Cluster randomized trial to evaluate the impact of team training on surgical outcomes

Background

The application of safety principles from the aviation industry to the operating room has offered hope in reducing surgical complications. This study aimed to assess the impact on major surgical complications of adding an aviation-based team training programme after checklist implementation.

Methods

A prospective parallel-group cluster trial was undertaken between September 2011 and March 2013. Operating room teams from 31 hospitals were assigned randomly to participate in a team training programme focused on major concepts of crew resource management and checklist utilization. The primary outcome measure was the occurrence of any major adverse event, including death, during the hospital stay within the first 30 days after surgery. Using a difference-in-difference approach, the ratio of the odds ratios (ROR) was estimated to compare changes in surgical outcomes between intervention and control hospitals.

Results

Some 22 779 patients were enrolled, including 5934 before and 16 845 after team training implementation. The risk of major adverse events fell from 8·8 to 5·5 per cent in 16 intervention hospitals (adjusted odds ratio 0·57, 95 per cent c.i. 0·48 to 0·68; P < 0·001) and from 7·9 to 5·4 per cent in 15 control hospitals (odds ratio 0·64, 0·50 to 0·81; P < 0·001), resulting in the absence of difference between arms (ROR 0·90, 95 per cent c.i. 0·67 to 1·21; P = 0·474). Outcome trends revealed significant improvements among ten institutions, equally distributed across intervention and control hospitals.

Conclusion

Surgical outcomes improved substantially, with no difference between trial arms. Successful implementation of an aviation-based team training programme appears to require modification and adaptation of its principles in the context of the the surgical milieu. Registration number: NCT01384474 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Laparoscopically assisted vaginal management of deep endometriosis infiltrating the rectovaginal septum

BACKGROUND

Two aims: 1) To assess the results of laparoscopically assisted vaginal management of deep endometriosis infiltrating the rectovaginal septum (RVS); 2) to pinpoint the differences between this procedure and that used for deep endometriotic lesions located on the uterosacral ligaments (USL).

METHODS

Descriptive retrospective study. Twenty-nine consecutive patients operated for deep endometriosis infiltrating the RVS were included in this series.

RESULTS

One patient only (3.5%) presented a major complication of the recto-vaginal fistula type. After a one step reoperation under anesthesia, the post operative history was uncomplicated and no sequelae are to be deplored. With respect to dysmenorrhea (DM), deep dyspareunia (DP) and chronic pelvic pain (CPP), there was an improvement in respectively 91.7% (22 patients), 100% (24 patients) and 92.9% (13 patients) of cases. For each of these 3 symptoms the median score according to the visual analog scale was significantly lower after the operation (for DM: 7.6+/-2.0 versus 1.7+/-2.6; for DP 7.5+/-1.9 versus 0.5+/-1.1; for CPP 5.9+/-2.8 versus 1.4+/-3.2) (p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that provided the surgeon is highly skilled in laparoscopy, operative laparoscopy is efficient for the treatment of patients presenting painful symptoms related to deep endometriotic infiltrating the RVS. From the technical point of view the rectum must be freed, leaving the deep endometriotic nodule attached to the posterior wall of the vagina. Resection of the whole lesion requires the posterior wall of the vagina to be resected, whereas ureterolysis is often unnecessary. So for lesions located on the RVS the vagina is opened systematically, unlike the situation when resecting deep endometriotic lesions infiltrating the USL. Deep pelvic endometriosis is not synonymous with endometriosis of the RVS. Lesions truly infiltrating the RVS represent only a small proportion of all deep endometriosis lesions.