Oncoplastic breast conserving surgery is associated with a lower rate of surgical site complications compared to standard breast conserving surgery.

BACKGROUND: Oncoplastic breast conserving surgery (OBCS) integrates plastic surgery techniques in the resection of breast cancer and lowers the rate of re-excision while improving breast cosmesis. The goal of this study is to compare the surgical site complication rate of OBCS with that of standard BCS. METHODS: A single institution chart review evaluated all patients undergoing BCS for treatment of breast cancer. Patients treated from January 2009 to December 2010, prior to adoption of oncoplastic techniques, were identified as the standard surgery (SS) group. Patients treated with OBCS from January 2013 to July 2015 were identified as the oncoplastic surgery (OS) group. All surgical site complications were recorded. RESULTS: Overall, 561 patients were evaluated. The SS group comprised 273 patients compared with 288 patients in the OS group. Surgical site complications occurred in 49 patients (17.9%) in the SS group compared with 23 patients (8.0%) in the OS group (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Overall, BCS has a low rate of significant surgical site complications. OBCS has a lower rate of surgical site complications compared to standard BCS.

Ureteral stent duration and the risk of BK polyomavirus viremia or bacteriuria after kidney transplantation.

OBJECTIVES: Ureteral stents are used in kidney transplantation (KTX) to decrease post-operative complications, but they are associated with BK polyomavirus viremia (BKV). Our primary outcome was to determine the association between ureteral stent duration and BKV. Secondary outcome measures were the association between bacteriuria and stent duration or use of ureteral stent strings. METHODS: Between January 2010 and January 2015, 403 patients underwent KTX at the Virginia Mason Medical Center and met inclusion criteria. Stent duration was classified as short (<3 weeks) or long (>3 weeks). Multivariate logistic regression models were created to assess for factors associated with BKV. The covariates in the BKV model were chosen a priori based on stent duration and risk factors previously described in the literature. RESULTS: Ureteral stents were placed in 304 (75.4%) transplants. Stent strings were left attached in 166 (54.6%) patients. On multivariate analyses, long stent duration was significantly associated with increased risk of BKV compared with no stent (odds ratio [OR] 1.92, P=.044, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-3.74). Short stent duration was not associated with BKV. Sixty-two (15.4%) patients had bacteriuria. Bacteriuria was associated with female gender (OR 2.77, P<.001, 95% CI 1.58-4.95), and there was a dose-dependent effect with stent duration compared with no stent-short duration (OR 2.46, P=.049, 95% CI 1.05-6.49) and long duration (OR 3.58, P=.004, 95% CI 1.58-9.25). Stent strings were not associated with either complication. CONCLUSIONS: The association between ureteral stents and BKV may be dose dependent.

Surgical management of hepatocellular carcinoma after Fontan procedure.

The Fontan operation has successfully prolonged the lives of patients born with single-ventricle physiology. A long-term consequence of post-Fontan elevation in systemic venous pressure and low cardiac output is chronic liver inflammation and cirrhosis, which lead to an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Surgical management of patients with post-Fontan physiology and HCC is challenging, as the requirement for adequate preload in order to sustain cardiac output conflicts with the low central venous pressure (CVP) that minimizes blood loss during hepatectomy. Consequently, liver resection is rarely performed, and most reports describe nonsurgical treatments for locoregional control of the tumors in these patients. Here, we present a multidisciplinary approach to a successful surgical resection of a HCC in a patient with Fontan physiology.

High school coaches perceptions of physicians' role in the assessment and management of sports-related concussive injury.

Sports concussions are an increasingly recognized common type of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) that affect athletes of all ages. The need for an increased involvement of trained physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of concussion has become more obvious as the pathophysiology and long-term sequelae of sports concussion are better understood. To date, there has been great variability in the athletic community about the recognition of symptoms, diagnosis, management, and physician role in concussion care. An awareness assessment survey administered to 96 high school coaches in a large metropolitan city demonstrated that 37.5% of responders refer their concussed players to an emergency department after the incident, only 39.5% of responders have a physician available to evaluate their players after a concussion, 71.6% of those who had a physician available sent their players to a sports medicine physician, and none of the responders had their player's concussion evaluated by a neurologist. Interestingly, 71.8% of responders stated that their players returned to the team with "return to play" guidelines from their physician. This survey has highlighted two important areas where the medical community can better serve the athletic community. Because a concussion is a sport-inflicted injury to the nervous system, it is optimally evaluated and managed by a clinician with relevant training in both clinical neuroscience and sports medicine. Furthermore, all physicians who see patients suffering concussion should be educated in the current recommendations from the Consensus Statement on Concussion and provide return to play instructions that outline a graduated return to play, allowing the athlete to return to the field safely.