Gender differences in autonomy and performance assessments in a national cohort of vascular surgery trainees.

OBJECTIVE: Gender disparities in surgical training and assessment are described in the general surgery literature. Assessment disparities have not been explored in vascular surgery. We sought to investigate gender disparities in operative assessment in a national cohort of vascular surgery integrated residents (VIRs) and fellows (VSFs). METHODS: Operative performance and autonomy ratings from the Society for Improving Medical Professional Learning (SIMPL) application database were collected for all vascular surgery participating institutions from 2018 to 2023. Logistic generalized linear mixed models were conducted to examine the association of faculty and trainee gender on faculty and self-assessment of autonomy and performance. Data were adjusted for post-graduate year and case complexity. Random effects were included to account for clustering effects due to participant, program, and procedure. RESULTS: One hundred three trainees (n = 63 VIRs; n = 40 VSFs; 63.1% men) and 99 faculty (73.7% men) from 17 institutions (n = 12 VIR and n = 13 VSF programs) contributed 4951 total assessments (44.4% by faculty, 55.6% by trainees) across 235 unique procedures. Faculty and trainee gender were not associated with faculty ratings of performance (faculty gender: odds ratio [OR], 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27-2.29; trainee gender: OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 0.76-0.43) or autonomy (faculty gender: OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.41-2.39; trainee gender: OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.62-2.45) of trainees. All trainees self-assessed at lower performance and autonomy ratings as compared with faculty assessments. However, women trainees rated themselves significantly lower than men for both autonomy (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.43-0.74) and performance (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.30-0.54). CONCLUSIONS: Although gender was not associated with differences in faculty assessment of performance or autonomy among vascular surgery trainees, women trainees perceive themselves as performing with lower competency and less autonomy than their male colleagues. These findings suggest utility for exploring gender differences in real-time feedback delivered to and received by trainees and targeted interventions to align trainee self-perception with actual operative performance and autonomy to optimize surgical skill acquisition.

National Institutes of Health funding among vascular surgeons is rare.

BACKGROUND: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an essential source of funding for vascular surgeons conducting research. NIH funding is frequently used to benchmark institutional and individual research productivity, help determine eligibility for academic promotion, and as a measure of scientific quality. We sought to appraise the current scope of NIH funding to vascular surgeons by appraising the characteristics of NIH-funded investigators and projects. In addition, we also sought to determine whether funded grants addressed recent Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) research priorities. METHODS: In April 2022, we queried the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results (RePORTER) database for active projects. We only included projects that had a vascular surgeon as a principal investigator. Grant characteristics were extracted from the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results database. Principal investigator demographics and academic background information were identified by searching institution profiles. RESULTS: There were 55 active NIH awards given to 41 vascular surgeons. Only 1% (41/4037) of all vascular surgeons in the United States receive NIH funding. Funded vascular surgeons are an average of 16.3 years out of training; 37% (n = 15) are women. The majority of awards (58%; n = 32) were R01 grants. Among the active NIH-funded projects, 75% (n = 41) are basic or translational research projects, and 25% (n = 14) are clinical or health services research projects. Abdominal aortic aneurysm and peripheral arterial disease are the most commonly funded disease areas and together accounted for 54% (n = 30) of projects. Three SVS research priorities are not addressed by any of the current NIH-funded projects. CONCLUSIONS: NIH funding of vascular surgeons is rare and predominantly consists of basic or translational science projects focused on abdominal aortic aneurysm and peripheral arterial disease research. Women are well-represented among funded vascular surgeons. Although the majority of SVS research priorities receive NIH funding, three SVS research priorities are yet to be addressed by NIH-funded projects. Future efforts should focus on increasing the number of vascular surgeons receiving NIH grants and ensuring all SVS research priorities receive NIH funding.

Early findings and strategies for successful implementation of SIMPL workplace-based assessments within vascular surgery residency and fellowship programs.

