Postoperative complications and mortality following emergency digestive surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter collaborative retrospective cohort study protocol (COVID-CIR)

Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus seems to contribute significantly to increased postoperative complications and mortality after emergency surgical procedures. Additionally, the fear of COVID-19 contagion delays the consultation of patients, resulting in the deterioration of their acute diseases by the time of consultation. In the specific case of urgent digestive surgery patients, both factors significantly worsen the postoperative course and prognosis. Main working hypothesis: infection by COVID-19 increases postoperative 30-day-mortality for any cause in patients submitted to emergency/urgent general or gastrointestinal surgery. Likewise, hospital collapse during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic increased 30-day-mortality for any cause. Hence, the main objective of this study is to estimate the cumulative incidence of mortality at 30-days-after-surgery. Secondary objectives are: to estimate the cumulative incidence of postoperative complications and to develop a specific postoperative risk propensity model for COVID-19-infected patients.A multicenter, observational retrospective cohort study (COVID-CIR-study) will be carried out in consecutive patients operated on for urgent digestive pathology. Two cohorts will be defined: the "pandemic" cohort, which will include all patients (classified as COVID-19-positive or -negative) operated on for emergency digestive pathology during the months of March to June 2020; and the "control" cohort, which will include all patients operated on for emergency digestive pathology during the months of March to June 2019. Information will be gathered on demographic characteristics, clinical and analytical parameters, scores on the usual prognostic scales for quality management in a General Surgery service (POSSUM, P-POSSUM and LUCENTUM scores), prognostic factors applicable to all patients, specific prognostic factors for patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, postoperative morbidity and mortality (at 30 and 90 postoperative days). The main objective is to estimate the cumulative incidence of mortality at 30 days after surgery. As secondary objectives, to estimate the cumulative incidence of postoperative complications and to develop a specific postoperative risk propensity model for SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.The protocol (version1.0, April 20th 2020) was approved by the local Institutional Review Board (Ethic-and-Clinical-Investigation-Committee, code PR169/20, date 05/05/20). The study findings will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant national and international scientific meetings.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04479150 (July 21, 2020)

Use of failure-to-rescue after emergency surgery as a dynamic indicator of hospital resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study

Coronavirus; Operacions quirúrgiques; EpidemiologiaCoronavirus; Intervenciones quirúrgicas; EpidemiologíaCoronavirus; Surgical procedures; EpidemiologyBackground: Surgical failure-to-rescue (FTR, death rate following complications) is a reliable cross-sectional quality of care marker, but has not been evaluated dynamically. We aimed to study changes in FTR following emergency surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods: Matched cohort study including all COVID-19-non-infected adult patients undergoing emergency general surgery in 25 Spanish hospitals during COVID-19 pandemic peak (March-April 2020), non-peak (May-June 2020), and 2019 control periods. A propensity score-matched comparative analysis was conducted using a logistic regression model, in which period was regressed on observed baseline characteristics. Subsequently, a mixed effects logistic regression model was constructed for each variable of interest. Main variable was FTR. Secondary variables were post-operative complications, readmissions, reinterventions, and length of stay. Results: 5003 patients were included (948, 1108, and 2947 in the pandemic peak, non-peak, and control periods), with comparable clinical characteristics, prognostic scores, complications, reintervention, rehospitalization rates, and length of stay across periods. FTR was greater during the pandemic peak than during non-peak and pre-pandemic periods (22.5% vs. 17.2% and 12.7%), being this difference confirmed in adjusted analysis (odds ratio [OR] 2.13, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.27-3.66). There was sensible inter-hospital variability in FTR changes during the pandemic peak (median FTR change +8.77%, IQR 0-29.17%) not observed during the pandemic non-peak period (median FTR change 0%, IQR -6.01-6.72%). Greater FTR increase was associated with higher COVID-19 incidence (OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.31-4.16) and some hospital characteristics, including tertiary level (OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.27-8.00), medium-volume (OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.14-7.34), and high basal-adjusted complication risk (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.07-4.72). Conclusion: FTR following emergency surgery experienced a heterogeneous increase during different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting it to behave as an indicator of hospital resilience. FTR monitoring could facilitate identification of centres in special needs during ongoing health care challenges

