Weekend effect among patients undergoing elective vascular surgery

The Effect of "Off Hours" on Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes in a Diverse U.S. Cohort

OBJECTIVE

 This study aimed to evaluate the "off-hour effect" on maternal and neonatal adverse events in a large cohort representing U.S.

POPULATION

STUDY DESIGN

 A secondary analysis of the Consortium on Safe Labor (CSL) dataset with 208,695 women and 229,385 deliveries was performed. The study included the deliveries of ≥23 gestational weeks from 19 hospitals in the United States from 2002 to 2008. Babies with congenital anomalies were excluded from neonatal outcomes. We compared maternal and neonatal outcomes of patients delivered during weekdays versus off hours (nights and weekends). The primary outcomes of the study were composite maternal and composite neonatal adverse events. The secondary outcomes were delivery type and individual maternal and neonatal adverse events including maternal death and perinatal mortality rate. Associations between off hours and all the outcomes were analyzed in bivariable and multivariable analyses. The same analyses were performed in strata by indication for admission (spontaneous labor or induction of labor).

RESULTS

 Composite maternal adverse events (6.19 vs. 6.06%, p = 0.41) and maternal death (0.01 vs. 0.01%, p = 0.19) were not significantly different between off hours and weekday groups. In contrast, composite neonatal adverse events (6.91 vs. 5.84%, p < 0.001) and perinatal mortality rate (1.03 vs. 0.77%, p < 0.001) were higher in the off-hour group. After adjusting for confounding variables, only the composite neonatal outcome continued to be associated with off hours (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-1.16). Stratified analyses showed that the off-hour effect for the neonatal composite outcome was not present in those presenting in spontaneous labor (6.1 vs. 5.9%, p = 0.40).

CONCLUSION

 Off-hour delivery was not associated with severe maternal morbidity and was only modestly associated with severe neonatal morbidity. This association was observed in women undergoing induction, not in those presenting in spontaneous labor. These data draw into question the existence of a clinically meaningful and correctable "off-hour effect" in obstetrics.

KEY POINTS

· The presence of a significant off-hour effect in obstetrics is still questionable.. · If the off-hour effect exists, it seems that not to be related with staffing issues.. · There is not a big difference for adverse events at off hours in spontaneously laboring patients..

Weekday vs. weekend oocyte retrievals: is there a difference?

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there is a difference in procedure duration and time spent in the post anaesthesia care unit (PACU) between weekday (WD) and weekend (WE) oocyte retrievals (ORs). This was a retrospective cohort study of patients compared and stratified based on number of oocytes retrieved (1-10, 11-20, and >20). Student's t-test and linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between AMH, BMI, and a number of oocytes retrieved with the duration of procedure and total time spent in the PACU. 664 patients underwent OR of which 578 met inclusion criteria and were analyzed. There were 501 WD OR cases (86%) and 77 (13%) WE ORs. When stratified by number of oocytes retrieved, there was no difference in procedure duration or PACU time between WD vs. WE OR. Longer procedure times were associated with higher BMI (p = 0.04), AMH (p = 0.01) and oocytes retrieved (p < 0.01). Increased PACU times positively correlated with the number of oocytes retrieved (p = 0.04), but not AMH or BMI. While BMI, AMH, and number of oocytes retrieved are associated with longer intra-operative and post-operative recovery times, there is no difference in procedure or recovery time when comparing WD vs. WE procedures.

Impact of after-hours surgery on outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection repair

PURPOSE

To establish whether emergency surgery performed outside working hours (after hours) contributed to adverse outcomes for patients with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD).

METHODS

We reviewed the operation records of ATAAD repair in our institution from 2004 to 2019 (n = 187). Emergency surgery was performed by one of a few teams of experienced surgeons, regardless of the time of day. Patients were divided into two groups based on the surgery start time: during working hours (n = 65) and after hours (n = 122). A propensity score-matched analysis was performed for 58 pairs of patients.

RESULTS

The overall in-hospital mortality was 6.9% for the working-hours group and 13.8% for the after-hours group. There were no significant differences between the groups in the relatively limited study population (n = 187). Surgeon experience and aortic interventions did not differ remarkably between the groups. After-hours repair was not associated with postoperative complications. There were no significant differences in the long-term survival or aortic event-free rates between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

After-hours surgery did not affect the short- or long-term outcomes of ATAAD repair under our backup system, which supports the recommendation of immediate surgical repair. Efforts to minimize the discrepancies between working hours and after hours could help to improve the surgical outcomes of patients undergoing ATAAD repair.

