Volcanic disruption: the impact of Whakaari White Island on the provision of elective surgical care in Counties Manukau

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Hayes ◽  
Brendan Coleman ◽  
Michelle Locke
Author(s):  
E.N. Glavatskaya , O.V. Pribushenya , N.A. Venchikova

Two clinical cases of meconium peritonitis in the fetuses are presented. The diagnosis was made prenatally at 30+5 and 20+1 weeks of gestation. The main ultrasound signs were ascites, loop expansion and thickening of the intestinal wall, peritoneal calcifications, meconium pseudocysts. In one case, pregnancy was complicated by polyhydramnios. In both cases, the pregnancy ended in premature birth, followed by surgical treatment during the first days of life. A review of the literature on the topic are discussed the etiology, the spectrum and frequency of ultrasound signs suggesting this condition in the fetus, the effectiveness of prenatal diagnosis, the prognosis for the life and health of the newborn, as well as the impact of the quality and timeliness of the prenatal diagnosis on the management of pregnancy and timeliness of surgical care for the newborn.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco A. Ciarleglio ◽  
Marta Rigoni ◽  
Liliana Mereu ◽  
Cai Tommaso ◽  
Alessandro Carrara ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The aim of this retrospective comparative study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 and delayed emergency department access on emergency surgery outcomes, by comparing the main clinical outcomes in the period March–May 2019 (group 1) with the same period during the national COVID-19 lockdown in Italy (March–May 2020, group 2). Methods A comparison (groups 1 versus 2) and subgroup analysis were performed between patients’ demographic, medical history, surgical, clinical and management characteristics. Results Two-hundred forty-six patients were included, 137 in group 1 and 109 in group 2 (p = 0.03). No significant differences were observed in the peri-operative characteristics of the two groups. A declared delay in access to hospital and preoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rates were 15.5% and 5.8%, respectively in group 2. The overall morbidity (OR = 2.22, 95% CI 1.08–4.55, p = 0.03) and 30-day mortality (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 0.33–5.50, =0.68) were significantly higher in group 2. The delayed access cohort showed a close correlation with increased morbidity (OR = 3.19, 95% CI 0.89–11.44, p = 0.07), blood transfusion (OR = 5.13, 95% CI 1.05–25.15, p = 0.04) and 30-day mortality risk (OR = 8.00, 95% CI 1.01–63.23, p = 0.05). SARS-CoV-2-positive patients had higher risk of blood transfusion (20% vs 7.8%, p = 0.37) and ICU admissions (20% vs 2.6%, p = 0.17) and a longer median LOS (9 days vs 4 days, p = 0.11). Conclusions This article provides enhanced understanding of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient access to emergency surgical care. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 changed the quality of surgical care with poorer prognosis and higher morbidity rates. Delayed emergency department access and a “filter effect” induced by a fear of COVID-19 infection in the population resulted in only the most severe cases reaching the emergency department in time.


2021 ◽  
pp. 000313482110111
Author(s):  
Ryan C. Pickens ◽  
Angela M. Kao ◽  
Mark A. Williams ◽  
Andrew C. Herman ◽  
Jeffrey S. Kneisl

Background In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s hospitals across the country postponed elective surgery beginning in March 2020. As projective curves flattened, administrators and surgeons sought to develop strategies to safely resume non-emergent surgery. This article reviews challenges and solutions specific to a children’s hospital related to the resumption of elective pediatric surgeries. We present our tiered reentry approach for pediatric surgery as well as report early data for surgical volume and tracking COVID-19 cases during reentry. Methods The experience of shutdown, protocol development, and early reentry of elective pediatric surgery are reported from Levine’s Children’s Hospital (LCH), a free-leaning children’s hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. Data reported were obtained from de-identified hospital databases. Results Pediatric surgery experienced a dramatic decrease in case volumes at LCH during the shutdown, variable by specialty. A tiered and balanced reentry strategy was implemented with steady resumption of elective surgery following strict pre-procedural screening and testing. Early outcomes showed a steady thorough fluctuating increase in elective case volumes without evidence of a surgery-associated positive spread through periprocedural tracking. Conclusion Reentry of non-emergent pediatric surgical care requires unique considerations including the impact of COVID-19 on children, each children hospital structure and resources, and preventing undue delay in intervention for age- and disease-specific pediatric conditions. A carefully balanced strategy has been critical for safe reentry following the anticipated surge. Ongoing tracking of resource utilization, operative volumes, and testing results will remain vital as community spread continues to fluctuate across the country.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-18
Author(s):  
MB Uddin ◽  
MU Ahmed ◽  
MA Haque ◽  
MD Hussain ◽  
SME Hossain

