Validity of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Intestinal Obstruction Grading System

Background: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grading system for intestinal obstruction may be a useful measure of anatomic severity, but its construct validity has not yet been evaluated in patients with either large or small bowel obstruction, using the grade applicable at...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nikia R. McFadden, Samantha K. Brown, Shannon M. Howard, Garth H. Utter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2022-06-01
Series:Surgery in Practice and Science
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666262022000304
_version_ 1818547512089247744
author Nikia R. McFadden
Samantha K. Brown
Shannon M. Howard
Garth H. Utter
author_facet Nikia R. McFadden
Samantha K. Brown
Shannon M. Howard
Garth H. Utter
author_sort Nikia R. McFadden
collection DOAJ
description Background: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grading system for intestinal obstruction may be a useful measure of anatomic severity, but its construct validity has not yet been evaluated in patients with either large or small bowel obstruction, using the grade applicable at initial presentation (rather than after definitive management). Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective case series of adult inpatients presenting with intestinal obstruction at our center during 2008-2014. We excluded patients without confirmed intestinal obstruction, those with obstruction secondary to a hernia, those who were treated for >24 hours at another hospital, and those with a previous encounter already included in the study. We measured inter-rater reliability using a weighted kappa coefficient. We used multivariable logistic regression, accounting for sampling weights, to assess the relationship of grades with complications, 30-day mortality, and 30-day readmission. Results: Of 287 patients, 165 (58%) had grade I anatomic severity, 75 (26%) grade II, 23 (8%) grade III, 15 (5%) grade IV, and 9 (3%) grade V. Forty-six (16%) patients had a large bowel obstruction. There was substantial inter-rater agreement in grades [weighted kappa 0.69 (95% CI 0.47-0.91)]. Compared to grade I, grades III-V [OR 12.2 (95% CI 2.26-66.2)] but not grade II [OR 2.04 (95% CI 0.79-5.28)] were associated with increased risk of a complication. grade II [OR 7.92 (95% CI 3.27-19.2)], but not grades III-V [OR 3.56 (95% CI 0.30-42.5)] was associated with increased 30-day mortality. Grades were not associated with increased 30-day readmission. Conclusions: AAST intestinal obstruction grades have predictive validity for some but not all outcomes, and may serve a useful role in the measurement of anatomic disease severity.
first_indexed 2024-12-12T08:07:43Z
format Article
id doaj.art-d46afbd03ca84da9b01073efc72a4c30
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2666-2620
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-12T08:07:43Z
publishDate 2022-06-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Surgery in Practice and Science
spelling doaj.art-d46afbd03ca84da9b01073efc72a4c302022-12-22T00:31:54ZengElsevierSurgery in Practice and Science2666-26202022-06-019100086Validity of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Intestinal Obstruction Grading SystemNikia R. McFadden0Samantha K. Brown1Shannon M. Howard2Garth H. Utter3Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, University of California, Davis, United StatesDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, University of California, Davis, United States; Department of Surgery Outcomes Research Group, University of California, Davis, United States; Corresponding author at: Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery; 2335 Stockton Boulevard, Room 5027; Sacramento, CA 95817, United States.Background: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grading system for intestinal obstruction may be a useful measure of anatomic severity, but its construct validity has not yet been evaluated in patients with either large or small bowel obstruction, using the grade applicable at initial presentation (rather than after definitive management). Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective case series of adult inpatients presenting with intestinal obstruction at our center during 2008-2014. We excluded patients without confirmed intestinal obstruction, those with obstruction secondary to a hernia, those who were treated for >24 hours at another hospital, and those with a previous encounter already included in the study. We measured inter-rater reliability using a weighted kappa coefficient. We used multivariable logistic regression, accounting for sampling weights, to assess the relationship of grades with complications, 30-day mortality, and 30-day readmission. Results: Of 287 patients, 165 (58%) had grade I anatomic severity, 75 (26%) grade II, 23 (8%) grade III, 15 (5%) grade IV, and 9 (3%) grade V. Forty-six (16%) patients had a large bowel obstruction. There was substantial inter-rater agreement in grades [weighted kappa 0.69 (95% CI 0.47-0.91)]. Compared to grade I, grades III-V [OR 12.2 (95% CI 2.26-66.2)] but not grade II [OR 2.04 (95% CI 0.79-5.28)] were associated with increased risk of a complication. grade II [OR 7.92 (95% CI 3.27-19.2)], but not grades III-V [OR 3.56 (95% CI 0.30-42.5)] was associated with increased 30-day mortality. Grades were not associated with increased 30-day readmission. Conclusions: AAST intestinal obstruction grades have predictive validity for some but not all outcomes, and may serve a useful role in the measurement of anatomic disease severity.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666262022000304Intestinal obstructionEmergency general surgeryAnatomic severityGrading scale
spellingShingle Nikia R. McFadden
Samantha K. Brown
Shannon M. Howard
Garth H. Utter
Validity of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Intestinal Obstruction Grading System
Surgery in Practice and Science
Intestinal obstruction
Emergency general surgery
Anatomic severity
Grading scale
title Validity of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Intestinal Obstruction Grading System
title_full Validity of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Intestinal Obstruction Grading System
title_fullStr Validity of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Intestinal Obstruction Grading System
title_full_unstemmed Validity of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Intestinal Obstruction Grading System
title_short Validity of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Intestinal Obstruction Grading System
title_sort validity of the american association for the surgery of trauma intestinal obstruction grading system
topic Intestinal obstruction
Emergency general surgery
Anatomic severity
Grading scale
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666262022000304
work_keys_str_mv AT nikiarmcfadden validityoftheamericanassociationforthesurgeryoftraumaintestinalobstructiongradingsystem
AT samanthakbrown validityoftheamericanassociationforthesurgeryoftraumaintestinalobstructiongradingsystem
AT shannonmhoward validityoftheamericanassociationforthesurgeryoftraumaintestinalobstructiongradingsystem
AT garthhutter validityoftheamericanassociationforthesurgeryoftraumaintestinalobstructiongradingsystem