Performance of ChatGPT and Bard in self-assessment questions for nephrology board renewal.

BACKGROUND: Large language models (LLMs) have impacted advances in artificial intelligence. While LLMs have demonstrated high performance in general medical examinations, their performance in specialized areas such as nephrology is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate ChatGPT and Bard in their potential nephrology applications. METHODS: Ninety-nine questions from the Self-Assessment Questions for Nephrology Board Renewal from 2018 to 2022 were presented to two versions of ChatGPT (GPT-3.5 and GPT-4) and Bard. We calculated the correct answer rates for the five years, each year, and question categories and checked whether they exceeded the pass criterion. The correct answer rates were compared with those of the nephrology residents. RESULTS: The overall correct answer rates for GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and Bard were 31.3% (31/99), 54.5% (54/99), and 32.3% (32/99), respectively, thus GPT-4 significantly outperformed GPT-3.5 (p < 0.01) and Bard (p < 0.01). GPT-4 passed in three years, barely meeting the minimum threshold in two. GPT-4 demonstrated significantly higher performance in problem-solving, clinical, and non-image questions than GPT-3.5 and Bard. GPT-4's performance was between third- and fourth-year nephrology residents. CONCLUSIONS: GPT-4 outperformed GPT-3.5 and Bard and met the Nephrology Board renewal standards in specific years, albeit marginally. These results highlight LLMs' potential and limitations in nephrology. As LLMs advance, nephrologists should understand their performance for future applications.

Use of the Superficialized Brachial Artery as Vascular Access for a Patient with Myasthenia Gravis with a Frequent Need for Plasmapheresis: A Case Report.

A 41-year-old woman diagnosed with seronegative myasthenia gravis struggled to maintain remission for a decade, facing crises every 3 months for several years. After repeated apheresis using a non-tunneled non-cuffed central venous dialysis catheter (NTNCC), complications such as catheter-related thrombus in the internal jugular veins and morbid obesity from steroids made the insertion of NTNCC increasingly difficult, leading to consideration of an alternative permanent vascular access (VA) approach. Thus, we created a subcutaneously superficialized brachial artery as the VA, which allowed the patient to undergo safe and uninterrupted apheresis therapy.