Using administrative data, this study demonstrates a baseline glioma surgery 30-day readmission rate of 13.2% in California for patients who are initially discharged home. This paper highlights the medical histories, perioperative complications, and patient demographic groups that are at an increased risk for readmission within 30 days of home discharge. An analysis of conditions present on readmission that were not present at the index surgical admission, such as infection and seizures, suggests that some readmissions may be preventable. Discharge planning strategies aimed at reducing readmission rates in neurosurgical practice should focus on patient groups at high risk for readmission and comprehensive discharge planning protocols should be implemented to specifically target the mitigation of potentially preventable conditions that are highly associated with readmission.

Object There is limited information on the relationship between patient age and the clinical benefit of resection in patients with glioblastoma. The purpose of this study was to use a population-based database to determine whether patient age influences the frequency that gross-total resection (GTR) is performed, and also whether GTR is associated with survival difference in different age groups. Methods The authors identified 20,705 adult patients with glioblastoma in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry (1998–2009). Surgical practice patterns were defined by the categories of no surgery, subtotal resection (STR), and GTR. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to assess the pattern of surgical practice and overall survival. Results The frequency that GTR was achieved in patients with glioblastoma decreased in a stepwise manner as a function of patient age (from 36% [age 18–44 years] to 24% [age ≥ 75]; p < 0.001). For all age groups, glioblastoma patients who were selected for and underwent GTR showed a 2- to 3-month improvement in overall survival (p < 0.001) relative to those who underwent STR. These trends remained true after a multivariate analysis that incorporated variables including ethnicity, sex, year of diagnosis, tumor size, tumor location, and radiotherapy status. Conclusions Gross-total resection is associated with improved overall survival, even in elderly patients with glioblastoma. As such, surgical decisions should be individually tailored to the patient rather than an adherence to age as the sole clinical determinant.

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Background Emerging literature has supported the safety of non-operative management of uncomplicated appendicitis. Study Design Patients with emergent, uncomplicated appendicitis were identified by appropriate ICD-9 diagnosis codes in the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) database from 1997 to 2008. Rates of treatment failure, recurrence, and perforation following non-surgical management were calculated. Factors associated with treatment failure, recurrence, and perforation were identified using multivariable logistic regression. Mortality, length of stay, and total charges were compared between treatment cohorts using matched propensity score analysis. Results Among 231,678 patients with uncomplicated appendicitis, the majority (98.5%) were managed operatively. Among the 3,236 non-surgically managed patients who survived to discharge without an interval appendectomy, 5.9% and 4.4% experienced treatment failure or recurrence, respectively, over a median duration of follow up of greater than seven years. There were no mortalities associated with treatment failure or recurrence. The risk of perforation after discharge was approximately 3%. Using multivariable analysis, race and age were significantly associated with the odds of treatment failure. Gender, age, and hospital teaching status were significantly associated with the odds of recurrence. Age and hospital teaching status were significantly associated with the odds of perforation. Matched propensity score analysis indicated that after risk adjustment mortality rates (0.1% vs. 0.3%, p=0.65) and total charges ($23,243 vs. $24,793, p=0.70) were not statistically different between operative and non-operative patients, however, length of stay was significantly greater amongst the non-operative treatment group (2.1 vs. 3.2 days, p<0.001). Conclusions This study suggests that non-operative management of uncomplicated appendicitis may be safe, and prompts further investigations. Comparative effectiveness research using prospective randomized studies may be particularly useful.

Background The survival trends and the patterns of clinical practice pertaining to radiation therapy and surgical resection for WHO grade I, II, and III astrocytoma patients remain poorly characterized. Methods Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, we identified 2497 grade I, 4113 grade II, and 2755 grade III astrocytomas during the period of 1999–2010. Time-trend analyses were performed for overall survival, radiation treatment (RT), and the extent of surgical resection (EOR). Results While overall survival of grade I astrocytoma patients remained unchanged during the study period, we observed improved overall survival for grade II and III astrocytoma patients (Tarone-Ware P < .05). The median survival increased from 44 to 57 months and from 15 to 24 months for grade II and III astrocytoma patients, respectively. The differences in survival remained significant after adjusting for pertinent variables including age, ethnicity, marital status, sex, tumor size, tumor location, EOR, and RT status. The pattern of clinical practice in terms of EOR for grade II and III astrocytoma patients did not change significantly during this study period. However, there was decreased RT utilization as treatment for grade II astrocytoma patients after 2005. Conclusion Results from the SEER database indicate that there were improvements in the overall survival of grade II and III astrocytoma patients over the past decade. Analysis of the clinical practice patterns identified potential opportunities for impacting the clinical course of these patients.