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Background: The role of primary tumor resection (PTR) for asymptomatic stage IV colon cancer with unresectable metastases remains unclear. Increasingly there has been a trend away from resection. The aim of this study was to examine trends in the treatment of stage IV colon cancers, impact of different treatments on long-term mortality, and factors associated with receipt of postoperative chemotherapy., Methods: The 2006-2012 National Cancer Data Base was queried for stage IV colon cancer patients. Treatments were grouped into PTR and chemotherapy, PTR only, chemotherapy only, and no treatment. A descriptive analysis was performed examining patient and hospital characteristics associated with different treatments. A Cox regression analysis was used to assess the adjusted effect of different treatments on long-term survival. A multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with postoperative chemotherapy., Results: Of 31,310 patients, who met inclusion criteria, 22% of the patients underwent PTR and chemotherapy, 37.5% received chemotherapy only, 11.9% underwent PTR, and 28.6% received no treatment. Patients who received no treatment had the highest hazard of death at 1, 3, and 5 y, followed by PTR only, and chemotherapy only compared with PTR combined with chemotherapy. Patients who were older and had more comorbidities were less likely to receive postoperative chemotherapy., Conclusions: Primary tumor resection in conjunction with postoperative chemotherapy among stage IV colon cancer patients with unresectable metastases was associated with a long-term survival benefit compared with other treatment options. Efforts should be made to increase the use of postoperative chemotherapy where feasible., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To identify sources of variation in the use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for colectomy., Background: MIS is associated with decreased analgesic use, shorter length of stay, and faster postoperative recovery. This study identified factors explaining variation in MIS use for colectomy., Methods: The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System was queried for scheduled admissions in which a colectomy was performed for neoplastic, diverticular, or inflammatory bowel disease between 2008 and 2015. Mixed-effects analyses were performed assessing surgeon, hospital, and geographic variation and factors associated with an MIS approach., Results: Among 45,714 colectomies, 68.1% were performed using an MIS approach. Wide variation in the rate of MIS was present across 1253 surgeons (median 50%, interquartile range 10.9%-84.2%, range 0.3%-99.7%). Calculating intraclass correlation coefficients after controlling for case-mix, 62.8% of the total variation in MIS usage was attributable to surgeon variation compared with 28.5% attributable to patient variation, 7% attributable to hospital variation, and 1.6% attributable to geographic variation. Surgeon-years in practice since residency/fellowship completion explained 19.2% of the surgeon variation, surgeon volume explained 5.2%, hospital factors explained 0.1%, and patient factors explained 0%., Conclusions: Wide surgeon variation exists regarding an MIS approach for colectomy, and most of the total variation is attributable to individual surgeon practices-much of which is related to year of graduation. As increasing surgeon age is inversely proportional to the rate of MIS, patient referral and/or providing tailored training to older surgeons may be constructive targets in increasing the use of MIS and reducing healthcare utilization.

Background: Postoperative readmission after colorectal resection is common. It is unknown whether patients who receive readmission care from the surgeon who performed the index surgery have improved mortality. This study evaluated whether postdischarge continuity of care, defined at the hospital and surgeon level, was associated with decreased mortality after colorectal surgery., Methods: The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System was queried for patients who had colorectal resections from 2004 to 2014, and were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Propensity-adjusted logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between 30-day mortality and readmission care continuity., Results: A total of 20 016 patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge were eligible for analysis. Some 39·5 per cent of readmitted patients experienced hospital and surgeon care continuity, 47·1 per cent hospital but not surgeon continuity, 1·0 per cent surgeon but not hospital continuity, and 12·4 per cent neither hospital nor surgeon care continuity. A total of 1349 patients (6·7 per cent) died within 30 days of readmission. Patients readmitted with absence of surgeon but not of hospital care continuity had 2·04 (95 per cent c.i. 1·72 to 2·42) times the risk of 30-day