OBJECTIVE: As medical education systems increasingly move toward competency-based training, it is important to understand the tools available to assess competency and how these tools are utilized. The Society for Improving Medical Professional Learning (SIMPL) offers a smart phone-based assessment system that supports workplace-based assessment of residents' and fellows' operative autonomy, performance, and case complexity. The purpose of this study was to characterize implementation of the SIMPL app within vascular surgery integrated residency (0+5) and fellowship (5+2) training programs. METHODS: SIMPL operative ratings recorded between 2018 and 2022 were collected from all participating vascular surgery training institutions (n = 9 institutions with 5+2 and 0+5 programs; n = 4 institutions with 5+2 program only). The characteristics of programs, trainees, faculty, and SIMPL operative assessments were evaluated using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Operative assessments were completed for 2457 cases by 85 attendings and 86 trainees, totaling 4615 unique operative assessment ratings. Attendings included dictated feedback in 52% of assessments. Senior-level residents received more assessments than junior-level residents (postgraduate year [PGY]1-3, n = 439; PGY4-5, n = 551). Performance ratings demonstrated increases from junior to senior trainees for both resident and fellow cohorts with "performance-ready" or "exceptional performance" ratings increasing by nearly two-fold for PGY1 to PGY5 residents (28.1% vs 40.6%), and from first- to second-year fellows (PGY6, 46.7%; PGY7, 60.3%). Similar gains in autonomy were demonstrated as trainees progressed through training. Senior residents were more frequently granted autonomy with "supervision only" than junior residents (PGY1, 8.7%; PGY5, 21.6%). "Supervision only" autonomy ratings were granted to 21.8% of graduating fellows. Assessment data included a greater proportion of complex cases for senior compared with junior fellows (PGY6, 20.9% vs PGY7, 26.5%). Program Directors felt that faculty and trainee buy-in were the main barriers to implementation of the SIMPL assessment app. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first description of the SIMPL app as an operative assessment tool within vascular surgery that has been successfully implemented in both residency and fellowship programs. The assessment data demonstrates expected progressive gains in trainees' autonomy and performance, as well as increasing case complexity, across PGY years. Given the selection of SIMPL as the assessment platform for required American Board of Surgery and Vascular Surgery Board Entrustable Professional Activities assessments, understanding facilitators and barriers to implementation of workplace-based assessments using this app is imperative, particularly as we move toward competency-based medical education.

The measurable impact of a diversity, equity, and inclusion editor on diversifying content, authorship, and peer review participation in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Women and minorities remain under-represented in academic vascular surgery. This under-representation persists in the editorial peer review process which may contribute to publication bias. In 2020, the Journal of Vascular Surgery (JVS) addressed this by diversifying the editorial board and creating a new Editor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The impact of a DEI editor on modifying the output of JVS has not yet been examined. We sought to determine the measurable impact of a DEI editor on diversifying perspectives represented in the journal, and on contributing to changes in the presence of DEI subject matter across published journal content. METHODS: The authorship and content of published primary research articles, editorials, and special articles in JVS were examined from November 2019 through July 2022. Publications were examined for the year prior to initiation of the DEI Editor (pre), the year following (post), and from September 2021 to July 2022, accounting for the average 47-week time period from submission to publication in JVS (lag). Presence of DEI topics and women authorship were compared using χ2 tests. RESULTS: During the period examined, the number of editorials, guidelines, and other special articles dedicated to DEI topics in the vascular surgery workforce or patient population increased from 0 in the year prior to 4 (16.7%) in the 11-month lag period. The number of editorials, guidelines, and other special articles with women as first or senior authors nearly doubled (24% pre, 44.4% lag; P = .31). Invited commentaries and discussions were increasingly written by women as the study period progressed (18.7% pre, 25.9% post, 42.6% lag; P = .007). The number of primary research articles dedicated to DEI topics increased (5.6% pre, 3.3% post, 8.1% lag; P = .007). Primary research articles written on DEI topics were more likely to have women first or senior authors than non-DEI specific primary research articles (68.0% of all DEI vs 37.5% of a random sampling of non-DEI primary research articles; P < .001). The proportion of distinguished peer reviewers increased (from 2.8% in 2020 to 21.9% in 2021; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of a DEI editor to JVS significantly impacted the diversification of topics, authorship of editorials, special articles, and invited commentaries, as well as peer review participation. Ongoing efforts are needed to diversify subject matter and perspective in the vascular surgery literature and decrease publication bias.

Developing Expert Gaze Pattern in Laparoscopic Surgery Requires More than Behavioral Training.

Expertise in laparoscopic surgery is realized through both manual dexterity and efficient eye movement patterns, creating opportunities to use gaze information in the educational process. To better understand how expert gaze behaviors are acquired through deliberate practice of technical skills, three surgeons were assessed and five novices were trained and assessed in a 5-visit protocol on the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery peg transfer task. The task was adjusted to have a fixed action sequence to allow recordings of dwell durations based on pre-defined areas of interest (AOIs). Trained novices were shown to reach more than 98% (M = 98.62%, SD = 1.06%) of their behavioral learning plateaus, leading to equivalent behavioral performance to that of surgeons. Despite this equivalence in behavioral performance, surgeons continued to show significantly shorter dwell durations at visual targets of current actions and longer dwell durations at future steps in the action sequence than trained novices (ps ≤ .03, Cohen's ds > 2). This study demonstrates that, while novices can train to match surgeons on behavioral performance, their gaze pattern is still less efficient than that of surgeons, motivating surgical training programs to involve eye tracking technology in their design and evaluation.

