Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T09:49:25.190Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Outcomes for head and neck cancer patients admitted to intensive care in Australia and New Zealand between 2000 and 2016

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2021

C A Frauenfelder*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Australia Discipline of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Australia
E P Raith
Affiliation:
Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Australia Discipline of Acute Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Australia
S Krishnan
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Australia Discipline of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Australia
A Udy
Affiliation:
Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Centre for Outcome and Resource Evaluation, Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society, Melbourne, Australia Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Alfred Health, Prahran, Australia
D Pilcher
Affiliation:
Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Centre for Outcome and Resource Evaluation, Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society, Melbourne, Australia Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Alfred Health, Prahran, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Claire Frauenfelder, c/o Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital, North Terrace, South Australia5000, Australia E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Objective

To report intensive care unit admission outcomes for head and neck cancer patients.

Methods

A retrospective, observational cohort analysis of all Australian and New Zealander head and neck cancer patient intensive care unit admissions from January 2000 to June 2016, including data from 192 intensive care units.

Results

There were 10 721 head and neck cancer patients, with a median age of 64 years (71.6 per cent male). Of admissions, 76.4 per cent were in public hospitals, 96.9 per cent were post-operative and 43.6 per cent required mechanical ventilation. Annual head and neck cancer admissions increased from 2000 to 2015 (from 348 to 1132 patients), but the overall proportion of intensive care unit admissions remained constant. In-hospital mortality was 2.7 per cent, and intensive care unit mortality was 0.7 per cent. The in-hospital mortality risk decreased three-fold (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Head and neck cancer patients had low mortality in the intensive care unit and in hospital. Risk of dying decreased despite more intensive care unit admissions. This is the first large-scale cohort study quantifying intensive care unit utilisation by head and neck cancer patients. It informs future work investigating alternatives to the intensive care unit for these patients.

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Dr C A Frauenfelder takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