mortality compared with those who experienced surgeon and hospital continuity. Absence of both surgeon and hospital care continuity was associated with 2·65 (2·18 to 3·30) times the risk of death compared with presence of both., Conclusion: Readmission after colorectal resection not under the care of the index operating surgeon is associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality. Addressing processes of care that are affected by surgeon care continuity may decrease surgical deaths., (© 2019 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Studies examining long-term outcomes following resolution of an acute diverticular abscess have been limited to single-institution chart reviews. This observational cohort study compared outcomes between elective colectomy and non-operative management following admission for an initial acute diverticular abscess., Methods: The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System was queried for unscheduled admissions for an initial acute diverticular abscess in 2002-2010. Bivariable and propensity-matched multivariable analyses compared stoma rates and use of healthcare in patients who had an elective resection and those receiving non-operative management. Diverticulitis recurrence rates were analysed for non-operative management., Results: Among 10 342 patients with an initial acute diverticular abscess, one-third (3270) underwent surgical intervention within 30 days despite initial non-operative management. Of the remaining 7072 patients, 1660 had an elective colectomy within 6 months. Of 5412 patients receiving non-operative management, 1340 (24·8 per cent) had recurrence of diverticulitis within 5 years (median 278 (i.q.r. 93·5-707) days to recurrence). Elective colectomy was associated with higher stoma rates (10·0 per cent, compared with 5·7 per cent for non-operative observation, P < 0·001; odds ratio 1·88, 95 per cent c.i. 1·50 to 2·36), as well as more inpatient hospital days for diverticulitis-related admissions (mean 8·0 versus 4·6 days respectively, P < 0·001; incidence rate ratio (IRR) 2·16, 95 per cent c.i. 1·89 to 2·47) and higher mean diverticulitis-related cost (€70 107 versus €24 490, P < 0·001; IRR 3·11, 2·42 to 4·01)., Conclusion: Observation without elective colectomy following resolution of an initial diverticular abscess is a reasonable option with lower healthcare costs than operation., (© 2018 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Surgical care fragmentation at readmission impacts short-term outcomes. However, the long-term impact of surgical care fragmentation is unknown., Objective: The purpose was to evaluate the impact of surgical care fragmentation, encompassing both surgeon and hospital care, at readmission after colorectal surgery on 1-year survival., Design: This was a retrospective cohort study., Setting: The study included patients undergoing colorectal resection in New York State from 2004 to 2014., Patients: Included were 20,016 patients undergoing colorectal resection who were readmitted within 30 days of discharge and categorized by source-of-care fragmentation. Each readmission was classified by the source of fragmentation: readmission to the index hospital and managed by another provider, readmission to another hospital by the index surgeon, and readmission to another hospital by another provider. Patients readmitted to the index hospital and managed by the index surgeon served as controls., Main Outcome Measures: One-year overall survival and 1-year colorectal cancer-specific survival were the outcomes measured., Results: After propensity adjustment, surgeon care fragmentation was independently associated with decreased survival. In comparison with patients without surgical care fragmentation (patients readmitted to the index hospital and managed by the index surgeon), patients readmitted to the index hospital and managed by another provider had over a 2-fold risk (HR, 2.33; 95% CI, 2.10-2.60) and patients readmitted to another hospital by another provider had almost a 2-fold risk (HR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.63-2.25) of 1-year mortality. Among 9545 patients with a colorectal cancer diagnosis, surgical care fragmentation was once again associated with decreased survival with patients readmitted to the index hospital and managed by another provider having a HR of 2.12 (95% CI, 1.76-2.56) and patients readmitted to another hospital by another provider having a HR of 1.57 (95% CI, 1.17-2.11) compared with patients readmitted to the index hospital and managed by the index surgeon., Limitations: Limitations include possible miscoding of data, retrospective design, and selection bias., Conclusions: After accounting for patient, index hospital, index surgeon, and readmission factors, there is a significant 2-fold decrease in survival associated with surgeon care fragmentation regardless of hospital continuity. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A431.

