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Increasingly, physicians rely on computerized tomography (CT) to aid in the workup of acute appendicitis (AA) in children despite the potential negative effects of CT-associated radiation exposure. Few studies have investigated the context or location in which the decision to perform CT for AA is made. We sought to determine where the decision to use CT was made during the initial workup of pediatric patients who later underwent an appendectomy. We reviewed the medical record of all patients at a children's hospital (CH) receiving appendectomy over 10.5 years. We abstracted clinical variables using an established clinical AA scoring system, demographics and outcome variables. Patients who underwent CT were compared with those who did not. Additionally, we identified the location where the CT was performed. Our children's hospital was compared with referring hospitals (RHs) with regard to utilization of CT imaging. Five hundred and forty-six patients underwent appendectomy for AA at CH. Of these, 50 per cent underwent CT. Patients who initially presented at the RHs underwent CT at a significantly higher rate than those first presenting to CH (P < 0.0001). Moreover, we found that unlike at the RHs, patients with a higher AA score underwent CT at CH less often (P < 0.0002). RHs used CT more often than CH to diagnose AA in our cohort. CH avoided CT for patients with higher Alvarado scores. Further research is needed to elucidate factors that lead healthcare providers to use CT for children with suspected AA to eliminate unnecessary CT-associated radiation exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of death in multisystem trauma patients; the importance of VTE prevention is well recognized. Presently, standard dose enoxaparin (30 mg BID) is used as chemical prophylaxis, regardless of weight or physiologic status. However, evidence suggests decreased bioavailability of enoxaparin in critically ill patients. Therefore, we hypothesized that a weight-based enoxaparin dosing regimen would provide more adequate prophylaxis (as indicated by antifactor Xa levels) for patients in our trauma intensive care unit (TICU).These data were prospectively collected in TICU patients admitted over a 5-month period given twice daily 0.6 mg/kg enoxaparin (actual body weight). Patients were compared with a historical cohort receiving standard dosing. Anti-Xa levels were collected at 11.5 hours (trough, goal ≥ 0.1 IU/mL) after each evening administration. Patient demographics, admission weight, dose, and daily anti-Xa levels were recorded. Patients with renal insufficiency or brain, spine, or spinal cord injury were excluded. Data were collected from 26 patients in the standard-dose group and 37 in the weight-based group. Sixty-four trough anti-Xa measurements were taken in the standard dose group and 74 collected in the weight-based group. Evaluating only levels measured after the third dose, the change in dosing of enoxaparin from 30 to 0.6 mg/kg resulted in an increased percentage of patients with goal antifactor Xa levels from 8 per cent to 61 per cent (P < 0.0001). Examining all troughs, the change in dose resulted in an increase in patients with a goal anti-Xa level from 19 to 59 per cent (P < 0.0001). Weight-based dosing of enoxaparin in trauma ICU patients yields superior results with respect to adequate anti-Xa levels when compared with standard dosing. These findings suggest that weight-based dosing may provide superior VTE prophylaxis in TICU patients. Evaluation of the effects of this dosing paradigm on actual VTE rate is ongoing at our institution.

Although laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) is accepted treatment for perforated appendicitis (PA) in children, concerns remain whether it has equivalent outcomes with open appendectomy (OA) and increased cost. A retrospective review was conducted of patients younger than age 17 years treated for PA over a 12.5-year period at a tertiary medical center. Patient characteristics, preoperative indices, and postoperative outcomes were analyzed for patients undergoing LA and OA. Of 289 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 86 had LA (29.8%) and 203 OA (70.2%), the two groups having equivalent patient demographics and preoperative indices. Inpatient costs were not significantly different between LA and OA. LA had a lower rate of wound infection (1.2 vs. 8.9%, P = 0.017), total parenteral nutrition use (23.3 vs. 50.7%, P < 0.0001), and length of stay (5.56 ± 2.38 days vs. 7.25 ± 3.77 days, P = 0.0001). There was no significant difference in the rate of postoperative organ space abscess, surgical re-exploration, or rehospitalization. In children with PA, LA had fewer surgical site infections and shorter lengths of hospital stay compared with OA without an increase in inpatient costs.

Racial and socioeconomic factors may cause barriers to healthcare access that result in delayed treatment. Because perforated appendicitis (PA) in children is thought to result from delays in treatment, it is often used as an index of barrier to access. Recent literature suggests that PA is not an inevitable consequence of delayed treatment, so it may not be the best marker for evaluating such barriers. Therefore we investigated whether racial and socioeconomic factors led directly to delays in treatment. We performed a retrospective study of 667 children undergoing appendectomy in a tertiary care center over 12.5 years. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were used to determine if racial and socioeconomic variables were associated with increased risk of PA and increased risk of symptom duration greater than 48 hours. Hispanic children have higher rates of PA regardless of delays in treatment whereas black children had higher PA rates likely due to delays in treatment. These differences were not from socioeconomic factors in our cohort. PA, a heterogeneous disease whose course is determined by multiple factors, is not a good metric for evaluation healthcare disparities in the pediatric population. Delays in treatment may be a more appropriate measure of healthcare inequalities in children.

