Impact of Enhanced Recovery Program after Surgery in Patients Undergoing Pancreatectomy on Postoperative Outcomes: A Controlled before and after Study

Infusion management associated with prolonged length of stay following free flap reconstruction of head and neck defects: A propensity score matching study

BACKGROUND

Surgical resection of the primary lesion and reconstruction of the defects with free flaps are common treatments for head and neck cancer (HNC). However, various variables can lead to prolonged length of stay (LOS). The aim of this study is to investigate risk factors correlated with prolonged LOS following free flap reconstruction of head and neck defects.

METHODS

A retrospective study of patients with all types of free flaps reconstruction of HNC between January 2011 and January 2019 at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital was performed. We recorded predictive variables and divided them into: personal and clinical, hemodynamic, anesthetic and surgical. The primary endpoint was prolonged length of stay. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to identify risk factors that associated with prolonged LOS. Propensity score matching was performed with the identified risk variables and other perioperative factors that may impact transfusion decision to explore the independent influence of intraoperative blood transfusion on prolonged LOS.

RESULTS

A total of 1047 patients were included in this study. The median LOS was 13.00 (11.00, 16.00) days. Multivariate analysis suggested that blood transfusion, duration of surgery, postoperative complications and unplanned reoperation were associated with prolonged LOS. After propensity score matching, unnecessary blood transfusion and inadequate fluid rate over 24 h, postoperative complications and unplanned reoperation were identified risk factors that led to prolonged LOS.

CONCLUSION

Unnecessary blood transfusion and inadequate fluid infusion rate over 24 h were independent risk factors associated with prolonged LOS in HNC patients who underwent free flap reconstruction. Our results indicated consideration of restrictive blood transfusion and adequate fluid infusion over postoperative 24 h in these patients.

Pharmacological management of patients undergoing total pancreatectomy with auto-islet transplantation

Chronic pancreatitis results in permanent parenchymal destruction of the pancreas gland leading to anatomical and physiological consequences for patients. Surgical management varies, and some patients require total pancreatectomy with autologous islet cell transplantation (TPIAT). Patients undergoing TPIAT require complex and diligent management after surgery. This encompasses the management of glucose control (endocrine function of the pancreas) and supplementing loss of exocrine function of the pancreas with digestive enzymes. Other areas of management include optimizing pain relief while reducing narcotic usage, providing antimicrobial prophylaxis, and reducing loss of islet cells by improving its integrity through anticoagulation and use of anti-inflammatory agents. Each aspect of care is unique to this population. However, comprehensive reviews on its pharmacological management are scarce. This review will discuss the available literature to date surrounding all aspects of pharmacological management of patients undergoing TPIAT.

The impact of multimodal analgesia based enhanced recovery protocol on quality of recovery after laparoscopic gynecological surgery: a randomized controlled trial

Background

Our objective was to evaluate the impact of multimodal analgesia based enhanced recovery protocol on quality of recovery after laparoscopic gynecological surgery.

Methods

One hundred forty female patients scheduled for laparoscopic gynecological surgery were enrolled in this prospective, randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized to receive either multimodal analgesia (Study group) or conventional opioid-based analgesia (Control group). The multimodal analgesic protocol consists of pre-operative acetaminophen and gabapentin, intra-operative flurbiprofen and ropivacaine, and post-operative acetaminophen and celecoxib. Both groups received an on-demand mode patient-controlled analgesia pump containing morphine for rescue analgesia. The primary outcome was Quality of Recovery-40 score at postoperative day (POD) 2. Secondary outcomes included numeric pain scores (NRS), opioid consumption, clinical recovery, C-reactive protein, and adverse events.

Results

One hundred thirty-eight patients completed the study. The global QoR-40 scores at POD 2 were not significantly different between groups, although scores in the pain dimension were higher in Study group (32.1 ± 3.0 vs. 31.0 ± 3.2, P = 0.033). In the Study group, NRS pain scores, morphine consumption, and rescue analgesics in PACU (5.8% vs. 27.5%; P = 0.0006) were lower, time to ambulation [5.0 (3.3–7.0) h vs. 6.5 (5.0–14.8) h; P = 0.003] and time to bowel function recovery [14.5 (9.5–19.5) h vs.17 (13–23.5) h; P = 0.008] were shorter, C-reactive protein values at POD 2 was lower [4(3–6) ng/ml vs. 5 (3–10.5) ng/ml; P = 0.022] and patient satisfaction was higher (9.8 ± 0.5 vs. 8.8 ± 1.2, P = 0.000).

