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The clinico-radiological characteristics and the natural history of postoperative omental infarct (OI) in patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy (DP) and splenectomy have not been defined. Twelve patients who underwent DP over a period of 2 years and were postoperatively diagnosed with OI based on computed tomography (CT) findings were identified. A total of 12 patients were diagnosed with an OI based on their postoperative imaging. Seven (58.3 %) patients had previously undergone laparoscopic DP, one (8.3 %) had undergone a robotic DP, and in one (8.3 %), a laparoscopic DP was converted to an open procedure. The remaining three (25.1 %) were treated with open DP. In five (41.6 %) patients, the diagnosis of OI was made during routine follow-up. One patient underwent surgical resection of OI, and two had drains placed in the mass. Nine patients were managed conservatively. During the study period, on review of CT imaging, the minimum prevalence of postoperative OI after DP was found to be 22.8 %. A review of literature identified nine articles that reported a total of 34 patients who were diagnosed with OI after abdominal surgery. The management of an asymptomatic postoperative OI should be conservative while an early invasive intervention should be performed in patients who are symptomatic or have infected OI.

Background The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is proposing that hospitals measure culture beginning in 2007. However, a reliable and widely used measurement tool for the operating room (OR) setting does not currently exist. Methods OR personnel in 60 US hospitals were surveyed using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. The teamwork climate domain of the survey uses six items about difficulty speaking up, conflict resolution, physician-nurse collaboration, feeling supported by others, asking questions, and heeding nurse input. To justify grouping individual-level responses to a single score at each hospital OR level, the authors used a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis, intraclass correlations, within-group interrater reliability, and Cronbach's alpha. To detect differences at the hospital OR level and by caregiver type, the authors used multivariate analysis of variance (items) and analysis of variance (scale). Results The response rate was 77.1%. There was robust evidence for grouping individual-level respondents to the hospital OR level using the diverse set of statistical tests, e.g., Comparative Fit Index = 0.99, root mean squared error of approximation = 0.05, and acceptable intraclasss correlations, within-group interrater reliability values, and Cronbach's alpha = 0.79. Teamwork climate differed significantly by hospital (F59, 1,911 = 4.06, P < 0.001) and OR caregiver type (F4, 1,911 = 9.96, P < 0.001). Conclusions Rigorous assessment of teamwork climate is possible using this psychometrically sound teamwork climate scale. This tool and initial benchmarks allow others to compare their teamwork climate to national means, in an effort to focus more on what excellent surgical teams do well.

Reforming graduate medical, nursing and health administrators' education to include the core competencies of interdisciplinary teamwork and quality improvement (QI) techniques is a key strategy to improve quality in hospital settings. Practicing clinicians are best positioned in these settings to understand systems issues and craft potential solutions. The authors describe how, in ten months during 2004 and 2005 the school of medicine, the school of nursing, and an administrative residency program, all at Johns Hopkins University, implemented and evaluated the Achieving Competency Today II Program (ACT II), a structured and interdisciplinary approach to learning QI that was piloted at various sites around the United States. Six teams of learners participated, each consisting of a medical, nursing, and administrative resident. The importance of interdisciplinary participation in planning QI projects, the value of the patient's perspective on systems issues, and the value of a system's perspective in crafting solutions to issues all proved to be valuable lessons. Challenges were encountered throughout the program, such as (1) participants' difficulties in balancing competing academic, personal and clinical responsibilities, (2) difficulties in achieving the intended goals of a broad curriculum, (3) barriers to openly discussing interdisciplinary team process and dynamics, and (4) the need to develop faculty expertise in systems thinking and QI. In spite of these challenges steps have been identified to further enhance and develop interdisciplinary education within this academic setting.

Background: Improving patient safety is an increasing priority for surgeons and hospitals since sentinel events can be catastrophic for patients, caregivers, and institutions. Patient safety initiatives aimed at creating a safe operating room (OR) culture are increasingly being adopted, but a reliable means of measuring their impact on front-line providers does not exist. Methods: We developed a surgery-specific safety questionnaire (SAQ) and administered it to 2769 eligible caregivers at 60 hospitals. Survey questions included the appropriateness of handling medical errors, knowledge of reporting systems, and perceptions of safety in the operating room. MANOVA and ANOVA were performed to compare safety results by hospital and by an individual's position in the OR using a composite score. Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was performed to validate the structure of the scale at the operating room level of analysis. Results: The overall response rate was 77.1% (2135 of 2769), with a range of 57% to 100%. Factor analysis of the survey items demonstrated high face validity and internal consistency (a = 0.76). The safety climate scale was robust and internally consistent overall and across positions. Scores varied widely by hospital [MANOVA omnibus F (59, 1910) = 3.85, P < 0.001], but not position [ANOVA F(4, 1910) = 1.64, P = 0.16], surgeon (mean = 73.91), technician (mean = 70.26), anesthesiologist (mean = 71.57), CRNA (mean = 71.03), and nurse (mean = 70.40). The percent of respondents reporting good safety climate in each hospital ranged from 16.3% to 100%. Conclusions: Safety climate in surgical departments can be validly measured and varies widely among hospitals, providing the opportunity to benchmark performance. Scores on the SAQ can serve to evaluate interventions to improve patient safety.