Objective: To investigate the potential additive effects of blood transfusion and sepsis on colon cancer disease-specific survival, cardiovascular disease-specific survival, and overall survival after colon cancer surgery., Background: Perioperative blood transfusions are associated with infectious complications and increased risk of cancer recurrence through systemic inflammatory effects. Furthermore, recent studies have suggested an association among sepsis, subsequent systemic inflammation, and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, no study has investigated the association among transfusion, sepsis, and disease-specific survival in postoperative patients., Methods: The New York State Cancer Registry and Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System were queried for stage I to III colon cancer resections from 2004 to 2011. Propensity-adjusted survival analyses assessed the association of perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion, sepsis, and 5-year colon cancer disease-specific survival, cardiovascular disease-specific survival, and overall survival., Results: Among 24,230 patients, 29% received a transfusion and 4% developed sepsis. After risk adjustment, transfusion and sepsis were associated with worse colon cancer disease-specific survival [(+)transfusion: hazard ratio (HR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.30; (+)sepsis: HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.44-2.35; (+)transfusion/(+)sepsis: HR 2.27, 95% CI 1.87-2.76], cardiovascular disease-specific survival [(+)transfusion: HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04-1.33; (+)sepsis: HR 1.63, 95% CI 1.14-2.31; (+)transfusion/(+)sepsis: HR 2.04, 95% CI 1.58-2.63], and overall survival [(+)transfusion: HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.14-1.29; (+)sepsis: HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.48-2.09; (+)transfusion/(+)sepsis: HR 2.36, 95% CI 2.07-2.68] relative to (-)transfusion/(-)sepsis. Additional analyses suggested an additive effect with those who both received a blood transfusion and developed sepsis having even worse survival., Conclusions: Perioperative blood transfusions are associated with shorter survival, independent of sepsis, after colon cancer resection. However, receiving a transfusion and developing sepsis has an additive effect and is associated with even worse survival. Restrictive perioperative transfusion practices are a possible strategy to reduce sepsis rates and improve survival after colon cancer surgery.

Background: Little is known regarding recent trends in the rate of nonelective colon cancer resection in the United States and its impact on both short-term and long-term outcomes., Methods: The New York State Cancer Registry and Statewide Planning & Research Cooperative System identified stage I-III colon cancer resections from 2004-2011. Propensity-matched analyses assessed differences in short-term adverse outcomes and 5-year disease-specific and overall survival between elective and nonelective colon cancer operations. Further analyses assessed the association among patient, surgeon, and hospital-level factors and outcomes within the nonelective operation group., Results: Among 26,420 patients, 26.5% underwent nonelective operations. There was no significant change in the rate of nonelective resection from 2004-2011 (P = .25). Nonelective operations were independently associated with greater odds of 30-day mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 3.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.87-4.06), stoma creation (OR = 4.49, 95% CI = 3.95-5.09), intensive care unit admission (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.53-1.84), complications (OR = 2.34, 95% CI = 2.18-2.52), and discharge to another health care facility (OR = 2.46, 95% CI = 2.26-2.68), longer duration of stay (incidence rate ratio = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.76-1.83), and worse disease-specific (hazard ratio = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.61-1.88) and overall survival (hazard ratio = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.55-1.75). Other than an association among high-volume surgeons, adequate lymph node yield, and receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy and lower mortality, no other potentially modifiable factors were associated with survival after nonelective operations., Conclusion: Nonelective colon cancer resection remains a concerning public health issue with >25% of cases being performed on a nonelective basis and an independent association with poor short-term and long-term survival compared with elective operations. Given that few potentially modifiable factors appear to have an impact on survival after nonelective operations, these findings highlight the importance of adherence to colon cancer screening guidelines to limit the number of nonelective colon cancer resections., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The goals of this study were to characterize the variation in suboptimal lymph node examination for patients with colon cancer across individual surgeons, pathologists, and hospitals and to examine if this variation affects 5-year, disease-specific survival., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted by merging the New York State Cancer Registry with the Statewide Planning & Research Cooperative System, Medicaid, and Medicare claims to identify resections for stages I-III colon cancer from 2004-2011. Multilevel logistic regression models characterized variation in suboptimal lymph node examination (<12 lymph nodes). Multilevel competing-risks Cox models were used for survival analyses., Results: The overall rate of suboptimal lymph node examination was 32% in 12,332 patients treated by 1,503 surgeons and 814 pathologists at 187 hospitals. Patient-level predictors of suboptimal lymph node examination were older age, male sex, nonscheduled admission, lesser stage, and left colectomy procedure. Hospital-level predictors of suboptimal lymph node examination were a nonacademic status, a rural setting, and a low annual number of resections for colon cancer. The percent of the total clustering variance attributed to surgeons, pathologists, and hospitals was 8%, 23%, and 70%, respectively. Increasing the pathologist and hospital-specific rates of suboptimal lymph node examination were associated with worse 5-year, disease-specific survival., Conclusion: There was a large variation in suboptimal lymph node examination between surgeons, pathologists, and hospitals. Collaborative efforts that promote optimal examination of lymph nodes may improve prognosis for colon cancer patients. Given that 93% of the variation was attributable to pathologists and hospitals, endeavors in quality improvement should focus on these 2 settings., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term overall survival (OS) of colon cancer patients who underwent emergent resection versus patients who were resected electively., Methods: The 2006-2012 National Cancer Data Base was queried for colon cancer patients who underwent surgical resection. Emergent resection was defined as resection within 24 h of diagnosis. A mixed-effects logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of emergent resection on 30- and 90-day mortality. A propensity score-matched mixed-effects Cox proportional-hazards model was used to estimate the effect of emergent resection on 5-year OS., Results: Two hundred fourteen thousand one hundred seventy-four patients met inclusion criteria, 30% of the cohort had an emergent resection. After controlling for patient and hospital factors, pathological stage, lymph node yield, margin status, and adjuvant chemotherapy, emergent resection was associated with increased odds of 30-day mortality (OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.60, 1.78) and hazard of death at 5 years (HR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.09, 1.15) compared to elective resections., Conclusion: Emergent resection for colon cancer is independently associated with poor short-term outcomes and decreased 5-year OS compared to elective resection. With 30% of cases in this study emergent, these findings underlie the importance of adherence to colon cancer screening guidelines to limit the need for emergent resections.

