5%) vs 10 (8.5%), p=1.000; 10 (8.5%) vs 9 (7.6%), p=0.811, respectively).Conclusion: Early screening for delayed discharge improved the quality of discharge planning by reducing the length of stay in pneumonia patients.Keywords: discharge planning, community-acquired pneumonia, delayed discharge

Objectives To explore the safety and efficacy of total thoracoscopic repair of ventricular septal defects (VSD). We compared clinical outcomes of VSD via a total thoracoscopic approach with those of mini‐sternotomy. Methods We retrospectively reviewed clinical data from patients with VSD from 2012 to January 2019. According to the surgical pattern, they were divided into two groups: the total thoracoscopic surgery group (36 patients, 27 females, aged 29 ± 9.52 years), and a mini‐sternotomy group (31 patients, 12 females, aged 28 ± 8.67 years). Results There were no deaths in either group. In the thoracoscopic group, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time and aortic cross‐clamping (ACC) time were significantly longer than those of the mini‐sternotomy group (CPB time: 112 ± 23.16 min vs. 78 ± 37.90 min, respectively, p

Summary Background No national epidemiological investigations have been conducted on several aspects of cleft lip and palate surgery. Methods The study was performed using the data of 5727 people who underwent cleft lip and palate surgery during the 6-year period from 2013 to 2018 archived by the National Health Information Database (NHID) of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Disease and operation codes were utilized for the analysis. Results Most patients underwent surgery during the first 5 years of life. The number of operations per patient remained almost constant during the study period, but hospital costs per patient gradually increased. When hospital costs per patient were subdivided by institution type, they were found to have steadily increased on an annual basis at all types with the exception of hospital .Since 2016, average hospital stay per operation decreased slightly, but the number of outpatient visits tended to increase. Conclusions Accessibility to tertiary hospitals has improved and patients increasingly choose to be treated at larger hospitals in metropolitan areas. Furthermore, these tendencies are expected to be maintained. Despite reductions in hospitalization stays, the cost of treatment, including operation costs, have increasing considerably. Changes in the insurance system are required to reduce financial burdens imposed on patients and on the National Health Insurance Service.

Objective: To examine the association between the place of residence and receiving free samples and advice to feed the baby with infant formula. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: The current study covered twelve counties/districts in China. Participants: 5112 mothers with infants aged 0–5·9 months. Results: About 16 % of the mothers received free samples of infant formula. During pregnancy, this likelihood was higher among mothers in small and medium cities (OR: 1·96; 95 % CI 1·14, 3·38) and non-poor rural counties (OR: 4·65; 95 % CI 1·65, 13·14) compared with mothers in big cities. During the hospital stay, it was lower in big cities. After discharge, it was lower in poor rural counties (OR: 0·14; 95 % CI 0·05, 0·41). About 26 % of the mothers were advised to feed their infants with infant formula. The likelihood of receiving advice to feed the baby with infant formula from hospitals was lower in non-poor (OR: 0·37; 95 % CI 0·21, 0·66) and poor rural counties (OR: 0·35; 95 % CI 0·13, 0·91) than in big cities. Mothers in non-poor rural counties were less likely to receive advice from traditional mass media (OR: 0·17; 95 % CI 0·06, 0·48), while mothers in small and medium cities were more likely to receive advice from modern mass media (OR: 1·84; 95 % CI 1·20, 2·80) compared with mothers in big cities. Conclusions: The promotion strategy of infant formula varies from different places of residence in China. The study suggests the need to strengthen enforcement of relevant regulations, especially within health facilities and through modern mass media.