The clinical effect and safety of new preoperative fasting time guidelines for elective surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Traditional fasting and no drinking schemes (fasting for 8-12 hours and no drinking for 4-6 hours) affect the metabolism of the body. The new guidelines put forward by the American Association of Anesthesiologists (fasting for 6 hours, no drinking for 2 hours) obviously reduce the time of fasting and no drinking, but the clinical efficacy and safety need to be further confirmed. In this study, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using the new guidelines and traditional protocols was conducted to provide an evidence-based foundation for elective surgery.

METHODS

The articles were searched in PubMed, EBSCO, MEDLINE, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, CNKI, China Biomedical Resources Database, Wanfang Database, Weipu, and Western Biomedical Journal Literature Database. RCTs related to fasting before surgery during the screening period were selected. Chinese and English search keywords included elective surgery, preoperative, fasting and no drinking, patient comfort, thirst, hunger, collapse, hypoglycemia, preoperative gastric volume, preoperative gastric juice pH, and intraoperative gastric volume. The RevMan 5.3 software provided by Cochrane collaboration network was used to evaluate the quality of included documents. Two professionals independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias.

RESULTS

A total of 6 studies were included. The incidence of hunger in patients undergoing elective surgery in the experimental group and control group was significantly different [Z=3.90; relative risk (RR) =0.58; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.44, 0.76; P<0.0001]. The incidence of thirst was significantly different between the experimental group and control group (Z=7.22; RR =0.21; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.32; P<0.00001).

DISCUSSION

Meta-analysis results confirmed that the new guidelines can significantly reduce the hunger and thirst of patients, improve their satisfaction after surgery, and can be applied clinically.

Association of day of the week with mortality after elective right hemicolectomy for colon cancer: Case analysis from the National Clinical Database

AIM

We aimed to investigate whether later weekdays are related to worse short-term outcomes after elective right hemicolectomy for colon cancer.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed adult patients who underwent elective right hemicolectomy for colon cancer between 2012 and 2017. Records lacking details about surgical mortality were excluded, and multiple imputation was performed for other missing data (variables). The primary endpoint was surgical mortality, defined as the sum of 30-day mortality and in-hospital deaths within 90 days postoperatively. Using 22 clinical variables, hierarchal logistic regression modeling with clustering of patients from the same institutes was performed.

RESULTS

Of the 112 658 patients undergoing elective right hemicolectomy for colon cancer, the 30-day mortality and surgical mortality were 0.6% and 1.1%, respectively. Surgery on Friday was less frequent, accounting for 17.1% of all cases. The occurrence of severe postoperative complications, anastomotic leakage, or unadjusted odds ratio for surgical mortality did not show significant differences between weekdays. A hierarchal logistic regression model identified 19 independent factors for surgical mortality. Adjusted odds ratios for surgical mortality were 1.01 (95% confidence interval: 0.83-1.22, P = .915), 0.86 (95% confidence interval: 0.71-1.05, P = .144), 0.86 (95% confidence interval: 0.71-1.05, P = .408), and 0.83 (95% confidence interval: 0.68-1.03, P = .176) for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, respectively, showing no significant differences.

CONCLUSION

This study did not identify an evident difference in surgical mortality between weekdays; a safe elective right hemicolectomy for colon cancer is being offered throughout the week in Japan.

Factors associated with delays in revascularization in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischaemia: population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Prompt revascularization in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI) is important, and recent guidance has suggested that patients should undergo revascularization within 5 days of an emergency admission to hospital. The aim of this cohort study was to identify factors associated with the ability of UK vascular services to meet this standard of care.

METHODS

Data on all patients admitted non-electively with CLTI who underwent open or endovascular revascularization between 2016 and 2019 were extracted from the National Vascular Registry. The primary outcome was interval between admission and procedure, analysed as a binary variable (5 days or less, over 5 days). Multivariable Poisson regression was used to examine the relationship between time to revascularization and patient and admission characteristics.

RESULTS

The study analysed information on 11 398 patients (5973 open, 5425 endovascular), 50.6 per of whom underwent revascularization within 5 days. The median interval between admission and intervention was 5 (i.q.r. 2-9) days. Patient factors associated with increased risk of delayed revascularization were older age, greater burden of co-morbidity, non-smoking status, presentation with infection and tissue loss, and a Fontaine score of IV. Patients admitted later in the week were less likely undergo revascularization within 5 days than those admitted on Sundays and Mondays (P < 0.001). Delays were slightly worse among patients having open compared with endovascular procedures (P = 0.005) and in hospitals with lower procedure volumes (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Several factors were associated with delays in time to revascularization for patients with CLTI in the UK, most notably the weekday of admission, which reflects how services are organized. The results support arguments for vascular units providing revascularization to have the resources for a 7-day service.

