Cholecystectomy for people aged 50 years or more with mild gallstone pancreatitis: predictors and outcomes of index and interval procedures

National Trends in Interventions for Pediatric Gallstone Pancreatitis

Introduction: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) during index hospitalization for gallstone pancreatitis is standard in adult populations. The objective of this study was to evaluate trends in use of LC and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for children with gallstone pancreatitis. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study used the Kids' Inpatient Database, spanning 2000-2019, to identify patients aged 18 years or younger with a principal diagnosis of gallstone pancreatitis. The Mann-Kendall trend test was used to assess trends over time. Results: Gallstone pancreatitis occurred in 5028 patients. The rate of LC during index hospitalization ranged from 55.4% to 63.8% (P = .76). Trends demonstrate that LC occurred on average hospital day 4.6 in 2000 and decreased to 3.4 in 2019 (P < .01). Among those undergoing LC, average length of stay (LOS) decreased from 6.8 days in 2000 to 5.1 days in 2019 (P < .01). The rate of ERCP alone decreased from 24.8% in 2000 to 14.0% in 2019 (P = .23). For those undergoing ERCP, average hospital day of ERCP decreased from 3.3 in 2000 to 2.3 in 2019 (P = .07). The rate of undergoing both an ERCP and LC decreased from 19.0% in 2000 to 8.5% in 2019 (P = .13). For patients who underwent either LC or ERCP, average LOS decreased from 7.0 days in 2000 to 5.1 days in 2019 (P < .01). For patients who did not undergo a procedure, average LOS decreased from 5.7 days in 2000 to 4.0 days in 2019 (P = .13). Conclusion: The proportion of LC performed during index hospitalizations for children with gallstone pancreatitis has been stable for two decades. However, trends indicate that interventions are occurring earlier, and LOS is becoming shorter.

Intensive care utilisation after elective surgery in Australia and New Zealand: getting the balance right

Of the total intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in Australia and New Zealand, 36.6% occur following an elective surgical procedure. How best to use ICU services in this setting is not clear, despite this being an expensive and resource-intensive method of care delivery. The literature relating to this area has not demonstrated a clear association between improved outcomes and routine ICU utilisation. It has, however, demonstrated that methods of care delivery in this setting vary at the local, national and international level. There is now an increased interest in how we can offer safe, efficient care to patients who need ICU-level support after elective surgery, as well as where and when that care can be offered. We had previously performed a literature review relating to ICU utilisation in the elective surgical post-operative setting. This perspective piece arises from this literature review as well as extensive clinical experience from the authors. We discuss the need for a move towards an evidence-based indication for ICU admission and how this may be achieved. We then move on to the various alternative models of care that could be offered, briefly discussing their positives and potential drawbacks. We finish by outlining the research priorities and how these might be implemented in clinical practice. Getting the balance right between ICU admission and higher acuity ward-level care for post-operative elective surgical patients is difficult. However, this is an important challenge that we as a healthcare community must be working to answer.

Time to interval cholecystectomy and associated outcomes in a population aged 50 and above with mild gallstone pancreatitis

BACKGROUND

Cholecystectomy on index admission for mild gallstone pancreatitis (GSP) is recommended, although not always feasible. This study examined rates and outcomes of people aged ≥ 50 years who underwent interval (delayed) cholecystectomy at increasing time points.

METHODS

Hospitalisation and death data were linked for individuals aged ≥ 50 years admitted to hospital in New South Wales, Australia with mild GSP between 2008-2018. Primary outcome was interval cholecystectomy timing. Secondary outcomes included mortality, emergency readmission for gallstone-related disease (GSRD) (28 and 180-day), and length of stay (LOS) (index admission and total six-month GSRD).

RESULTS

3,003 patients underwent interval cholecystectomy: 861 (28.6%) at 1-30, 1,221 (40.7%) at 31-90 and 921 (30.7%) at 91-365 days from index admission. There was no difference in 365-day mortality between groups. Longer delay to cholecystectomy was associated with increased 180-day emergency GSRD readmission (17.5% vs 15.8% vs 19.9%, p < 0.001) and total six-month LOS (5.9 vs 8.4 vs 8.3, p < 0.001). Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was increasingly required with cholecystectomy delay (14.5% vs 16.9% vs 20.4%, p < 0.001), as were open cholecystectomy procedures (4.8% vs 7.6% vs 11.3%, p < 0.001). Extended delay was associated with patients of lower socioeconomic status, regional/rural backgrounds or who presented to a low volume or non-tertiary hospital (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Delay to interval cholecystectomy results in increased rates of emergency readmission, overall LOS, risks of conversion to open surgery and need for ERCP. Index admission cholecystectomy is still recommended, however when not possible, interval cholecystectomy should be performed within 30 days to minimise patient risk and healthcare burden.

External application of mirabilite before surgery can reduce the inflammatory response and accelerate recovery in mild acute biliary pancreatitis

OBJECTIVE

Mild acute biliary pancreatitis (MABP) is one of the most common diseases that require surgical treatment. Previous studies have focused on the timing of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for MABP. However, the impact of its inflammatory response process on the clinical outcome has been rarely reported. This study aimed to investigate the effect of preoperative external application of mirabilite on the inflammatory response and clinical efficacy in MABP.

METHODS

Medical records of patients undergoing LC due to MABP from November 2017 to June 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Prior to surgery, the control group received the same baseline treatment measures as the study group. The difference was the addition of external application of mirabilite in the study group.

RESULTS

A total of 75 patients were included in the final analysis: 38 patients in the mirabilite group and 37 patients in the control group. Repeated-measures ANOVA (P < 0.01) showed that the white blood cell count (WBC) on the 3rd day of admission and the WBC and C-reactive protein (CRP) level on the 5th day of admission decreased rapidly and significantly in the mirabilite group, compared with the control group. The mirabilite group had earlier anal exhaust time. The number of patients in the mirabilite group and control group with gallbladder wall ≥ 3 mm before the operation was 16 (42.11%) vs. 24 (64.86%), p = 0.048, respectively; and the number of cases with surgical drain placement was 2 (5.26%) vs. 9 (24.32%), p = 0.020, respectively. The intraoperative modified American Fertility Society (mAFS) score of adhesions was lower in the mirabilite group (1.08 ± 0.59 points) than in the control group (1.92 ± 0.60 points), p = 0.000. The mirabilite group, compared to the control group, p = 0.000, had a short waiting time for surgery (5.68 ± 0.70 days vs. 6.54 ± 0.59 days), short operation time (38.03 ± 5.90 min vs. 48.51 ± 8.37 min), and reduced hospitalization time (8.95 ± 0.96 days vs. 9.84 ± 1.07 days).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that preoperative external application of mirabilite can reduce the inflammatory response, decrease the edema and peribiliary adhesions at the surgical site, and accelerate recovery in MABP.