Introduction: There is a paucity of published data on the type of surgical conditions that affect the UN personnel of different countries setup and the spectrum of surgical operations performed for these patients. Such information are necessary for assessing the impact of surgical conditions, both elective and emergency, on the health of UN peacekeepers from different races and nationalities and for setting priority to improve the surgical care. Objectives: To ascertain highest possible standard of surgical care to be ensured in an international arena for optimal outcome. Materials and methods: Five years retrospective study was carried out in Bangladesh level II hospital (BANMED), UNMIL located at Suakoko district of Liberia from April 2007 to April 2012 comprising of all major and minor surgical cases with different types of dressings done. Results: A total 83 major, 567 minor and 3924 dressings were done. The majority of operations were emergency cases of which 73.49% were of major and 78.30% were minor surgery. While 26.50% of major and 21.69% of minor surgery were elective cases. All were male patients in cases of major operations and 93.29% for minor cases as most of the peacekeepers were male personnel. The most frequent cases were acute appendicitis, inguinal hernia and polytrauma cases. Highest number of patients was 28 (33.73%) from 26-30 years age group. There were 3 minor postoperative complications with nil mortality rates. Conclusion: The surgical unit of a level-II hospital has to work in an adverse situation of a conflict area with various limitations. So it is very important to provide highest possible standard of surgical care to be ensured in terms of staff, equipments, logistic support and with a motivated surgical team in an international arena for optimal outcome. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jafmc.v9i1.18720 Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.9(1) 2013: 14-19


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S499-S499
Author(s):  
Erin Gettler ◽  
Jessica Seidelman ◽  
Becky A Smith ◽  
Deverick J Anderson

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted hospitalizations and healthcare utilization. Diversion of infection prevention resources toward COVID-19 mitigation limited routine infection prevention activities such as rounding, observations, and education in all areas, including the peri-operative space. There were also changes in surgical care delivery. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on SSI rates has not been well described, especially in community hospitals. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study analyzing prospectively collected data on SSIs from 45 community hospitals in the southeastern United States from 1/2018 to 12/2020. We included the 14 most commonly performed operative procedure categories, as defined by the National Healthcare Safety Network. Coronary bypass grafting was included a priori due to its clinical significance. Only facilities enrolled in the network for the full three-year period were included. We defined the pre-pandemic time period from 1/1/18 to 2/29/20 and the pandemic period from 3/1/20 to 12/31/20. We compared monthly and quarterly median procedure totals and SSI prevalence rates (PR) between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods using Poisson regression. Results Pre-pandemic median monthly procedure volume was 384 (IQR 192-999) and the pre-pandemic SSI PR per 100 cases was 0.98 (IQR 0.90-1.04). There was a transient decline in surgical cases beginning in March 2020, reaching a nadir of 185 cases in April, followed by a return to pre-pandemic volume by June (figure 1). Overall and procedure-specific SSI PRs were not significantly different in the COVID-19 period relative to the pre-pandemic period (total PR per 100 cases 0.96 and 0.97, respectively, figure 2). However, when stratified by quarter and year, there was a trend toward increased SSI PR in the second quarter of 2020 with a PRR of 1.15 (95% CI 0.96-1.39, table 1). Conclusion The decline in surgical procedures early in the pandemic was short-lived in our community hospital network. Although there was no overall change in the SSI PR during the study period, there was a trend toward increased SSIs in the early phase of the pandemic (figure 3). This trend could be related to deferred elective cases or to a shift in infection prevention efforts to outbreak management. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 394-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayman Al-Jazaeri ◽  
Firas Ghomraoui ◽  
Wejdan Al-Muhanna ◽  
Ahmed Saleem ◽  
Hazem Jokhadar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Jacob K. Greenberg ◽  
Derek S. Brown ◽  
Margaret A. Olsen ◽  
Wilson Z. Ray

