Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33133901›Full record

ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2020

A Comparison of Common Plastic Surgery Operations Using the NSQIP and TOPS Databases.

Jacob Veith, Willem Collier, Andrew Simpson, David Magno-Padron, Bruce Mast, Robert X Murphy, Jayant Agarwal, Alvin Kwok

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 16% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Jacob VeithDivision of Plastic Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Willem CollierDivision of Plastic Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Andrew SimpsonDivision of Plastic Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.
David Magno-PadronDivision of Plastic Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Bruce MastDivision of Plastic Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
Robert X MurphyDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pa.
Jayant AgarwalDivision of Plastic Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Alvin KwokDivision of Plastic Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.
University of Utah · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Both the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons (TOPS) databases track 30-day outcomes.

methodsUsing the 2008-2016 TOPS and NSQIP databases, we compared patient characteristics and postoperative outcomes for 5 common plastic surgery procedures. A weighted TOPS population was used to mirror the NSQIP population in clinical and demographic characteristics to compare postoperative outcomes.

resultsWe identified 154,181 cases. Compared with NSQIP patients, TOPS patients were more likely to be younger (47.9 versus 50.0 years), have American Society of Anesthesiologists class I-II (92.1% versus 74.6%), be outpatient (66.0% versus 49.3%), and be smokers (18.7% versus 11.7%). TOPS had extensive missing data: body mass index (40.6%), American Society of Anesthesiologists class (34.9%), diabetes (39.3%), and smoking status (37.2%). NSQIP was missing <1% of all shared categories except race (15.6%). The entire TOPS cohort versus only TOPS patients without missing data had higher rates of dehiscence (5.1% versus 3.5%) and infection (2.1% versus 1.7%). TOPS versus NSQIP patients had higher dehiscence rates (5.1% versus 1.0%) but lower rates of return to the operating room (3.1% versus 6.6%), infection (2.1% versus 3.0%), and medical complications (0.3% versus 2.2%). Nonweighted and weighted TOPS cohorts had similar 30-day outcomes.

conclusionsNSQIP and TOPS populations are different in characteristics and outcomes, likely due to differences in collection methodology and the types physicians using the databases. The strengths of each dataset can be used together for research and quality improvement.

Identifiers

PMID33133901
PMCPMC7572021
OpenAlexW3032996444

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.