OBJECTIVES We sought to assess the safety of a restrictive permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) strategy after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) as compared to a liberal strategy. BACKGROUND Conduction disturbances resulting in PPI are common after TAVI. However, conduction disturbances may be transient and PPI may be superfluous in some patients. METHODS Until August 2015, we performed PPI in all patients with new complete left bundle branch block (LBBB, QRS > 120 milliseconds) or higher degree atrioventricular (AV) blocks (liberal strategy). From September 2015 onwards, LBBB established an indication for PPI only in the presence of new-onset AV block (PQ > 200 milliseconds) (restrictive strategy). We analyzed the impact of the restrictive strategy on pacemaker implantation rate, duration of hospital stay, and 1-year mortality. RESULTS Between January 2014 and December 2016, 383 consecutive, pacemaker-naive patients underwent TAVI with the liberal PPI strategy and subsequently 384 with the restrictive strategy. The restrictive strategy significantly reduced the percentage of patients undergoing PPI before discharge (17.2% vs. 38.1%, p

Cardiac surgery lacks a method for quantifying postoperative morbidities. The Clavien-Dindo Complications Classification (CDCC) and the Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) were successfully implemented as outcome reporting methods in other surgical specialties. This study aims to validate these complication scales in cardiac surgery. Between 2010 and 2019, we prospectively collected data on 41,218 adult patients (73% men, mean age 67 ± 11 years) undergoing cardiac surgery at 6 university hospitals. Complications were graded using the CDCC based on the complication's treatment invasiveness with adaptations for common treatments in cardiac surgery. CCI were calculated, representing multiple complications on a scale of 0 (no complication) to 100 (death). Associations with predictors of poor outcome were assessed using mixed-effects models accounting for center as a random effect. CDCC grade was 0 in 23.0%, I in 11.4%, II in 35.3%, IIIa in 6.4%, IIIb in 2.6%, IVa in 16.1%, IVb in 2.1%, and V in 3.1%. Median CCI was 23 (9, 40). A change from lowest to highest observed CDCC grade was associated with an increase in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons mortality score from 1.1% to 4.7%, surgery duration from 177 to 233 minutes, and hospital stay from 5.2 to 17 days (all P0.0001). The CCI also increased with greater procedure complexity (P0.0001). Increase in CDCC/CCI is associated with greater comorbidities, surgery durations, lengths of stay, and procedure complexity, accurately reflecting the nuances of the adult cardiac surgery postoperative course. These have great potential for uniform outcome reporting and quality improvement initiatives.

Acute pancreatitis management guidelines recommend early aggressive hydration to improve clinical outcomes. We aim to evaluate the influence of early fluid therapy (total intravenous fluids in the first 24 h [IVF/24hrs]) on clinical outcomes in patients with acute pancreatitis.This was a retrospective chart review of all patients admitted for acute pancreatitis between July 2011 to December 2015. IVF/24hrs was categorized into 3 groups according to tertiles. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate predictors of persistent organ failure and in-hospital mortality.A total of 310 patients were included: Conservative (IVF/24hrs 2.8L, n = 102), Moderate (IVF/24hrs 2.8-4.475L, n = 105) and Aggressive (IVF/24hrs ≥ 4.475, n = 103). Most patients (80.6%) were African Americans, 91.3% had mild acute pancreatitis (BISAP score ≤ 2). The Aggressive IVF group had higher incidence of persistent organ failure (16.5% vs 4.9% and 7.6%, p = 0.013), and longer length of hospital stay (9.2 ± 10.7 vs 6.5 ± 7.3 and 6.8 ± 5.7 days, P = 0.032). However, IVF/24hr did not correlate with length of hospital stay (PCC 0.08, p = 0.174). On multivariate analysis, only organ failure at admission was an independent predictor of persistent organ failure (OR 16.1, p 0.001). Persistent organ failure and local complications were found to be the only independent predictors in-hospital mortality (OR 27.6, p 0.001 and OR 16.95, p = 0.001 respectively). There was no difference in clinical outcomes in African Americans compared to other races.More aggressive early IVF therapy in a predominantly mild acute pancreatitis cohort, was not associated with improvement in persistent organ failure, length of hospital stay, or in-hospital mortality.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the health care quality among insured patients hospitalized in the Indonesian mother and child hospital. Method: A secondary data analysis was performed to evaluate the health care services received by the insured patients hospitalized in the Indonesian mother and child hospital. Data were extracted from the BPJS health insurance e-claim database from January 1 to December 31, 2019 and from January 1 to June 30, 2020. A descriptive and bivariate analysis were used to examine total patients and hospital admissions; INACBGs diagnoses, procedures by severity; types of inpatient wards; length of stay; discharge status; hospital costs; and 30-day readmissions. Results: Total inpatient unit admissions were 2870 in 2019 and 1533 in 2020. From total hospital admissions in 2019 and 2020, over 50% were admitted to the 3rd class of inpatient units, less than 10% had length of stays more than 5 days, and over 98% were discharged based on physician approval. However, hospital readmissions were also found for about 20.1% in 2019 and 2.9% in 2020 and about 42.9% in 2019 and 61.3% in 2020 were found causing hospital financial losses. Older patients, longer hospital stays, inpatient ward class 1 & 2, high hospital tariff, inadequate clinical pathway implementation, lack of interprofessional collaboration, and ineffective nurse manager supervision were identified as contributing factors to the hospital financial losses. Conclusion: Integrated clinical pathways with interprofessional collaboration that are implemented through professional nursing practice model are suggested for health care quality improvement.