OBJECTIVE The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid eligibility in many states, improving access to some forms of elective healthcare in the United States. Whether this effort increased access to elective spine surgical care is unknown. This study’s objective was to evaluate the impact of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act on the volume and payer mix of elective spine surgery in the United States. METHODS This study evaluated elective spine surgical procedures performed from 2011 to 2016 and included in the all-payer State Inpatient Databases of 10 states that expanded Medicaid access in 2014, as well as 4 states that did not expand Medicaid access. Adult patients aged 18–64 years who underwent elective spine surgery were included. The authors used a quasi-experimental difference-in-difference design to evaluate the impact of Medicaid expansion on hospital procedure volume and payer mix, independent of time-dependent trends. Subgroup analysis was conducted that stratified results according to cervical fusion, thoracolumbar fusion, and noninstrumented surgery. RESULTS The authors identified 218,648 surgical procedures performed in 10 Medicaid expansion states and 118,693 procedures performed in 4 nonexpansion states. Medicaid expansion was associated with a 17% (95% CI 2%–35%, p = 0.03) increase in mean hospital spine surgical volume and a 23% (95% CI −0.3% to 52%, p = 0.054) increase in Medicaid volume. Privately insured surgical volumes did not change significantly (incidence rate ratio 1.13, 95% CI −5% to 34%, p = 0.18). The increase in Medicaid volume led to a shift in payer mix, with the proportion of Medicaid patients increasing by 6.0 percentage points (95% CI 4.1–7.0, p < 0.001) and the proportion of private payers decreasing by 6.7 percentage points (95% CI 4.5–8.8, p < 0.001). Although the magnitude of effects varied, these trends were similar across procedure subgroups. CONCLUSIONS Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act was associated with an economically and statistically significant increase in spine surgery volume and the proportion of surgical patients with Medicaid insurance, indicating improved access to care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 156 (6) ◽  
pp. S-1398
Author(s):  
Maude Trepanier ◽  
Tiffany Paradis ◽  
Araz Kouyoumdjian ◽  
Teodora Dumitra ◽  
Patrick Charlebois ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (10) ◽  
pp. 1170-1173
Author(s):  
Yen-yi Juo ◽  
Alexis Woods ◽  
Ryan Ou ◽  
Gianna Ramos ◽  
Richard Shemin ◽  
...  

With emphasis on value-based health care, empiric models are used to estimate expected read-mission rates for individual institutions. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between distance traveled to seek surgical care and likelihood of readmission in adult patients undergoing cardiac operations at a single medical center. All adults undergoing major cardiac surgeries from 2008 to 2015 were included. Patients were stratified by travel distance into regional and distant travel groups. Multivariable logistic regression models were developed to assess the impact of distance traveled on odds of readmission. Of the 4232 patients analyzed, 29 per cent were in the regional group and 71 per cent in the distant. Baseline characteristics between the two groups were comparable except mean age (62 vs 61 years, P < 0.01) and Caucasian race (59 vs 73%, P < 0.01). Distant travel was associated with a significantly longer hospital length of stay (11.8 vs 10.5 days, P < 0.01) and lower risk of readmission (9.5 vs 13.4%, P < 0.01). Odds of readmission was inversely associated with logarithm of distance traveled (odds ratio 0.75). Travel distance in patients undergoing major cardiac surgeries was inversely associated with odds of readmission.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna V Papageorge ◽  
Benjamin J Resio ◽  
Andres F Monsalve ◽  
Maureen Canavan ◽  
Ranjan Pathak ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) developed risk-adjusted “Star Ratings,” which serve as a guide for patients to compare hospital quality (1 star = lowest, 5 stars = highest). Although star ratings are not based on surgical care, for many procedures, surgical outcomes are concordant with star ratings. In an effort to address variability in hospital mortality after complex cancer surgery, the use of CMS Star Ratings to identify the safest hospitals was evaluated. Methods Patients older than 65 years of age who underwent complex cancer surgery (lobectomy, colectomy, gastrectomy, esophagectomy, pancreaticoduodenectomy) were evaluated in CMS Medicare Provider Analysis and Review files (2013-2016). The impact of reassignment was modeled by applying adjusted mortality rates of patients treated at 5-star hospitals to those at 1-star hospitals (Peters-Belson method). Results There were 105 823 patients who underwent surgery at 3146 hospitals. The 90-day mortality decreased with increasing star rating (1 star = 10.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 9.8% to 11.1%; and 5 stars = 6.4%, 95% CI = 6.0% to 6.8%). Reassignment of patients from 1-star to 5-star hospitals (7.8% of patients) was predicted to save 84 Medicare beneficiaries each year. This impact varied by procedure (colectomy = 47 lives per year; gastrectomy = 5 lives per year). Overall, 2189 patients would have to change hospitals each year to improve outcomes (26 patients moved to save 1 life). Conclusions Mortality after complex cancer surgery is associated with CMS Star Rating. However, the use of CMS Star Ratings by patients to identify the safest hospitals for cancer surgery would be relatively inefficient and of only modest impact.


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