Multicenter validation of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma grading scale for acute cholecystitis

A novel preoperative score to predict severe acute cholecystitis

BACKGROUND

In a large multicenter trial, The Parkland Grading Scale (PGS) for acute cholecystitis outperformed other grading scales and has a positive correlation with complications but is limited in its inability to preoperatively predict high-grade cholecystitis. We sought to identify preoperative variables predictive of high-grade cholecystitis (PGS 4 or 5).

METHODS

In a six-month period, patients undergoing cholecystectomy at a single institution with prospectively graded PGS were analyzed. Stepwise logistic regression models were constructed to predict high-grade cholecystitis. The relative weight of the variables was used to derive a novel score, the Severe Acute Cholecystitis Score (SACS). This score was compared with the Emergency Surgery Acuity Score(ESS), American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) preoperative score and Tokyo Guidelines (TG) for their ability to predict high-grade cholecystitis. Severe Acute Cholecystitis Score was then validated using the database from the AAST multicenter validation of the grading scale for acute cholecystitis.

RESULTS

Of the 575 patients that underwent cholecystectomy, 172 (29.9%) were classified as high-grade. The stepwise logistic regression modeling identified seven independent predictors of high-grade cholecystitis. From these variables, the SACS was derived. Scores ranged from 0 to 9 points with a C statistic of 0.76, outperforming the ESS ( C statistic of 0.60), AAST (0.53), and TG (0.70) ( p < 0.001). Using a cutoff of 4 or more on the SACS correctly identifies 76.2% of cases with a specificity of 91.3% and a sensitivity of 40.7%. In the multicenter database, there were 464 patients with a prospectively collected PGS. The C statistic for SACS was 0.74. Using the same cutoff of 4, SACS correctly identifies 71.6% of cases with a specificity of 83.8% and a sensitivity of 52.2%.

CONCLUSION

The Severe Acute Cholecystitis Score can preoperatively predict high-grade cholecystitis and may be useful for counseling patients and assisting in surgical decision making.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Diagnostic Test/Criteria; Level III.

Improving outcomes in emergency general surgery: Construct of a collaborative quality initiative

BACKGROUND

Emergency general surgery conditions are common, costly, and highly morbid. The proportion of excess morbidity due to variation in health systems and processes of care is poorly understood. We constructed a collaborative quality initiative for emergency general surgery to investigate the emergency general surgery care provided and guide process improvements.

METHODS

We collected data at 10 hospitals from July 2019 to December 2022. Five cohorts were defined: acute appendicitis, acute gallbladder disease, small bowel obstruction, emergency laparotomy, and overall aggregate. Processes and inpatient outcomes investigated included operative versus nonoperative management, mortality, morbidity (mortality and/or complication), readmissions, and length of stay. Multivariable risk adjustment accounted for variations in demographic, comorbid, anatomic, and disease traits.

RESULTS

Of the 19,956 emergency general surgery patients, 56.8% were female and 82.8% were White, and the mean (SD) age was 53.3 (20.8) years. After accounting for patient and disease factors, the adjusted aggregate mortality rate was 3.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.2-3.7), morbidity rate was 27.6% (95% CI, 27.0-28.3), and the readmission rate was 15.1% (95% CI, 14.6-15.6). Operative management varied between hospitals from 70.9% to 96.9% for acute appendicitis and 19.8% to 79.4% for small bowel obstruction. Significant differences in outcomes between hospitals were observed with high- and low-outlier performers identified after risk adjustment in the overall cohort for mortality, morbidity, and readmissions. The use of a Gastrografin challenge in patients with a small bowel obstruction ranged from 10.7% to 61.4% of patients. In patients who underwent initial nonoperative management of acute cholecystitis, 51.5% had a cholecystostomy tube placed. The cholecystostomy tube placement rate ranged from 23.5% to 62.1% across hospitals.

CONCLUSION

A multihospital emergency general surgery collaborative reveals high morbidity with substantial variability in processes and outcomes among hospitals. A targeted collaborative quality improvement effort can identify outliers in emergency general surgery care and may provide a mechanism to optimize outcomes.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III.

Imaging acute cholecystitis, one test is enough

BACKGROUND

Patients with right upper quadrant pain are often imaged using multiple modalities with no established gold standard. A single imaging study should provide adequate information for diagnosis.

METHODS

A multicenter study of patients with acute cholecystitis was queried for patients who underwent multiple imaging studies on admission. Parameters were compared across studies including wall thickness (WT), common bile duct diameter (CBDD), pericholecystic fluid and signs of inflammation. Cutoff for abnormal values were 3 mm for WT and 6 mm for CBDD. Parameters were compared using chi-square tests and Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC).

RESULTS

Of 861 patients with acute cholecystitis, 759 had ultrasounds, 353 had CT and 74 had MRIs. There was excellent agreement for wall thickness (ICC = 0.733) and bile duct diameter (ICC = 0.848) between imaging studies. Differences between wall thickness and bile duct diameters were small with nearly all <1 mm. Large differences (>2 mm) were rare (<5%) for WT and CBDD.

CONCLUSIONS

Imaging studies in acute cholecystitis generate equivalent results for typically measured parameters.

From mild to gangrenous cholecystitis, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe 24 hours a day

OBJECTIVES

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) at night remains controversial. Prior studies have not controlled for disease severity. We analyzed outcomes of LC performed day vs. night while controlling for the Parkland Grading Scale for Cholecystitis (PGS).

METHODS

Analysis of the AAST multicenter evaluation of cholecystitis database was performed. Exclusion criteria included non-operative cases, open operations, and missing PGS. Cases were divided based on operation start time. PGS was used to control for disease severity. Outcomes included operative time, use of bailout techniques and complications.

