Defining the Burden of Emergency General Surgery in Transplant Patients: A Nationwide Examination

Clinical and financial outcomes of transplant recipients following emergency general surgery operations

Introduction

Due to immunosuppression and underlying comorbidities, transplant recipients represent a vulnerable population following emergency general surgery (EGS) operations. The present study sought to evaluate clinical and financial outcomes of transplant patients undergoing EGS.

Methods

The 2010-2020 Nationwide Readmissions Database was queried for adults (≥18 years) with non-elective EGS. Operations included bowel resection, perforated ulcer repair, cholecystectomy, appendectomy and lysis of adhesions. Patients were classified by transplant history (Non-transplant, Kidney/Pancreas, Liver, Heart/Lung). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality while perioperative complications, resource utilization and readmissions were secondarily considered. Multivariable regression models evaluated the association of transplant status on outcomes. Entropy balancing was employed to obtain a weighted comparison to adjust for intergroup differences.

Results

Of 7,914,815 patients undergoing EGS, 25,278 (0.32 %) had prior transplantation. The incidence of transplant patients increased temporally (2010: 0.23 %, 2020: 0.36 %, p < 0.001) with Kidney/Pancreas comprising the largest proportion (63.5 %). Non-transplant more frequently underwent appendectomy and cholecystectomy while transplant patients more commonly received bowel resections. Following entropy balancing, Liver was associated with decreased odds of mortality (AOR: 0.67, 95 % CI: 0.54-0.83, Reference: Non-transplant). Incremental hospitalization duration was longer in Liver and Heart/Lung compared to Non-transplant. Odds of acute kidney injury, readmissions and costs were higher in all transplant types.

Conclusion

The incidence of transplant recipients undergoing EGS operations has increased. Liver was observed to have lower mortality compared to Non-transplant. Transplant recipient status, regardless of organ, was associated with greater resource utilization and non-elective readmissions. Multidisciplinary care coordination is warranted to mitigate outcomes in this high-risk population.

Incidence and Mortality of Emergency General Surgery Conditions Among Solid Organ Transplant Recipients in Ontario, Canada: A Population-based Analysis

BACKGROUND

Emergency general surgery (EGS) conditions and their outcomes are perceived to be disproportionately high among solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs). However, this has not been adequately investigated at a population level. We characterized the incidence and mortality of EGS conditions among SOTRs compared with nontransplant patients.

METHODS

Data were collected through linked administrative population-based databases in Ontario, Canada. We included all adult SOTRs (kidney, liver, heart, and lung) who underwent transplantation between 2002 and 2017. We then identified posttransplantation emergency department visits for EGS conditions (appendicitis, cholecystitis, choledocolithiasis, perforated diverticulitis, incarcerated/strangulated hernias, small bowel obstruction, and perforated peptic ulcer). Age-, sex-, and year-standardized incidence rate ratios (SIRRs) were generated. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate association between transplantation status and 30 d mortality after adjusting for demographics, year, and comorbidities.

RESULTS

Ten thousand seventy-three SOTRs and 12 608 135 persons were analyzed. SOTRs developed 881 EGS conditions (non-SOTRs: 552 194 events). The incidence of all EGS conditions among SOTR was significantly higher compared with the nontransplant patients [SIRR 3.56 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.32-3.82)], even among those with high Aggregated Diagnosis Groups scores ( > 10) [SIRR 2.76 (95% CI 2.53-3.00)]. SOTRs were 1.4 times more likely to die at 30 d [adjusted odds ratio 1.44 (95% CI 1.08-1.91)] after an EGS event compared with nontransplant patients, predominantly amongst lung transplant recipients [adjusted odds ratio 3.28 (95% CI 1.72-6.24)].

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of EGS conditions is significantly higher in SOTRs even after stratifying by comorbidity burden. This is of particular importance as SOTRs also have a higher likelihood of death after an EGS condition, especially lung transplant recipients.

Accuracy of Risk Estimation for Surgeons Versus Risk Calculators in Emergency General Surgery

INTRODUCTION

Surgical risk calculators have expanded in both number and sophistication of their predictive approach. These calculators are gaining popularity as validated tools to help surgeons estimate mortality and complications following emergency general surgery (EGS). However, the accuracy of risk estimates generated by these calculators compared to risk estimation by practicing surgeons has not been explored.

METHODS

Acute care surgeons at a quaternary care center prospectively estimated 30-d mortality and complications for adult EGS patients (2019-2021). Surgeon predictions were compared to Predictive OpTimal Trees in Emergency Surgery Risk (POTTER) and NSQIP estimates. Observed-to-expected (O:E) ratios of median aggregate estimates were calculated. C-statistics for surgeon and calculator estimations were utilized to quantify predictive accuracy.

RESULTS

Among 150 patients (median 61 y, 45% male), 30-d mortality was 15% (n = 23). Observed rates of prolonged mechanical ventilation and acute renal failures were 30% and 10%, respectively. Overall, surgeon predictions were similar to risk calculator estimates for mortality (c-statistics 0.843 [surgeon] versus 0.848 [POTTER] and 0.815 [NSQIP]) and need for prolonged ventilation (c-statistics 0.801 versus 0.722 and 0.689, respectively). Surgeons tended to overestimate complication risks. Surgeon experience was not significantly associated with mortality prediction in an adjusted model.

CONCLUSIONS

Acute care surgeons at a quaternary care center predicted postoperative mortality and complications with similar discrimination when compared to surgical risk calculators. Surgeon expertise should be utilized in conjunction with risk calculators when counseling EGS patients regarding anticipated postoperative outcomes. Surgeons should be cognizant of patterns in overestimation or underestimation of complications.