Teamwork is an important component of patient safety. In fact, communication errors are the most common cause of sentinel events and wrong-site operations in the US. Although efforts to improve patient safety through improving teamwork are growing, there is no validated tool to scientifically measure teamwork in the surgical setting.Operating room personnel in 60 hospitals were surveyed using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Surgeons, anesthesiologists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and operating room nurses rated their own peers and each other using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = very low, 5 = very high).Overall response rate was 77.1% (2,135 of 2,769). Ratings of teamwork differed substantially by operating room caregiver type, with the greatest differences in ratings shown by physicians: surgeons (F[4, 2058] = 41.73, p0.001), and anesthesiologists (F[4, 1990] = 53.15, p0.001). The percent of operating room caregivers rating the quality of collaboration and communication as "high" or "very high" was different by caregiver role and whether they were rating a peer or another type of caregiver: surgeons rated other surgeons "high" or "very high" 85% of the time, and nurses rated their collaboration with surgeons "high" or "very high" only 48% of the time.Considerable discrepancies in perceptions of teamwork exist in the operating room, with physicians rating the teamwork of others as good, but at the same time, nurses perceive teamwork as mediocre. Given the importance of communication and collaboration in patient safety, health care organizations should measure teamwork using a scientifically valid method. The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire can be used to measure teamwork, identify disconnects between or within disciplines, and evaluate interventions aimed at improving patient safety.

It is estimated that by 2050, there will be a 300% increase in the elderly population (or =65 years) and a corresponding increase in elderly patients presenting for surgical evaluation. Surgical decision-making in this population can be difficult because outcomes in the elderly are poorly defined. We reviewed 2698 consecutive pancreaticoduodenectomies (PDs) at our institution over a 35-year period (April 1970 through March 2005), with the last 1000 resections being done in the last 4 years. Data collected included surgical indication, mortality (defined as 30-day or in-hospital mortality), complications, and survival. Patients were divided by age into three groups (80, 80-89, andor =90 years) and evaluated using multiple logistic regression. Two hundred seven patientsor =80 years old underwent a PD (7.7% of 2698). Patients 80-89 years of age had a mortality rate of 4.1% (8 of 197) and a complication rate of 52.8% (99 of 197), whereas patientsor =79 years of age had a mortality of 1.7% and a complication rate of 41.6% (P0.05). There were no perioperative deaths among the 10 patientsor =90 years of age, and their complication rate was 50% (5 of 10). One-year survival for patients 80-89 years of age was 59.1%, and that for patientsor =90 years was 60%. Age was not an independent risk factor for perioperative mortality and morbidity following PD after adjusting for preoperative comorbidities. We demonstrate that PD can be safely performed in patients over 80 years of age and conclude that age alone should not be a contraindication to pancreatic resection. The advent of improved surgical outcomes and an aging population will likely result in a significant increase in the number of PDs performed in the next few decades.

The adoption of laparoscopy for the Whipple procedure remains limited in part by its technical difficulty. We sought to develop a superior, simpler pancreaticojejunostomy technique.We applied a running barbed suture (V-Loc™; Covidien, Mansfield, MA) to perform the pancreaticojejunostomy over a stent placed in the pancreatic duct and a small enterotomy in the jejunum. This technique was attempted in the last 19 of 37 patients presenting to two surgeons (M.A.M. and B.H.E.) for a laparoscopic Whipple procedure. Data were collected on operative time, pancreatic leak events, and related complications.We successfully applied the modified technique in all 19 patients. Pancreatic leak occurred in 5% of patients with the modified technique (Grade A=0; Grade B=1; Grade C=0) and 11% with the standard technique (Grade A=1; Grade B=1; Grade C=0). All leaks were managed with external drainage. There were no leak-related complications. Mean operative time was shorter for the modified technique (mean, 367 minutes; range, 260-576 minutes) than the standard technique (mean, 440 minutes; range, 300-665 minutes).The use of a running barbed suture for laparoscopic pancreaticojejunostomy is a safe and efficient technique. Our operative times were decreased with this technique, and our outcomes were similar to other laparoscopic Whipple series.

Much research has been conducted to describe medical mistakes resulting in patient harm using databases that capture these events for medical organizations. The objective of this study was to describe patients' perceptions regarding disclosure and their actions after harm. We analyzed a patient harm survey database composed of responses from a voluntary online survey administered to patients by ProPublica, an independent nonprofit news organization, during a 1-year period (May 2012 to May 2013). We collected data on patient demographics and characteristics related to the acknowledgment of patient harms, the reporting of patient harm to an oversight agency, whether the patient or the family obtained the harm-associated medical records, as well as the presence of a malpractice claim. There were 236 respondents reporting a patient harm (mean age, 49.1 y). In 11.4% (27/236) of harms, an apology by the medical organization or the clinician was made. In 42.8% (101/236) of harms, a complaint was filed with an oversight agency. In 66.5% (157/236) of harms, the patient or the family member obtained a copy of the pertinent medical records. A malpractice claim was reported in 19.9% (47/236) of events. In this sample of self-reported patient harms, we found a perception of inadequate apology. Nearly half of patient harm events are reported to an oversight agency, and roughly one-fifth result in a malpractice claim.

Objective: To analyze the system factors related to “line, tube, and drain” (LTD) incidents in the intensive care unit (ICU). Design: Voluntary, anonymous Web-based patient safety reporting system. Setting: Eighteen ICUs in the United States. Patients: Incidents reported by ICU staff members during a 12-month period ending June 2003. Interventions: None. Measurements: Characteristics of the incidents (defined as events that could/did cause harm), patients, and patient harm were described. Separate multivariable logistic regression analyses of contributing, limiting, and preventive system factors for LTD vs. non-LTD incidents were reported. Main Results: Of the 114 reported LTD incidents, >60% were considered preventable. One patient death was attributed to an LTD incident. Of patients experiencing LTD incidents, 56% sustained physical injury, and 23% had an anticipated increased hospital stay. Factors contributing to LTD incidents included occurrence in the operating room (odds ratio [OR], 3.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25–9.83), occurrence on a holiday (OR, 3.65; 95% CI, 1.12–11.9), patient medical complexity (OR, 3.68; 95% CI, 2.28–5.92), and age of 1–9 yrs (OR, 7.95; 95% CI, 3.29–19.2). Factors related to team communication were less likely to limit LTD incidents (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.11–0.68), while clinician knowledge and skills helped prevent LTD incidents (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.09–2.97). Conclusions: Patients are harmed by preventable LTD incidents. Relative to non-LTD events, these incidents occur more frequently during holidays and in medically complex patients and children. Focusing on these contributing factors and clinician knowledge and skills is important for reducing and preventing these hazardous events. LEARNING OBJECTIVES On completion of this article, the reader should be able to: LEARNING OBJECTIVES Dr. Pronovost has disclosed that he is the recipient of grant/research funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and is a consultant for the Patient Safety Group, VHA. The remaining authors have disclosed that they have no financial relationships or interest in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Wolters Kluwer Health has identified and resolved all faculty conflicts of interest regarding this educational activity. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Visit the Critical Care Medicine Web site (www.ccmjournal.org) for information on obtaining continuing medical education credit.