Introduction: In very low birth weight (Methods: This is a single-center retrospective cohort analysis based on quality assurance data of VLBW infants born from 1978 to 2018. Estimation of sex-specific LOHS over time was based on infants discharged home from neonatal care or deceased. Estimation of sex-specific PAD over time was based on infants discharged home exclusively. Analysis of in-hospital survival was performed for all VLBW infants. Results: In 4,336 of 4,499 VLBW infants admitted from 1978 to 2018 with complete data (96.4%), survival rates improved between 1978–1982 and 1993–1997 (70.8 vs. 88.3%; hazard ratio (HR) 0.20, 95% confidence interval 0.14, 0.30) and remained stable thereafter. Boys had consistently higher mortality rates than girls (15 vs. 12%, HR 1.23 [1.05, 1.45]). Nonsurviving boys died later compared to nonsurviving girls (adjusted mean survival time 23.0 [18.0, 27.9] vs. 20.7 [15.0, 26.3] days). LOHS and PAD assessed in 3,166 survivors displayed a continuous decrease over time (1978–1982 vs. 2013–2018: LOHS days 82.9 [79.3, 86.5] vs. 60.3 [58.4, 62.1] days); PAD 40.4 (39.9, 40.9) vs. 37.4 [37.1, 37.6] weeks). Girls had shorter LOHS than boys (69.4 [68.0, 70.8] vs. 73.0 [71.6, 74.4] days) and were discharged with lower PAD (38.6 [38.4, 38.8] vs. 39.2 [39.0, 39.4] weeks). Discussion/Conclusions: LOHS and PAD decreased over the last 40 years, while survival rates improved. Male sex was associated with longer LOHS, higher PAD, and higher mortality rates.

Background Extended length of stay (LOS) after surgery is costly to the health care system and can be distressing to the patient and family. Previous studies have shown conflicting data on factors associated with increased LOS and are limited by using multiple different surgeries. Our study seeks to analyze factors that are associated with extended LOS. Objective The objective of this study was to analyze data from 2 Food and Drug Administration trials of one-level cervical surgery to identify risk factors that are associated with extended LOS in the hospital. Methods Extended LOS was defined to be >1 day. Patients with LOS ≤1 day were compared with those with LOS >1 day. Data from the BRYAN and Prestige ST Trial (n = 1004) were analyzed. Subjects with LOS ≤1 day were compared with those with LOS >1 day. Variables analyzed for their effect on LOS included demographic characteristics, patient-reported outcome measures, preoperative medical conditions, preoperative neurologic status, and intraoperative factors. Results A total of 912 patients (90.84%) had an LOS ≤1 day and 92 patients (9.16%) had an extended LOS >1 day. Weak narcotic medication use (P = 0.021; odds ratio [OR], 1.72), Nurick gait (P = 0.019; OR, 1.796), and operative time (P Conclusions Nurick gait, operative time, and history of weak narcotic use are associated with extended hospital stay. These data may be useful in preoperatively counseling patients, developing quality metrics for hospitals, and helping create financial models for cost/diagnosis-related group reimbursement for single-level anterior cervical surgery.