Implanted body packer: nueva modalidad de transporte intracorporal de drogas

El transporte intracorporal de cuerpos extraños por personas (en inglés denominados body packers, en español en argot "mulos", "correos" o "culeros") en nuestro país constituye en España una conocida forma de contrabando de drogas ilegales en sujetos provenientes de América del Sur y África para su distribución en España y, debido a nuestra particular situación geográfica, como puerta de entrada para el resto de Europa1-3. La introducción de nuevas modalidades de sustancias (drogas en estado líquido) y el uso de múltiples métodos de transporte pueden dificultar notablemente su detección

Perfil tromboelastométrico y coagulopatía aguda del paciente politraumatizado: implicaciones clínicas y pronósticas

Introducción: El 25-35% de los pacientes politraumatizados presentan profundas alteraciones de la coagulación a su llegada al hospital (coagulopatía aguda traumática [CAT]). Los test viscoelásticos (ROTEM®) valoran rápidamente la capacidad hemostática y detectan precozmente la CAT. Los objetivos de este estudio son describir el tromboelastograma inicial de estos enfermos y determinar la prevalencia de CAT según unos perfiles tromboelastográficos predefinidos. Métodos: Estudio unicéntrico, observacional y prospectivo en pacientes politraumatizados. Se realizó analítica, prueba tromboelastográfica (ROTEM®) y se registraron datos prehospitalarios y hospitalarios, transfusiones, intervenciones quirúrgicas/arteriografía iniciales, paradas cardiorrespiratorias y fallecimientos. Los pacientes fueron clasificados en grupos según su ROTEM® inicial: «normal», «hipercoagulabilidad», «hipocoagulabilidad», «hipocoagulabilidad + hiperfibrinólisis» e «hiperfibrinólisis aislada». Resultados: Se analizaron 123 pacientes. En 32 casos (26%) se objetivó CAT: 15 pacientes presentaron hipocoagulabilidad, 9 hiperfibrinólisis aislada y 8 hipocoagulabilidad + hiperfibrinólisis. El grupo con CAT, respecto al grupo «normal», presentó mayor ISS (23 vs. 16; p < 0,01), mayor transfusión de hemoderivados (2,5 vs. 0; p = 0,001), más episodios de PCR (19 vs. 1%, p < 0,01) y mayor mortalidad (34 vs. 5%, p < 0,01). El subgrupo con hipocoagulabilidad + hiperfibrinólisis, respecto a los grupos con hipocoagulabilidad o hiperfibrinólisis aislada, presentó mayor ISS (41 vs. 25 vs. 15, p < 0,01), mayor necesidad de arteriografía (62% vs. 13% vs. 0%, p < 0,01) y mortalidad superior (75% vs. 33% vs. 0%, p = 0,05). Conclusiones: El 26% de los enfermos politraumatizados presenta coagulopatía precoz evaluada mediante tromboelastografía, asociada a mayor consumo de hemoderivados y menor supervivencia. El perfil combinado de «hipocoagulabilidad + hiperfibrinólisis» se asocia a mayor gravedad y necesidades superiores de hemoderivados y arteriografía

Correction to: Two years later: Is the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still having an impact on emergency surgery? An international cross-sectional survey among WSES members

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is still ongoing and a major challenge for health care services worldwide. In the first WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey, a strong negative impact on emergency surgery (ES) had been described already early in the pandemic situation. However, the knowledge is limited about current effects of the pandemic on patient flow through emergency rooms, daily routine and decision making in ES as well as their changes over time during the last two pandemic years. This second WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey investigates the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on ES during the course of the pandemic. Methods: A web survey had been distributed to medical specialists in ES during a four-week period from January 2022, investigating the impact of the pandemic on patients and septic diseases both requiring ES, structural problems due to the pandemic and time-to-intervention in ES routine. Results: 367 collaborators from 59 countries responded to the survey. The majority indicated that the pandemic still significantly impacts on treatment and outcome of surgical emergency patients (83.1% and 78.5%, respectively). As reasons, the collaborators reported decreased case load in ES (44.7%), but patients presenting with more prolonged and severe diseases, especially concerning perforated appendicitis (62.1%) and diverticulitis (57.5%). Otherwise, approximately 50% of the participants still observe a delay in time-to-intervention in ES compared with the situation before the pandemic. Relevant causes leading to enlarged time-to-intervention in ES during the pandemic are persistent problems with in-hospital logistics, lacks in medical staff as well as operating room and intensive care capacities during the pandemic. This leads not only to the need for triage or transferring of ES patients to other hospitals, reported by 64.0% and 48.8% of the collaborators, respectively, but also to paradigm shifts in treatment modalities to non-operative approaches reported by 67.3% of the participants, especially in uncomplicated appendicitis, cholecystitis and multiple-recurrent diverticulitis. Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still significantly impacts on care and outcome of patients in ES. Well-known problems with in-hospital logistics are not sufficiently resolved by now; however, medical staff shortages and reduced capacities have been dramatically aggravated over last two pandemic years