References

Wissinger, E, Griebsch, I, Lungershausen, J, Foster, T, Pashos, CL. The economic burden of head and neck cancer: a systematic literature review. Pharmacoeconomics 2014;32:865–82CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Head and Neck Cancers in Australia. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2014Google Scholar
Bhattacharyya, N, Fried, MP. Benchmarks for mortality, morbidity, and length of stay for head and neck surgical procedures. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2001;127:127–32CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lin, HW, Bhattacharyya, N. Contemporary assessment of medical morbidity and mortality in head and neck surgery. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2011;146:385–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corke, C, Leeuw, Ed, Lo, SK, George, C. Predicting future intensive care demand in Australia. Crit Care Resusc 2009;11:257–60Google ScholarPubMed
Chen, AY, Callender, D, Mansyur, C, Reyna, KM, Limitone, E, Goepfert, H. The impact of clinical pathways on the practice of head and neck oncologic surgery: The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center experience. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2000;126:322–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Head and Neck Cancer Australia. In: https://www.beyondfive.org.au [7 June 2021]Google Scholar
Bhattacharyya, N, Abemayor, E. Patterns of hospital utilization for head and neck cancer care: changing demographics. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2015;141:307–12CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garantziotis, S, Kyrmizakis, DE, Liolios, AD. Critical care of the head and neck patient. Crit Care Clin 2003;19:7390CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Cancer Expert Reference Group, Government of Victoria, Australia. Optimal care pathway for people with head and neck cancers. In: head-and-neck-cancers-optimal-cancer-care-pathway [7 June 2021]Google Scholar
Wallace, SK, Rathi, NK, Waller, DK, Ensor, JE Jr, Haque, SA, Price, KJ et al. Two decades of ICU utilization and hospital outcomes in a comprehensive cancer center. Crit Care Med 2016;44:926–33CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bos, MM, Bakhshi-Raiez, F, Dekker, JW, de Keizer, NF, de Jonge, E. Outcomes of intensive care unit admissions after elective cancer surgery. Eur J Surg Oncol 2013;39:584–92CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Soares, M, Salluh, JI, Toscano, L, Dias, FL. Outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with head and neck cancer and severe acute illnesses. Intensive Care Med 2007;33:2009–13CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
To, EW, Tsang, WM, Lai, EC, Chu, MC. Retrospective study on the need of intensive care unit admission after major head and neck surgery. ANZ J Surg 2002;72:1114CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stow, PJ, Hart, GK, Higlett, T, George, C, Herkes, R, McWilliam, D et al. Development and implementation of a high-quality clinical database: the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Adult Patient Database. J Crit Care 2006;21:133–41CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Udy, AA, Vladic, C, Saxby, ER, Cohen, J, Delaney, A, Flower, O et al. Subarachnoid hemorrhage patients admitted to intensive care in Australia and New Zealand: a multicenter cohort analysis of in-hospital mortality over 15 years. Crit Care Med 2017;45:e138–45CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Syrjänen, S, Rautava, J, Syrjänen, K. HPV in head and neck cancer—30 years of history. Recent Results Cancer Res 2017;206:325CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tadiparthi, S, Enache, A, Kalidindi, K, O'Hara, J, Paleri, V. Hospital stay following complex major head and neck resection: what factors play a role? Clin Otolaryngol 2014;39:156–63CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bannister, M, Ah-See, KW. Enhanced recovery programmes in head and neck surgery: systematic review. J Laryngol Otol 2015;129:416–20CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arshad, H, Ozer, HG, Thatcher, A, Old, M, Ozer, E, Agarwal, A et al. Intensive care unit versus non-intensive care unit postoperative management of head and neck free flaps: comparative effectiveness and cost comparisons. Head Neck 2014;36:536–59CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bannister, M, Trotter, P, Jawad, A, Veitch, DY. Airway and head and neck high dependency unit: a single-centre experience. J Laryngol Otol 2016;130:777–80CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barber, B, Harris, J, Shillington, C, Rychlik, S, Dort, J, Meier, M et al. Efficacy of a high-observation protocol in major head and neck cancer surgery: a prospective study. Head Neck 2017;39:1689–95CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cervenka, B, Olinde, L, Gould, E, Farwell, DG, Moore, M, Kaufman, M et al. Use of a non-ICU specialty ward for immediate post-operative management of head and neck free flaps; a randomized controlled trial. Oral Oncol 2019;99:104464CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Godden, DR, Patel, M, Baldwin, A, Woodwards, RT. Need for intensive care after operations for head and neck cancer surgery. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 1999;37:502–5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gordon, SA, Reiter, ER. Effectiveness of critical care pathways for head and neck cancer surgery: a systematic review. Head Neck 2016;38:1421–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Helman, SN, Brant, JA, Moubayed, SP, Newman, JG, Cannady, SB, Chai, RL. Predictors of length of stay, reoperation, and readmission following total laryngectomy. Laryngoscope 2017;127:1339–44CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McVeigh, KP, Moore, R, James, G, Hall, T, Barnard, N. Advantages of not using the intensive care unit after operations for oropharyngeal cancer: an audit at Worcester Royal Hospital. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2007;45:648–51CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levin, RJ, Ferraro, RE, Kodosky, SR, Fedok, FG. The effectiveness of a “critical pathway” in the management of laryngectomy patients. Head Neck 2000;22:694–93.0.CO;2-0>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yetzer, JG, Pirgousis, P, Li, Z, Fernandes, R. Clinical pathway implementation improves efficiency of care in a maxillofacial head and neck surgery unit. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2017;75:190–6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yu, PK, Sethi, R, Rathi, V, Puram, SV, Lin, DT, Emerick, KS et al. Postoperative care in an intermediate-level medical unit after head and neck microvascular free flap reconstruction. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 2018;4:3942CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bahloul, M, Chaari, A, Tounsi, A, Baccouche, N, Abid, H, Chtara, K et al. Incidence and impact outcome of pulmonary embolism in critically ill patients with severe exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Clin Respir J 2015;9:270–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Secombe, P, Woodman, R, Chan, S, Pilcher, D, van Haren, F. Epidemiology and outcomes of obese critically ill patients in Australia and New Zealand. Crit Care Resusc 2020;22:3544Google ScholarPubMed
Moreno, MA, Bonilla-Velez, J. Clinical pathway for abbreviated postoperative hospital stay in free tissue transfer to the head and neck: impact in resource utilization and surgical outcomes. Head Neck 2019;41:982–92CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Warrillow, S, Bailey, M, Pilcher, D, Kazemi, A, McArthur, C, Young, P et al. Characteristics and outcomes of patients with acute liver failure admitted to Australian and New Zealand intensive care units. Intern Med J 2019;49:874–85CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Al-Bassam, W, Kubicki, M, Bailey, M, Walker, L, Young, P, Pilcher, DV et al. Characteristics, incidence, and outcome of patients admitted to the intensive care unit with myasthenia gravis. J Crit Care 2018;45:90–4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed