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Objective: Enhanced recovery pathways reduce length of stay and costs following lung resection. However, many fear that early discharge may lead to increased hospital readmissions. In this study, we aimed to determine whether early discharge was associated with increased readmission following anatomic lung resection., Methods: Using the lung resection database approved by our institutional review board, we identified all patients undergoing minimally invasive lobectomy and segmentectomy between January 2010 and March 2017 at our institution, where an enhanced recovery pathway is well established. Thirty-day readmissions were compared between patients with short- and average length of stay, defined as 1 to 2 days and 3 to 5 days, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis of patients matched by propensity scores was performed to determine odds of 30-day readmission for each group. Significance was set at P < 0.05., Results: A total of 296 patients met inclusion criteria. Unadjusted analysis revealed a 3-fold increased rate of readmission in the group with average length of stay (9%, n = 12) versus the group with short length of stay (3%, n = 5; P < 0.01). At baseline, patients with average length of stay had increased rates of preoperative chemotherapy (13%, n = 18 vs. 4%, n = 6; P < 0.01) and radiation (12%, n = 16 vs. 3%, n = 5). Patients with average length of stay also had higher rates of lobectomy (95%, n = 127 vs. 86%, n = 140; P = 0.02) and postoperative complications (31%, n = 41 vs. 4%, n = 7; P < 0.01). On multivariable analysis, patients with average length of stay had a 2.3-fold greater odds of readmission, which was not statistically significant (OR = 2.33; 95% CI, 0.60 to 9.02; P = 0.22)., Conclusions: Early discharge following minimally invasive anatomic lung resection does not increase the risk of hospital readmission in patients treated within an enhanced recovery pathway.

Background: Treatment of congenital pulmonary airway malformations (CPAMs) is generally surgical resection; however, there is controversy regarding the optimal timing of surgical intervention, especially in asymptomatic patients., Study Design: Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric Participant Use Files from 2012 to 2015, children who underwent lung resection for CPAMs were identified. Outcomes in children who underwent lung resection during the neonatal period were compared with those who underwent resection beyond the neonatal period, but during the first year of life (non-neonates)., Results: A total of 541 patients (20.7% neonates and 79.3% non-neonates) were identified. Neonates had higher rates of preoperative comorbidities and worse postoperative outcomes when compared with non-neonates (morbidity 19.6% vs 5.4%, p < 0.0001). On multivariable regression analysis, the presence of preoperative symptoms (defined as oxygen dependence or ventilatory support) was independently associated with increased morbidity (odds ratio 3.91 [range 1.6 to 9.57], p = 0.003). In a subgroup analysis of asymptomatic neonates compared with asymptomatic non-neonates, there was no difference in overall morbidity (7.4% vs 4.4%, p = 0.33)., Conclusions: These data suggest that lung resection for CPAMs in the neonatal period in asymptomatic children are not associated with increased 30-day morbidity. The presence of preoperative symptoms was independently associated with increased morbidity in a multivariable regression model. More data are needed to better understand the long-term outcomes and better define the optimal timing of surgery in this patient population., (Copyright © 2017 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we investigated the impact of surgical approach and race on in-hospital mortality after lobectomy for lung cancer., Methods: Logistic regression was used to model odds ratios for in-hospital mortality related to surgical technique (thoracotomy vs video assisted thoracoscopic surgery [VATS]) and race using discharge data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2008 to 2011)., Results: VATS lobectomies increased each year (25.9% to 39.2%, P = .001) in the 19,353 patients identified. A racial disparity was noted, with black patients being 66% more likely to die in the hospital (odds ratio 1.66, 95% confidence interval 1.17 to 2.37, P = .005). Excluding 2010 data suggests that there is evidence of benefit associated with VATS; however, no evidence of an association between race and in-hospital mortality exists., Conclusions: This study elucidates race-related mortality in lobectomy patients. Although racial disparities are present throughout health care, this finding emphasizes one of the challenges in using large databases to assess such disparities., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)