BACKGROUND: Algorithms for preoperative cardiac evaluation prior to noncardiac surgery use indices of the metabolic equivalent of activities of daily living (METs). We evaluated METs as a predictor of cardiac complications following elective, noncardiac surgery. METHODS: A study was performed in an outpatient university preadmission center METs were estimated prospectively for 5,939 inpatients admitted for elective, noncardiac surgery who underwent a preanesthetic assessment within two months prior to surgery. Cardiac outcomes were retrieved retrospectively from relational databases. Outcomes included death, myocardial infarction, acute congestive failure, arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, acute ischemia, acute renalfailure, stroke, respiratory failure, severe hypertension, peripheral vascular occlusion, and pericardial effusion. Adverse outcomes were correlated with age, gender, surgical procedure, activities, and the American Society of Anesthesiologist's Physical Status (ASA-PS) using receiver operator characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: 94 of 5,939 (1.6 percent) patients had cardiac complications; 16 died, six from their cardiac complication. 38.3 percent of complications occurred following vascular surgery. Using a multinomial logistic regression analysis, both age and physical status were highly significant predictors (p < 0.001) but METs was not (p = 0. 793). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were usedfor predictive value of variables. Area of the curves for age versus cardiac complications and death were 0.814 and 0.782; for physical status, 0.744 and 0.803; for METs, 0.664 and 0.524. CONCLUSIONS: METs are not a reliable index for the prediction of adverse cardiac events following elective, noncardiac surgery. Age and physical status are more predictive. Adverse cardiac outcomes are most frequent following vascular surgery.
We performed a retrospective study to compare the sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy of appendiceal ultrasonography performed by unsupervised technicians during the nighttime hours with studies performed during the day by supervised technicians. Fifty-nine percent of the 163 sonographic examinations were done during the day, and 41% were performed at night. The sensitivity during the day (61%) was significantly higher than at night (26%), as was the positive predictive value (93% day, 71% night). We conclude that ultrasonography is an operator-dependent study. Its sensitivity is so diminished when not performed by an experienced radiologist or technician that a negative examination is not reliable.
The fate of lost gallstones in the peritoneal cavity following laparoscopic cholecystectomy is unknown. We report a case of microabscesses and granuloma formation in the peritoneal cavity and abdominal wall caused by infected gallstone shrapnel due to rupture of the gallbladder during extraction.
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