Putting the Patient First: Honoring Advance Directives Prior to Surgery

Provider Perceptions Regarding Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Surgical Patients With Frailty

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the perceptions of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and geriatricians regarding perioperative cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in surgical patients with frailty.

BACKGROUND

The population of patients undergoing surgery is growing older and more frail. Despite a growing focus on goal-concordant care, frailty assessment, and debate regarding the appropriateness of CPR in patients with frailty, providers' views regarding frailty and perioperative CPR are unknown.

METHODS

We performed qualitative thematic analysis of transcripts from semistructured interviews of anesthesiologists (8), surgeons (10), and geriatricians (9) who care for high-risk surgical patients at 2 academic medical centers in Boston, MA. The interview guide elicited clinicians' understanding of frailty, approach to decision-making regarding perioperative CPR, and perceptions of perioperative CPR in frail surgical patients.

RESULTS

We identified 5 themes: (1) perceptions of perioperative CPR in patients with frailty vary by provider specialty, (2) judgments regarding the appropriateness of CPR in surgical patients with frailty are typically multifactorial and include patient goals, age, comorbidities, and arrest etiology, (3) resuscitation in patients with frailty is sometimes associated with moral distress, (4) biases, such as ableism and ageism, may skew clinicians' perceptions of the appropriateness of perioperative CPR in patients with frailty, and (5) evidence to guide risk stratification for patients with frailty undergoing perioperative CPR is inadequate.

CONCLUSIONS

Anesthesiologists, surgeons, and geriatricians offer different accounts of frailty's relevance to judgments regarding CPR in surgical patients. Divergent views regarding frailty and perioperative CPR may impede efforts to deliver goal-concordant care and suggest a need for research to inform risk stratification, predict patient-centered outcomes, and understand the role of potential biases, such as ageism and ableism.

Ethics and Palliation in Head and Neck Surgery

Head and neck cancer is a potentially traumatizing disease with the potential to impact many of the functions which are core to human life: eating, drinking, breathing, and speaking. Patients with head and neck cancer are disproportionately impacted by socioeconomic challenges, social stigma, and difficult decisions about treatment approaches. Herein, the authors review foundational ethical principles and frameworks to guide care of these patients. The authors discuss specific challenges including shared decision-making and advance care planning. The authors further discuss palliative care with a discussion of the role of surgery as a component of palliation.

Unintended Consequences of Code Status in the Intensive Care Unit: What Happens After a Do-Not-Resuscitate Order Is Placed? A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Some clinicians suspect that patients with do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders receive less aggressive care. Extrapolation from code status to goals of care could cause significant harm. This study asked the question: Do DNR orders in the intensive care unit (ICU) lead to a decrease in invasive interventions? Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of ICU patients from three teaching hospitals. All ICU patients were assessed for inclusion. Exclusion criteria were medical futility and death, comfort care, or ICU discharge <48 hours after DNR initiation. Five hundred thirty-six patients met inclusion criteria. One hundred forty-five were included in the final analysis. Primary outcomes were occurrence of invasive interventions after DNR initiation-surgical operation, central line, ventilation, dialysis, or other procedure. Secondary outcomes were antibiotic administration, blood transfusion, mortality, and discharge location. Results: Patients with DNR orders underwent fewer surgical operations (14.5% vs. 31.1%, p = 0.002), but more central lines (42.1% vs. 23.0%, p = 0.009), ventilator use (49.0% vs. 18.9%, p < 0.001), and dialysis (20.0% vs. 4.1%, p = 0.002), compared with patients without DNR orders. Transfusions and antibiotic use decreased similarly over admission for both groups (transfusions: β = 1.25; p = 0.59; and antibiotics: β = 1.44; p = 0.27). Mortality and hospice discharges were higher for DNR patients (p < 0.001.). Conclusions: DNR status did not decrease the number of nonoperative interventions patients received as compared with full code counterparts. Although differences in populations existed, patients with DNR orders were likely to receive a similar number of invasive interventions. This finding suggests that providers do not wholesale limit these options for patients with code status limitations.

Missed Opportunities and Health Disparities for Advance Care Planning Before Elective Surgery in Older Adults

Importance

Advance care planning (ACP) prepares patients and caregivers for medical decision-making, yet it is underused in the perioperative surgical setting, particularly among older adults undergoing high-risk procedures who are at risk for postoperative complications. It is unknown what patient factors are associated with perioperative ACP documentation among older surgical patients.

Objective

To assess ACP documentation among high-risk patients 65 years and older undergoing elective surgery.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this observational cohort study including 3671 patients 65 years and older undergoing elective surgery at a tertiary academic center in California, electronic health record data were linked to the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project outcomes data and the California statewide death registry. The study was conducted from January 1 to December 31, 2019. Data were analyzed from January to May 2022.

Exposures

Elective surgery requiring an inpatient admission.