Objective: To measure the current prevalence of blood-borne pathogens in an urban, university-based, general surgical practice. Background Data: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B, and hepatitis C represent significant occupational hazards to the surgeon. While the incidence of these blood-bome pathogens is increasing in the general population, little is known about the current prevalence of these exposures among patients presenting for surgery. Methods: We studied 709 consecutive operative cases (July 2003 to June 2004) in a university practice that provides all inpatient, emergency department, and outpatient consultative general surgical services. Trauma cases and bedside procedures were excluded. Data collected included HIV, hepatitis B and C test results, type of operation, age, sex, and history of intravenous drug use. Results: Testing for blood-bome pathogens was performed in 53% (N = 373) of 709 patients based on abnormal liver function tests, neutropenia, history of IV drug use, or patient request. Thirty-eight percent of all operations (142/373) were found to involve a blood-bome pathogen when tested: HIV (26%), hepatitis B (4%), hepatitis C (35%), and coinfection with HIV and hepatitis C (17%). Forty-seven percent of men tested positive for at least 1 blood-borne pathogen. Seventy-three different types of operations were performed, ranging from Whipple procedures to amputations. Soft-tissue abscess procedures 48% (34/71) and lymph node biopsies 67% (10/15) (P < 0.01) were most often associated with blood-bome pathogens. Infections were more common among men (P < 0.01), patients 41 to 50 years of age (P < 0.01), and patients with a history of intravenous drug use (P < 0.01). Conclusions: HIV and hepatitis C infections are common in an urban university general surgical practice, while hepatitis B is less common. In addition, certain operations are associated with significantly increased exposure rates. Given the high incidence of these infections, strategies such as sharpless surgical techniques should be evaluated and implemented to protect surgeons from blood-borne pathogens.

Pancreatic cancer arising in the neck or body of the gland frequently presents at a more advanced stage compared with tumors arising in the pancreatic head. Vascular invasion into the celiac axis is a common contraindication to surgical resection. We report an en bloc pancreatectomy, splenectomy, and total gastrectomy with resection of the celiac axis for a pancreatic body adenocarcinoma invading the celiac axis and posterior stomach. Collateral blood flow to the liver via the gastroduodenal artery was initially identified on preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging and confirmed intraoperatively with vascular testing before resection. One of 14 regional lymph nodes was positive for malignancy, and surgical margins were free of tumor. The patient's postoperative course was unremarkable. En bloc resection of the celiac axis and hepatic artery may be safely performed in select patients with localized pancreatic cancer invading these vessels.

Objectives: One of the most significant complications seen after the maze procedure for atrial fibrillation is excessive fluid retention, with subsequent pulmonary complications. To address this problem we recently started treating all patients prophylactically with a continuous infusion of furosemide starting immediately after the operation. Methods: Seventy-five consecutive patients with statistically similar demographic characteristics were divided into two groups. In the continuous infusion group (n = 36) furosemide was given intravenously as a continuous infusion at a dose of 2 to 15 mg/h for the first 48 hours after the operation, and in the bolus dose group (n = 39) furosemide was administered in bolus doses (50-100 mg) to maintain a targeted daily urinary output of 25 to 50 mL/kg. Hemodynamic data, urinary output, fluid balance, daily weights, and pulmonary complications were recorded during the first 48 hours after the operation. Results: The mean postoperative urinary output was higher, the total furosemide dose was lower, and the pulmonary complications were fewer in the continuous infusion group than in the bolus dose group. Three patients in the bolus dose group were reintubated after the operation, whereas none in the continuous infusion group were reintubated. Supplemental oxygen requirements were greater in the bolus dose group (7 vs 4 patients, P < .05). In the bolus dose group, 4 patients (10%) required thoracentesis and 3 patients (8%) required chest tube insertions for postoperative pleural effusions, in contrast with 1 patient (3%) each in the continuous infusion group (P < .05). Conclusion: Despite a smaller total dose relative to bolus infusion, prophylactic continuous furosemide infusion decreased the adverse pulmonary complications associated with excessive fluid retention in patients undergoing the maze procedure for atrial fibrillation.

Importance Outlier physician practices in health care can represent a significant burden to patients and the health system. Objective To study outlier physician practices in Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) and the associated factors. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective analysis of publicly available Medicare Part B claims data from January 2012 to December 2014 includes all physicians who received Medicare payments for MMS from any practice performing MMS on the head and neck, genitalia, hands, and feet region of Medicare Part B patients. Main Outcomes and Measures Characteristics of outlier physicians, defined as those whose mean number of stages for MMS was 2 standard deviations greater than the mean number for all physicians billing MMS. Logistic regression was used to study the physician characteristics associated with outlier status. Results Our analysis included 2305 individual billing physicians performing MMS. The mean number of stages per MMS case for all physicians practicing from January 2012 to December 2014 was 1.74, the median was 1.69, and the range was 1.09 to 4.11. Overall, 137 physicians who perform Mohs surgery were greater than 2 standard deviations above the mean (2 standard deviations above the mean = 2.41 stages per case) in at least 1 of the 3 examined years, and 49 physicians (35.8%) were persistent high outliers in all 3 years. Persistent high outlier status was associated with performing Mohs surgery in a solo practice (odds ratio, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.25-4.35). Volume of cases per year, practice experience, and geographic location were not associated with persistent high outlier status. Conclusions and Relevance Marked variation exists in the number of stages per case for MMS for head and neck, genitalia, hands, and feet skin cancers, which may represent an additional financial burden and unnecessary surgery on individual patients. Providing feedback to physicians may reduce unwarranted variation on this metric of quality.

