Preoperative lymphopaenia, mortality, and morbidity after elective surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis

Influence of Janus kinase inhibitors on early postoperative complications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing orthopaedic surgeries

OBJECTIVE

We retrospectively reviewed the records of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who underwent orthopaedic surgery to examine the influence of the perioperative use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors on early postoperative complications.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thirty-two patients with RA under disease control with JAK inhibitors who underwent 49 orthopaedic procedures were included in the study. Patient records after surgery were investigated for surgical site infection (SSI), delayed wound healing (DWH), a flare-up of the disease, preoperative and postoperative absolute lymphocyte counts (ALCs), venous thromboembolism, and other postoperative complications.

RESULTS

JAK inhibitors were continued during the perioperative period in 31 procedures. In the remaining 18 procedures, JAK inhibitors were discontinued perioperatively with a mean discontinuation period of 2.4 days. No instances of SSI were identified in any patient during at least 90 days' follow-up, while DWH was seen in one patient. Disease flare-up was noted in two patients after 3 and 9 days of discontinuation of JAK inhibitors, respectively. The ALCs significantly decreased on postoperative Day 1 (P < .0001), and there was a significant correlation between pre- and post-one-day ALCs (r = 0.75, P < .0001).

CONCLUSION

JAK inhibitors seem to be safe during the perioperative period of orthopaedic surgery.

Sterile Inflammatory Response and Surgery-Related Trauma in Elderly Patients with Subtrochanteric Fractures

Sterile inflammation is a natural response of the organism in the absence of microorganisms, which is triggered in correspondence with the degree of tissue damage sustained after a surgical procedure. The objective of this study was to explore the values of postoperative hematological-derived biomarkers in assessing the sterile inflammatory response magnitude related to the invasiveness of the surgical reduction technique used for subtrochanteric fractures (STFs) treatment. A retrospective, observational cohort research was conducted between January 2021 and October 2023 that included a total of 143 patients diagnosed with acute subtrochanteric fractures who underwent long Gamma Nail (LGN) fixation. According to the surgical reduction technique used, they were divided into two groups: group 1, which consisted of those with a closed reduction and internal fixation (CRIF); and group 2, which consisted of those with an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF). Between groups, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in relation to days to surgery, length of hospital stay (LOHS), duration of surgery, postoperative hemoglobin (HGB) levels, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), systemic inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and aggregate inflammation systemic index (AISI). The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis revealed that all ratios presented a high diagnostic ability (p < 0.0001) with NLR > 6.95 being the most reliable (sensitivity 94.8% and specificity 70.6%). Moreover, the multivariate regression model confirmed that sterile immune response after orthopedic interventions can be assessed in an almost equal and non-dependent manner using these biomarkers. Postoperative NLR, PLR, MLR, SII, SIRI, and AISI ratios are closely correlated to the sterile inflammatory response magnitude, due to the extent of surgical dissection performed during internal fixation procedures of subtrochanteric femur fractures.

Pooled prevalence of lymphopenia in all-cause hospitalisations and association with infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Lymphopenia is defined as a decrease below normal value (often 1.0 x 109 cells/L) of blood circulating lymphocyte count. In the general population, lymphopenia is associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation secondary to infection, independent of traditional clinical risk factors. In hospital, lymphopenia is associated with increased risk of healthcare-associated infection and mortality. By summarising lymphopenia's prevalence and impact on clinical outcomes, we can identify an at-risk population and inform future studies of immune dysfunction following severe illness.

METHODS

Peer-reviewed search strategy was performed on three databases. Primary objective was to summarise the pooled prevalence of lymphopenia. Primary outcome was infection including pre-existing lymphopenia as a risk factor for admission with infection and as an in-hospital risk factor for healthcare-associated infection. Secondary outcomes were length of stay and mortality. Mortality data extracted included in-hospital, 28/30-day ('early'), and 90-day/1-year ('late') mortality. Meta-analysis was carried out using random-effects models for each outcome measure. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistic. Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for cohort studies was used to assess risk of bias. The protocol was published on PROSPERO.

