What Surgeons Want: Access to Online Surgical Education and Peer-to-Peer Counseling-A Qualitative Study.

STUDY DESIGN: Mixed methods study including quantitative data analysis and qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews. OBJECTIVES: Utilizing information and communication technology can facilitate professional communication within health care on a global scale. This study aimed to identify the educational and peer-to-peer communication needs of craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgeons across the globe, determine preferred modes of communication, and assess technological and other barriers to online education and peer-to-peer communication. METHODS: We performed semi-structured videoconference interviews of 92 CMF surgeons from around the globe, with the largest number in the Asia/Pacific region, the Middle East, and Latin America. We triangulated quantitative summaries with qualitative themes to improve validity and enable a more comprehensive understanding of participant perspectives. RESULTS: The interviews revealed 3 main areas of technology use: new surgical technology, technology that enables information exchange, and communication technology. When asked about technology and communication platforms used in the course of their work, 33 participants (36%) mentioned PubMed or other journal-related sites; 25% recalled using YouTube as a resource; 23% described conducting internet searches using Google or other search engines; 21% used WhatsApp groups; and 11% used closed Facebook groups. CONCLUSION: CMF surgeons embraced communication technologies that allowed them to quickly obtain knowledge especially on new surgical technology, discuss cases on demand, and maintain strong communication with their global peers.

Level and Change in N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Kidney Function and Survival to Age 90.

BACKGROUND: Many traditional cardiovascular risk factors do not predict survival to very old age. Studies have shown associations of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) with cardiovascular disease and mortality in older populations. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of the level and change in eGFR and NT-pro-BNP with longevity to age 90 years. METHOD: The population included participants (n = 3,645) in the Cardiovascular Health Study, aged between 67 and 75 at baseline. The main exposures were eGFR, calculated with the Berlin Initiative Study (BIS) 2 equation, and NT-pro-BNP, and the main outcome was survival to age 90. Mixed models were used to estimate level and change of the main exposures. RESULTS: There was an association between baseline level and change of both eGFR and NT-pro-BNP and survival to 90, and this association persisted after adjustment for covariates. Each 10 mL/min/1.73 m2 higher eGFR level was associated with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.23 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.34) of survival to 90, and a 0.5 mL/min/1.73 m2 slower decline in eGFR was associated with an OR of 1.51 (95% CI: 1.31, 1.74). A twofold higher level of NT-pro-BNP level had an adjusted OR of 0.67 (95% CI: 0.61, 0.73), and a 1.05-fold increase per year in NT-pro-BNP had an OR of 0.53 (95% CI: 0.43, 0.65) for survival to age 90. CONCLUSION: eGFR and NT-pro-BNP appear to be important risk factors for longevity to age 90.

Body Image Disturbance and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms Improve After Orthognathic Surgery.

PURPOSE: Although body image disturbance (BID), anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are the most common comorbid psychological conditions among patients presenting for orthognathic surgery (OS), little is known about whether psychological symptoms relate to facial deformity or how symptoms change after OS. To fill these knowledge gaps, this study investigated preoperative and postoperative psychological symptoms and preoperative baseline facial deformity in patients who underwent OS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included 49 patients who underwent OS by a single surgeon between 2011 and 2018. The patients completed validated psychological tests to assess symptoms of anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), BID (BID Questionnaire, BIDQ), and OCD (Florida Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory). In addition, we measured severity of preoperative facial deformity with the Facial Aesthetic Index (FAI). We compared preoperative and postoperative symptoms using univariate nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank tests. We tested associations between the 4 types of preoperative psychological symptoms and baseline Facial Aesthetic Index category using Spearman's rank correlations. RESULTS: Postoperatively, both BIDQ scores (median 2 to 1.2, P < .001) and Florida Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory scores (median number of OCD symptoms 1 to 0, P < .001) decreased, whereas anxiety and depression symptoms showed no change (P > .45). Preoperative BIDQ was significantly associated with the severity of the facial deformity (ρ = 0.32, P = .025; median BIDQ: mild FAI = 1.0, severe FAI = 2.1). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that patients with more severe facial deformity have a higher BID preoperatively and that both BID and OCD improve after OS. Interestingly, anxiety and depression symptoms did not change after OS.