Objective: To investigate the effect of a laparoscopic approach on the rate of adhesion-related small bowel obstruction (SBO) following colorectal resection., Background: Currently, there is little compelling evidence with regard to rates of SBO after laparoscopic versus open abdominal surgery. Few studies have compared risk-adjusted rates of SBO following laparoscopic and open colorectal resection., Methods: The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System was queried for elective colorectal resections in New York State from 2003 to 2010. A propensity score was calculated to account for selection bias between choice of laparoscopic versus open resection. Bivariate and multivariable competing-risks models were constructed to assess patient, hospital, surgeon, and operative characteristics associated with SBO and operation for SBO within 3 years of resection., Results: Among 69,303 patients who underwent elective colorectal resection (26% laparoscopic, 74% open), 5.3% of patients developed SBO and 2% of patients underwent an operation for SBO. After controlling for other risk factors and conducting an intention-to-treat analysis, open resection was associated with a higher risk of both SBO [hazard ratio (HR) 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.26] and operation for SBO (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.94-1.32). This effect was even greater when characterizing laparoscopic-to-open conversions as an open approach (SBO: HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.20-1.49; SBO operation: HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.12-1.63). Most other independent risk factors were nonmodifiable and included age <60, female sex, black race, higher comorbidity burden, previous surgery, inflammatory bowel disease, and procedure type., Conclusions: Open colorectal resection increases the risk of SBO compared with laparoscopy. Increased utilization of a laparoscopic approach has the potential to achieve a significant reduction in the incidence of SBO following colorectal resection.

Background: Perioperative blood transfusions are associated with an increased risk of adverse postoperative outcomes through immunomodulatory effects., Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with variation in blood transfusion use after elective colorectal resection and associated postoperative infectious complications, Design: This was a retrospective cohort study., Settings: The study included elective colorectal resections in New York State from 2001 to 2013., Patients: The study cohort consists of 125,160 colorectal resections. Patients who were admitted nonelectively or who were admitted before the date of surgery were excluded., Main Outcome Measures: Receipt of a perioperative allogeneic red blood cell transfusion and the secondary end points of postoperative pneumonia, surgical site infection, intra-abdominal abscess, and sepsis were measured., Results: The overall rate of perioperative blood transfusion for the study cohort was 13.9%. The unadjusted blood transfusion rates ranged from 2.4% to 58.7% for individual surgeons and 2.9% to 32.8% for individual hospitals. After controlling for patient-, surgeon-, and hospital-level factors in a 3-level mixed-effects multivariable model, significant variation was still present across both surgeons (p < 0.0001) and hospitals (p < 0.0001), with a 16.8-fold difference in adjusted blood transfusion rates across surgeons and a 13.2-fold difference in adjusted blood transfusion rates across hospitals. Receipt of a blood transfusion was also independently associated with pneumonia (OR = 3.23 (95% CI, 2.92-3.57)), surgical site infection (OR = 2.27 (95% CI, 2.14-2.40)), intra-abdominal abscess (OR = 2.72 (95% CI, 2.41-3.07)), and sepsis (OR = 4.51 (95% CI, 4.11-4.94))., Limitations: Limitations include the retrospective design and the possibility of miscoding within administrative data., Conclusions: Large surgeon- and hospital-level variations in perioperative blood transfusion use for patients undergoing colorectal resection are present despite controlling for patient-, surgeon-, and hospital-level factors. In addition, receipt of a blood transfusion was independently associated with an increased risk of postoperative infectious complications. These findings support the creation and implementation of perioperative blood transfusion protocols aimed at limiting unwarranted variation.

