A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Factores asociados a complicaciones quirúrgicas en pacientes adultos mayores con neoplasias gastrointestinales del Centro Médico Naval

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the factors associated with surgical complications in elderly patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal neoplasms at the Centro Médico Naval del Perú.                                                                Materials and methods: A retrospective cohort study and a secondary database analysis were conducted. The factors associated with postoperative complications in 245 patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal neoplasms between 2013 and 2015 were evaluated. The variables were age, frailty, vulnerability, previous diseases, tobacco smoking, calf perimeter, functional dependence, falls, polypharmacy and cancer location. Results: Twenty-nine point eight percent (29.8 %) of the patients presented surgical complications, which were more prevalent in cases of colorectal cancer (82.19 %) and an average age of 86.3 years. The most frequent complications were pain, hemorrhage, hydroelectrolytic disorders and surgical site infection. Using the adjusted regression model, the variables that showed the most significant association were presence of ≥3 previous diseases, tobacco smoking, calf perimeter <31 cm, functional dependence, falls in the last year, polypharmacy, frailty, vulnerability according to the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) and cancer located in colon/rectum. Conclusions: The predictive factors for developing surgical complications were colorectal cancer, vulnerability according to the VES-13, frailty according to the Fried frailty phenotype, polypharmacy, falls, functional dependence, thin calf perimeter, history of tobacco smoking, and presence of three or more comorbidities.Objetivo: Determinar los factores asociados a complicaciones quirúrgicas en pacientes adultos mayores con diagnóstico de neoplasias gastrointestinales del Centro Médico Naval del Perú.Materiales y métodos: Estudio de cohorte retrospectiva y análisis secundario de una base de datos. Se evaluaron los factores asociados a complicaciones postoperatorias de 245 pacientes con diagnóstico de cáncer gastrointestinal entre 2013 y 2015. Las variables fueron edad, fragilidad, vulnerabilidad, antecedentes patológicos, consumo de tabaco, perímetro de pantorrilla, dependencia funcional, caídas, polifarmacia y la localización del cáncer.Resultados: El 29,8 % presentó complicaciones quirúrgicas, que fueron más frecuentes en los casos de cáncer de colon/recto con 82,19 %, la edad promedio fue de 86,3 años. Las complicaciones más frecuentes fueron dolor, hemorragia, trastornos hidroelectrolíticos e infección de sitio operatorio. Mediante el modelo de regresión ajustado, las variables que mostraron mayor asociación significativa fueron la presencia de 3 o más antecedentes patológicos, consumo de tabaco, perímetro de pantorrilla menor que 31 cm, dependencia funcional, caídas en el último año, polifarmacia, fragilidad, vulnerabilidad según VES-13 y localización del cáncer en colon/recto.Conclusiones: Los factores que predisponen la aparición de complicaciones quirúrgicas fueron el cáncer en colon/recto, ser vulnerable (según la escala VES-13), ser frágil (según el fenotipo de Fried), la polifarmacia, haber sufrido caídas, dependencia funcional, perímetro de pantorrilla delgado, antecedente de consumo de tabaco, y tener 3 o más comorbilidades

Las personas con enfermedad terminal y la necesidad de cuidados paliativos: una deuda pendiente de los servicios de salud

On top of all competences that a healthcare professional should have achieved during his/her training, palliative care is a growing need for patients from different age groups affected with cancer, cardiovascular diseases, degenerative conditions, and the like. Palliative care is a huge challenge for healthcare services, because this requires adequate teamwork, human resources and adequately functioning systems. Management, public health, service integration, ethical dilemmas, and ethical issues are the main barriers that physicians taking care of terminally ill patients must deal with. One of our main strategies for tackling this situation is to consolidate educational programs, so healthcare professionals may become empowered with knowledge; so, they may disclose the need for humanizing healthcare of terminally ill subjects.Los cuidados paliativos, además de ser parte de las competencias que debería haber adquirido un profesional de la salud durante su formación, son una necesidad en crecimiento para pacientes de diferentes grupos etarios, ya sea para enfermedades oncológicas, cardiovasculares, degenerativas, entre otras. Se consideran un reto para los servicios de salud por ser cuidados complejos, que requieren de trabajo en equipo, recursos humanos y sistemas que funcionen adecuadamente. Los aspectos de gestión, salud pública, integración de servicios, dilemas éticos y aspectos legales en transición son las principales barreras a las que se enfrentan los profesionales que atienden personas con enfermedad terminal. Una de las principales armas que tenemos es consolidar programas educativos para empoderar con conocimiento a los profesionales y, de esta forma, que hagan notar la necesidad del manejo humano de la salud de personas con enfermedades terminales

Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research

Background The Clavien–Dindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the Clavien–Dindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using Clavien–Dindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs. Results A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using Clavien–Dindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59). Conclusion Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally

The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia Background: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32–0.77); P\u3c0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88–1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62–0.92); P\u3c0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61–0.88); P\u3c0.01; I2=89%). Conclusions: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine

Critical care admission following elective surgery was not associated with survival benefit: prospective analysis of data from 27 countries

This was an investigator initiated study funded by Nestle Health Sciences through an unrestricted research grant, and by a National Institute for Health Research (UK) Professorship held by RP. The study was sponsored by Queen Mary University of London