Mastering the Learning Curve for Robotic-Assisted Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have evaluated the learning curve to achieve competency in robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) but have not identified thresholds for mastery. Robotic-assisted CABG is a minimally invasive alternative to sternotomy CABG. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of this procedure and to estimate the threshold for achieving mastery. METHODS: From 2009 to 2020, 1000 robotic-assisted CABG procedures were performed at a single institution. Robotic left internal mammary artery (LIMA) harvest followed by off-pump, LIMA-left anterior descending artery grafting using a 4-cm thoracotomy was performed. Short-term outcomes were obtained from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons database, and long-term follow-up was obtained by telephone questionnaires from dedicated research nurses for all patients more than 1 year from surgery. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 64 ± 11 years, Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality was 1.1% ± 1.5%, and 76% (758) of patients were men. Thirty-day mortality occurred in 6 patients (0.6%; observed-to-expected ratio, 0.53), 5 patients (0.5%) experienced a postoperative stroke, and postoperative LIMA patency was 97.2% (491/505). Mean procedure time decreased from 195 minutes to 176 minutes, and conversion to sternotomy decreased from 4.4% (22/500) to 1.6% (8/500) after 500 cases. Short-term outcomes suggested expertise was reached between 250 and 500 cases. Long-term follow-up was completed in 97% of patients (873/896) with a median follow-up of 3.9 years (interquartile range, 1.8-5.8), and the overall survival rate was 89% (777). CONCLUSIONS: Robotic-assisted CABG can be performed safely with excellent results even during a surgeon's early experience. However the learning curve to achieve mastery is longer than required to achieve competency, with a threshold of approximately 250 to 500 cases.

Impediments to timely diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in African Americans.

The purpose of this study was to identify early patterns of care for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a cohort of African-American patients and their caregivers presenting at an inner city clinic and a suburban memory assessment clinic. Caregivers (N=79) of patients diagnosed with probable AD were interviewed. Data were collected about the delay from noticing first AD signs until recognition that a problem existed and delay from problem recognition until first physician consultation. Patients and caregivers had lower educational status, and patients had been diagnosed more recently at the inner city clinic than at the suburban clinic, although MMSE scores of patients at the two clinics did not differ; median delays in caregivers' recognizing a problem and in consulting a physician were also similar across clinics. Delay was as long as 7 years between noticing symptoms and problem recognition and between problem recognition and physician consultation. Although patients attending the suburban clinic were more likely to have previously seen a physician than those attending the inner city clinic, they were no more likely to have received a prior diagnosis of AD. Lack of physician contact is likely to be widespread in families caring for African Americans with AD. Physician consultation is more characteristic of more highly educated families but may not yield a correct diagnosis for the patient. Intensive efforts are needed to connect African-American families with physicians and to achieve more timely diagnosis of AD to enable families to understand the illness, plan for patient safety, and make long-term plans.