Outcomes following surgery: are we measuring what really matters?

Endovenous Treatment for Great Saphenous Vein Insufficiency: A Comparative Study of Segmental Radiofrequency and 1470-nm Endovenous Laser

PurposeThis study aims to evaluate recovery time, patient-centric postoperative outcomes, and the efficacy of endovenous laser ablation (LA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in treating venous insufficiency associated with great saphenous vein (GSV) reflux.MethodsIn this single-center, self-paired, randomized trial, 16 limbs from 8 patients with symptomatic bilateral GSV insufficiency were treated. LA was performed on one lower limb, and after 40 days, the contralateral limb was treated with RFA. For LA, we used a 1470-nm endolaser with radial fiber, and for RFA, the VNUS ClosureFast™ system. All patients were followed with clinical, radiological, and laboratory evaluations for 6 months postoperatively.ResultsBoth techniques showed similar postoperative pain scores, number of complications, time to return to work, and patient satisfaction scores. LA and RFA decreased the mean Venous Clinical Severity Score by the end of the study and achieved a 100% vein occlusion rate, along with a reduction in GSV size. Procedure time was significantly shorter with LA.ConclusionLA and RFA demonstrated similar recovery profiles, pain levels, and patient satisfaction outcomes, maintaining high efficacy in resolving venous insufficiency associated with GSV reflux.

Understanding Outcomes After Major Surgery

The global volume of surgery is increasing. Adverse outcomes after surgery have resource implications and long-term impact on quality of life and consequently represent a significant and underappreciated public health issue. Standardization of outcome reporting is essential for evidence synthesis, risk stratification, perioperative care planning, and to inform shared decision-making. The association between short- and long-term outcomes, which persists when corrected for base-line risk, has significant implications for patients and providers and warrants further investigation. Candidate mechanisms include sustained inflammation and reduced physician activity, which may, in the future, be mitigated by targeted interventions.

Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery

The aims of "Fast track" cardiac anesthesia including shortening time to tracheal extubation and to hospital discharge in selected patients. The evidence is weak and recommendations are mostly based on observational, nonrandomized data and expert opinion. The majority of outcomes studied include: time to tracheal extubation, hospital/ICU length of stay, procedure-related financial costs, and the type/amount of opioids used in the peri-operative period. There should be a shift in focus to generating higher quality evidence supporting the use of enhanced recovery protocols in cardiac surgical patients and finding ways to tailor enhanced recovery principles to all cardiac surgical patients. Research should focus on the quality of care for individual patients and the delivery of health care to the public.

The effect of iron deficiency and anaemia on women's health

Iron deficiency and anaemia are global health problems and major causes of morbidity in women. Current definitions of anaemia in women are historic and have been challenged by recent data from observational studies. Menstrual loss, abnormal uterine bleeding and pregnancy put women at risk of developing iron deficiency which can result in severe fatigue, reduced exercise capacity and poor work performance. Iron deficiency and anaemia during pregnancy are associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, including neurocognitive deficits in children born to iron-deficient mothers. Both iron deficiency and anaemia are common in women undergoing surgery but their association with poor outcomes remains uncertain. The enduring burden of iron deficiency and anaemia in women suggests that current strategies for recognition, prevention and treatment are limited in their utility. Improvements in our understanding of iron homeostasis and the development of new iron preparations, which are better absorbed with fewer side-effects, may improve therapeutic effectiveness of oral iron. Intravenous iron is efficacious for correcting anaemia rapidly but high-quality data on patient-centred outcomes and cost-effectiveness are currently lacking. Many recommendations for the treatment of iron deficiency and anaemia in national guidelines are not supported by high-quality evidence. There is a need for robust epidemiological data and well-designed clinical trials. The latter will require collaborative working between researchers and patients to design studies in ways that incorporate patients' perspectives on the research process and target outcomes that matter to them.