Quantified electronic health record (EHR) use by academic surgeons.

BACKGROUND: The electronic health record has improved medical billing, research, and sharing of patient data, but its clinical use by physicians has been linked to rising physician burnout leading to numerous subjective editorials about the electronic health record inefficiencies and detriment to frontline caregivers. This study aimed to quantify electronic health record use by surgeons. METHODS: The study is a retrospective review and descriptive analysis of deidentified electronic health record data from September 2016 to June 2017. A binary time series was created for each attending to calculate electronic health record system login times. The primary outcome was the total amount of time a surgeon logged into the electronic health record system during the study period. RESULTS: Fifty-one general surgery attendings (31 males, 20 females), spanning 9 specialties spent a mean of 2.0 hours per day and 13.8 hours per week logged into the electronic health record. The top 15% of users were logged in for an average of 4.6 hours per weekday. Sixty-five percent of overall electronic health record use occurred on-site, and 35% was remote. A greater proportion of remote use occurred during nighttime hours and Sundays. Clinic days required the largest amount of electronic health record use time compared with operating room and administrative days. CONCLUSION: General surgery attendings spend a considerable amount of time using the electronic health record. Ultimately, the goal of these quantitative electronic health record results is to correlate with burnout and job satisfaction data to facilitate the implementation of programs to improve efficiency and decrease the burden of charting. Further investigation needs to focus on subgroups who are high electronic health record users to better identify the barriers to efficient electronic health record use.

Outcomes following revascularization with radial artery bypass grafts: Insights from the PREVENT-IV trial.

BACKGROUND: The optimal role of radial artery grafts in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to examine angiographic and clinical outcomes following CABG among patients who received a radial artery graft. METHODS: Patients in the angiographic cohort of the PREVENT-IV trial were stratified based upon having received a radial artery graft or not during CABG. Baseline characteristics and 1-year angiographic and 5-year clinical outcomes were compared between patients. RESULTS: Of 1,923 patients in the angiographic cohort of PREVENT-IV, 117 received a radial artery graft. These patients had longer surgical procedures (median 253 vs 228 minutes, P < .001) and had a greater number of grafts placed (P < .0001). Radial artery grafts had a graft-level failure rate of 23.0%, which was similar to vein grafts (25.2%) and higher than left internal mammary artery grafts (8.3%). The hazard of the composite clinical outcome of death, myocardial infarction, or repeat revascularization was similar for both cohorts (adjusted hazard ratio 0.896, 95% CI 0.609-1.319, P = .58). Radial graft failure rates were higher when used to bypass moderately stenotic lesions (<75% stenosis, 37% failure) compared with severely stenotic lesions (≥75% stenosis, 15% failure). CONCLUSIONS: Radial artery grafts had early failure rates comparable to saphenous vein and higher than left internal mammary artery grafts. Use of a radial graft was not associated with a different rate of death, myocardial infarction, or postoperative revascularization. Despite the significant potential for residual confounding associated with post hoc observational analyses of clinical trial data, these findings suggest that when clinical circumstances permit, the radial artery is an acceptable alternative to saphenous vein and should be used to bypass severely stenotic target vessels.