Limited data are available on the transition from subcutaneous to intravenous prostacyclin in precapillary pulmonary hypertension. We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who were switched from subcutaneous to intravenous treprostinil with an implantable infusion pump. We included 85 consecutive, clinically stable patients (mean age 66 years and range 16-85), who had been treated with subcutaneous treprostinil for mean 9 months (range 1-78) before pump implantation. An interdisciplinary expert panel defined standards for this procedure before the first implantation. As the first patient experienced a significant hypotensive episode indicating treprostinil overdose postoperatively, the time span to stop subcutaneous treprostinil was reduced to 60 minutes for all following patients. No events associated with the switch from subcutaneous to intravenous treprostinil were observed during postoperative hospital stay in 84 (98.8%) patients. Taking into account a likely depot effect of subcutaneous treprostinil patients can safely be switched to the intravenous route by the implantation of an infusion pump.

Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: A protonpumpagátló kezelés és Helicobacter pylori eradikáció következtében a fekélyincidencia csökkent, a fekélyből származó vérzések száma is csökkent, ellenben a perforációk előfordulása változatlanul 2–10% között van. A perforáció egy potenciálisan fatális sebészi sürgősségi helyzet, a mortalitás elérheti a 25%-ot, a morbiditás pedig az 50%-ot. Az időben végzett sürgős sebészi kezelés javíthatja az eredményeket. Célkitűzés: A fekélyperforáció nyitott és laparoszkópos módon történt ellátásának összehasonlítása a morbiditás, mortalitás, műtéti idő és ápolási idő alapján. Eredmények: 2017. 01. 01. és 2019. 06. 30. között 55 műtét történt gastro-duodenális fekélyperforáció miatt, 31 műtétet (56,36%) nyitott és 24 műtétet (43,63%) pedig laparoszkópos módon végeztünk. A laparoszkópos csoportban 4 konverzió történt (16,6%). A nyitott műtéti csoportban 23 férfi (átlagéletkor 56,3 év) és 8 nő volt (átlagéletkor 70,3 év), míg a laparoszkópos csoportban 13 férfi (átlagéletkor 49,7 év) és 11 nő (átlagéletkor 53,7 év) volt. A nyitott csoportban 5, a laparoszkópos csoportban 2 szövődmény fordult elő (p = 0,45). Az átlagos műtéti idő a nyitott műtétnél 51,95 perc (30–85), míg a laparoszkópos műtétnél 63,41 (25–110) perc volt (p = 0,13). A nyitott csoportból 6 (átlagéletkor 74,3 év), a laparoszkópos csoportból pedig 2 (átlagéletkor 68,5 év) beteget veszítettünk el 30 napon belül (p = 0,44). Az átlagos ápolási idő a nyitott csoportban 7,13 (5–16), a laparoszkópos csoportban pedig 6,19 (4–13) napnak bizonyult (p = 0,24). Az átlagos perforációméret a nyitott műtéti csoportban 7,4 mm (3–20 mm), míg a laparoszkópos műtéti csoportban 5,3 mm (3–10 mm) volt (p = 0,14). Szabad levegő natív hasi röntgenvizsgálaton a nyitott csoportban 25 esetben (80%), míg a laparoszkópos csoportban 13 esetben volt látható (54%). Megbeszélés: A korai diagnózis, az azonnal kezdett szupportív és antibiotikus kezelés és a sürgős műtét elengedhetetlen az eredmények javításához. A standard műtét a sutura csepleszlebennyel, amit lehet nyitottan és laparoszkóppal is végezni. Bár a viszonylag kis esetszám miatt anyagunkban nem sikerült igazolni a szövődmények arányának szignifikáns csökkenését, az irodalmi adatok alapján a laparoszkópos beavatkozásnak kisebb a morbiditása, mint a nyílt műtétnek, és ha nincs ellenjavallata a laparoszkópiának (anamnézisben többszörös hasi műtét, nem kellő laparoszkópos gyakorlat, felvételkori sokkos állapot és magas életkor), a laparoszkópia általános előnyei miatt és a szabadlevegő-hiány okozta diagnosztikus bizonytalanság esetén is a laparoszkópia első választásként javasolható. Summary. Introduction: The incidence of peptic ulcer disease decreased due to proton pump inhibitors and Helicobacter pylori eradication. Bleeding from peptic ulcer decreased, as well, although perforation did not decrease and it is permanently between 2–10%. This is a potential surgical emergency, the mortality can reach up to 25% and the morbidity 50%, respectively. Urgent surgical intervention in the right time can improve the results. Aim: To compare the morbidity, mortality, the length of hospital stay and duration of operating time in open and laparoscopic repair of perforated peptic ulcer. Results: A cohort of 55 patients were operated on with perforated peptic ulcer from 01.01.2017 to 30.06.2019 31 open (51.36%) and 24 laparoscopic (43.63%) operations were performed from which 4 (16.6%) needed conversion to open approach. The average age of 23 men and 8 women were 56.3 and 70.3 years respectively in the open operations group, while 13 men and 11 women with average age of 49.7 and 53.7 years was in the laparoscopic operations group. Within 30 days the number of complications were 5 in the open and 2 in the laparoscopic group (p = 0.45). The average duration of operation was 51.95 minutes (30–85) in the open and 63.41 minutes (25–110) in the laparoscopic group (p = 0.13). 6 from the open group with average age of 74.3 years and 2 from the laparoscopic group with average age of 68.5 years died within 30 days (p = 0.44). The average length of stay was 7.13 (5–16) days in the open and 6.19 (4–13) days in the laparoscopic group (p = 0.24). The average size of the perforation was 7.4 mm (3–20) in the open and 5.3 mm (3–10) in the laparoscopic group (p = 0.14). Free air was seen in the abdominal cavity in 25 cases (80%) of the open and in 11 cases (54%) of the laparoscopic group. Conclusion: Early diagnosis, prompt supportive care and antibiotic treatment and urgent surgical intervention are essential to improve outcomes. The standard operation is the simple suture with pedicled omental flap which can be performed by either open or laparoscopic surgical repair. Laparoscopic method spreads slowly, the learning curve is longer and it needs more expertise but the morbidity is lower than that of the open surgery. The morbidity does not increase after conversion according to the literature so if there is no contraindication and there is enough expertise it should be suggested as the first choice.