RESULTS

Fifteen observational studies were included. The pooled prevalence of lymphopenia in all-cause hospitalisations was 38% (CI 0.34-0.42, I2= 97%, p< 0.01). Lymphopenia was not associated with an infection diagnosis at hospital admission and healthcare associated infection (RR 1.03; 95% CI 0.26-3.99, p=0.97, I2 = 55% and RR 1.31; 95% CI 0.78-2.20, p=0.31, I2=97%, respectively), but was associated with septic shock (RR 2.72; 95% CI 1.02-7.21, p=0.04, I2 =98%). Lymphopenia was associated with higher in-hospital mortality and higher 'early' mortality rates (RR 2.44; 95% CI 1.71-3.47, p < 0.00001, I2 = 89% and RR 2.05; 95% CI 1.64-2.56, p < 0.00001, I2 = 29%, respectively). Lymphopenia was associated with higher 'late' mortality (RR 1.59; 1.33-1.90, p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%).

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis demonstrates the high prevalence of lymphopenia across all-cause hospitalisations and associated increased risk of septic shock, early and late mortality. Lymphopenia is a readily available marker that may identify immune dysfunctional patients. Greater understanding of immune trajectories following survival may provide insights into longer-term poor clinical outcomes.

Nutritional Risk Assessment and Adverse Events in Patients Undergoing Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation-A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Hospital Information System

Clinical or subclinical malnutrition occurs in 30% to 70% of patients with advanced heart failure and increases the risk of postoperative adverse events. The main objective of this study was to assess the nutritional status of patients prior to left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation using different methods of malnutrition assessment and to evaluate the relationship between nutritional status and postoperative adverse events. A retrospective cohort study included 120 patients aged 26-74 years referred for LVAD surgery. Preoperative nutritional status (NRS-2002-Nutritional Risk Score 2002, NRI-Nutritional Risk Index, PNI-Prognostic Nutritional Index; TLC-total lymphocyte count) and postoperative adverse events were assessed. Moderate to severe malnutrition was found in 55.8%, 43.3%, 40.0%, and 20% of all patients, respectively, according to the PNI, NRI, TLC, and NRS-2002 scores. Patients with a TLC < 1200 cells/m3 had a higher risk of postoperative acute renal failure [hazard ratio (HR): 2.5; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.01-6.3] and death during the observation period [HR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.2-3.5]. Moderate to severe malnutrition was also associated with a significantly increased risk of in-hospital death [for the NRI score, HR = 4.9 (95% CI: 1.1-22.0); for the PNI score, HR = 5.0 (95% CI: 1.1-22.3)]. In conclusion, moderate to severe malnutrition prior to LVAD implantation has been identified as a risk factor for postoperative acute renal failure and mortality. Assessment of nutritional risk may improve patient selection and early initiation of nutritional support.

Association of lymphopenia and RDW elevation with risk of mortality in acute aortic dissection

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to investigate whether lymphopenia and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) elevation are associated with an increased risk of mortality in acute aortic dissection (AAD).

METHODS

This multicenter retrospective cohort study enrolled patients diagnosed with AAD by aortic computed tomographic angiography (CTA) from 2010 to 2021 in five teaching hospitals in central-western China. Cox proportional hazards regression and Kaplan-Meier curves were used in univariable and multivariable models. Clinical outcomes were defined as all-cause in-hospital mortality, while associations were evaluated between lymphopenia, accompanied by an elevated RDW, and risk of mortality.

RESULTS

Of 1903 participants, the median age was 53 (interquartile range [IQR], 46-62) years, and females accounted for 21.9%. Adjusted increased risk of mortality was linearly related to the decreasing lymphocyte percentage (P-non-linearity = 0.942) and increasing RDW (P-non-linearity = 0.612), and per standard deviation (SD) of increment lymphocyte percentage and RDW was associated with the 26% (0.74, 0.64-0.84) decrement and 5% (1.05, 0.95-1.15) increment in hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of mortality, respectively. Importantly, lymphopenia and elevation of RDW exhibited a significant interaction with increasing the risk of AAD mortality (P-value for interaction = 0.037).