Utilizing transcranial direct current stimulation to enhance laparoscopic technical skills training: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that delivers constant, low electrical current resulting in changes to cortical excitability. Prior work suggests it may enhance motor learning giving it the potential to augment surgical technical skill acquisition. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of tDCS, coupled with motor skill training, to accelerate laparoscopic skill acquisition in a pre-registered (NCT03083483), double-blind and placebo-controlled study. We hypothesized that relative to sham tDCS, active tDCS would accelerate the development of laparoscopic technical skills, as measured by the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) Peg Transfer task quantitative metrics. METHODS: In this study, sixty subjects (mean age 22.7 years with 42 females) were randomized into sham or active tDCS in either bilateral primary motor cortex (bM1) or supplementary motor area (SMA) electrode configurations. All subjects practiced the FLS Peg Transfer Task during six 20-min training blocks, which were preceded and followed by a single trial pre-test and post-test. The primary outcome was changes in laparoscopic skill performance over time, quantified by group differences in completion time from pre-test to post-test and learning curves developed from a calculated score accounting for errors. RESULTS: Learning curves calculated over the six 20-min training blocks showed significantly greater improvement in performance for the bM1 group than the sham group (t = 2.07, p = 0.039), with the bM1 group achieving approximately the same amount of improvement in 4 blocks compared to the 6 blocks required of the sham group. The SMA group also showed greater mean improvement than sham, but exhibited more variable learning performance and differences relative to sham were not significant (t = 0.85, p = 0.400). A significant main effect was present for pre-test versus post-test times (F = 133.2, p < 0.001), with lower completion times at post-test, however these did not significantly differ for the training groups. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic skill training with active bilateral tDCS exhibited significantly greater learning relative to sham. The potential for tDCS to enhance the training of surgical skills, therefore, merits further investigation to determine if these preliminary results may be replicated and extended.

Relation of Postdischarge Care Fragmentation and Outcomes in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation from the STS/ACC TVT Registry.

Fragmented care following elective surgery has been associated with poor outcomes. The association between fragmented care and outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is unknown. We examined patients who underwent TAVI from 2011 to 2015 at 374 sites in the STS/ACC TVT Registry, linked to Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services claims data. Fragmented care was defined as at least one readmission to a site other than the implanting TAVI center within 90 days after discharge, whereas continuous care was defined as readmission to the same implanting center. We compared adjusted 1-year outcomes, including stroke, bleeding, heart failure, mortality, and all-cause readmission in patients who received fragmented versus continuous care. Among 8,927 patients who received a TAVI between 2011 and 2015, 27.4% were readmitted within 90 days of discharge. Most patients received fragmented care (57.0%). Compared with the continuous care group, the fragmented care group was more likely to have severe chronic lung disease, cerebrovascular disease, and heart failure. States that had lower TAVI volume per Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services population had greater fragmentation. Patients living > 30 minutes from their TAVI center had an increased risk of fragmented care 1.07 (confidence interval [CI] 1.06 to 1.09, p < 0.001). After adjustment for comorbidities and procedural complications, fragmented care was associated with increased 1-year mortality (hazards ratio 1.18, CI 1.04 to 1.35, p = 0.010) and all-cause readmission (hazards ratio 1.08, CI 1.00 to 1.16, p = 0.051. In conclusion, fragmented readmission following TAVI is common, and is associated with increased 1-year mortality and readmission. Efforts to improve coordination of care may improve these outcomes and optimize long-term benefits yielded from TAVI.

Challenging 30-day mortality as a site-specific quality metric in non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this project was to assess the best measure for postoperative outcomes by comparing 30-day and 90-day mortality rates after surgery for non-small cell lung cancer using the National Cancer Database. Secondarily, hospital performance was examined at multiple postoperative intervals to assess changes in ranking based on mortality up to 1 year after surgery. METHODS: Patients who had undergone surgery for non-small cell lung cancer between 2004 and 2013 were identified in the National Cancer Database. Mortality rates at 30 days and 90 days were compared after adjusting for several patient characteristics, tumor variables, and hospital procedural volume using generalized logistic mixed models. Subsequently, mixed model logistic regression models were employed to evaluate hospital performance based on calculated mortality at prespecified time points. RESULTS: A total of 303,579 patients with non-small cell lung cancer were included for analysis. The 90-day mortality was almost double the 30-day mortality (3.0% vs 5.7%). Several patient characteristics, tumor features, and hospital volume were significantly associated with mortality at both 30 days and 90 days. Hospital rankings fluctuate appreciably between early mortality time points, which is additional evidence that quality metrics need to be based on later mortality time points. CONCLUSIONS: Thirty-day mortality is the commonly accepted quality measure for thoracic surgeons; however, hospital rankings may be inaccurate if based on this variable alone. Mortality after 90 days appears to be a threshold after which there is less variability in hospital ranking and should be considered as an alternative quality metric in lung cancer surgery.

Readmission After Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery: An Analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database.

