Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Global variation in anastomosis and end colostomy formation following left-sided colorectal resection

Background End colostomy rates following colorectal resection vary across institutions in high-income settings, being influenced by patient, disease, surgeon and system factors. This study aimed to assess global variation in end colostomy rates after left-sided colorectal resection. Methods This study comprised an analysis of GlobalSurg-1 and -2 international, prospective, observational cohort studies (2014, 2016), including consecutive adult patients undergoing elective or emergency left-sided colorectal resection within discrete 2-week windows. Countries were grouped into high-, middle- and low-income tertiles according to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Factors associated with colostomy formation versus primary anastomosis were explored using a multilevel, multivariable logistic regression model. Results In total, 1635 patients from 242 hospitals in 57 countries undergoing left-sided colorectal resection were included: 113 (6·9 per cent) from low-HDI, 254 (15·5 per cent) from middle-HDI and 1268 (77·6 per cent) from high-HDI countries. There was a higher proportion of patients with perforated disease (57·5, 40·9 and 35·4 per cent; P < 0·001) and subsequent use of end colostomy (52·2, 24·8 and 18·9 per cent; P < 0·001) in low- compared with middle- and high-HDI settings. The association with colostomy use in low-HDI settings persisted (odds ratio (OR) 3·20, 95 per cent c.i. 1·35 to 7·57; P = 0·008) after risk adjustment for malignant disease (OR 2·34, 1·65 to 3·32; P < 0·001), emergency surgery (OR 4·08, 2·73 to 6·10; P < 0·001), time to operation at least 48 h (OR 1·99, 1·28 to 3·09; P = 0·002) and disease perforation (OR 4·00, 2·81 to 5·69; P < 0·001). Conclusion Global differences existed in the proportion of patients receiving end stomas after left-sided colorectal resection based on income, which went beyond case mix alone

In vivo and in vitro characterization of a novel neuroprotective strategy for stroke: ischemic postconditioning

As clinical trials of pharmacological neuroprotective strategies in stroke have been disappointing, attention has turned to the brain's own endogenous strategies for neuroprotection. Recently, a hypothesis has been offered that modified reperfusion subsequent to a prolonged ischemic episode may also confer ischemic neuroprotection, a phenomenon termed 'postconditioning'. Here we characterize both in vivo and in vitro models of postconditioning in the brain and offer data suggesting a biological mechanism for protection. Postconditioning treatment reduced infarct volume by up to 50% in vivo and by 30% in vitro. A duration of 10 mins of postconditioning ischemia after 10 mins of reperfusion produced the most effective postconditioning condition both in vivo and in vitro. The degree of neuroprotection after postconditioning was equivalent to that observed in models of ischemic preconditioning. However, subjecting the brain to both preconditioning as well as postconditioning did not cause greater protection than each treatment alone. The prosurvival protein kinases extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and Akt show prolonged phosphorylation in the cortex of postconditioned rats. Neuroprotection after postconditioning was inhibited only in the presence of LY294002, which blocks Akt activation, but not U0126 or SB203580, which block ERK and P38 MAP kinase activity. In contrast, preconditioning-induced protection was blocked by LY294002, U0126, and SB203580. Our data suggest that postconditioning may represent a novel neuroprotective approach for focal ischemia/reperfusion, and one that is mediated, at least in part, by the activation of the protein kinase Akt

Combined T1-mapping and tissue tracking analysis predicts severity of ischemic injury following acute STEMI—an Oxford Acute Myocardial Infarction (OxAMI) study

Early risk stratification after ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is of major clinical importance. Strain quantifies myocardial deformation and can demonstrate abnormal global and segmental myocardial function in acute ischaemia. Native T1-mapping allows assessment of the severity of acute ischemic injury, however its clinical applicability early post MI is limited by the complex dynamic changes happening in the myocardium post MI. We aimed to explore relationship between T1-mapping and feature tracking imaging, to establish whether combined analysis of these parameters could predict recovery after STEMI. 96 STEMI patients (aged 60 ± 11) prospectively recruited in the Oxford Acute Myocardial Infarction (OxAMI) study underwent 3T-CMR scans acutely (within 53 ± 32 h from primary percutaneous coronary intervention) and at 6 months (6M). The imaging protocol included: cine, ShMOLLI T1-mapping and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). Segments were divided in the infarct, adjacent and remote zones based on the presence of LGE. Peak circumferential (Ecc) and radial (Err) strain was assessed using cvi42 software. Acute segmental strain correlated with segmental T1-mapping values (T1 vs. Err − 0.75 ± 0.25, p < 0.01; T1 vs. Ecc 0.72 ± 0.32, p < 0.01) and with LGE segmental injury (LGE vs. Err − 0.56 ± 0.29, p < 0.01; LGE vs. Ecc 0.54 ± 0.35, p < 0.01). Moreover, acute segmental T1 and strain predicted segmental LGE transmurality on 6M scans (p < 0.001, r = 0.5). Multiple regression analysis confirmed combined analysis of global Ecc and T1-mapping was significantly better than either method alone in predicting final infarct size at 6M (r = 0.556 vs r = 0.473 for global T1 only and r = 0.476 for global Ecc only, p < 0.001). This novel CMR method combining T1-mapping and feature tracking analysis of acute CMR scans predicts LGE transmurality and infarct size at 6M following STEMI