Surgeons' Perspectives on Valve Surgery in People With Drug Use-Associated Infective Endocarditis.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalizations for drug-use associated infective endocarditis (DUA-IE) have led to increasing surgical consultation for valve replacement. Cardiothoracic surgeons' perspectives about the process of decision making around operation for people with DUA-IE are largely unknown. METHODS: This multisite semiqualitative study sought to gather the perspectives of cardiothoracic surgeons on initial and repeat valve surgery for people with DUA-IE through purposeful sampling of surgeons at 7 hospitals: University of Alabama, Tufts Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Rhode Island Hospital-Brown University. RESULTS: Nineteen cardiothoracic surgeons (53% acceptance) were interviewed. Perceptions of the drivers of addiction varied as well as approaches to repeat valve operations. There were mixed views on multidisciplinary meetings, although many surgeons expressed an interest in more efficient meetings and more intensive postoperative and posthospitalization multidisciplinary care. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiothoracic surgeons are emotionally and professionally impacted by making decisions about whether to perform valve operation for people with DUA-IE. The use of efficient, agenda-based multidisciplinary care teams is an actionable solution to improve cross-disciplinary partnerships and outcomes for people with DUA-IE.

Away Rotations at Integrated Thoracic Surgery Programs: Applicant and Program Director Perspectives.

OBJECTIVE: Integrated thoracic surgery residency program (IP) applicants often complete away rotations to stand out from the objective standard criteria. Little is known about the perceptions of these rotations. We aimed to examine the perceptions of value, cost, and expectations of away rotations among IP applicants and program directors. DESIGN: Between March and April 2020, anonymous electronic surveys were distributed through e-mails gathered from the Electronic Residency Application Service and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education IP email list. A follow-up email was sent to all applicants and program directors 1 week after the initial request to improve response rate. Questions assessed the cost, frequency, goals, and objectives for away rotations, as well as the perceived value of these experiences. SETTING: United States PARTICIPANTS: All IP program directors and United States senior medical students who applied to our institution's IP during the 2019-2020 cycle. RESULTS: Seventy-eight US medical students participated in the 2020 IP Match with 65 applicants applying to our institution's IP. Thirty-three responses were obtained from applicants who applied to our program (51% response rate). Survey responses were obtained from 8 program directors (31% response rate). Ninety-four percent of applicant respondents completed an IP away rotation (n = 31). Fifty-seven percent of these applicants spent on average $5000 in total for away rotations (n = 19). Overall, applicants felt that away rotations helped refine their perception of program location, educational and operative experience, treatment of medical students, and collegiality. Applicants and program directors acknowledged that creating a good impression and finding a compatible program were central values for participating in away rotations. However, program directors viewed the overall strength of the applicant as the most important factor when evaluating applicants. Fifty-five percent of applicant respondents matched at an IP (n = 17) with 35% matching at an IP where they had completed an away rotation (n = 6). CONCLUSION: Extended interactions that can help create good impressions and establish compatibility are benefits to away rotations. However, given the current application conditions imposed by the pandemic, future studies should examine the impact of no away rotations on the IP Match process so that moving forward applicants and program directors can continue to weigh benefits to the costs and logistics of completing an away rotation.

Multidisciplinary Management of an Aorto-esophageal Injury Caused by Foreign Body Ingestion.

A 37-year-old incarcerated male ingested a complex "X-shaped" foreign body that resulted in a penetrating aorto-esophageal injury. A primary esophagotomy with retrieval of the foreign body and muscle flap closure was performed simultaneously with thoracic endovascular aortic repair. This multidisciplinary surgical approach controls for both immediate exsanguination and postoperative complications to improve patient outcome.

Recent Trends in Cardiothoracic Surgery Training: Data from the National Resident Matching Program.