The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score has never been validated to risk-adjust between critically ill trauma (TICU) and general surgical (SICU) intensive care unit patients, yet it is commonly used for such a purpose. To study this, we evaluated risk of death in TICU and SICU patients with pneumonia. We hypothesized that mortality for a given APACHE II would be significantly different and that using APACHE II to directly compare TICU and SICU patients would not be appropriate. We conducted a retrospective review of patients admitted to the TICU or SICU at a tertiary medical center over an 18-month period with pneumonia. Admission APACHE II scores, in-hospital mortality, demographics, and illness characteristics were recorded. One hundred eighty patients met inclusion criteria, 116 in the TICU and 64 in the SICU. Average APACHE II scores were not significantly different in the TICU versus SICU (25 vs 24; P = 0.4607), indicating similar disease severity; overall mortality rates, however, were significantly different (24 vs 50%; P = 0.0004). Components of APACHE II, which contributed to this mortality differential, were Glasgow Coma Score, age, presence of chronic health problems, and operative intervention. APACHE II fails to provide a valid metric to directly compare the severity of disease between TICU and SICU patients with pneumonia. These groups represent distinct populations and should be separated when benchmarking outcomes or creating performance metrics in ICU patients. Improved severity scoring systems are needed to conduct clinically relevant and methodologically valid comparisons between these unique groups.

Physicians increasingly use computerized tomography (CT) for the evaluation of suspected acute appendicitis (AA) in children despite increasing awareness of the potential dangers of CT-associated radiation exposure. Many studies demonstrate the value of CT in the diagnosis of AA, but none have determined what factors influence the decision to perform a CT. We investigated factors associated with the use of CT during initial workup of children who subsequently underwent appendectomy. This is a retrospective review of all patients aged 0 to 17 years who underwent appendectomy for AA by pediatric surgeons over 11 years. Both univariate and multivariable logistic regression models were created to predict use of CT. A total of 546 children underwent appendectomy for AA, of which 293 (53%) underwent CT. In univariate analysis, seven variables were significantly associated with the use of CT: female gender, Hispanic ethnicity, initial presentation to referring hospitals, lower Alvarado scores, delays from onset of symptoms to hospital presentation, migration, and rebound tenderness. In multivariable analysis, four variables significantly independently predicted the use of CT: initial presentation to a referring hospital [odds ratio (OR) 3.50), female gender (OR 1.49), increased latency from symptom onset to presentation (OR 1.34), and the presence of rebound tenderness (OR 0.23), which had a protective effect; the overall model was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). This model is the first to define variables that significantly predict CT utilization in the pediatric population. Continued investigation will be necessary to develop effective algorithms for judicious use of CT for suspected AA.

Emergent operations are thought to carry higher morbidity and mortality than nonemergent cases. However, there is a lack of specific outcomes data for emergent general surgery procedures. The objective of our study was to assess and quantify postoperative morbidity and mortality for emergency versus nonemergency general surgery operations. All general surgery inpatients were identified in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program 2008 database. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative clinical metrics and occurrences were assessed. A total of 25,770 emergent and 98,867 nonemergent cases were identified. Postoperative morbidity was significantly worse in the emergent group, including ventilation more than 48 hours, bleeding requiring transfusion, deep vein thrombosis, renal failure, and need for reoperation. Overall, emergent cases had significantly more postoperative complications (22.8% vs 14.2%) and higher mortality rates (6.5% vs 1.4%). General surgery patients who undergo emergent operations have significantly poorer outcomes when compared with nonemergent patients; our analysis has quantified these differences. Emergent patients seem to manifest unique clinical, pathophysiologic, and inflammatory responses to their surgical disease. This data suggests that there is a need for improvement in both methods and systems of care for the emergent population.

The optimal extent of regional lymphadenectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma remains a controversial topic. Traditional approaches have focused on various anatomical nodal stations to define the extent of resection. In this prospective trial, we update our experience with sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping and biopsy to augment resection of nodal metastasis in gastric carcinoma. Twenty-seven patients with gastric cancer were enrolled. SLNs were identified with isosulfan blue, resected, and sent fresh to pathology for staining and evaluation. The procedure then continued with radical gastrectomy and celiac node dissection. SLNs were identified in all cases. The average patient age was 65 years, with 12 women and 15 men. Eighteen patients had pathology-confirmed nodal metastasis. Positive SLN were found in 15 (83%); three patients had a false negative SLN mapping procedure (17%). Accuracy rate was 88.9 per cent. SLN mapping and biopsy for gastric carcinoma is feasible. However, the negative predictive value is 75 per cent, and therefore caution should be considered in using lymphatic mapping to determine extent of regional lymphadenectomy. Additionally, our study shows no utility in identifying micrometastatic disease with immunohistochemical techniques. Although a promising modality, we do not recommend the clinical use of SLN mapping for gastric cancer.