BACKGROUND: Hospital readmission after pediatric cardiac surgery is incompletely understood. This study analyzed data from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database to determine prevalence, to describe patient characteristics, and to evaluate risk factors for readmission. METHODS: Readmission was defined by the "readmission within 30 days after discharge" field. Routine variables were summarized. Regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with readmission. RESULTS: The study cohort included 56,429 patient records from 100 centers. Overall, 6,208 (11%) patients were readmitted. The most common reasons for readmission were respiratory or airway complications (14.2%), septic or infectious complications (11.4%), and reasons not related to the preceding surgical procedure (20.2%). Primary reason for readmission varied across benchmark operation groups. In multivariable analysis, factors associated with increased odds of readmission included the presence of noncardiac abnormalities (odds ratio [OR], 1.24), chromosomal abnormalities or genetic syndromes (OR, 1.24), preoperative mechanical circulatory support (OR, 1.36), other preoperative factors (OR, 1.21), prior cardiac surgery (OR, 1.31), Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 1.13), higher STAT procedural complexity (Society of Thoracic Surgeons/European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery) (STAT level 3 vs 1, OR, 1.22; STAT 4 vs 1, OR, 1.48; STAT 5 vs 1, OR, 2.62), prolonged postoperative length of stay (OR, 1.07 per day from 0 to 14 days; OR, 1.01 per week >14 days), any major complication (OR, 1.27), any other postoperative complications (OR, 2.00), and discharge on a weekday (OR, 1.07). CONCLUSIONS: Readmission is common after congenital heart surgery, mostly for noncardiovascular reasons. Process improvement initiatives targeted at high-risk patients could minimize its impact.

Objective Assessment of the Early Stages of the Learning Curve for the Senhance Surgical Robotic System.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research is to study the early stages of the Senhance learning curve to report how force feedback impacts learning rate. This serves as an exploratory investigation into assumptions that fellows and faculty will adjust faster to the Senhance in comparison with residents, and that force feedback will not hinder skill acquisition. DESIGN: In this study, participants completed the peg transfer and precision cutting task from the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) manual skills assessment five times each using the Senhance while instrument motion was tracked. SETTING: This study took place in the Surgical Education and Activities Laboratory at Duke University Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: Participants for this study were residents, fellows, and faculty from Duke University Medical Center in general surgery and gynecology specialties (N = 16). RESULTS: Postulated linear mixed effects models with participant level random effects showed significant improvement with additional attempts for the peg transfer task after adjusting for surgical experience and force feedback respectively for the primary FLS score metric. The secondary metric of total instrument path length also showed improvement (significant decreases) in path length with additional attempts after respectively adjusting for surgical experience and force feedback. CONCLUSIONS: This study investigates the early stages of the learning curve of the Senhance. Exploratory modeling indicates that residents, fellows, and faculty surgeons rapidly adapt to the controls of the Senhance regardless of experience level and force feedback engagement. The results from this study may serve as motivation for future prospective studies that achieve sufficient statistical power with a larger sample size and strict experimental design.

Right-Sided Versus Left-Sided Pneumonectomy After Induction Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: A right-sided pneumonectomy after induction therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been shown to be associated with significant perioperative risk. We examined the effect of laterality on long-term survival after induction therapy and pneumonectomy using the National Cancer Data Base. METHODS: Perioperative and long-term outcomes of patients who underwent pneumonectomy after induction chemotherapy, with or without radiotherapy, from 2004 to 2014 in the National Cancer Data Base were evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling and propensity score-matched analysis. RESULTS: During the study period, 1,465 patients (right, 693 [47.3%]; left, 772 [52.7%]) met inclusion criteria. Right-sided pneumonectomy was associated with significantly higher 30-day (8.2% [57 of 693] vs 4.2% [32 of 772], p < 0.01) and 90-day mortality (13.6% [94 of 693] vs 7.9% [61 of 772], p < 0.01), and right-sided pneumonectomy was a predictor of higher 90-day mortality (odds ratio, 2.23; p < 0.01). However, overall 5-year survival between right and left pneumonectomy was not significantly different in unadjusted (37.6% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.34 to 0.42] vs 35% [95% CI, 0.32 to 0.39], log-rank p = 0.94) or multivariable analysis (hazard ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.92 to 1.25; p = 0.40). A propensity score-matched analysis of 810 patients found no significant differences in 5-year survival between the right-sided versus left-sided groups (34.7% [95% CI, 0.30 to 0.40] vs 34.1%, [95% CI, 0.29 to 0.39], log-rank p = 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: In this national analysis, right-sided pneumonectomy after induction therapy was associated with a significantly higher perioperative but not worse long-term mortality compared to a left-sided procedure.

Comparison of Outcomes and Frequency of Graft Failure With Use of Free Versus In Situ Internal Mammary Artery Bypass Conduits (from the PREVENT IV Trial).