Objective To describe and evaluate our newly developed minimal instrumentation technique, needle-perc, for treatment of preschool-aged patients with renal stones. To the best of our knowledge, this is the smallest endoscopic equipment for percutaneous nephrolithotomy reported thus far. Materials and Methods Needle-perc was performed in 8 patients using a 4.2-Fr needle to achieve access to the collecting system under ultrasonic guidance alone. The mean patient age was 2.4 years (range, 0-5 years). Five of the 8 patients were boys, while 3 were girls. Six patients had unilateral stones and 2 patients had bilateral stones. Six renal units exhibited single calculus, 2 exhibited staghorn stones, and 2 exhibited multiple stones. The mean calculus size was 1.6 cm (range, 0.8-4.5 cm). Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative parameters were analyzed prospectively. Results Access was successfully achieved in all patients. Puncturing was fully guided by ultrasound. Five patients underwent needle-perc alone. Two patients were transferred to 16-Fr access because of intrarenal infection and large stone burden. One patient underwent reduction of tract number. The mean operative time was 49.2 minutes (range, 22-75 minutes); mean hemoglobin loss was 5.2 g/L (range, 0-13.8 g/L). The mean postoperative hospital stay was 5 days (range, 3-7 days). Preplaced catheters were kept for 2-3 days to facilitate fragment discharge. Complications occurred in 2 patients: fever >38.5°C. The stone-free rate was 100% at 1 month postoperatively. Conclusion Our initial data indicate that needle-perc is feasible and safe for preschool-aged renal patients. Further studies are required to define its usefulness in treatment of larger stones.

