Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26307878›Full record

ArticleThe journal of trauma and acute care surgery2015

Leukopenia is associated with worse but not prohibitive outcomes following emergent abdominal surgery.

Brian C Gulack, Brian R Englum, David D Lo, Daniel P Nussbaum, Jeffrey E Keenan, John E Scarborough, Mark L Shapiro

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of trauma and acute care surgery, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 43% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

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  5. Review of cancer therapies for the perioperative physician.Perioperative medicine (London, England) · 2023
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Brian C GulackFrom the Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Brian R Englum
David D Lo
Daniel P Nussbaum
Jeffrey E Keenan
John E Scarborough
Mark L Shapiro
Duke University · USDuke Medical Center · US

Funding

Cardiothoracic Surgical Network Clinical CenterU01HL088953 · NHLBI · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI SMITH, PETER K · 2007 to 2013
$2.6M
Core Clinical Centers for the CTSNUM1HL088953 · NHLBI · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI SMITH, PETER K · 2013 to 2017
$2.5M
NHLBI NIH HHS 5U01HL088953-05NHLBI NIH HHS U01 HL088953NHLBI NIH HHS UM1 HL088953
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere are little data currently available to guide surgical decision making regarding emergent surgical interventions in leukopenic patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of leukopenia among patients undergoing emergency abdominal operations to better guide preoperative decision making.

methodsThe 2005 to 2012 American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried to identify patients who underwent emergent laparotomy. Patients were stratified by preoperative white blood cell (WBC) count (<4.0 × 10(9)/L vs. 4.0-12.0 × 10(9)/L). Baseline demographics, comorbidities, and outcomes were compared. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to estimate the adjusted association between leukopenia and mortality, taking into account the robust array of patient-related factors.

resultsOf the 20,443 patients who met study criteria, 2,057 (8.2%) were leukopenic (WBC < 4.0) before surgery. Unadjusted comparison demonstrated significantly increased major morbidity (45.4% vs. 26.9%, p < 0.001) as well as mortality (24.4% vs. 10.8%, p < 0.001) for patients with leukopenia compared with patients with a normal preoperative WBC count. Only 46.0% (n = 947) of patients with leukopenia before surgery were able to avoid major morbidity or mortality compared with 69.4% (n = 15,974) of patients with a normal preoperative WBC count (p < 0.001). After multivariable adjustment for patient-related factors, leukopenia was maintained as a significant predictor of mortality.

conclusionAlthough leukopenia remains associated with mortality in patients undergoing emergent laparotomy despite adjustment for other patient-related factors, it is not necessarily prohibitive. Understanding the risk of complications and mortality associated with these procedures is pertinent for preoperative clinical decision making. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and epidemiologic study, level III.

Indexed as

EmergenciesLaparotomyAbdomenAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overDecision MakingFemaleHumansLeukopeniaMaleMiddle AgedPatient SelectionPrognosisQuality Improvement

Identifiers

PMID26307878
PMCPMC4805422
OpenAlexW1189982046

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.