CONCLUSIONS

Lymphopenia accompanied by the elevation of RDW, which may reflect the immune dysregulation of AAD patients, is associated with an increased risk of mortality. Assessment of immunological biomarkers derived from routine tests may provide novel perspectives for identifying the risk of mortality.

Can C-reactive protein-based biomarkers be used as predictive of 30-day mortality in elderly hip fractures?A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

C-reactive protein-to-lymphocyte ratio (CLR), C-reactive protein/albumin (CRP/ALB), and CRP are prognostic factors for outcome and survival in oncology and digestive surgery. CLR has not been studied for the prediction of mortality in hip fracture. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there is an association between pre-operative CLR, CRP/ALB, and CRP levels in patients with hip fracture and patient survival.

METHODS

The medical reports of the patients who underwent surgery with a diagnosis of hip fracture in our hospital between January 2016 and December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups (Group E: Those who died within 1 month and Group S: Those who died after the 1st month or those who survived). A total of 19 parameters, namely, included ' blood parameters including hemoglobin, C-reactive protein, albumin, lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, platelets, PLR, NLR, LMR, CLR CRP/ALB ratios, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists, Charlson Comorbidity Index, delirium, infections, repeated surgeries, and type of anesthesia were evaluated preoperatively and on the post-operative 2nd and 5th days and 1 month.

RESULTS

A total of 165 patients with the mean age of 83.09±8.52 years who met the inclusion criteria were studied. The pre-op-erative means of CRP, neutrophil count, CLR ratio, and CRP/ALB ratio were statistically significantly higher in Group E than in Group S (p=0.016, p=0.023, p=0.035, and p=0.044, respectively). The univariate regression analysis showed that age, pre-operative Hb level, CRP, and CRP/ALB ratio were significant predictors of the 1-month mortality (ß=-0.335, p=0.049; ß=0.411, p=0.028; ß=3.632, p=0.007; and ß=-3.280, p=0.008; respectively). When we performed the ROC curve analysis, the CRP/ALB ratio had the highest AUC, with the highest sensitivity and specificity. The cutoff value of CRP/ALB ratio was found to be 12.42.

CONCLUSION

We found that the pre-operative CRP/ALB ratio is an important parameter for predicting the first 30-day mortality in elderly patients with intertrochanteric femur fractures. For this reason, we recommend that CRP and albumin be checked in prepa-ration for routine pre-operative anesthesia.

Neutrophile-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of Mortality and Response to Treatment in Invasive Aspergillosis among Heart Transplant Recipients—Exploratory Study

Background and objective: Aspergillus pulmonary infections are potentially life-threatening complications that can occur after heart transplantation. The aim of the study was to find an easily available mortality predictor during Aspergillosis infection therapy following heart transplantation. Materials and methods: This study involved 15 heart recipients with the mean age of 55 ± 6 years who were diagnosed with invasive aspergillosis (IA) in a mean time of 80 ± 53 (19–209) days after orthotropic heart transplantation. Results: Out of fifteen patients diagnosed with IA, five died. The mean time from diagnosis to death in the deceased group was 28 ± 18 days. They were diagnosed with IA in a mean time of 80 ± 53 (19–209) days after orthotropic heart transplantation. During the initial seven days of therapy, the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) significantly differed between the two groups on day three and day seven, with median values of 10.8 [4.3–17.0] vs. 20.2 [17.4–116.8] (p = 0.0373) and 5.2 [3.2–8.1] vs. 32.2 [13.5–49.9] (p = 0.0101) in the survivor and the deceased group, respectively. The NLR was a significant predictor of death both on day three (cut-off point 17.2) and day seven (cut-off point 12.08) of therapy. Conclusions: Findings in our study indicate that NLR may be of predictive value in the estimation of mortality risk or response to treatment among patients with invasive aspergillosis following heart transplantation.