Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Conservative management of colonic injury during percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Objectives: Colonic injury is a rare but serious complication of percutaneous renal surgery. Its clinical course may be elusive and an awareness of the various presentations is of great importance. We describe how early diagnosis and a diligent conservative approach have resulted in a favorable outcome in our series. Patients and methods: From 2005 to 2015, 2150 percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) procedures were performed in our center. Patients’ records were searched for the occurrence of colonic injury. Records were reviewed and we report on the preoperative data, the clinical presentation and the management approach in these cases. Results: Three patients (0.14%) were identified with colonic injury following PNL, the three injuries were in male patients with a median age of 36.6 (range 28–45 years). Two injuries were on the left side and one on the right. Two of our patients had a low BMI. The renal puncture was in the lower posterior calyx in two and in the middle calyx in one. The diagnosis was established postoperatively in all and confirmed using antegrade or retrograde pyelography. All patients were managed conservatively with a favorable outcome. Conclusion: An approach combining a high degree of suspicion for early diagnosis and a diligent conservative management results in a favorable outcome in patients with colonic injury during PNL

Predictive factors of bladder outlet obstruction following the tension-free vaginal tape obturator (TVTO) procedure in females treated surgically for stress urinary incontinence

Objectives: To identify patients at risk for postoperative outlet obstruction after the tension-free vaginal tape obturator (TVTO) procedure in order to allow for better counseling and possible treatment alternatives. Subjects and methods: This prospective study was carried out on 85 women who underwent the TVTO procedure for treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Preoperatively, a detailed medical history was taken from all patients, and all were subjected to physical examination, routine labs, abdominal and pelvic ultrasound and urodynamic studies (cystometry and assessment of the detrusor leak point pressure (DLPP), abdominal leak point pressure (ALPP), pressure flow and post-void residual (PVR) urine). The TVTO procedure was carried out by the same surgeon in all cases. Postoperative voiding dysfunction in this study was defined as the subjective feeling of difficult voiding, a weak stream and/or incomplete evacuation, and a PVR urine volume >100 ml, a urine flow rate <15 ml/s or urinary retention on examination. The following risk factors for postoperative bladder outlet obstruction were evaluated: age, history of previous incontinence surgery, parity, menopausal status, type of SUI, grade of SUI, residual urine, Qmax and PdetQmax. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS package version 1.5. Results: 75% of our patients were cured. Denovo urgency or urge incontinence developed in 5.8% of the patients. Voiding dysfunction according to our definition developed in 24.7% of the patients. On multivariate analysis, Qmax was the only risk factor that could predict postoperative bladder outlet obstruction (p = 0.002, odds ratio = 0.658, 95% C.I.). Conclusion: Preoperative Qmax is the only independent risk factor for postoperative bladder outlet obstruction in women undergoing TVTO surgery. Brief summary: TVTO is an effective surgical option for genuine stress incontinence in females. Preoperative Qmax is the only independent risk factor for postoperative bladder outlet obstruction

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

Background: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research