The Aging Surgeon: Considerations for Navigating a Successful and Satisfying Career.

Our careers as surgeons are some of the busiest and perhaps most sought after in existence. We have all put in countless years of tenacious effort, at times blood, frequent sweat, and occasional tears, to have the privilege to care for others and correct their ailments. Many of us are like freight trains rolling down the tracks indefinitely. But all too often we finish our training and head down those tracks without considering what stops we should make along the way, which forks in the tracks we should consider taking, and perhaps most often, we do not consider how we are going to eventually stop the train. Most of us have been witness to colleagues who keep working beyond their prime, be it for lack of alternative opportunities, lack of hobbies to retire to, or for lack of insight into their own decline. From these observations was born this presidential panel. As you can see, it is a collection of past presidents of So Cal ACS, with the exception for Dr Freischlag (who we all know would have served as president at some point had she never relocated away from Southern California). Each of these speakers has unique experience from their own careers that they will share with us so we can take pause and consider their insights and wisdom for how to navigate a successful and satisfying career.

Obese adolescents have higher risk for severe lower extremity fractures after falling.

INTRODUCTION: Reports vary on the impact of obesity on the incidence of lower extremity fractures after a fall. We hypothesized that obese adolescents (OA) presenting after a fall have a higher risk of any and severe lower extremity fractures compared to non-OAs. METHODS: A national database was queried for adolescents (12-17 years old) after a fall. Primary outcome included lower extremity fracture. Adolescents with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 (OA) were compared to adolescents with a BMI < 30 (non-OA). RESULTS: From 20,264 falls, 2523 (12.5%) included OAs. Compared to non-OAs, the rate of any lower extremity fracture was higher for OAs (51.5% vs. 30.7%, p < 0.001). This remained true for lower extremity fractures at all locations (all p < 0.05). After adjusting for sex and age, associated risk for any lower extremity fracture (OR 2.41, CI 2.22-2.63, p < 0.001) and severe lower extremity fracture (OR 1.31, CI 1.15-1.49, p < 0.001) was higher for OAs. This remained true in subset analyses of ground level falls (GLF) and falls from height (FFH) (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity significantly impacts adolescents' risk of all types of lower extremity fractures after FFH or GLF. Hence, providers should have heightened awareness for possible lower extremity fractures in OAs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Factors of transurethral incision effectiveness for ureteroceles in pediatric patients: A 28-year, single-institution retrospective review.

BACKGROUND: As a congenital anomaly, ureteroceles occur in 1 in 4000 children, and are usually diagnosed prenatally. However, there remains a lack of definite consensus on the optimal management of congenital ureteroceles. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated factors associated with success of primary transurethral incision (TUI) in ureterocele pediatric patients. METHODS: Demographic and clinical information for 120 pediatric patients who were diagnosed with congenital ureterocele between 1993 and 2021 at our institution were obtained through retrospective chart review. Data were analyzed using Fisher's exact tests, t-tests, and logistic regression with a significance threshold of p < 0.05. The primary outcome of ureterocele management was TUI effectiveness, defined by no need for further surgical intervention. RESULTS: Of the 120 patients (39 boys, 81 girls) with ureteroceles, 75 patients (22 boys, 53 girls) met our inclusion criteria of undergoing initial TUI ureterocele. Initial TUI was effective in 51/75 patients (68.0%). We analyzed possible correlative factors for TUI efficacy. Simplex system was a significant predictor of primary TUI efficacy (85% effective in simplex systems, 62% in duplex systems). Prior urinary tract infection, prenatal diagnosis, and electrocautery technique were all associated with an increased risk of needing additional surgeries after primary TUI. DISCUSSION: The most significant predictors of effective primary TUI were simplex system and the absence of preoperative vesicoureteral reflux. Prenatal diagnosis, preoperative febrile urinary tract infection, higher preoperative hydronephrosis grade, and the use of electrocautery were all associated with decreased primary TUI efficacy. Study limitations include that it was a retrospective chart review, and cohort size was limited by incomplete urology follow-up and operative records. CONCLUSIONS: Initial TUI was an effective procedure for the majority of our pediatric ureterocele patients, a higher success rate compared to other cohorts. Patients with a simplex system were more likely to have an effective first TUI than patients with duplex systems, as were patients without preoperative reflux. Although not statistically significant, our data suggest prior UTI, prenatal diagnosis, higher preoperative hydronephrosis grade, and the use of electrocautery may be associated with having additional surgeries.