Objective: To compare the outcome in terms of mean time to disappearance of cough, wheezing, crackles and length of hospital stay in patients treated with sodium chloride 3% with sodium chloride 0.9% as nebulisation diluent in children for suffering from bronchiolitis. Methods: The prospective study was conducted at the Department of Paediatric Medicine Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from November 2014 to April 2015, and comprised children aged between 6 weeks and 24 months having bronchiolitis. Group A received 3% sodium chloride and Group B received 0.9% of the same solution. Duration of cough, wheezing, crackles and duration of stay at hospital were compared between the groups. Data was analysed using SPSS 17. Results: Of the 100 patients, there were 50(50%) in Group A with a mean age of 7.17±4.46, and as many in Group B with a mean age of 6.6±3.74. Overall, there were 55(55%) boys and 45(45%) girls. Mean cough and wheezing remission time as well as length of hospital stay was significantly different between the groups (p

Background We evaluated the impact of Screening Tool for Risk on Nutritional Status and Growth (STRONGkids) classification in time to discharge and verify whether the nutrition risk assessed by this method is an independent predictor of hospital length of stay (LOS) in pediatric inpatients. Methods A cohort study was conducted in a Brazilian hospital from February 2014 to July 2018. The outcome in the survivor analysis was hospital discharge. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the cumulative survival time according to STRONGkids categories. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were fitted, and the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), with respective 95% CI, was used to measure the strength of association. The discriminatory ability of STRONGkids was verified by a receiver operating characteristic curve RESULTS: A total 641 patients were included in the study: 54.9% males, median age of 2.8 years. The frequencies of low, moderate, and high nutrition risk were 15.6%, 63.7%, and 20.7%, respectively. The mean LOS was 5.9 days. Survival curves differed significantly according to nutrition-risk categories. Patients classified as high risk had a 52% less chance of hospital discharge when compared with low-risk patients (aHR: 0.48; 95% CI, 0.35-0.65). STRONGkids score ≥ 3 showed the best discriminatory power to identify LOS. From this score, there was a significant increase in the days of hospitalization. Conclusion The nutrition risk assessed by STRONGkids independently predicts LOS in pediatric patients. For this outcome, patients with 3 points (moderate risk) should be treated with the same priority as those with high risk.

Objectives Severe post-operative pain is common after total knee arthroplasty. Patient-controlled analgesia is an alternative method of pain management, whereby a patient administers his or her own pain medication. Patients seem to prefer this method over nurse-administered analgesia. However, it remains unclear whether patients using patient-controlled analgesia devices use higher or lower doses of opioids compared to patients treated with oral opioids. Methods This retrospective study examined 164 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Post-operatively, 82 patients received oxycodone via intravenous patient-controlled analgesia devices, while the pain medication for 82 patients in the control group was administered by nurses. The main outcome measure was the consumption of intravenous opioid equivalents within 24 h after surgery. Secondary outcome measures were the use of anti-emetic drugs and the length of stay. Furthermore, we evaluated opioid-related adverse event reports. Results The consumption of opioids during the first 24 h after surgery and the use of anti-emetic drugs were similar in both groups. The median opioid dose of intravenous morphine equivalents was 41.1 mg (interquartile range (IQR): 29.5–69.1 mg) in the patient-controlled analgesia group and 40.5 mg (IQR: 32.4–48.6 mg) in the control group, respectively. The median length of stay was 2 days (IQR: 2–3 days) in the patient-controlled analgesia group and 3 days (IQR: 2–3 days) in the control group (p=0.02). The use of anti-emetic drugs was similar in both groups. Conclusions The administration of oxycodone via intravenous patient-controlled analgesia devices does not lead to increased opioid or anti-emetic consumptions compared to nurse-administered pain medication after total knee arthroplasty. Patient-controlled analgesia might lead to shortened length of stay.