Background: Hospital readmissions remain a major medical and financial concern to the healthcare system and have become an area of interest in health outcomes performance metrics. There is a pressing need to identify process measures that may help reduce readmissions., Objective: Our aim was to assess the patient characteristics and surgical factors associated with 30-day readmissions for colorectal surgery in Upstate New York., Design: This was a retrospective cohort study., Settings: The study included colectomy cases abstracted for the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program in the Upstate New York Surgical Quality Initiative from June 2013 to June 2014., Patients: The study consists of 630 colectomies. Patients with a length of stay >30 days or who died during the index admission were excluded., Main Outcome Measures: Readmission within 30 days of surgery was the main outcome measure., Results: Of 630 colectomy patients, 76 patients (12%) were readmitted within 30 days of surgery. Major and minor complications were associated with 30-day postoperative readmission (OR = 2.99 (95% CI, 1.70-5.28) and OR = 2.19 (95% CI, 1.09-4.43)) but excluded from final analysis because they included both predischarge and postdischarge complications. Risk factors independently associated with 30-day postoperative readmission included diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.94 (95% CI, 1.02-3.67)), smoker within the past year (OR = 2.01 (95% CI, 1.12-3.60)), no scheduled follow-up (OR = 2.20 (95% CI, 1.25-3.86)), and ileostomy formation (OR = 1.97 (95% CI, 1.03-3.77))., Limitations: Limitations include the retrospective design and only 30 days of postoperative follow-up., Conclusions: Consistent with national trends, 1 in 8 patients in the Upstate New York Surgical Quality Initiative program was readmitted within 30 days after colorectal surgery. This study identified several risk factors that may act as tangible targets for intervention, including preoperative smoking cessation programs, optimization of diabetic management, mandatory scheduled follow-up appointments on discharge, and ostomy care pathways.

Background: Hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection is associated with adverse patient outcomes and high medical costs. The incidence and severity of C. difficile has been rising in both medical and surgical patients., Objective: Our aim was to assess risk factors and variation associated with the development of nosocomial C. difficile colitis among patients undergoing colorectal resection., Design: This was a retrospective cohort study., Settings: The study included segmental colectomy and proctectomy cases in New York State from 2005 to 2013., Patients: The study cohort included 150,878 colorectal resections. Patients with a documented previous history of C. difficile infection or residence outside of New York State were excluded., Main Outcome Measures: A diagnosis of C. difficile colitis either during the index hospital stay or on readmission within 30 days was the main measure., Results: C. difficile colitis occurred in 3323 patients (2.2%). Unadjusted C. difficile colitis rates ranged from 0% to 11.3% among surgeons and 0% to 6.8% among hospitals. After controlling for patient, surgeon, and hospital characteristics using mixed-effects multivariable analysis, significant unexplained variation in C. difficile rates remained present across hospitals but not surgeons. Patient factors explained only 24% of the total hospital-level variation, and known surgeon and hospital-level characteristics explained an additional 8% of the total hospital-level variation. Therefore, ≈70% of the hospital variation in C. difficile infection rates remained unexplained by captured patient, surgeon, and hospital factors. Furthermore, there was an ≈5-fold difference in adjusted C. difficile rates across hospitals., Limitations: A limited set of hospital and surgeon characteristics was available., Conclusions: Colorectal surgery patients appear to be at high risk for C. difficile infection, and alarming variation in nosocomial C. difficile infection rates currently exists among hospitals after colorectal resection. Given the high morbidity and cost associated with C. difficile colitis, adopting institutional quality improvement programs and maintaining strict prevention strategies are of the utmost importance.