Importance Pain management of patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) can be challenging. Laparoscopy has been associated with markedly reduced postoperative pain but has not been widely applied to total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT). Objective To examine the feasibility of using laparoscopic TPIAT (L-TPIAT) in the treatment of CP. Design, Setting, and Participants Thirty-two patients with CP presented for TPIAT at a tertiary hospital from January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2015. Of the 22 patients who underwent L-TPIAT, 2 patients converted to an open procedure because of difficult anatomy and prior surgery. Pain and glycemic outcomes were recorded at follow-up visits every 3 to 6 months postoperatively. Main Outcomes and Measures Operative outcomes included operative time, islet isolation time, warm ischemia time, islet equivalent (IE) counts, estimated blood loss, fluid resuscitation, and blood transfusions. Postoperative outcomes included length of stay, all-cause 30-day readmission rate, postoperative complications, mortality rate, subjective pain measurements, opioid use, random C-peptide levels, insulin requirements, and glycated hemoglobin level. Results Of the 32 patients who presented for TPIAT, 20 underwent L-TPIAT (8 men and 12 women; mean [SD] age, 39 [13] years; age range, 21-58 years). Indication for surgery was CP attributable to genetic mutation (n = 9), idiopathic pancreatitis (n = 6), idiopathic pancreatitis with pancreas divisum (n = 3), and alcohol abuse (n = 2). Mean (SD) operative time was 493 (78) minutes, islet isolation time was 185 (37) minutes, and warm ischemia time was 51 (62) minutes. The mean (SD) IE count was 1325 (1093) IE/kg. The mean (SD) length of stay was 11 (5) days, and the all-cause 30-day readmission rate was 35% (7 of 20 patients). None of the patients experienced postoperative surgical site infection, hernia, or small-bowel obstruction, and none died. Eighteen patients (90%) had a decrease or complete resolution of pain, and 12 patients (60%) no longer required opioid therapy at a median follow-up period of 6 months. Postoperative random insulin C-peptide levels were detectable in 19 patients (95%) at a median follow-up of 10.4 months. At a median follow-up of 12.5 months, 5 patients (25%) were insulin independent, whereas 9 patients (45%) required 1 to 10 U/d, 5 patients (25%) required 11 to 20 U/d, and 1 patient (5%) required greater than 20 U/d of basal insulin. The mean (SD) glycated hemoglobin level was 7.4% (0.5%). Conclusions and Relevance This study represents the first series of L-TPIAT, demonstrating its safety and feasibility. Our approach enables patients to experience shorter operative times and the benefits of laparoscopy, including reduced length of stay and quicker opioid independence.

Background The widespread use of diagnostic imaging has led to an increase in the incidence and diagnosis of benign liver tumors. The objective of this study was to define the overall use and temporal trends of operative procedures for benign liver tumors using a nationally representative cohort. Methods All patients who underwent liver surgery for benign liver tumors between 2000 and 2011 were identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. Trends in annual volume of liver procedures were analyzed using the average annual percent change (AAPC) assessed by joinpoint analysis. Results There were 2,489 open (94.5%) and 144 (5.5%) minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures. Partial hepatectomy accounted for 43.8% of all cases ( n = 1,153). Surgery for patients with benign liver tumors increased from 156 in 2000 to 272 in 2011 (AAPC, 5.8%; 95% CI, 3.2–8.6%). There was decline in the relative use of open operative procedures from 98.1% in 2000 to 92.3% in 2011 (AAPC, −0.4%; 95% CI, −0.7 to −0.1%). In contrast, the proportion of MIS procedures increased from 1.9% in 2000 to 7.7% in 2011 (AAPC, 7.4%; 95% CI, 1.9–13.3%). The median duration of stay among all patients was 5 days (interquartile range, 4–7; 5 days [open] vs 3 days [MIS]; P n = 15 [open] vs n = 0 [MIS]; P = .43) and did not change during the study period ( P > .05). Conclusion Overall volume of surgical management of benign liver tumors has increased substantially over the past decade. There has been a relative shift away from open procedures toward MIS procedures.

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) have malignant potential and can progress from low- to high-grade dysplasia to invasive adenocarcinoma. The management of patients with IPMNs is dependent on their risk of malignant progression, with surgical resection recommended for patients with branch-duct IPMN (BD-IPMN) who develop high-risk features. There is increasing evidence that liver transplant (LT) patients are at increased risk of extrahepatic malignancy. However, there are few data regarding the risk of progression of BD-IPMNs in LT recipients. The aim of this study was to determine whether LT recipients with BD-IPMNs are at higher risk of developing high-risk features than patients with BD-IPMNs who did not receive a transplant. Consecutive patients who underwent an LT with BD-IPMNs were included. Patients with BD-IPMNs with no history of immunosuppression were used as controls. Progression of the BD-IPMNs was defined as development of a high-risk feature (jaundice, dilated main pancreatic duct, mural nodule, cytology suspicious or diagnostic for malignancy, cyst diameter ≥3 cm). Twenty-three LT patients with BD-IPMN were compared with 274 control patients. The median length of follow-up was 53.7 and 24.0 months in LT and control groups, respectively. Four (17.4%) LT patients and 45 (16.4%) controls developed high-risk features (P = 0.99). In multivariate analysis, progression of BD-IPMNs was associated with age at diagnosis but not with LT. There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of developing high-risk features between the LT and the control groups. Liver Transpl 20:1462-1467, 2014. © 2014 AASLD.

