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The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of laparoscopic surgery for common emergency general surgery (EGS) procedures within an integrated Acute Care Surgery (ACS) network. We hypothesized that laparoscopy would be associated with improved outcomes. Our integrated health care system’s EGS registry created from AAST EGS ICD-9 codes was queried from January 2013 to October 2015. Procedures were grouped as laparoscopic or open. Standard descriptive and univariate tests were performed, and a multivariable logistic regression controlling for open status, age, BMI, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), trauma tier, and resuscitation diagnosis was performed. Laparoscopic procedures converted to open were identified and analyzed using concurrent procedure billing codes across episodes of care. Of 60,604 EGS patients identified over the 33-month period, 7280 (12.0%) had an operation and 6914 (11.4%) included AAST-defined EGS procedures. There were 4813 (69.6%) surgeries performed laparoscopically. Patients undergoing a laparoscopic procedure tended to be younger (45.7 ± 18.0 years vs. 57.2 ± 17.6, p

Background Operative management of emergency general surgery (EGS) diagnoses involves a range of procedures which can carry high morbidity and mortality. Little is known about the impact of obesity on patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the association between body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2 and mortality for EGS patients. We hypothesized that obese patients would have increased mortality rates. Methods A regional integrated health system EGS registry derived from The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma EGS ICD-9 codes was analyzed from January 2013 to October 2015. Patients were stratified into BMI categories based on WHO classifications. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Longer-term mortality with linkage to the Social Security Death Index was also examined. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed. Results A total of 60 604 encounters were identified and 7183 (11.9%) underwent operative intervention. Patient characteristics include 53% women, mean age 58.2 ± 18.7 years, 64.2% >BMI 30 kg/m2, 30.2% with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 19% with congestive heart failure, and 31.1% with diabetes. The most common procedure was laparoscopic cholecystectomy (36.4%). Overall, 90-day mortality was 10.9%. In multivariable analysis, all classes of obesity were protective against mortality compared to normal BMI. Underweight patients had increased risk of inpatient (OR = 1.9, CI = 1.7-2.3), 30-day (OR = 1.9, CI = 1.7-2.1), 90-day (OR = 1.8, CI 1.6-2.0), 1-year (OR = 1.8, CI = 1.7-2.0), and 3-year mortality (OR = 1.7, CI = 1.6-1.9). Conclusions When stratified by BMI, underweight EGS patients have the highest odds of death. Paradoxically, obesity appears protective against death, even when controlling for potentially confounding factors. Increased rates of nonoperative management in the obese population may impact these findings.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Importance: Risk prediction models for patients with suspected sepsis have been derived on and applied to various outcomes, including readily available outcomes such as hospital mortality and ICU admission as well as longer-term mortality outcomes that may be more important to patients. It is unknown how selecting different outcomes influences model performance in patients at risk for sepsis. Objectives: Evaluate the impact of outcome selection on risk model performance and weighting of individual predictor variables. Design, Setting, and Participants: We retrospectively analyzed adults hospitalized with suspected infection from January 2014 to September 2017 at 12 hospitals. Main Outcomes and Measures: We used routinely collected clinical data to derive logistic regression models for four outcomes: hospital mortality, composite ICU length of stay greater than 72 hours or hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, and 90-day mortality. We compared the performance of the models using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and calibration plots. Results: Among 52,184 admissions, 2,030 (4%) experienced hospital mortality, 6,659 (13%) experienced the composite of hospital mortality or ICU length of stay greater than 72 hours, 3,417 (7%) experienced 30-day mortality, and 5,655 (11%) experienced 90-day mortality. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curves decreased when hospital-based models were applied to predict 30-day (hospital mortality = 0.88–0.85; –0.03, composite ICU length of stay greater than 72 hours or hospital mortality = 0.90–0.81; –0.09) and 90-day mortality (hospital mortality = 0.88–0.81; –0.07, composite ICU length of stay greater than 72 hours or hospital mortality = 0.90–0.76; –0.14; all p < 0.01). Models were well calibrated for derived (root-mean-square error = 5–15) but not alternate outcomes (root-mean-square error = 8–35). Conclusions and Relevance: Risk models trained to predict readily available hospital-based outcomes in suspected sepsis show poorer discrimination and calibration when applied to 30- and 90-day mortality. Interpretation and application of risk models for patients at risk of sepsis should consider these findings.

