Optimizing post anesthesia care unit admission after elective craniotomy for brain tumors: a cohort study

Routine ICU admission after brain tumor surgery: retrospective validation and critical appraisal of two prediction scores

BACKGROUND

Routine admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) following brain tumor surgery has been a common practice for many years. Although this practice has been challenged by many authors, it has still not changed widely, mainly due to the lack of reliable data for preoperative risk assessment. Motivated by this dilemma, risk prediction scores for postoperative complications following brain tumor surgery have been developed recently. In order to improve the ICU admission policy at our institution, we assessed the applicability, performance, and safety of the two most appropriate risk prediction scores.

METHODS

One thousand consecutive adult patients undergoing elective brain tumor resection within 19 months were included. Patients with craniotomy for other causes, i.e., cerebral aneurysms and microvascular decompression, were excluded. The decision for postoperative ICU-surveillance was made by joint judgment of the operating surgeon and the anesthesiologist. All data and features relevant to the scores were extracted from clinical records and subsequent ICU or neurosurgical floor documentation was inspected for any postoperative adverse events requiring ICU admission. The CranioScore derived by Cinotti et al. (Anesthesiology 129(6):1111-20, 5) and the risk assessment score of Munari et al. (Acta Neurochir (Wien) 164(3):635-641, 15) were calculated and prognostic performance was evaluated by ROC analysis.

RESULTS

In our cohort, both scores showed only a weak prognostic performance: the CranioScore reached a ROC-AUC of 0.65, while Munari et al.'s score achieved a ROC-AUC of 0.67. When applying the recommended decision thresholds for ICU admission, 64% resp. 68% of patients would be classified as in need of ICU surveillance, and the negative predictive value (NPV) would be 91% for both scores. Lowering the thresholds in order to increase patient safety, i.e., 95% NPV, would lead to ICU admission rates of over 85%.

CONCLUSION

Performance of both scores was limited in our cohort. In practice, neither would achieve a significant reduction in ICU admission rates, whereas the number of patients suffering complications at the neurosurgical ward would increase. In future, better risk assessment measures are needed.

Postoperative surveillance in cranial and spinal tumor neurosurgery: when is this warranted?

OBJECTIVE

The outbreak of COVID-19 and the sudden increase in the number of patients requiring mechanical ventilation significantly affected the management of neurooncological patients. Hospitals were forced to reallocate already scarce human resources to maximize intensive care unit (ICU) capacities, resulting in a significant postponement of elective procedures for patients with brain and spinal tumors, who traditionally require elective postoperative surveillance on ICU or intermediate care wards. This study aimed to characterize those patients in whom postoperative monitoring is required by analyzing early postoperative complications and associated risk factors.

METHODS

All patients included in the analysis experienced benign or malignant cerebral or intradural tumors and underwent surgery between September 2017 and May 2019 at University Hospital Münster, Germany. Patient data were generated from a semiautomatic, prospectively designed database. The occurrence of adverse events within 24 hours and 30 days postoperatively-including unplanned reoperation, postoperative hemorrhage, CSF leakage, and pulmonary embolism-was chosen as the primary outcome measure. Furthermore, reasons and risk factors that led to a prolonged stay on the ICU were investigated. By performing multivariable logistic regression modeling, a risk score for early postoperative adverse events was calculated by assigning points based on beta coefficients.

RESULTS

Eight hundred eleven patients were included in the study. Eleven patients (1.4%) had an early adverse event within 24 hours, which was either an unplanned reoperation (0.9%, n = 7) or a pulmonary embolism (0.5%, n = 4) within 24 hours. To predict the incidence of early postoperative complications, a score was developed including the number of secondary diagnoses, BMI, and incision closure time, termed the SOS score. According to this score, 0.3% of the patients were at low risk, 2.5% at intermediate risk, and 12% at high risk (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative surveillance in cranial and spinal tumor neurosurgery might only be required in a distinct patient collective. In this study, the authors present a new score allowing efficient prediction of the likelihood of early adverse events in patients undergoing neurooncological procedures, thus helping to stratify the necessity for ICU or intermediate care unit beds. Nevertheless, validation of the score in a multicenter prospective setting is needed.

Perioperative Risk Factors Associated with Unplanned Neurological Intensive Care Unit Events Following Elective Infratentorial Brain Tumor Resection

BACKGROUND

Our aim of this study was to identify risk factors and develop a prediction model for unplanned neurological intensive care unit (NICU) events after elective infratentorial brain tumor resection in order to propose an individualized admission to the NICU tailored to patient needs.

METHODS

Patients admitted to our NICU between September 2018 and May 2021 after elective infratentorial brain tumor resection were reviewed. Prolonged NICU stays and unplanned NICU admissions were defined as unplanned NICU events. The prognostic model of unplanned NICU events was developed using a forward stepwise logistic regression analysis, and external validation was evaluated. The C-statistic was used to assess discrimination, and a smooth, nonparametric calibration line was used to assess calibration graphically in the model.

RESULTS

Of the 1,710 patients in the development cohort, unplanned NICU events occurred in 162 (9.5%). Based on the lesion type, a Karnofsky Performance Status score <70 at admission, longer duration of surgery, bleeding in the operative area evident on postoperative computed tomography, higher fibrinogen and blood glucose levels at admission, and more intraoperative blood loss were independently associated with unplanned NICU events. The external validation test showed good discrimination (C-statistic = 0.811) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow P = 0.141) for unplanned NICU events.

CONCLUSIONS

Several patient and operative characteristics are associated with a greater likelihood of the occurrence of unplanned NICU events. In the future, we may be able to provide better help for the resource allocation of NICUs according to these risk factors and prediction models.

Reexamining the Role of Postoperative ICU Admission for Patients Undergoing Elective Craniotomy: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

The standard-of-care for postoperative care following elective craniotomy has historically been ICU admission. However, recent literature interrogating complications and interventions during this postoperative ICU stay suggests that all patients may not require this level of care. Thus, hospitals began implementing non-ICU postoperative care pathways for elective craniotomy. This systematic review aims to summarize and evaluate the existing literature regarding outcomes and costs for patients receiving non-ICU care after elective craniotomy.

DATA SOURCES

A systematic review of the PubMed database was performed following PRISMA guidelines from database inception to August 2021.

STUDY SELECTION

Included studies were published in peer-reviewed journals, in English, and described outcomes for patients undergoing elective craniotomies without postoperative ICU care.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data regarding study design, patient characteristics, and postoperative care pathways were extracted independently by two authors. Quality and risk of bias were evaluated using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Levels of Evidence tool and Risk Of Bias In Non-Randomized Studies-of Interventions tool, respectively.

DATA SYNTHESIS

In total, 1,131 unique articles were identified through the database search, with 27 meeting inclusion criteria. Included articles were published from 2001 to 2021 and included non-ICU inpatient care and same-day discharge pathways. Overall, the studies demonstrated that postoperative non-ICU care for elective craniotomies led to length of stay reduction ranging from 6 hours to 4 days and notable cost reductions. Across 13 studies, 53 of the 2,469 patients (2.1%) intended for postoperative management in a non-ICU setting required subsequent care escalation.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, these studies suggest that non-ICU care pathways for appropriately selected postcraniotomy patients may represent a meaningful opportunity to improve care value. However, included studies varied greatly in patient selection, postoperative care protocol, and outcomes reporting. Standardization and multi-institutional collaboration are needed to draw definitive conclusions regarding non-ICU postoperative care for elective craniotomy.