Objective To determine casemix adjusted hospital level utilization of minimally invasive surgery for four common surgical procedures (appendectomy, colectomy, total abdominal hysterectomy, and lung lobectomy) in the United States. Design Retrospective review. Setting United States. Participants Nationwide inpatient sample database, United States 2010. Methods For each procedure, a propensity score model was used to calculate the predicted proportion of minimally invasive operations for each hospital based on patient characteristics. For each procedure, hospitals were categorized into thirds (low, medium, and high) based on their actual to predicted proportion of utilization of minimally invasive surgery. Main outcome measures The primary outcome measures were the actual and predicted proportion of procedures performed with minimally invasive surgery. Secondary outcome measures included surgical complications and hospital characteristics. Results Mean hospital utilization of minimally invasive surgery was 71.0% (423/596) for appendectomy (range 40.9-93.1% (244-555)), 28.4% (154/541) for colectomy (6.7-49.8% (36/541-269/541)), 13.0% (65/499) for hysterectomy (0.0-33.6% (0/499-168/499)), and 32.0% (67/208) for lung lobectomy (3.6-65.7% (7.5/208-137/208)). Utilization of minimally invasive surgery was highly variable for each procedure type. There was noticeable discordance between actual and predicted utilization of the surgery (range of actual to predicted ratio for appendectomy 0-1.49; colectomy 0-3.88; hysterectomy 0-6.68; lung lobectomy 0-2.51). Surgical complications were less common with minimally invasive surgery compared with open surgery, respectively: overall rate for appendectomy 3.94% (1439/36 513) v 7.90% (958/12 123), P

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) have malignant potential and can progress from low- to high-grade dysplasia to invasive adenocarcinoma. The management of patients with IPMNs is dependent on their risk of malignant progression, with surgical resection recommended for patients with branch-duct IPMN (BD-IPMN) who develop high-risk features. There is increasing evidence that liver transplant (LT) patients are at increased risk of extrahepatic malignancy. However, there are few data regarding the risk of progression of BD-IPMNs in LT recipients. The aim of this study was to determine whether LT recipients with BD-IPMNs are at higher risk of developing high-risk features than patients with BD-IPMNs who did not receive a transplant. Consecutive patients who underwent an LT with BD-IPMNs were included. Patients with BD-IPMNs with no history of immunosuppression were used as controls. Progression of the BD-IPMNs was defined as development of a high-risk feature (jaundice, dilated main pancreatic duct, mural nodule, cytology suspicious or diagnostic for malignancy, cyst diameter ≥3 cm). Twenty-three LT patients with BD-IPMN were compared with 274 control patients. The median length of follow-up was 53.7 and 24.0 months in LT and control groups, respectively. Four (17.4%) LT patients and 45 (16.4%) controls developed high-risk features (P = 0.99). In multivariate analysis, progression of BD-IPMNs was associated with age at diagnosis but not with LT. There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of developing high-risk features between the LT and the control groups.

Incidental pancreatic cysts are common, a small number of which are premalignant or malignant. Multidisciplinary care has been shown to alter management and improve outcomes in many types of cancers, but its role has not been examined in patients with pancreatic cysts. We assessed the effect of a multidisciplinary pancreatic cyst clinic (MPCC) on the diagnosis and management of patients with pancreatic cysts.The referring institution and MPCC diagnosis and management plan were recorded. Patient were placed into one of five categories-no, low, intermediate, or high risk of malignancy within the cyst, and malignant cyst-on the basis of their diagnosis. Patients were assigned one of four management options: surveillance, surgical resection, further evaluation, or discharge with no further follow-up required. The MPCC was deemed to have altered patient care if the patient was assigned a different risk or management category after the MPCC review.Referring institution records were available for 262 patients (198 women; mean age 62.7 years), with data on risk category available in 138 patients and management category in 225. The most common diagnosis was branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. MPCC review altered the risk category in 11 (8.0%) of 138 patients. The management category was altered in 68 (30.2%) of 225 patients. Management was increased in 52 patients, including 22 patients who were recommended surgical resection. Management was decreased in 16 patients, including 10 who had their recommendation changed from surgery to surveillance.MPCC is helpful and alters the management over 30% of patients.

Race-based disparities in operative morbidity and mortality have been demonstrated for various procedures, including pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). Race-based differences in hospital length-of-stay (LOS), especially related to provider volume at the surgeon and hospital level, remain poorly defined.Using the 2003-2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we determined year-specific PD volumes for surgeons and hospitals and grouped them into terciles. Patient race (white, black, or Hispanic), age, sex, and comorbidities were examined. Median length of stay was calculated, and multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with increased LOS.Among 4,319 eligible individuals, 3,502 (81.1%) were white, 423 (9.8%) were black, and 394 (9.1%) were Hispanic. Overall median LOS was 12 days (range, 0-234). Median annual surgeon volume was 8 (interquartile range [IQR], 2-19; range, 1-54). Annual hospital volume ranged from 1 to 129 (median, 19; IQR, 7-55). White patients were more likely to have been treated at medium- to high-volume hospitals (odds ratio [OR] 1.53, P.001) and by medium- to high-volume surgeons (OR 1.62, P.001) than black or Hispanic patients. After PD, white, black, and Hispanic patients demonstrated similar in-hospital mortality (5.1%, 5.7% and 7.2% respectively P = .250). After adjustment, black (OR 1.36, P = .010) and Hispanic (OR 1.68, P.001) patients were more likely to have a greater LOS after PD.Black and Hispanic PD patients were less likely than white patients to be treated at higher-volume hospitals and by higher-volume surgeons. Proportional mortality and LOS after PD were greater among black and Hispanic patients.