Introduction: There is strong evidence supporting the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with pathologic, stage III colon cancer. This study examines differences in adherence to evidence-based adjuvant chemotherapy guidelines for pathologic, stage III colon cancer cases across hospital and patient subgroups., Methods: Patients with stage III colon cancer were identified from the 2003 to 2011 National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). A logistic regression model was used to estimate the odds of receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy across varying hospital and patient characteristics. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the association between receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy and 5-year survival. Risk adjusted observed/expected (O/E) outcome ratios were calculated for each hospital to compare hospital-specific quality of care during the study period., Results: A total of 124,008 patients met the inclusion criteria. Adjuvant chemotherapy was not administered to 34%. The rates of adjuvant chemotherapy have shown little improvement over time (63% in 2003 vs 66% in 2011). The Cox model indicates that patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy had better survival (hazard ratio = 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.47-0.49). Analysis of risk adjusted O/E ratios indicated no consistent pattern as to which hospitals were performing optimally or subopitmally over time., Conclusion: There has been no meaningful improvement in receipt of chemotherapy in patients with stage III colon cancer. The fact that chemotherapy is not being considered or offered to more than 20% of patients with node-positive colon cancer suggests that there are substantial process failures across many institutions and regions in the United States., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: There is a growing interest in surgery regarding the balance between appropriate hospital length of stay (LOS) and prevention of unnecessary readmissions. This study examines the relationship between postoperative LOS and unplanned readmission after colorectal resection, exploring whether patients discharged earlier have different readmission risk profiles., Methods: Patients undergoing colorectal resection were selected by Common Procedural Terminology (CPT) code from the 2012 ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Patients were stratified by LOS quartile. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to examine characteristics associated with 30-day unplanned readmission. Factors with a p < 0.1 were included in the Cox proportional hazards model. Subsequently, chi-square analysis compared LOS, patient, and perioperative factors with the primary reason for readmission. Factors with a p < 0.2 were included in a multivariable logistic regression for each readmission reason., Results: For 33,033 patients undergoing colorectal resection, the overall 30-day unplanned readmission rate was 11 %. After adjusting for patient and perioperative factors, a postoperative LOS ≥8 days was associated with a 55 % increase in the relative hazard of readmission. Patients with a ≤3-day LOS were more likely to be readmitted with ileus/obstruction (odds ratio (OR): 1.8, p = 0.001) and pain (OR: 2.2, p = 0.007). LOS was not significantly associated with readmission for intraabdominal infection or medical complications., Conclusions: Patients with longer LOS and complicated hospital courses continue to be high risk post-discharge, while straightforward early discharges have a different readmission risk profile. More targeted readmission prevention strategies are critical to focusing resource utilization for colorectal surgery patients.

Background: Expert panels of colorectal surgeons consistently rank anastomotic leak as among the most important quality metrics for colectomies. Nonetheless, most administrative and clinical databases do not collect data on anastomotic leaks and rely on reported organ space surgical site infections (OSI) as a proxy for identifying anastomotic leaks. This study questions the validity of using OSI as a surrogate for anastomotic leak., Methods: The Upstate New York Surgical Quality Initiative (UNYSQI) is a collaboration of 12 hospitals that prospectively collects colectomy-specific metrics, including anastomotic leak, in addition to standard National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) data, including OSIs. Cases with an organ space infection and/or anastomotic leak were selected from the 2010-2011 UNYSQI database. Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared for cases with organ space infections and anastomotic leaks., Results: Overall, 3% of colectomies had a reported organ space infection and 4% had an anastomotic leak. Among cases having anastomotic leaks, only 25% were also coded as having an organ space infection, leaving 75% of anastomotic leaks not captured by the NSQIP database (κ = 0.272; P ≤ .001)., Conclusion: Organ space infection is a poor surrogate for anastomotic leak, resulting in grossly underestimated leak rates and seemingly represents different postoperative courses. Procedure-specific quality measures for colorectal surgery should include data collection on anastomotic leaks to provide accurate data for use in improving patient care., (Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to delineate the impact of smoking on postoperative outcomes after colorectal resection for malignant and benign processes., Background: Studies to date have implicated smoking as a risk factor for increased postoperative complications. However, there is a paucity of data on the effects of smoking after colorectal surgery and in particular for malignant compared with benign processes., Methods: The American College of Surgeon's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (2005-2010) database was queried for patients undergoing elective major colorectal resection for colorectal cancer, diverticular disease, or inflammatory bowel disease. Risk-adjusted 30-day outcomes were assessed and compared between patient cohorts identified as never-smokers, ex-smokers, and current smokers. Primary outcomes of incisional infections, infectious and major complications, and mortality were evaluated using regression modeling adjusting for patient characteristics and comorbidities., Results: A total of 47,574 patients were identified, of which 26,333 had surgery for colorectal cancer, 14,019 for diverticular disease, and 7222 for inflammatory bowel disease. More than 60% of patients had never smoked, 20.4% were current smokers, and 19.2% were ex-smokers. After adjustment, current smokers were at a significantly increased risk of postoperative morbidity [odds ratio (OR), 1.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.21-1.40] and mortality (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.11-1.94) after colorectal surgery. This finding persisted across malignant and benign diagnoses and also demonstrated a significant dose-dependent effect when stratifying by pack-years of smoking., Conclusions: Smoking increases the risk of complications after all types of major colorectal surgery, with the greatest risk apparent for current smokers. A concerted effort should be made toward promoting smoking cessation in all patients scheduled for elective colorectal surgery.