Main Outcomes and Measures

ACP documentation, defined as a discussion regarding goals of care documented in an ACP note, an advance directive, or a physician order for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) form, within 90 days before elective surgery requiring inpatient admission. Multivariate regression was performed to identify factors associated with missing ACP.

Results

Among 3671 patients (median [IQR] age 72 [65-94] years; 1784 [48.6%] female; 401 [10.9%] Asian, 155 [4.2%] Black, 284 [7.7%] Latino/Latina, 2647 [72.1%] White, and 184 [5.0%] of other races or ethnicities, including American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, multiple races or ethnicities, other, and unknown or declined to respond, combined owing to small numbers), 539 (14.7%) had ACP documentation in the 90-day presurgery window. Of these 539, 448 (83.1%) had advance directives, and 60 (11.1%) had POLST forms. The 30-day and 1-year mortality were 0.7% (n = 27) and 6.6% (n = 244), respectively. Missing ACP was significantly associated with male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.39; 95% CI, 1.14-1.69) and having a non-English preferred language (aOR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.18-2.79). Medicare insurance was significantly associated with having ACP (aOR for missing ACP, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.40-0.95).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, perioperative ACP was uncommon, particularly in men, individuals with a non-English preferred language, and those without Medicare insurance coverage. The perioperative setting may represent a missed opportunity for ACP for older surgical patients. When addressing ACP for surgical patients, particular attention should be paid to overcoming language-related disparities.

Variation in Patient-Reported Advance Care Preferences in the Preoperative Setting

BACKGROUND

High-quality shared decision-making for patients undergoing elective surgical procedures includes eliciting patient goals and treatment preferences. This is particularly important, should complications occur and life-sustaining therapies be considered. Our objective was to determine the preoperative care preferences of older higher-risk patients undergoing elective procedures and to determine any factors associated with a preference for limitations to life-sustaining treatments.

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey conducted between May and December 2018. Patients ≥55 years of age presenting for a preprocedural evaluation in a high-risk anesthesia clinic were queried on their desire for life-sustaining treatments (cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, dialysis, and artificial nutrition) as well as tolerance for declines in health states (physical disability, cognitive disability, and daily severe pain).

RESULTS

One hundred patients completed the survey. The median patient age was 68. Most patients were Caucasian (87%) and had an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of III (88%). The majority of patients (89%) desired cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, most patients would not accept mechanical ventilation, dialysis, or artificial nutrition for an indefinite period of time. Similarly, most patients (67%-81%) indicated they would not desire treatments to sustain life in the event of permanent physical disability, cognitive disability, or daily severe pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Among older, higher-risk patients presenting for elective procedures, most patients chose limitations to life-sustaining treatments. This work highlights the need for an in-depth goals of care discussion and establishment of advance care preferences before a procedure or operative intervention.

Concordance in advance care preferences among high-risk surgical patients and surrogate health care decision makers in the perioperative setting

BACKGROUND

Earlier studies have demonstrated poor concordance between patients' advance care preferences and those endorsed by their surrogate health care decision makers in a medical setting. This study aimed to determine concordance in the perioperative setting among high-risk patients and to identify areas for improvement.

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study set in a preoperative clinic for high-risk patients. Patients (>55 y) and their surrogates (dyads) were eligible for participation. Dyads were surveyed on the patient's desire for advance care preferences (cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, hemodialysis, artificial nutrition) and tolerance for physical disability, cognitive disability, and chronic pain. Concordance was defined as the surrogate correctly predicting patient preferences. Patients and surrogates were resurveyed for concordance 30 to 60 d after the index procedure.

RESULTS

A total of 100 dyads (200 subjects) completed the survey. Median patient age was 68 y. Most patients were white (87%) and had an American Society of Anesthesiologists score of III (88%). The majority of dyads (59%) reported prior conversations about advance care preferences. Concordance specifically for cardiopulmonary resuscitation was 84%. In all other domains, <60% of dyads achieved concordance. Prior conversations regarding advance care preferences did not improve concordance in univariable or multivariable analysis. In postoperative surveys, substantial improvement was found in all domains except mechanical ventilation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

CONCLUSION

In all domains except cardiopulmonary resuscitation, concordance was <60% in the preoperative setting and was not improved among dyads who reported prior conversations regarding advance care preferences. Discordance may limit patient autonomy by prolonging undesired interventions or terminating desired interventions prematurely.

Sarcopenia increases risk of long-term mortality in elderly patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery

BACKGROUND

Frailty is associated with poor surgical outcomes in elderly patients but is difficult to measure in the emergency setting. Sarcopenia, or the loss of lean muscle mass, is a surrogate for frailty and can be measured using cross-sectional imaging. We sought to determine the impact of sarcopenia on 1-year mortality after emergency abdominal surgery in elderly patients.