The impact of postoperative complications on the administration of adjuvant therapy following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for adenocarcinoma is still unclear.A retrospective review of all patients undergoing PD at our institution between 1995 and 2011 was performed. Clinicopathological data, including Clavien-Dindo complication grade, time to adjuvant therapy (TTA), and survival, were analyzed.A total of 1,144 patients underwent PD for adenocarcinoma between 1995 and 2011. The overall complication rate was 49.1 % and clinically severe complications (≥IIIb) occurred in 4.2 %. Overall, 621 patients (54.3 %) were known to have received adjuvant therapy. The median TTA was 60 days. Although the presence of a complication was associated with a delay in TTA (p = 0.002), the grade of complication was not (p = 0.112). On multivariate analysis, only age68 years (p0.001) and length of stay9 days (p = 0.002) correlated with no adjuvant therapy. Patients with postoperative complications were more likely to receive single adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy (31.4 %) than were patients without complications (17.1 %; p0.001). Patients without a complication had a longer median survival compared with patients who experienced complications (19.5 vs. 16.1 months; p = 0.001). Patients without complications who received adjuvant therapy had longer median survival than patients with complications who received no adjuvant therapy (22.5 vs. 10.7 months; p0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that complications [hazard ratio (HR) 1.16; p = 0.023] and adjuvant therapy (HR 0.67; p0.001) were related to survival.Complications and no adjuvant therapy are common following PD for adenocarcinoma. Postoperative complications delay TTA and reduce the likelihood of multimodality adjuvant therapy. Identifying patients at increased risk for complications and those unlikely to receive adjuvant therapy warrants further investigation as they may benefit from a neoadjuvant approach.

Introduction Resident operative autonomy and case volume is associated with posttraining confidence and practice plans. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirements for graduating general surgery residents are four liver and three pancreas cases. We sought to evaluate trends in resident experience and autonomy for complex hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery over time. Methods We queried the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education General Surgery Case Log (2003–2012) for all cases performed by graduating chief residents (GCR) relating to liver, pancreas, and the biliary tract (HPB); simple cholecystectomy was excluded. Mean (±SD), median [10th–90th percentiles] and maximum case volumes were compared from 2003 to 2012 using R 2 for all trends. Results A total of 252,977 complex HPB cases (36% liver, 43% pancreas, 21% biliary) were performed by 10,288 GCR during the 10-year period examined (Mean = 24.6 per GCR). Of these, 57% were performed during the chief year, whereas 43% were performed as postgraduate year 1–4. Only 52% of liver cases were anatomic resections, whereas 71% of pancreas cases were major resections. Total number of cases increased from 22,516 (mean = 23.0) in 2003 to 27,191 (mean = 24.9) in 2012. During this same time period, the percentage of HPB cases that were performed during the chief year decreased by 7% (liver: 13%, pancreas 8%, biliary 4%). There was an increasing trend in the mean number of operations (mean ± SD) logged by GCR on the pancreas (9.1 ± 5.9 to 11.3 ± 4.3; R 2 = .85) and liver (8.0 ± 5.9 to 9.4 ± 3.4; R 2 = .91), whereas those for the biliary tract decreased (5.9 ± 2.5 to 3.8 ± 2.1; R 2 = .96). Although the median number of cases [10th:90th percentile] increased slightly for both pancreas (7.0 [4.0:15] to 8.0 [4:20]) and liver (7.0 [4:13] to 8.0 [5:14]), the maximum number of cases preformed by any given GCR remained stable for pancreas (51 to 53; R 2 = .18), but increased for liver (38 to 45; R 2 = .32). The median number of HPB cases that GCR performed as teaching assistants (TAs) remained at zero during this time period. The 90th percentile of cases performed as TA was less than two for both pancreas and liver. Conclusion Roughly one-half of GCR have performed fewer than 10 cases in each of the liver, pancreas, or biliary categories at time of completion of residency. Although the mean number of complex liver and pancreatic operations performed by GCR increased slightly, the median number remained low, and the number of TA cases was virtually zero. Most GCR are unlikely to be prepared to perform complex HPB operations.

Health care is one of the largest contributors to waste production in the United States. Given increased awareness of the environmental and financial costs associated with waste disposal and its public health impact, many hospitals are adopting environmentally friendly practices that reduce waste production and offer equally effective, yet less expensive alternatives. Reprocessing of medical equipment is one such practice that has gained popularity in recent years and has led to major cost savings across several medical disciplines. In this commentary, we seek to take a closer look at the practice of reprocessing, explore the evidence surrounding its safety, and suggest implications of reprocessing for medical centers.

Objective To evaluate the results of debridement and closed packing for necrotizing pancreatitis and to determine the optimal timing of surgical intervention based on patient outcomes. Methods Between February 1990 and November 1996, 64 consecutive patients with necrotizing pancreatitis were treated with necrosectomy followed by closed packing of the cavity with stuffed Penrose and closed suction drains. The mean APACHE II score immediately before surgery was 9, and 31% of the patients had organ failure. Patients were stratified with an outcome score based on death and major complications; this was correlated with the timing of surgical intervention. The data were then subjected to cut-point analysis by sequential group comparison. Results Patients underwent surgery a median of 31 days after diagnosis. Fifty-six percent had infected necrosis. The mortality rate was 6.2% and was no different in infected or sterile necrosis. Eleven patients required a second surgical procedure and 13 required percutaneous drainage; a single surgical procedure sufficed in 69%. Enteric fistulae occurred in 16% of patients. The mean hospital stay after surgery was 41 days, and the interval until return to regular activities was 147 days. A significant negative correlation between duration of pancreatitis and outcome scores was found, and sequential group comparison demonstrated that the change point at which significantly better outcomes were encountered was day 27. Conclusion Debridement of pancreatic necrosis followed by closed packing and drainage is accomplished with a low mortality rate and reduced rates of complications and second surgical procedures. Although intervention is best deferred until the demarcation of necrosis is complete, delay beyond the fourth week confers no additional advantage.