Although in situ internal mammary artery (is-IMA) grafting remains the most frequent conduit in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), circumstances may necessitate free grafting of the IMA (f-IMA), though differences in outcomes have not been fully characterized. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical and angiographic outcomes of is-IMA versus f-IMA coronary bypass grafts in patients who underwent elective CABG surgery. In 1,829 patients in the angiographic cohort of PREVENT IV, 1,572 (85.9%) had at least 1 IMA graft; of these, 34 (2.2%) patients had at least 1 f-IMA graft and 1,538 (97.8%) had at least 1 is-IMA graft without additional f-IMA grafts. Characteristics of patients, procedure, and grafts/targets were compared between cohorts. Primary endpoints included death, myocardial infarction, and revascularization, as well as incidence of graft failure (stenosis >75%) on angiography at 12-18 months postoperatively. Patients receiving is-IMA grafts were more often of white race and higher weight. Aortic cross-clamp time was shorter in the f-IMA cohort (39.5 vs 57.0 min, p = 0.04), but duration of bypass was similar (93.5 vs 100.0 minutes, p = 0.793). Of the in situ grafts, 97.3% were via the left internal mammary artery (LIMA), 86.6% were of good quality, and the left anterior descending (LAD) was bypassed in 88.2%. This compares with free grafts, which were via the LIMA in 68.0%, of good quality in 96.1%, and bypassed the LAD in 58.8% and first obtuse marginal (OM1) in 23.5%. Rates of death, myocardial infarction, and revascularization were similar between groups. The rate of graft failure was higher in f-IMA grafts (23.3%) compared with is-IMA grafts (8.5%; p < 0.01). Although clinical outcomes were similar with use of free versus in situ IMA grafts, higher rates of graft failure were encountered with use of the f-IMA graft. In conclusion, in situ grafts should be the preferred conduit for patients who undergo CABG surgery.

Documenting or Operating: Where Is Time Spent in General Surgery Residency?

OBJECTIVE: The utilization of electronic health records (EHR) has become essential in the daily activities of physicians for documentation and as an information source. However, the amount of time spent by residents utilizing the EHR has not been thoroughly evaluated, particularly within surgical specialties. This study aims to analyze EHR usage by general surgery residents and to assess the association between this use and case volume at a single academic institution. DESIGN: For general surgery residents in clinical years (CY) 1-5, de-identified login and logout time data between September 2016 and June 2017 were retrospectively extracted from the Epic EHR (Verona, WI). A binary time series was created for each resident to indicate and track over time whether he or she was utilizing the EHR system. Comparisons between categorical variables were performed with Fisher's exact test. Continuous variables were compared using Wilcoxon rank sum test. Longitudinal linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the EHR usage among the surgery residents. The association between EHR time and the number of operative cases logged was evaluated with Pearson's correlation coefficient. SETTING: This study was performed by the Department of Surgery in conjunction with the Office of Graduate Medical Education at Duke University Health System. PARTICIPANTS: All active general surgery residents during the 2016-2017 academic year. RESULTS: Thirty-six general surgery residents (28 males, 8 females) spent a median of 2.4 hours per day and 23.7 hours per week using the EHR. CY2 had the highest median usage per week (28.9 hours), while CY3 had the lowest (16.7 hours) but no significant difference based on EHR usage was found among the analyzed CYs (p = 0.164). Residents spent significantly more time logged into the EHR during the week compared to weekends and during the day compared to nights (all p < 0.001). For the residency program as a whole, a median of 151.5 total work hours per day was dedicated to documentation. On average, interns on dedicated night rotations spent 7% of their login time outside regularly scheduled duty hours while interns on dedicated day rotations spent 27%. There was no overall correlation between monthly case logs and EHR usage (r = 0.06, p = 0.30); however, CY2 had a significant negative correlation (r = -0.2, p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: In the era of a maximum 80-hour work week, general surgery residents spend a substantial portion, at least 30%, of their time utilizing the EHR. One third of EHR usage by interns occurred outside the scheduled 12-hour shift, demonstrating the difficulties of completing paperwork as part of the scheduled work day. Additionally, the lack of correlation to case logs is likely due to an underestimation of the documentation burden associated with operating, which includes preparatory effort and operative notes. Ultimately, these quantitative EHR usage results will be correlated to burnout prior to implementing programs to improve efficiency and decrease the burden of charting.

Validation of the Omni: A Novel, Multimodality, and Longitudinal Surgical Skills Assessment.