Perfil tromboelastométrico y coagulopatía aguda del paciente politraumatizado: implicaciones clínicas y pronósticas

Introducción: El 25-35% de los pacientes politraumatizados presentan profundas alteraciones de la coagulación a su llegada al hospital (coagulopatía aguda traumática [CAT]). Los test viscoelásticos (ROTEM®) valoran rápidamente la capacidad hemostática y detectan precozmente la CAT. Los objetivos de este estudio son describir el tromboelastograma inicial de estos enfermos y determinar la prevalencia de CAT según unos perfiles tromboelastográficos predefinidos. Métodos: Estudio unicéntrico, observacional y prospectivo en pacientes politraumatizados. Se realizó analítica, prueba tromboelastográfica (ROTEM®) y se registraron datos prehospitalarios y hospitalarios, transfusiones, intervenciones quirúrgicas/arteriografía iniciales, paradas cardiorrespiratorias y fallecimientos. Los pacientes fueron clasificados en grupos según su ROTEM® inicial: «normal», «hipercoagulabilidad», «hipocoagulabilidad», «hipocoagulabilidad + hiperfibrinólisis» e «hiperfibrinólisis aislada». Resultados: Se analizaron 123 pacientes. En 32 casos (26%) se objetivó CAT: 15 pacientes presentaron hipocoagulabilidad, 9 hiperfibrinólisis aislada y 8 hipocoagulabilidad + hiperfibrinólisis. El grupo con CAT, respecto al grupo «normal», presentó mayor ISS (23 vs. 16; p < 0,01), mayor transfusión de hemoderivados (2,5 vs. 0; p = 0,001), más episodios de PCR (19 vs. 1%, p < 0,01) y mayor mortalidad (34 vs. 5%, p < 0,01). El subgrupo con hipocoagulabilidad + hiperfibrinólisis, respecto a los grupos con hipocoagulabilidad o hiperfibrinólisis aislada, presentó mayor ISS (41 vs. 25 vs. 15, p < 0,01), mayor necesidad de arteriografía (62% vs. 13% vs. 0%, p < 0,01) y mortalidad superior (75% vs. 33% vs. 0%, p = 0,05). Conclusiones: El 26% de los enfermos politraumatizados presenta coagulopatía precoz evaluada mediante tromboelastografía, asociada a mayor consumo de hemoderivados y menor supervivencia. El perfil combinado de «hipocoagulabilidad + hiperfibrinólisis» se asocia a mayor gravedad y necesidades superiores de hemoderivados y arteriografía

Evaluation of bariatric surgery patients at the emergency department of a tertiary referral hospital

Objective: To describe the profile of the bariatric surgery patients that were admitted to the Emergency Department (ED). Method: A retrospective review of the reasons why bariatric surgery patients go to our ED. We analyzed the first 30 days after the surgery. We evaluated the number and indications of admissions, the examinations ordered, and final diagnosis and destination of the patients. Results: From January 2010 to July 2012, 320 patients underwent bariatric surgery at our Institution. Fifty three patients (16.6 %) were admitted to the ED at leas t once. We found 58 admissions (1.1 admissions by patient). Patients who had duodenal switch and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass were the most representative (74 %). The main indications for admission were abdominal pain (50 %), and problems related to the surgical wounds (22.4 %). Blood test was the most performed examination (75.9 %). The most frequent final diagnosis was unspecific abdominal pain in 27 cases (46.6 %), and complications of the surgical wound in 10 patients (17.2 %). Nineteen patients (35.84 %) were admitted to the surgical ward from the ED, and 5 of them required surgical revision (9.4 %). Multivariate analyses showed that the type of surgery was the only predictor variable for the ED admission. Conclusions: Attending ED after bariatric surgery is not common, and less than a third of the patients required hospital admission. Just a small percentage of the examinations showed any pathological value. Readmission rate is very low. Surgical procedure is the only predictor for ED admission