Endoscopic surgery for subglottic stenosis is a critical aspect of patient management. Neither surgical technique nor grade of stenosis was seen to alter the surgical intervals. Mitomycin application was associated with an extended time interval between endoscopic treatments.
Objectives/Hypothesis
Frailty is a measure of decreased physiologic reserve that has been associated with adverse outcomes in older surgical patients. We aimed to measure the association of preoperative frailty with outcomes in patients undergoing sinonasal cancer surgery.
Study Design
Retrospective cohort study.
Methods
We identified 5,346 patients in the Nationwide Readmissions Database undergoing sinonasal cancer surgery from 2010 to 2014. Frailty was defined using the Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups frailty‐defining diagnoses indicator. Multivariate regression was used to analyze the association of frailty with postoperative outcomes.
Results
Frailty was present in 7.4% of patients. Frailty was a significant independent predictor of intensive care unit–level complications (odds ratio [OR]: 4.83; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.95‐7.93; P < .001) and nonhome discharge (OR: 3.07; 95% CI: 1.68‐5.60; P < .001). Compared to nonfrail patients, frail patients had threefold longer median length of stay (12 days vs. 4 days; P < .001) and more than twofold higher median hospital costs ($44,408 vs. $18,660; P < .001). Frailty outperformed advanced comorbidity (defined as Charlson‐Deyo score ≥3), age ≥80 years, and markers of surgical complexity (e.g., skull base/orbit involvement, flap reconstruction, neck dissection) in predicting serious complications, nonhome discharge, length of stay, and hospital costs.
Conclusions
Frailty appears to have a stronger and more consistent association with adverse outcomes and increased resource utilization after sinonasal cancer surgery than age or comorbidity index. This information may be used in surgical risk stratification and can guide strategies to prevent or mitigate adverse events in this high‐risk group.
Level of Evidence
NA Laryngoscope, 130:290–296, 2020
IMPORTANCE Thirty-day hospital readmissions have substantial direct costs and are increasingly used as a measure of quality care. However, data regarding the risk factors and reasons for readmissions in head and neck cancer surgery reconstruction are lacking. OBJECTIVE To describe the rate, risk factors, and causes of 30-day readmission in patients with head and neck cancer following free or pedicled flap reconstruction. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, population-based cohort study analyzed medical records from the Nationwide Readmissions Database of 9487 patients undergoing pedicled or free flap reconstruction of head and neck oncologic defects between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014. Data analysis was performed in October 2017. EXPOSURES Pedicled or free flap reconstruction of an oncologic head and neck defect. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause readmissions. Secondary outcomes included risk factors, causes, and costs of readmission. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to determine factors independently associated with 30-day readmissions. RESULTS Among 9487 patients included in the study (6798 male; 71.7%), the median age was 63 years (interquartile range, 55-71 years), and the 30-day readmission rate was 19.4% (n = 1839), with a mean cost per readmission of $15 916 (standard error of the mean, $785). The most common indication for readmission was wound complication (26.5%, n = 487). On multivariate regression, significant risk factors for 30-day readmission were median household income in the lowest quartile (vs highest quartile: odds ratio [
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