Conclusion

For minimally invasive laparoscopic gynecological surgery, multimodal analgesia based enhanced recovery protocol offered better pain relief, lower opioid use, earlier ambulation, faster bowel function recovery and higher patient satisfaction, while no improvement in QoR-40 score was found.

Trial registration

ChiCTR1900026194; Date registered: Sep 26,2019.

Validation of a clinical score in predicting pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND

Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is one of the most severe complications after cephalic pancreaticoduodenectomy, with mortality as high as 30%. Risk scores may help predict the risk of POPF. Multiple external validations substantially improve generalized clinical acceptability of a scoring system.

AIM

The aim of this study was to externally validate previously described fistula risk score in the prediction of clinically relevant POPF.

METHODS

All patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for any indication during a 5-year period were prospectively analyzed. A total of 132 patients were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 132 patients, 44 (33.3%) developed pancreatic fistula, including 12.9% biochemical leaks, 7.6% grade B fistula, and 12.9% grade C fistula. Cut-off point of 4.5 was determined to best separate patients who developed clinically relevant POPF with area under curve of 78% (p = .00003). Sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of clinically relevant POPF with the cut-off value of 4.5 was 70.4 and 74.3%, respectively. Positive predictive value with cut-off value 4.5 was 57.8%, and negative predictive value was 83.4%.

CONCLUSION

Fistula risk score identified low risk patients with false negative rate of 16.6%. Further external validation studies on large cohorts of patients and with wide case-mix may enable additional refinements of the score model.

The Safety and Feasibility of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery in Patients Undergoing Pancreaticoduodenectomy: An Updated Meta-Analysis

Background

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a multimodal, multidisciplinary, evidence-based approach to care for surgical patients and aims at optimizing the perioperative management and outcomes. The ERAS approach was first implemented in colorectal surgery patients; however, the reported applications in pancreatoduodenectomy patients are limited. In recent years, studies on ERAS for patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy have been published. The accumulation of new randomized controlled trials and high-quality case-control studies stimulated us to update the analysis. Our study comprehensively collected data to provide the best evidence summary for the clinic.

Aim

To evaluate the safety and feasibility of enhanced recovery after surgery in the perioperative management of pancreatoduodenectomy patients.

Methods

A systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library was performed up to July 2019. All randomized controlled trials and case-control studies that applied ERAS for patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy were considered for inclusion in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: patients who received the ERAS perioperative management approach were defined as the ERAS group and patients who received the traditional perioperative management approach were defined as the control group. All statistical analyses were conducted using the Revman5.3 software, and the outcomes were calculated as odds ratios or weighted mean differences with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals. A funnel plot was created to assess publication bias. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore the sources of heterogeneity.

Results

A total of 20 studies involving 3613 patients (1914 patients in the ERAS group vs. 1699 patients in the control group) were included in this study. Among the 20 studies, 4 were randomized controlled trials, and 16 were case-control studies. The overall postoperative complication rate was significantly lower in the ERAS group (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.53-0.74, P < 0.00001) than in the control group. In addition, the minor complication rate (Clavien-Dindo I-II) was also lower in the ERAS group (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.58-0.86, P = 0.0005). The patients in the ERAS group had a lower incidence of delayed gastric emptying (OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.42-0.63, P < 0.00001) and shorter length of hospital stay (WMD = -4.27, 95% CI: -4.81~-3.73, P < 0.00001) than in the control group. The rates of pancreatic fistula (regardless of Grade A/B/C), wound infections, abdominal abscesses, readmission, reoperation, and morbidity were not significantly different between the two groups.

Conclusion

The ERAS approach is safe and effective in the perioperative management of patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy and helps to accelerate the postoperative recovery and improve prognosis.