OBJECTIVE: The breadth of technical skills included in general surgery training continues to expand. The current competency-based training model requires assessment tools to measure acquisition, learning, and mastery of technical skill longitudinally in a reliable and valid manner. This study describes a novel skills assessment tool, the Omni, which evaluates performance in a broad range of skills over time. DESIGN: The 5 Omni tasks, consisting of open bowel anastomosis, knot tying, laparoscopic clover pattern cut, robotic needle drive, and endoscopic bubble pop, were developed by general surgery faculty. Component performance metrics assessed speed, accuracy, and quality, which were scaled into an overall score ranging from 0 to 10 for each task. For each task, ANOVAs with Scheffé's post hoc comparisons and Pearson's chi-squared tests compared performance between 6 resident cohorts (clinical years (CY1-5) and research fellows (RF)). Paired samples t-tests evaluated changes in performance across academic years. Cronbach's alpha coefficient determined the internal consistency of the Omni as an overall assessment. SETTING: The Omni was developed by the Department of Surgery at Duke University. Annual assessment and this research study took place in the Surgical Education and Activities Lab. PARTICIPANTS: All active general surgery residents in 2 consecutive academic years spanning 2015 to 2017. RESULTS: A total of 62 general surgery residents completed the Omni and 39 (67.2%) of those residents completed the assessment in 2 consecutive years. Based on data from all residents' first assessment, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed among CY cohorts for bowel anastomosis, robotic, and laparoscopic task metrics. By pair-wise comparisons, mean bowel anastomosis scores distinguished CY1 from CY3-5 and CY2 from CY5. Mean robotic scores distinguished CY1 from RF, and mean laparoscopic scores distinguished CY1 from RF, CY3, and CY5 in addition to CY2 from CY3. Mean scores in performance on the knot tying and endoscopic tasks were not significantly different. Statistically significant improvement in mean scores was observed for all tasks from year 1 to year 2 (all p < 0.02). The internal consistency analysis revealed an alpha coefficient of 0.656. CONCLUSIONS: The Omni is a novel composite assessment tool for surgical technical skill that utilizes objective measures and scoring algorithms to evaluate performance. In this pilot study, 3 tasks demonstrated discriminative ability of performance by CY, and all 5 tasks demonstrated construct validity by showing longitudinal improvement in performance. Additionally, the Omni has adequate internal consistency for a formative assessment. These results suggest the Omni holds promise for the evaluation of resident technical skill and early identification of outliers requiring intervention.

Robotic Mitral Valve Repair in Older Individuals: An Analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database.

BACKGROUND: National outcomes of robotic mitral valve repair (rMVr) compared with sternotomy (sMVr) in older patients are currently unknown. METHODS: From 2011 to 2014, all patients aged 65 years and older undergoing MVr in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database linked to Medicare claims data were identified. Patients who underwent rMVr were propensity matched to patients who underwent sMVr. Standard differences and falsification outcome of baseline characteristics were tested to ensure a balanced match. Cox models were used to calculate 3-year mortality, heart failure readmission, and mitral valve reintervention, adjusting for competing risks where appropriate. RESULTS: After matching, 503 rMVr patients from 65 centers and 503 sMVr from 251 centers were included. There were no significant differences in comorbidities or falsification outcome. Cardiopulmonary bypass and cross-clamp times were longer with rMVr versus sMVr at 125 versus 102 minutes (p < 0.0001) and 85 versus 75 minutes (p < 0.0001), respectively. The rMVr patients had shorter intensive care unit (27 vs 47 hours, p < 0.0001) and hospital stay (5 vs 6 days, p < 0.0001), less frequent transfusion (21% vs 35%, p < 0.0001), and less atrial fibrillation (28% vs 40%, p < 0.0001). Three-year mortality (hazard ratio, 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 0.68 to 2.16; p = 0.52), heart failure readmission (hazard ratio, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.80 to 2.52, p = 0.10), and mitral valve reintervention (hazard ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.15 to 1.18; p = 0.22) did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The rMVr procedure was associated with less atrial fibrillation, less frequent transfusion requirement, and shorter intensive care unit and hospital stay, without a significant difference in 3-year mortality, heart failure readmission, or mitral valve reintervention. In older patients, rMVr confers short-term advantages without a detriment to midterm outcomes.