Article-at-a-Glance Background Although retrospective identification of adverse events is time-consuming, whether they are present and/or expected is often readily apparent to providers during the provision of care. Methods A computer program to flag admissions with possible adverse events was developed. Readmissions to the hospital within 31 days and admissions including more than one visit to the operating room (OR) were flagged. For surgical site infections, all admissions—including a visit to the OR—were flagged, but only a sample was evaluated in the reliability assessment. Residents in an urban, tertiary care hospital were questioned when inputting computerized discharge orders regarding adverse events among 391 cases sampled from 6,813 admissions for a two-month period. Results For the 228 readmissions (3.3% of all admissions) identified by the computer program, resident responses had a sensitivity of 57% and a specificity of 73% in detecting an unexpected readmission (nurse responses, 96% and 91%). For the 79 patients with a return to the OR, the residents' responses had a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 84% for detecting an unexpected return (versus 75% and 98% for the nurses' responses). For the 209 patients with an OR visit, the sensitivity and specificity for a surgical site infection were 85% and 98% for the residents and 54% and 99% for the nurses. Discussion Information systems can be used to screen for adverse events and to ask providers whether adverse events are unexpected, although the reliability of this approach is likely to vary by event type.

IMPORTANCE It is not known whether hospital and surgeon volumes have an association with readmission among patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy.To evaluate patient-, surgeon-, and hospital-level factors associated with readmission.Retrospective cohort study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data with cases diagnosed from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2005, and followed up until December 2007. Population-based cancer registry data were linked to Medicare data for the corresponding patients. A total of 1488 unique individuals who underwent a pancreatoduodenectomy were identified.Undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy at hospitals classified by volume of pancreatoduodenectomy procedures performed at the facility were either very-low, low, medium, or high volume. Undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy by surgeons classified by volume of pancreatoduodenectomy procedures performed by the surgeon were either very-low, low, medium, or high volume.In-hospital morbidity, mortality, and 30-day readmission were examined.The median age was 74 years, and 1436 patients (96.5%) had a least 1 medical comorbidity. Patients were treated by 575 distinct surgeons at 298 distinct hospitals. Length of stay was longest (median, 17 days) and 90-day mortality highest (17.2%) at very-low-volume hospitals (P .001). Among all pancreatoduodenectomy patients, 292 (21.3%) were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. There was no effect of surgeon volume and a modest effect of hospital volume (odds ratio for highest- vs lowest-volume quartiles, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.22-2.80; P = .02). The presence of significant preoperative medical comorbidities was associated with an increased risk for hospital readmission after pancreatoduodenectomy. A comorbidity score greater than 13 had a pronounced effect on the chance of readmission following pancreatoduodenectomy (odds ratio, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.56-2.71; P .001). The source of variation in readmission was primarily attributable to patient-related factors (95.4%), while hospital factors accounted for 4.3% of the variability and physician factors for only 0.3%.Nearly 1 in 5 patients are readmitted following pancreatoduodenectomy. While variation in readmission is, in part, attributable to differences among hospitals, the largest share of variation was found at the patient level.

Minimal access procedures have influenced surgical practice and patient expectations. Risk of laparoscopic conversion to open surgery is frequently cited but vaguely quantified. The present study examines three common procedures to identify risk factors for laparoscopic conversion to open (LCO) events. Cross-sectional analysis using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP; 2005 to 2009) identified cases with laparoscopic procedure codes for appendectomy, cholecystectomy, and bariatric procedures. The primary outcome was conversion of a laparoscopic procedure to its open equivalent. Summary statistics for laparoscopic and LCO groups were compared and logistic regression analysis was used to estimate patient and operative risk factors for conversion. Of 176,014 selected laparoscopic operations, 2,138 (1.2%) were converted. Most patients were female (68%) and white (71.2%); mean age was 45.1 years. LCO cholecystectomy was significantly more likely (n = 1526 [1.9%]) and LCO bariatric procedures were less likely (n = 121 [0.3%]); appendectomy was intermediate (n = 491 [1.0%], P0.001). Patient factors associated with LCO included male sex (P0.001), age 30 years or older (P0.025), American Society of Anesthesiologists Class 2 to 4 (P0.001), obesity (P0.01), history of bleeding disorder (P = 0.036), or preoperative systemic inflammatory response syndrome or sepsis (P0.001). LCO was associated with greater incidence of postoperative complications, including death, organ space surgical site infection, sepsis, wound dehiscence, and return to the operating room (P0.001). Overall LCO incidence is low in hospitals participating in ACS-NSQIP. Conversion risk factors include patient age, sex, obesity, and preoperative comorbidity as well as the procedure performed. This information should be valuable to clinicians in discussing conversion risk with patients.

Patient-specific factors impacting the need for possible perioperative blood transfusions have not been examined in patients undergoing hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) procedures. We sought to define the overall utilization of blood transfusions for HPB surgery stratified by procedure type, as well as identify patient-level risk factors for transfusion.Hepatic and pancreatic resections were selected from the 2005-2011 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program's public use files. Transfusion utilization, risk factors, temporal trends, and outcomes were assessed using regression models. Missing data were addressed using multiple imputation.Twenty-six thousand eight hundred twenty-seven patients met the inclusion criteria. There were 16,953 pancreas cases (distal pancreatectomy (31.2%), pancreaticoduodenectomy (65.8%), total pancreatectomy (3.0%)), and 9,874 liver cases (wedge resection (60.0%), hemi-hepatectomy (30.1%), trisegmentectomy (9.9%)). Overall, 25.7% patients received a perioperative transfusion. Transfusion rates varied by operation type (hepatic wedge resection 18.7%, lobectomy 31.3%, trisegmentectomy 39.8%, distal pancreatectomy 19.8%, Whipple 28.7%, total pancreatectomy 43.6%, p 0.001). On multivariate analysis, several patient-level factors were strongly associated with the risk of transfusion: preoperative hematocrit36% (risk ratios (RR) 1.99, 95% CI 1.91-2.08), preoperative albumin3.0 g/dL (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.19-1.31), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class IV (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.16-1.33), and anticoagulation/bleeding disorder (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.15-1.38) (all p 0.001). Patients with any one of these high-risk factors had an over twofold increased risk of perioperative transfusion (RR 2.31, 95% CI 2.21-2.40, p 0.001).There are large differences in the incidence of transfusion among patients undergoing HPB procedures. While the type of HPB procedure was associated with the risk of transfusion, patient-level factors-including preoperative hematocrit and albumin, ASA classification, and history of anticoagulation/bleeding disorder-were as important.