Objective: We investigated the impact of preexisting COPD and its subtypes, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, on overall survival among Medicare enrollees diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Using SEER-Medicare data, we included patients ≥66 years of age diagnosed with NSCLC at any disease stage between 2006 and 2010 and continuously enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B in the 12 months prior to diagnosis. Preexisting COPD in patients with NSCLC were identified using ICD-9 codes. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests were used to examine overall survival by COPD status and COPD subtype. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were fit to assess the risk of death after cancer diagnosis. Results: We identified 66,963 lung cancer patients. Of these, 22,497 (33.60%) had documented COPD before NSCLC diagnosis. For each stage of NSCLC, median survival was shorter in the COPD compared to the non-COPD group (Stage I: 692 days vs 1,130 days, P

s Background Hospital mortality for patients with sepsis has recently declined, but sepsis survivors still suffer from significant long-term mortality and morbidity. There are limited data that support effective strategies to address post-discharge management of patients hospitalized with sepsis. Methods The Improving Morbidity during Post-Acute Care Transitions for Sepsis (IMPACTS) study is a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial at three hospitals within a single healthcare delivery system comparing clinical outcomes between sepsis survivors who receive usual care versus care delivered through the Sepsis Transition and Recovery (STAR) program. The STAR program includes a centrally located nurse navigator using telephone counseling and electronic health record-based support to facilitate best-practice post-sepsis care strategies for patients during hospitalization and the 30 days after hospital discharge, including post-discharge review of medications, evaluation for new impairments or symptoms, monitoring existing comorbidities, and palliative care referral when appropriate. Adults admitted through the Emergency Department with suspected infection (i.e., antibiotics initiated, bacterial cultures drawn) and deemed, by previously developed risk-stratification models, high risk for readmission or death are included. Eligible patients are randomly allocated 1:1 to either Arm 1, usual care or Arm 2, STAR. Planned enrollment is 708 patients during a 6-month period. The primary outcome is the composite of all-cause hospital readmissions and mortality assessed 30 days post discharge. Secondary outcomes include 30- and 90-day hospital readmissions, mortality, emergency department visits, acute care-free days alive, and acute care and total costs. Discussion This pragmatic evaluation provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of a strategy to improve delivery of recommended post-sepsis care. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03865602. Registered retrospectively on 6 March 2019.

To estimate the healthcare utilization and costs in elderly lung cancer patients with and without pre-existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data, this study identified patients with lung cancer between 2006-2010, at least 66 years of age, and continuously enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B in the 12 months prior to cancer diagnosis. The diagnosis of pre-existing COPD in lung cancer patients was identified using ICD-9 codes. Healthcare utilization and costs were categorized as inpatient hospitalizations, skilled nursing facility (SNF) use, physician office visits, ER visits, and outpatient encounters for every stage of lung cancer. The adjusted analysis was performed using a generalized linear model for healthcare costs and a negative binomial model for healthcare utilization.Inpatient admissions in the COPD group increased for each stage of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to the non-COPD group per 100 person-months (Stage I: 14.67 vs 9.49 stays, p .0001; Stage II: 14.13 vs 10.78 stays, p .0001; Stage III: 28.31 vs 18.91 stays, p .0001; Stage IV: 49.5 vs 31.24 stays, p .0001). A similar trend was observed for outpatient visits, with an increase in utilization among the COPD group (Stage I: 1136.04 vs 796 visits, p .0001; Stage II: 1325.12 vs 983.26 visits, p .0001; Stage III: 2025.47 vs 1656.64 visits, p .0001; Stage IV: 2825.73 vs 2422.26 visits, p .0001). Total direct costs per person-month in patients with pre-existing COPD were significantly higher than the non-COPD group across all services ($54,799.16 vs $41,862.91). Outpatient visits represented the largest cost category across all services in both groups, with higher costs among the COPD group ($41,203 vs $31,140.08).Healthcare utilization and costs among lung cancer patients with pre-existing COPD was ∼2-3-times higher than the non-COPD group.

