Safety and postoperative adverse events in pediatric airway reconstruction: Analysis of ACS-NSQIP-P 30-day outcomes

Authors

  • Christopher R. Roxbury MD,

    1. Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.
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  • Kris R. Jatana MD,

    1. Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Ohio State University School of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
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  • Rahul K. Shah MD,

    1. Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Children's National Medical Center, George Washington University, School of Medicine, Washington, DC, U.S.A.
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  • Emily F. Boss MD, MPH

    Corresponding author
    1. Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.
    2. Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.
    • Send correspondence to Emily F. Boss, MD, MPH, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 601 N. Caroline St, 6th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21287. Email: erudnic2@jhmi.edu

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  • Presented at the Triological Society Combined Sections Meeting, Miami, Florida, U.S.A., January 22, 2016.

  • Financial Disclosure: E.F.B. is supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Grant #1K08 HS22932-01, the Johns Hopkins Clinician Scientist Award, and the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology Career Development Award. The authors have no other funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.

Abstract

Objectives

Prior research has shown that airway reconstructive procedures comprise significant composite morbidity compared to the whole of pediatric otolaryngologic cases evaluated in the American College of Surgeon's National Surgery Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric (ACS-NSQIP-P) platform. We describe postoperative sequelae of pediatric airway reconstructive procedures and identify predictive factors for adverse events.

Methods

Current procedural terminology (CPT) codes were used to identify children undergoing included procedures in the 2012 to 2014 ACS-NSQIP-P public use files (PUF). Targeted variables included patient demographics and 30-day postoperative events (reoperation, readmission, and complications). Event rates were determined and compared within subgroups. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify predictive factors for major adverse events.

Results

In 3 years of PUF data (183,283 total cases), 198 cases (0.11%) were airway reconstructive procedures. The most common was laryngoplasty (CPT 31580, 31582; n = 111, 56.1%), followed by cervical tracheoplasty (CPT 31750; n = 47, 23.7%), tracheal resection (CPT 31780; n = 24, 12.1%), and cricoid split (CPT 31587, n = 16, 8.1%). There were 131 premature children (66.2%) and 94 children (47.5%) with history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Thirty-day postoperative sequelae included readmissions (n = 42, 21.2%), complications (n = 27, 13.6%), and reoperations (n = 14, 7.1%). On univariate analysis, children less than 3 years of age were more likely to undergo an unplanned reoperation. There were no significant predictive factors for readmission or complication. On multivariate analysis, there was a trend toward higher rates of unplanned reoperations in children less than 3 years of age.

Conclusion

The 30-day adverse event rate in pediatric airway surgery is high, with no identifiable predictors noted in the analysis of these data. Findings imply that systematic collection of variables and outcomes specific to pediatric airway surgery, in addition to standard NSQIP workflow, will be essential for NSQIP-P to truly effect quality improvement in these high-risk procedures.

Level of Evidence

4. Laryngoscope, 2016 127:504–508, 2017

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