Direct-to-consumer advertising by industry has been criticized for encouraging overuse of unproven therapies, but advertising by health care providers has not been as carefully scrutinized. Stereotactic radiation therapy is an emerging technology that has sparked controversy regarding the marketing campaigns of some manufacturers. Given that this technology is also being heavily advertised on the Web sites of health care providers, the accuracy of providers' marketing claims should be rigorously evaluated.We reviewed the Web sites of all U.S. hospitals and private practices that provide stereotactic radiation using two leading brands of stereotactic radiosurgery technology. Centers were identified by using data from the manufacturers. Centers without Web sites were excluded. The final study population consisted of 212 centers with online advertisements for stereotactic radiation. Web sites were evaluated for advertisements that were inconsistent with advertising guidelines provided by the American Medical Association.Most centers (76%) had individual pages dedicated to the marketing of their brand of stereotactic technology that frequently contained manufacturer-authored images (50%) or text (55%). Advertising for the treatment of tumors that have not been endorsed by professional societies was present on 66% of Web sites. Centers commonly claimed improved survival (22%), disease control (20%), quality of life (17%), and toxicity (43%) with stereotactic radiation. Although 40% of Web sites championed the center's regional expertise in delivering stereotactic treatments, only 15% of Web sites provided data to support their claims.Provider advertisements for stereotactic radiation were prominent and aggressive. Further investigation of provider advertising, its effects on quality of care, and potential oversight mechanisms is needed.

Catastrophic medical malpractice payouts, $1 million or greater, greatly influence physicians' practice, hospital policy, and discussions of healthcare reform. However, little is known about the specific characteristics and overall cost burden of these payouts. We reviewed all paid malpractice claims nationwide using the National Practitioner Data Bank over a 7-year period (2004-2010) and used multivariate regression to identify risk factors for catastrophic and increased overall payouts. Claims with catastrophic payouts represented 7.9% (6,130/77,621) of all paid claims. Factors most associated with catastrophic payouts were patient age less than 1 year; quadriplegia, brain damage, or lifelong care; and anesthesia allegation group. Compared with court judgments, settlement was associated with decreased odds of a catastrophic payout (odds ratio, 0.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.22-0.42) and lower estimated average payouts ($124,863; 95% CI, $101,509-144,992). A physician's years in practice and previous paid claims history had no effect on the odds of a catastrophic payout. Catastrophic payouts averaged $1.4 billion per year or 0.05% of the National Health Expenditures. Preventing catastrophic malpractice payouts should be only one aspect of comprehensive patient safety and quality improvement strategies. Future studies should evaluate the benefits of targeted interventions based on specific patient safety event characteristics.

ObjectiveThis study was carried out to determine relative survival rates and trends in outcomes in patients who underwent resection of periampullary adenocarcinomas (PACs) with curative intent at a single institution over the last three decades.MethodsFrom 1980 to 2011, 2564 pancreaticoduodenectomies (PDs) were performed for PACs. Pathological diagnosis, therapy and survival were retrospectively analysed.ResultsThe primary sites included the pancreas (66%), ampulla (16%), bile duct (12%) and duodenum (6%). Operation volume increased from 11 per year in the 1980s to 135 per year in the 2000s (P < 0.001). Patients in the 1980s were younger (median age: 64 years; range: 33–90 years) than those in the 1990s (median age: 68 years; range: 31–103 years) and 2000s (median age: 68 years; range: 24–93 years) (P < 0.001). Over time, the frequency of a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer arising from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm increased from 2% in the 1980s to 8% in the 2000s (P < 0.001). The rate of 30-day mortality after surgery in the 1980s was 2%, which was similar to rates in the 1990s (1%) and 2000s (1%). Survival in each type of PAC did not change over time. Pancreatic cancer was associated with the worst survival (median survival: 19 months) compared with adenocarcinomas of the ampulla (median survival: 47 months), bile duct (median survival: 23 months) and duodenum (median survival: 54 months) (P < 0.001).ConclusionsThere are significant differences among PACs in longterm survival following PD. Although the numbers of patients undergoing safe resection have increased, overall longterm outcomes have not improved significantly.

To determine International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, (ICD-9) coding patterns as a proxy for incidence and prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in a population of patients before and after a bariatric surgical procedure for the treatment of obesity.We evaluated claims from a national private insurer over a 5-year period (2002-2006) to identify female patients who underwent bariatric surgery and had 3 years of follow-up claims data. The cohort of patients who underwent bariatric surgery (treatment) was matched to a cohort of obese female patients who did not undergo bariatric surgery (control), who were followed from the start of their enrollment. UI was identified by ICD-9 coding.After bariatric surgery, 62.4% of patients (83/133) diagnosed with UI before their surgery no longer had a coding diagnosis of UI. In contrast, only 42.1% (56/133) of those in the nonbariatric surgery cohort lost their coding diagnosis of UI (P = .0009). Of those that did not have pre-existing UI, 6.2% (235/3765) of the bariatric surgery cohort gained a new coding diagnosis of UI vs 7.1% (269/3765) of the control group (P = .1169). Our final model suggested that age45 years (P .0001) and pre-existing UI (P .0001) were significantly associated with post-index date UI. Interaction between bariatric surgical status and UI was also significant (P .0001).Patients who undergo bariatric surgery are more likely to lose a previous diagnosis of UI than are obese patients not treated with bariatric surgery. This supports the fact that bariatric surgery may have other indirect benefits to the obese population.