Background: Surgical cases that include trainees are associated with worse outcomes in comparison with those that include attending surgeons alone., Objective: This study aimed to identify whether resident involvement in partial colectomy was associated with worse outcomes when evaluated by surgical approach and resident experience., Design: This is a retrospective study using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database., Settings: This study evaluates cases included in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database., Patients: All patients were included who underwent partial colectomy including both open and laparoscopic approaches., Interventions: Residents were involved., Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measures were the association of resident involvement and major complication events, minor complication events, unplanned return to operating room, and operative time., Results: Cases with residents were associated with major complications (OR 1.18, CI 1.09-1.27, p < 0.001) on multivariate analysis. However, after including operative time in the model only open cases involving fifth year residents were still associated with major complications (OR 1.13, p = 0.037). Resident involvement was associated with increased likelihood of minor complications (OR 1.3, p < 0.001) and an increased risk of unplanned return to the operating room (OR 1.20, p < 0.001). Operative time was longer for cases with residents on average by 33.7 minutes and 27 minutes for open and laparoscopic cases., Limitations: This study was limited by its retrospective design and lack of data on teachings status, case complexity, and intraoperative evaluation of technique., Conclusions: Resident involvement in partial colectomies is associated with an increased major complications, minor complications, likelihood of return to the operating room, and operative time.

Introduction: Compared to subcutaneous fat, visceral fat is more metabolically active, leading to chronic inflammation and tumorigenesis. The aim of this study is to describe the effect of visceral obesity on colorectal cancer outcomes using computed tomography (CT) imaging to measure visceral fat., Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent surgical resection for colorectal cancer. Visceral fat volume was measured by preoperative CT scans. Final analysis was performed by stratifying patients based on oncologic stage., Results: Two hundred nineteen patients met the inclusion criteria, 111 viscerally obese and 108 nonobese. Body mass index (BMI) weakly correlated with visceral fat volume measurements (R (2) = 0.304). Whereas obese patients had no difference in survival when categorizing obesity by BMI, categorizing based on visceral fat volume resulted in significant differences in stage II and stage III patients. In stage II cancer, viscerally obese patients had a nearly threefold decrease in disease-free survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.72; 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.21, 6.10). In stage III cancer, viscerally obese patients had a longer time to recurrence (HR = 0.39; 95 % CI = 0.16, 0.99)., Conclusion: This study shows that viscerally obese patients with stage II colorectal cancer are at higher risk for poor outcomes and should be increasingly considered for adjuvant chemotherapy.

Background: There is a paucity of quality data on the effects of chronic kidney disease in abdominal surgery. The aim of this study was to define the risk and outcome predictors of bowel resection in stage 5 chronic kidney disease using a large national clinical database., Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried from years 2005-2010 for major bowel resection in dialysis-dependent patients. Patient demographics, preoperative risk factors, and intraoperative variables were evaluated. Primary endpoints were mortality and morbidity after 30 days. Predictors of outcome were assessed by multivariate regression., Results: The study included 1,685 patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing bowel resection. Overall mortality and morbidity were 27.5 and 58.3 %, respectively. Acute presentation was the strongest predictor of mortality (OR 2.39, CI 1.54-3.72, p < 0.001). Other predictors of mortality included hypoalbuminemia (OR 2.12, CI 1.39-3.24, p < 0.001), pulmonary comorbidity (OR 2.25, CI 1.67-3.03, p < 0.001), and cardiac comorbidity (OR 1.54, CI 1.16-2.05, p = 0.003)., Conclusion: This study demonstrates that bowel resection in patients with chronic kidney disease confers a high mortality risk. Preoperative optimization of comorbid conditions may reduce mortality after bowel resection in dialysis-dependent patients. In addition, laparoscopy was associated with a reduction in postoperative morbidity suggesting that it should be used preferentially.