Background Many facilities complete the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) patient safety culture survey. Our goal was to evaluate associations between healthcare worker (HCW) responses to AHRQ patient safety culture survey questions and unit performance on healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and hand hygiene compliance. Methods 11,257 HCW across 10 acute care hospitals and four rehabilitation facilities completed the 2016 AHRQ patient safety survey. Unit-level standardized infection ratios (SIRs) were calculated for central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) and standardized utilization ratios (SURs) for Foley catheter use. SIRs and SURs 75%; n = 69 units; P < 0.05). More HCW on units with CAUTI SIR

e20038 Background: Regional variation is common in oncology care but is not defined for emergency department (ED) care for cancer patients, particularly patients with lung cancer (LC) who regularly utilize EDs for management of acute cancer or treatment related illness. This study analyzed regional variation and other factors associated with high total episodic charge (≥75th percentile; HTC) among LC patients evaluated in the ED in relation to discharge or admission. Methods: A retrospective study of LC-related ED visits in the US was conducted using the 2013 Nationwide ED Sample. LC-related ED visits among adults were identified by LC-specific Clinical Classification Software codes (CCS = 19; mapping to ICD-9 = 162.x, 209.21, 231.2, V10.11). Multivariable logistic regression analyzed the association between patient and hospital factors and HTC, weighted to represent ED visits nationwide. Results: Among 373,761 LC-related ED visits, 134,838 (36%) were treated and discharged and 238,923 (64%) were admitted (ranging from 51% (West [W]) to 76% (South [S]). HTC was ≥$5,655 (median = $2,993) for ED discharges and ≥$54,760 (median = $29,590) for admissions. The proportion of visits with HTC differed by region and admission status (discharged: 7% [W] to 27% [S]; admitted: 20% [Midwest] to 39% [W]). After adjusting for clinical and hospital factors associated with increased HTC odds (metastases, common acute comorbid disorder [chest and abdominal pain, pneumonia, sepsis, respiratory failure], diagnostic radiology use, thoracic/other surgery, chemo/radiotherapy, length of stay, primary payer, and hospital ownership, location and teaching status), significant HTC variation remained by hospital region with opposing relative HTC odds among discharged and admitted patients (discharged: W v S OR = 0.3 95%CI = 0.2-0.6, Northeast v S OR = 0.5 95%CI = 0.3-0.7; admitted: W v S OR = 3.8 95%CI = 2.5-5.7). Conclusions: Regional variation in HTC suggest differences in ED use and management patterns for LC and may reflect quality of care concerns. Clinical outcome linkage (including ED revisit tracking) is needed to better define the impact of variation and develop strategies to improve care for patients with LC.