RESULTS

Of 759 procedures identified, 16% were nighttime LC. No differences in demographics, comorbidities, physiologic variables and PGS were noted. Operative time (108.6 min vs 105.6), bailout techniques (8.3% vs 7.4%) and complications (9.9% vs 11.3%) were similar between groups.

CONCLUSION

Regardless of severity, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe 24-h a day. Operations performed at night have a similar complication profile to those performed during the day.

Revision of the AAST grading scale for acute cholecystitis with comparison to physiologic measures of severity

BACKGROUND

Grading systems for acute cholecystitis are essential to compare outcomes, improve quality, and advance research. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grading system for acute cholecystitis was only moderately discriminant when predicting multiple outcomes and underperformed the Tokyo guidelines and Parkland grade. We hypothesized that through additional expert consensus, the predictive capacity of the AAST anatomic grading system could be improved.

METHODS

A modified Delphi approach was used to revise the AAST grading system. Changes were made to improve distribution of patients across grades, and additional key clinical variables were introduced. The revised version was assessed using prospectively collected data from an AAST multicenter study. Patient distribution across grades was assessed, and the revised grading system was evaluated based on predictive capacity using area under receiver operating characteristic curves for conversion from laparoscopic to an open procedure, use of a surgical "bail-out" procedure, bile leak, major complications, and discharge home. A preoperative AAST grade was defined based on preoperative, clinical, and radiologic data, and the Parkland grade was also substituted for the operative component of the AAST grade.

RESULTS

Using prospectively collected data on 861 patients with acute cholecystitis the revised version of the AAST grade has an improved distribution across all grades, both the overall grade and across each subscale. A higher AAST grade predicted each of the outcomes assessed (all p ≤ 0.01). The revised AAST grade outperformed the original AAST grade for predicting operative outcomes and discharge disposition. Despite this improvement, the AAST grade did not outperform the Parkland grade or the Emergency Surgery Score.

CONCLUSION

The revised AAST grade and the preoperative AAST grade demonstrated improved discrimination; however, a purely anatomic grade based on chart review is unlikely to predict outcomes without addition of physiologic variables. Follow-up validation will be necessary.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Diagnostic Test or Criteria, Level IV.

Validation of the association of the cystic duct fibrosis score with surgical difficulty in laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The level of surgical difficulty in laparoscopic cholecystectomy might be predictable based on preoperative imaging and intraoperative findings indicative of cholecystitis severity. Several scales for laparoscopic cholecystectomy have been developed, but most are complex, unverified, and not widely adopted. This study evaluated the association of the cystic duct fibrosis score (range, 0–3) with surgical difficulty in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: Between July 2018 and November 2018, 163 laparoscopic cholecystectomy cases were retrospectively reviewed at a single center. Patients’ demographics, preoperative laboratory data, operation time, complications, hospital stay, and cholecystitis severity grade were investigated. We also evaluated the associations of the Tokyo Guidelines 2018 and the Parkland grading scale with the cystic fibrosis score. Results: The cystic duct fibrosis score was associated with preoperative white blood cells (<i>p</i><0.001), preoperative platelet count (<i>p</i>=0.046), preoperative total bilirubin (<i>p</i><0.004), preoperative C-reactive protein (<i>p</i><0.001), operation time (<i>p</i><0.001), cystic duct ligation time (<i>p</i>=0.002), estimated blood loss (<i>p</i><0.001), postoperative complication (<i>p</i>=0.004), open conversion (<i>p</i><0.001), and common bile duct injury (<i>p</i>=0.010). The cystic duct fibrosis score was also correlated with the Tokyo Guidelines 2018 and the Parkland grading scale (<i>p</i><0.001). The cystic duct ligation time predicted the cystic duct fibrosis score and the Parkland grading scale, but not the Tokyo Guidelines 2018.Conclusion: As a simple indicator of cholecystitis severity, the cystic duct fibrosis score can predict the surgical difficulty and outcomes of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

The Bad Gallbladder

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a common operation; approximately 20 million Americans have gallstones, the most common indication. Surgeons who operate on the biliary tree must be familiar with the presentations and treatment options for acute and chronic biliary pathology. We focus on the difficult "bad" gallbladder. We explore the available evidence as to what to do when a gallbladder is too inflamed, too technically challenging, or a patient is too sick to undergo standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We discuss whether or not open cholecystectomy is a relevant tool and what can be done to manage common bile duct stones found unexpectedly intraoperatively.

Role of serum procalcitonin in predicting the surgical outcomes of acute calculous cholecystitis

BACKGROUND

Acute calculous cholecystitis (AC) is a syndrome of right upper quadrant pain, fever, and leukocytosis associated with gallbladder inflammation. In the preoperative planning, the severity of AC should be considered as well as time of onset of symptoms and patient comorbidities. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of an early PCT assessment in the emergency department in predicting the outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for AC.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective, mono-centric study conducted in a teaching urban hospital. We evaluated all patients admitted to our ED from January 1st, 2015, to December 31st, 2019, underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for AC having a preoperative PCT determination in ED.

RESULTS

A total of 2285 patients in our ED were admitted for AC. Among them 822 patients were treated surgically, 174 had a PCT determination in ED. Median age was 63 [50-74]. Overall, 33 patients (19.0%) had major complications (MC): 32 needed an open surgery conversion, and 3 among them deceased. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that PCT, WBC, BUN, and CCI were significantly associated to MC in our cohort. When we calculated the area under the ROC curve with regard to MC, a procalcitonin value > 0.09 at admission had sensitivity = 84.8% [68.1-94.9] and specificity = 51.8% [43.2-60.3] for the occurrence of MC.

CONCLUSION

Our results, suggest that a PCT > 0.09 ng/mL at ED admission, could be associated to a poor surgical outcome in patients treated by laparoscopic surgery for AC.