What is the predictor of surgical mortality in adult colorectal perforation? The clinical characteristics and results of a multivariate logistic regression analysis

The Impact of Delayed Surgical Care on Patient Outcomes With Alimentary Tract Perforation: Insight From a Low-Middle Income Country

Introduction

In-patient delay is associated with increased mortality in patients with alimentary tract perforations. Access to surgical care is a glaring health issue in low-middle income countries (LMICs), where patient presentation is also delayed for a myriad of reasons, which can be broadly categorized as social/cultural, financial, and structural in their nature. The impact these delays have on surgical outcomes in low-middle income countries is not known.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent emergency laparotomy for alimentary tract perforation from July 2015 to June 2018 was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Time was recorded in two variables: symptom onset to emergency room presentation (ERT) and emergency room to operation room time (ORT).

Results

Overall, 80 patients were included in the study. The 12 (15%) patients who expired were significantly older (57 ± 17.7 years of age), had a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index and had longer ORT [median ORT in hours-discharged vs expired: 8.2 (IQR 5-15) vs 16 (IQR 12-28) p=0.02]. ERT was also longer but lacked statistical significance [median ERT in hours-discharged vs expired: 24 (IQR 22-72) vs 48 (IQR 24-120) p=0.19]. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed ORT to be significantly associated with mortality [odds ratio (OR): 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.003-1.041; p=0.02]. Adjusted Cox regression analysis showed that each hour of ORT increased the risk of mortality by 1.5% [hazard ratio (HR) 1.015, 95% CI 1.001-1.030].

Conclusion

Inpatient delays increased the risk of mortality for patients undergoing emergency laparotomy for alimentary tract perforation. Larger sample sizes and prospective studies are needed to better understand this relationship and the impact pre-hospital delays have on outcomes.

Broken beer bottle as a cause of sigmoid perforation: A summary of causes and predictors in the management of traumatic and non-traumatic colorectal perforation

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

The presence of foreign bodies at the colorectal level and associated complications is a problem that has become increasingly common in emergency departments. This condition carries high health costs, in addition to having high morbidity and mortality rates, due to the large number of complications such as perforation.

CASE PRESENTATION

46-year-old male patient, who came to the emergency department of a low-level hospital with a clinical picture of approximately one day of evolution consisting of the violent introduction of a foreign body (bottle) at the anorectal level secondary to aggression in a fight, with subsequent endoluminal rupture.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

The most recent evidence indicates that the incidence of perforation as a complication of colorectal foreign body introduction is low. However, the presence of profuse bleeding, advanced age, presence of comorbidities and sepsis are predictors of poor prognosis in these cases. In general, perforation secondary to non-traumatic causes is more frequent, being predominantly due to colorectal cancer, ischemia, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, inadequate use of enema, iatrogenic endoscopy or anorectal manometry or fecal impaction. The presence of unfavorable factors prolongs hospital stay, the risk of reoperation, perianal infection, peritonitis, sepsis and wound infection, generating mortality rates of up to 38%.

CONCLUSION

Colorectal perforation is more frequent in non-traumatic situations and carries health costs and risk of mortality. Its management depends on hospital aspects, clinical context of the patient and training of health personnel. However, most of the outcomes are favorable.

Association of pre-operative chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury with in-hospital outcomes of emergency colorectal surgery: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

Pre-operative kidney function is known to be associated with surgical outcomes. However, in emergency surgery, the pre-operative kidney function may reflect chronic kidney disease (CKD) or acute kidney injury (AKI). We examined the association of pre-operative CKD and/or AKI with in-hospital outcomes of emergency colorectal surgery.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study including adult patients undergoing emergency colorectal surgery in 38 Japanese hospitals between 2010 and 2017. We classified patients into five groups according to the pre-operative status of CKD (defined as baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or recorded diagnosis of CKD), AKI (defined as admission serum creatinine value/baseline serum creatinine value ≥ 1.5), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD): (i) CKD(-)AKI(-), (ii) CKD(-)AKI(+), (iii) CKD(+)AKI(-), (iv) CKD(+)AKI(+), and (v) ESRD groups. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, while secondary outcomes included use of vasoactive drugs, mechanical ventilation, blood transfusion, post-operative renal replacement therapy, and length of hospital stay. We compared these outcomes among the five groups, followed by a multivariable logistic regression analysis for in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

We identified 3002 patients with emergency colorectal surgery (mean age 70.3 ± 15.4 years, male 54.5%). The in-hospital mortality was 8.6% (169/1963), 23.8% (129/541), 15.3% (52/340), 28.8% (17/59), and 32.3% (32/99) for CKD(-)AKI(-), CKD(-)AKI(+), CKD(+)AKI(-), CKD(+)AKI(+), and ESRD, respectively. Other outcomes such as blood transfusion and post-operative renal replacement therapy showed similar trends. Compared to the CKD(-)AKI(-) group, the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for in-hospital mortality was 2.54 (1.90-3.40), 1.29 (0.90-1.85), 2.86 (1.54-5.32), and 2.76 (1.55-4.93) for CKD(-)AKI(+), CKD(+)AKI(-), CKD(+)AKI(+), and ESRD groups, respectively. Stratified by baseline eGFR (> 90, 60-89, 30-59, and < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2) and AKI status, the crude in-hospital mortality and adjusted odds ratio increased in patients with baseline eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 among patients without AKI, while these were constantly high regardless of baseline eGFR among patients with AKI. Additional analysis restricting to 2162 patients receiving the surgery on the day of hospital admission showed similar results.

CONCLUSIONS

The differentiation of pre-operative CKD and AKI, especially the identification of AKI, is useful for risk stratification in patients undergoing emergency colorectal surgery.