Objective The suggested high costs of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) hamper the choice of insurance companies and financial regulators for EVAR as the primary option for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. However, arguments used in this debate are impeded by time related aspects such as effect modification and the introduction of confounding by indication, and by asymmetric evaluation of outcomes. Therefore, a re-evaluation minimising the impact of these interferences was considered. Methods A comparative analysis was performed evaluating a period of exclusive open repair (OR; 1998–2000) and a period of established EVAR (2010–2012). Data from four hospitals in The Netherlands were collected to estimate resource use. Actual costs were estimated by benchmark cost prices and a literature review. Costs are reported at 2019 prices. A break even approach, defining the costs for an endovascular device at which cost equivalence for EVAR and OR is achieved, was applied to cope with the large variation in endovascular device costs. Results One hundred and eighty-six patients who underwent elective AAA repair between 1998 and 2000 (OR period) and 195 patients between 2010 and 2012 (EVAR period) were compared. Cost equivalence for OR and EVAR was reached at a break even price for an endovascular device of €13 190. The main cost difference reflected the longer duration of hospital stay (ward and Intensive Care Unit) of OR (€11 644). Re-intervention rates were similar for OR (24.2%) and EVAR (24.6%) (p = .92). Conclusion Cost equivalence for EVAR and OR occurs at a device cost of €13 000 for EVAR. Hence, for most routine repairs, EVAR is not costlier than OR until at least the five year follow up.

Highlights • Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children affects young Chilean patients. • Gastrointestinal symptoms and altered inflammation parameters predominate. • Although intensive care was needed, favorable clinical outcomes were achieved. • Cases appeared in clusters in the most vulnerable areas of Santiago. • Clinical teams must be alert during the weeks after COVID-19 cases rise significantly., Objective To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in Santiago, Chile. Methods This was an observational study of children with MIS-C (May 1 to June 24, 2020), in three pediatric hospitals in Santiago. Demographic characteristics and epidemiological data, medical history, laboratory tests, cardiology evaluations, treatment, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results Twenty-seven patients were admitted (median age 6, range 0–14 years). Sixteen of the 27 (59%) required intensive care unit admission; there were no deaths. Seventy-four percent had no comorbidities, and the median number of days of symptoms before admission was 4 (range 2–9 days). Gastrointestinal symptoms were the most frequent, and inflammatory markers were increased at admission. A recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was detected in 82% of cases. The severe group showed significantly lower hemoglobin and albumin levels, decreased platelet counts, and higher d-dimer during disease evolution. Echocardiography showed abnormalities (myocardial, pericardial, or coronary) in 12 patients (46%) during their hospital stay. Anti-inflammatory treatment (immunoglobulin and/or corticosteroids) was prescribed in 24 patients. MIS-C appeared in clusters weeks after the peak of SARS-CoV-2 cases, especially in the most vulnerable areas of Santiago. Conclusions This study describes the first series (n = 27) of children with MIS-C in a Latin American country, showing favorable clinical outcomes. Education and alerts are required for clinical teams to establish an early diagnosis and prompt treatment.

Background Conflicting data on the safety of pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for elderly patients exist. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate and compare the nutritional factors and clinical outcomes of PD between elderly and non-elderly patients.Methods A retrospective study of 122 consecutive patients who underwent PD from April 2008 to April 2020 was conducted. Preoperative and postoperative nutritional factors (prognostic nutritional index [PNI]), complication rates, and survival rates were compared between the elderly (age ≥80 years) and non-elderly (age t-test, chi-squared test with Fisher’s exact test, and log-rank test.Results A total of 20 elderly patients (16.4%) and 102 non-elderly patients (83.6%) underwent PD. With respect to preoperative factors, elderly patients had a significantly lower PNI than non-elderly patients. The duration of operation, amount of blood loss, postoperative complication rate, and incidence rate of pancreatic fistula were similar between the two groups. At 3 months postoperatively, elderly patients had a lower albumin level and PNI than non-elderly patients. The median length of hospital stay was significantly longer in the elderly group than in the non-elderly group (39.9 vs. 27 days, P=0.004). The rate of death due to other diseases was relatively higher in the elderly group than in the non-elderly group. Elderly patients had a significantly lower overall survival rate than non-elderly patients (1-/3-/5-year overall survival rates: 78.1%/26.7%/13.3% vs. 87.1%/54.4%/46.7%; log-rank test, P=0.008).Conclusions Elderly patients had a lower nutritional status and lower survival rate than non-elderly patients. Careful patient selection and optimal perioperative care are necessary to determine whether PD is indicated for elderly patients.