OBJECTIVE: In 2008, integrated thoracic residency programs (IP) for cardiothoracic (CT) training were created in response to a decline in CT trainees. However, few studies have reported on trends in the CT training pathway since the inception of IPs. This manuscript examines the current trends related to the overall number of surgical trainees entering CT surgery training following the introduction of IPs into the National Resident Match Program (NRMP). DESIGN: Main and specialty match data were gathered from NRMP annual reports between 2008 and 2018. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze program size, applications, and filled and unfilled positions for IPs and traditional CT residency programs. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine associations between program variables. SETTING: NRMP main and specialty match in 2008 to 2018. PARTICIPANTS: Participants of the NRMP main and specialty match in 2008 to 2018. RESULTS: IPs increased from 2 programs offering 3 positions in 2008 to 28 programs offering 36 positions in 2018. However, during the same time period, the number of available traditional CT residency positions have decreased by 29% (130 to 92). As the number of IPs increased, there was a significant decrease in the number of traditional CT residency positions (ρ = -0.95, p < 0.001). Although, the overall number of CT residency programs (traditional and IP) remained largely unchanged, the proportion of filled CT residency positions increased from 67.7% in 2008 up to 97.7% in 2018. CONCLUSION: The IP training format has shown success in increasing the number of trainees entering into CT training programs. Consideration should be given to increasing the number of IP positions or increase interest in CT among general surgery residents to increase the number of CT surgery trainees with the goal of increasing the size of the future CT workforce.

The use of grape juice in the detection of esophageal leaks.

BACKGROUND: Esophagectomies and repair of esophageal perforations are operations used for a variety of clinical indications. Anastomotic leaks are a major post-operative complication after these procedures. At our institution, we routinely use grape juice to detect esophageal leaks in the post-operative setting in addition to other standard imaging modalities. We hypothesize that grape juice can provide similar diagnostic sensitivity and specificity to other modalities for leak detection. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients who underwent an esophagectomy or repair of esophageal perforations from 2013-2019 by the thoracic surgery service at our institution was performed. All patients underwent a barium swallow study, CT imaging or upper endoscopy, as well as ingesting purple grape juice on post-operative day 5 or greater. Purple grape juice observed in the tube thoracostomy drainage system was identified as a positive esophageal leak. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients were included in the study period (25% female, 88% white, median age 62 years old). Sixty-three patients had both a barium swallow study and grape juice test, while one patient underwent CT imaging and grape juice study. Grape juice test sensitivity and specificity were found to be 80% and 98.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study demonstrates the effectiveness of using grape juice in detecting esophageal leaks after esophageal operations in patients with tube thoracostomies. Grape juice may be cheaper and potentially less morbid than other studies performed to detect esophageal leaks. Further research is needed to justify the increased use of grape juice in patients who undergo esophageal operations.

Postoperative Urinary Retention in Patients Undergoing Lung Resection: Incidence and Risk Factors.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to (1) determine the incidence of postoperative urinary retention (POUR) in patients undergoing lung resection at our institution, (2) identify differences in potential risk factors between patients with and without POUR, and (3) describe patient outcomes across POUR status. METHODS: The medical records of 225 patients between 2016 and 2017 were reviewed, and 191 met criteria for inclusion. The institution's catheterization removal protocol was followed in all patients. Recatheterization was defined as requiring in-and-out catheterization or Foley catheter placement. Fisher exact and Wilcoxon tests were used for analysis. RESULTS: POUR developed in 35 patients (18%). Patients with POUR were older (P = .01), had increased baseline creatinine (P = .04), and a higher prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (P = .007). POUR patients were also less likely to get a Foley catheter intraoperatively (P = .0002). Other intraoperative factors, such as surgical approach and extent of resection, were not significantly different between patients with and without POUR. Postoperative factors (epidural use or days with chest tube) were similar. Although patients with POUR were more likely to be discharged with a Foley catheter (13% vs 0%, P = .002), no difference in length of stay, incidences of urinary tract infections, or 30-day readmission were observed. CONCLUSIONS: POUR develops in approximately 1 in 5 patients undergoing lung resection. Patients with POUR were more likely to not have a Foley catheter placed intraoperatively. However, patients who had POUR did not have worsened patient outcomes (urinary tract infections, length of stay, or 30-day readmission).