Case report: Keeping a cool head - A delayed open repair of a ruptured TAAA

INTRODUCTION

The limited resources available for complex surgical procedures during the nightshift can influence the postoperative outcome and are associated with increased complication rates and 30-day mortality. On the other hand, cases of the nightshift are often urgent and demand prompt reaction.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

Hereby we report a patient with a ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm, who was admitted during nightshift and was operated 12 h later to gain optimal conditions for such a complex surgical treatment and bypass the nightshift-effect.

DISCUSSION

A review of the literature shows a significant short-term mortality increase on elective procedures performed during the weekend or during the nightshift, however it remains undecisive on the impact of the weekend-effect on emergent procedures.

CONCLUSION

The fortunate recovering of the patient during his hospital stay as well as in the following months emphasizes the importance of critical risk assessment during emergency management, which may justify a delayed surgical treatment.

Outcomes of pediatric liver transplant are unaffected by the time or day of surgery

BACKGROUND

In adults, the time of day for LT does not affect post-transplant outcomes. Whether this is true or not in children is unknown. In this study, we aimed to evaluate if weekend and weeknight liver transplants are associated with worse patient and graft survival in children.

METHODS

We interrogated the UNOS database for outcomes of pediatric liver transplants that occurred between 1988 and 2018. We excluded liver transplants in patients >17 years as well as all multiple organ transplants. We compared weeknight and weekday, as well as weekend transplant operations. We used Cox proportional hazard ratios to determine patient and graft survival by 7, 30, 90, and 365 days post-transplant after controlling for confounding factors.

RESULTS

In total, 12,610 pediatric liver transplants were included in the analysis. A total of 4590 transplants occurred during weekdays, 3671 transplants occurred during weeknights, and 4349 occurred during weekends. After controlling for confounding variables, 1-year patient survival was not associated with worse outcomes if the transplant occurred on the weeknight (HR 0.94, 95%CI 0.74-1.21) or weekend (HR 0.95, 95%CI 0.75-1.20) compared to the weekday. One-year graft survival was also not associated with worse outcomes if the transplant occurred on the weeknight (HR 0.91, 95%CI 0.76-1.09) or weekend (HR 0.91, 95%CI 0.77-1.09) compared to the weekday.

CONCLUSION

Weekday, weeknight, and weekend procedures resulted in similar 1-year survival rates. Pediatric patient and graft survival outcomes are not affected by the time or day of surgery.

Weekend Carotid Endarterectomies are Not Associated with a Greater Risk of Stroke and/or Death in Australia and New Zealand

BACKGROUND

Data from multiple surgical studies and settings have reported an increase in adverse events in patients admitted or treated on weekends. The aim of this study was to investigate short-term outcomes for patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in Australia and New Zealand based on the day of surgery.

METHODS

This is a retrospective observational cohort study. Analysis of 7,857 CEAs recorded for more than 4 years in the Australasian Vascular Audit database was performed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare the following outcomes between CEAs performed during the week and on the weekend: (1) in-hospital stroke and/or death; (2) other postoperative complications; and (3) shorter (2 days or less) length of stay (LOS).

RESULTS

A total of 7,857 CEAs were recorded, with significantly more procedures performed during the week (n = 7,333, P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of stroke and/or death or other complications between CEAs performed during the week or on the weekend (P = 0.294 and P = 0.806, respectively). However, there was a significant difference in LOS for procedures performed during the weekend, with more of these patients being discharged within 2 days compared with procedures performed during the week (56.8% vs. 51.5%; P = 0.003). Multivariable logistic regression found no effect of day of the week on the odds of postoperative stroke and/or death (P = 0.685). Day of surgery was also not associated with greater odds of other complications (P = 0.925). However, CEAs performed by nonconsultants had significantly lower adjusted odds of other complications (3.1% vs. 4.1%; P = 0.033). The adjusted odds of having a shorter LOS were significantly greater for operations taking place on the weekend (P = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

In Australia and New Zealand, there appears to be no disadvantage to performing CEA on the weekend, in terms of stroke and/or death. Level of experience of the primary operator does not affect rates of stroke and/or death after CEA. Weekend CEA is associated with a shorter hospital LOS.