Diagnostic effectiveness of preoperative water-soluble contrast enema in colorectal perforation

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of performing a preoperative water-soluble contrast enema (WSCE) before emergency surgery for colorectal perforation.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 68 consecutive patients who underwent a preoperative WSCE before emergency surgery for colorectal perforation during the period from January 2011 to December 2017. Clinical characteristics and inflammatory biomarkers were compared between patients with Hinchey I-II versus those with Hinchey III-IV.

RESULTS

WSCE leakage occurred in 27 of 68 patients (39.7%). Univariate analysis showed that the two groups (Hinchey I-II and Hinchey III-IV) significantly differed regarding age, perforation site, cause of perforation, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, presence or absence of WSCE leakage, and white blood cell count. Multivariable analysis revealed that WSCE leakage was a predictor of Hinchey III-IV, with an odds ratio of greater than 24 (P = 0.002). The sensitivity and specificity of WSCE leakage for differentiating those with Hinchey III-IV from those with Hinchey I-II were 76.5% and 97.1%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This retrospective study indicates that preoperative WSCE before emergency surgery is a useful tool for predicting the presence of Hinchey III-IV in patients with colorectal perforation.

The Association between Absence of Abdominal Pain and Mortality in Lower Intestinal Perforation in Patients with Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases

Objective

To determine mortality and predictive factors for lower intestinal perforation (LIP) among patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

Methods

This retrospective, single-center, observational study analyzed mortality rates in 31 autoimmune rheumatic disease patients with LIP who were admitted to our hospital from January 2002 to June 2017. The primary outcome was the mortality rate during hospitalization.

Results

The median age at the time of LIP was 61 years, and the survival rate at discharge was 64.5%. Eleven patients died of sepsis during hospitalization. Cox univariable analysis for mortality during hospitalization showed that absence of abdominal pain (hazard ratio (HR) 5.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38–22.9), higher age (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01–1.11), chronic kidney disease (HR 6.89, 95% CI 1.85–25.7), systemic vasculitis (HR 3.95, 95% CI 1.14–13.6), higher blood urea nitrogen (HR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.04), higher serum creatinine (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.06–1.87), and LIP due to malignancy (HR 14.3, 95% CI 1.95–105.1) significantly increased mortality.

Conclusion

Abdominal pain was absent in 16% of LIP patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, and this absence was a poor prognostic factor in this cohort. Moreover, higher age, chronic kidney disease, systemic vasculitis, and LIP due to malignancy were associated with significantly increased mortality. Physicians should be aware of LIP in autoimmune disease patients with higher age, chronic kidney diseases, or systemic vasculitis even if patients reveal mild abdominal symptoms.

Iatrogenic Colonic Perforations: Changing the Paradigm

PURPOSE

The purpose of our study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of colonoscopic perforations in patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively studied patients with perforations secondary to diagnostic/therapeutic colonoscopy between 2009 and 2015 at the Pontevedra Hospital Complex. We analyzed age, closure method, length of hospitalization, and long-term progress.

RESULTS

Of the 34 perforations detected, 67.6% occurred in patients aged below 75 years. Most perforations occurred in the descending colon (55%). Perforations occurred in 55.9% of outpatients and 45% of inpatients. Diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopies caused perforations in 20.6% and 79.4% of patients, respectively. Conservative treatment alone was performed in 5.9%, complete or partial endoscopic closure in 14.7%, and surgery in 79.4% of patients. Patients treated only conservatively or with concomitant endoscopic closure showed no mortality. The mortality rate was 14.8% in those treated surgically, and 55% of these patients required a subsequent ostomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Conservative management with antibiotics and parenteral nutrition concomitant with complete/partial endoscopic closure effectively treats perforations, provided intraprocedural diagnosis is possible with immediate administration of antibiotics after the procedure. Nevertheless, studies with larger number of patients and statistical analysis are necessary in the near future.

2017 WSES guidelines on colon and rectal cancer emergencies: obstruction and perforation

ᅟ

Obstruction and perforation due to colorectal cancer represent challenging matters in terms of diagnosis, life-saving strategies, obstruction resolution and oncologic challenge. The aims of the current paper are to update the previous WSES guidelines for the management of large bowel perforation and obstructive left colon carcinoma (OLCC) and to develop new guidelines on obstructive right colon carcinoma (ORCC).

METHODS

The literature was extensively queried for focused publication until December 2017. Precise analysis and grading of the literature has been performed by a working group formed by a pool of experts: the statements and literature review were presented, discussed and voted at the Consensus Conference of the 4th Congress of the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) held in Campinas in May 2017.

RESULTS

CT scan is the best imaging technique to evaluate large bowel obstruction and perforation. For OLCC, self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS), when available, offers interesting advantages as compared to emergency surgery; however, the positioning of SEMS for surgically treatable causes carries some long-term oncologic disadvantages, which are still under analysis. In the context of emergency surgery, resection and primary anastomosis (RPA) is preferable to Hartmann's procedure, whenever the characteristics of the patient and the surgeon are permissive. Right-sided loop colostomy is preferable in rectal cancer, when preoperative therapies are predicted.With regards to the treatment of ORCC, right colectomy represents the procedure of choice; alternatives, such as internal bypass and loop ileostomy, are of limited value.Clinical scenarios in the case of perforation might be dramatic, especially in case of free faecal peritonitis. The importance of an appropriate balance between life-saving surgical procedures and respect of oncologic caveats must be stressed. In selected cases, a damage control approach may be required.Medical treatments including appropriate fluid resuscitation, early antibiotic treatment and management of co-existing medical conditions according to international guidelines must be delivered to all patients at presentation.

CONCLUSIONS

The current guidelines offer an extensive overview of available evidence and a qualitative consensus regarding management of large bowel obstruction and perforation due to colorectal cancer.