METHODS

Sarcopenia was assessed in patients 70 years or older who underwent emergency abdominal surgery at a single hospital from 2006 to 2011. Average bilateral psoas muscle cross-sectional area at L3, normalized for height (Total Psoas Index [TPI]), was calculated using computed tomography. Sarcopenia was defined as TPI in the lowest sex-specific quartile. Primary outcome was mortality at 1 year. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and mortality at 30, 90, and 180 days. The association of sarcopenia with mortality was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression and model performance judged using Harrell's C-statistic.

RESULTS

Two hundred ninety-seven of 390 emergency abdominal surgery patients had preoperative imaging and height. The median age was 79 years, and 1-year mortality was 32%. Sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic patients were comparable in age, sex, race, comorbidities, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, procedure urgency and type, operative severity, and need for discharge to a nursing facility. Sarcopenic patients had lower body mass index, greater need for intensive care, and longer hospital length of stay (p < 0.05). Sarcopenia was independently associated with increased in-hospital mortality (risk ratio, 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-3.7) and mortality at 30 days (hazard ratio [HR], 3.7; 95% CI, 1.9-7.4), 90 days (HR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.8-6.0), 180 days (HR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.4-4.4), and 1 year (HR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.4-3.9).

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia is associated with increased risk of mortality over 1 year in elderly patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Sarcopenia defined by TPI is a simple and objective measure of frailty that identifies vulnerable patients for improved preoperative counseling, setting realistic goals of care, and consideration of less invasive approaches.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic study, level III.

Mortality after emergency surgery continues to rise after discharge in the elderly: Predictors of 1-year mortality

BACKGROUND

It is known that emergency surgery in the elderly is associated with high short-term mortality, but longer-term outcomes are not well described. We hypothesized that 30-day mortality may underestimate the true operative mortality experienced in this cohort. The purposes of this study were to characterize postoperative mortality rates extending to 1 year and to identify preoperative predictors of 1 year mortality after emergency abdominal surgery.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients older than 70 years who underwent emergency abdominal surgery at a major teaching hospital between 2006 and 2011. Demographics, preoperative physiology, prehospital status, body mass index, laboratory values, Charlson scores, comorbid conditions, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, and operative details were recorded. The primary end point was 1-year mortality. Complementary log-log binary regression was used to determine independent predictors of death. Model discrimination was evaluated using the c statistic.

RESULTS

A total of 390 patients met our inclusion criteria. The mean age was 79 years, and 56% were women. Postoperative mortality was 16.2% at 30 days and 32.5% at 1 year, reflecting a doubling of mortality over 11 months. Independent preoperative predictors of 1-year mortality were Charlson score of 4 or higher (hazard ratio [HR], 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-2.34), American Society of Anesthesiologists class of 4 or higher (HR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.22-2.21), albumin less than 3.5 (HR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.31-2.28), and body mass index lower than 18.5 (HR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.48-6.86). The c statistic was 0.81.

CONCLUSION

The 1-year mortality after emergency surgery in the elderly is significantly higher than that at 30 days. We identified a constellation of preoperative clinical markers that were highly predictive of this poor late outcome. The presence of these findings in the emergency setting should prompt preoperative discussion about treatment goals and encourage surgeons to set realistic expectations about outcomes with the patient and family. Future studies will develop a clinical scoring tool that can be applied at the bedside to provide more effective counseling for this high-risk population.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Epidemiologic/prognostic study, level III; therapeutic study, level IV.

Conversations about treatment preferences before high-risk surgery: a pilot study in the preoperative testing center

BACKGROUND

It is important to engage patients and surrogates in conversations about goals and preferences for medical treatment before high-risk surgery. However, few interventions have been tested to facilitate these discussions.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the acceptability and feasibility of a facilitated, structured conversation with patients and surrogates about patient goals and preferences for medical treatment during their visit to a preoperative testing center before high-risk surgery.

DESIGN

A randomized controlled pilot study in the preoperative testing center at a tertiary academic hospital over a 4-month period.

MEASUREMENTS

We used baseline and preoperative surveys to assess feasibility, and to compare differences in worry, surrogate burden, and patient-surrogate concordance about treatment preferences in conversation and control groups. We assessed acceptability of the conversation qualitatively and through surveys.

RESULTS

Of 146 eligible patients, 79 were approached, and 65 declined to participate. Thirteen completed the study and 8 were randomized to the structured conversation. Major recruitment barriers included lack of time, or surrogate unavailability. Most postconversation patients were less worried, and more hopeful for a good recovery before surgery; 7 of 8 would recommend the conversation. Six of 8 surrogates reported postoperatively that the conversation helped prepare them to be a surrogate. Concordance improved in the intervention group only.

CONCLUSIONS

Current processes of care present major barriers to conducting facilitated conversations in the preoperative testing center. Among a small group of patients and surrogates, most found a structured conversation about the patient's goals and preferences for medical treatment helpful before high-risk surgery.