e18107 Background: Lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are among leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The association between pre-existing COPD and overall survival (OS) among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. We investigated the impact of pre-existing COPD and its subtypes: chronic bronchitis and emphysema on OS in elderly patients diagnosed with NSCLC at different stages. Methods: Using SEER-Medicare data, we identified patients diagnosed with NSCLC between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2010, > 66 years of age, and continuously enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B in the 12 months prior to diagnosis. Pre-existing COPD in patients with NSCLC were identified using ICD-9 codes. Kaplan Meier method and log-rank tests were used to examine OS by COPD status and COPD subtype. Cox proportional hazards models were fit to assess the risk of death after cancer diagnosis while adjusting for baseline factors. Results: We identified 66,963 patients with NSCLC. Of these, 22,497 (33.60%) had documented COPD before NSCLC diagnosis. For each stage of NSCLC, median OS was shorter in the COPD compared to the non-COPD group (stage I: 692 vs 1130 days, P < 0.0001; stage II: 473 vs 627 days, P < 0.0001; stage III: 224 vs 229 days; P < 0.0001; stage IV: 106 vs 112 days, P < 0.0001). For COPD subtype, median OS for patients with pre-existing chronic bronchitis was shorter compared to emphysema across all stages of NSCLC (stage I: 672 vs 811 days, P < 0.0001; stage II 582 vs 445 days, P < 0.0001; stage III: 255 vs 229 days, P < 0.0001; stage IV: 105 vs 112 days, P < 0.0001). After multivariable adjustment, COPD patients exhibited an 11% shorter time to death compared to non-COPD patients (Hazard Ratio: 1.11, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.09—1.13). Conclusions: There were marked differences in early stage NSCLC, with a decrease in OS from stage I to stage IV in the COPD group. Patients with chronic bronchitis had shorter OS at every stage of NSCLC compared to emphysema. The results may help inform early detection strategies for NSCLC and treatment selection in early and advanced cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: NICUs vary in the quality of care delivered to very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. NICU performance on 1 measure of quality only modestly predicts performance on others. Composite measurement of quality of care delivery may provide a more comprehensive assessment of quality. The objective of our study was to develop a robust composite indicator of quality of NICU care provided to VLBW infants that accurately discriminates performance among NICUs. METHODS: We developed a composite indicator, Baby-MONITOR, based on 9 measures of quality chosen by a panel of experts. Measures were standardized, equally weighted, and averaged. We used the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative database to perform across-sectional analysis of care given to VLBW infants between 2004 and 2010. Performance on the Baby-MONITOR is not an absolute marker of quality but indicates overall performance relative to that of the other NICUs. We used sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of the composite indicator, by varying assumptions and methods. RESULTS: Our sample included 9023 VLBW infants in 22 California regional NICUs. We found significant variations within and between NICUs on measured components of the Baby-MONITOR. Risk-adjusted composite scores discriminated performance among this sample of NICUs. Sensitivity analysis that included different approaches to normalization, weighting, and aggregation of individual measures showed the Baby-MONITOR to be robust (r = 0.89–0.99). CONCLUSIONS: The Baby-MONITOR may be a useful tool to comprehensively assess the quality of care delivered by NICUs.

Gay men with prostate cancer (GMPCa) may have differential health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and sexual health outcomes than heterosexual men with prostate cancer (PCa), but existing information is based on clinical experience and small studies.Our goals were to: (i) describe HRQOL and examine changes in sexual functioning and bother; (ii) explore the psychosocial aspects of sexual health after PCa; and (iii) examine whether there were significant differences on HRQOL and sexual behavior between GMPCa and published norms.A convenience sample of GMPCa completed validated disease-specific and general measures of HRQOL, ejaculatory function and bother, fear of cancer recurrence, and satisfaction with prostate cancer care. Measures of self-efficacy for PCa management, illness intrusiveness, and disclosure of sexual orientation were also completed. Where possible, scores were compared against published norms.Main outcome measures were self-reported sexual functioning and bother on the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index.Compared with norms, GMPCa reported significantly worse functioning and more severe bother scores on urinary, bowel, hormonal symptom scales (Ps 0.015-0.0001), worse mental health functioning (P 0.0001), greater fear of cancer recurrence (P 0.0001), and were more dissatisfied with their PCa medical care. However, GMPCa reported better sexual functioning scores (P 0.002) compared with norms. Many of the observed differences met criteria for clinical significance. Physical functioning HRQOL and sexual bother scores were similar to that of published samples. GMPCa tended to be more "out" about their sexual orientation than other samples of gay men.GMPCa reported substantial changes in sexual functioning after PCa treatment. They also reported significantly worse disease-specific and general HRQOL, fear of recurrence, and were less satisfied with their medical care than other published PCa samples. Sexual health providers must have an awareness of the unique functional and HRQOL differences between gay and heterosexual men with PCa.

6510Background: Oncology patient navigation (PN) programs have been developed to improve outcomes and reduce disparities. Few data exist to describe the effect of PN on key clinical outcomes, such ...