Higher Use of Surgery Confers Superior Survival in Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lobar resection is the gold standard therapy for medically fit patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, considerable variability exists in the use of surgical therapy. This study tested the hypothesis that center-based variation in the use of surgical therapy affects survival in NSCLC. METHODS: We queried the National Cancer Database for patients with stage I NSCLC. Mixed-effects multivariable models were developed to establish the per-center adjusted rate of surgical therapy. Patients were stratified into quartiles based on the treating center's adjusted rate of surgical therapy. Survival was estimated and then tested by using Kaplan-Meier and the log-rank test. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were developed to estimate the effect of rate of surgical therapy on overall survival. RESULTS: A total of 139,802 patients met the criteria. There was wide variation in the per-center rate of surgical resection in the highest (80.8%) versus lowest (41.4%, p < 0.001) quartile. Across cohorts, patients were similar in age (mean 68.8 years in the highest quartile versus 69.7 in the lowest quartile) and Charlson-Deyo Score of 2 or greater (15.1% in the highest quartile versus 14.4% in the lowest quartile). Five-year survival was higher for patients treated at high-use centers (52.7% versus 36.7%, p < 0.001). After adjustment, an adjusted rate of surgical therapy in the lowest 25th percentile was associated with lower survival (adjusted hazard ratio 1.40, 95% confidence interval: 1.37 to 1.40, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment at a center with a higher rate of surgical therapy confers a considerable survival advantage, even after adjustment for hospital volume, surgical approach, and other confounders. Targeted efforts to improve adherence to guidelines about provision of surgical therapy in early-stage NSCLC may represent a meaningful opportunity to improve outcomes.

Invasive Mediastinal Staging for Lung Cancer by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database Participants.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies suggest underutilization of invasive mediastinal staging for lung cancer. We hypothesized that The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database (STS-GTSD) participants would have higher rates of invasive staging compared with previous reports. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study (2012 to 2016) of lung cancer patients staged by computed tomography and positron-emission tomography and first treated with an anatomic resection. We defined invasive staging by the use of mediastinoscopy, endosonography, or thoracoscopy. Standardized incidence ratios were used to compare participant-level rates of invasive staging, and Poisson regression was used to identify factors associated with invasive staging. RESULTS: Among 29,015 patients across 256 participating STS-GTSD sites, 34% (95% confidence interval: 33% to 34%) underwent invasive staging. The overall rate of invasive staging did not change between 2012 and 2016 (p trend = 0.16). Increasing clinical stage and features suggestive of a central tumor were associated with invasive staging (p < 0.001). Rates of invasive staging among patients with clinical stage IB or greater or features suggestive of a central tumor were 43% (95% confidence interval: 42% to 44%) and 52% (95% confidence interval: 50% to 54%), respectively. There was a more than 40-fold variation in rates of invasive staging across 251 centers contributing at least 10 cases (standardized incidence ratio: lowest = 0.08; highest = 3.26); 66 sites (26%) performed invasive mediastinal staging less often than average and 77 sites (31%) performed invasive staging more often than average. CONCLUSIONS: The STS-GTSD participants performed invasive mediastinal staging more frequently than prior reports, and yet only in a minority of patients. Rates of invasive mediastinal staging vary widely across STS-GTSD participants.

Outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock and unresponsive neurological state: analysis of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have demonstrated a 20% mortality rate among patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for cardiogenic shock. However, outcomes following CABG for cardiogenic shock in patients who are neurologically unresponsive preoperatively are unknown. METHODS: Utilizing the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database between July 2011 and December 2013, patients undergoing urgent or emergent CABG within 7 days of an acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock were identified. Patients were stratified on the basis of whether they had a non-medically induced unresponsive state within 24 h of surgery. RESULTS: Of the 5259 patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock who underwent CABG during the study period, 243 (4.62%) patients had an unresponsive preoperative neurological state. The unresponsive cohort had a higher 30-day operative mortality than the responsive cohort (33.74% vs 16.91%, P < 0.001). Unresponsive neurological state was associated with increased odds for mortality (adjusted odds ratio 1.81, 95% confidence interval 1.37-2.4; P < 0.001), postoperative stroke (adjusted odds ratio 2.17, 95% confidence interval 1.27-3.73; P = 0.0048) and encephalopathy (adjusted odds ratio 2.08, 95% confidence interval 1.44-3.01; P < 0.001). Among survivors in the unresponsive cohort, 78 (46.15%) were discharged home and 62 (36.69%) were discharged to extended care facilities. CONCLUSIONS: Although cardiac surgery in unresponsive patients in the setting of acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock is associated with considerable neurological disability and mortality, the majority survive to discharge. These findings may help guide patient and family discussions regarding goals of care.