Correlation Between Medical School Performance and Receiving Awards in General Surgery Residency.

IMPORTANCE: It is uncertain whether current measures of achievement during medical school predict exceptional performance during surgical residency. One surrogate of excellence during residency may be awards, especially those given for teaching and annual overall accomplishment. OBJECTIVE: Determine whether markers of superior performance during medical school documented in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application and student record correlated with receiving awards during residency. DESIGN: Data was analyzed from ERAS and student applications of 296 residency graduates. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated. PARTICIPANTS: 296 residency graduates from 14 US general surgery residency programs. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASUREMENTS: The relationship between each residency and preresidency variable and the outcome of receiving any qualifying award. Secondary analysis included the correlation with winning a teaching or annual overall award. RESULTS: Although 140 (48%) residents received an award during residency, only 69 (23.3%) received a teaching award, while 50 (17.6%) received one for annual overall performance. Membership in Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) and honors in pediatrics rotation correlated with receiving any award. USMLE step 1 score and AOA membership reached statistically significant positively correlation with receiving a teaching award, while completing a sub-internship at that institution was negatively associated. For annual overall awards, only completing a sub-internship at the same institution reached statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: None of the traditional metrics in the ERAS or global student record consistently correlated with receiving an award during residency. Our findings suggest that preresidency factors available on the global application, including grades, test scores, and honor society membership, poorly correlate with exceptional general surgery residency performance as measured by receiving awards. Residency programs should shift away from using traditional ERAS metrics as the primary criteria for selection, but rather as 1 component of holistic applicant review.

Practice variation in venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in adolescent trauma patients: A comparative analysis of pediatric, adult, and mixed trauma centers.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescent trauma patients are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). It is unclear whether VTE prophylaxis practice patterns differ across trauma center types. METHODS: The ACS-TQP database was queried for patients aged 12-17 admitted to a pediatric, adult, or mixed level I/II trauma center. VTE prophylaxis was compared between center types. Preplanned subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate guideline adherence. RESULTS: Of 101,010 patients included, 35 â€‹% were treated at a pediatric trauma center (PTC), 43 â€‹% at a mixed trauma center (MTC), and 22 â€‹% at an adult trauma center (ATC). VTE prophylaxis was more common at ATCs and MTCs compared to PTCs (51.0 â€‹% vs 24.9 â€‹% vs 5.0 â€‹%,p â€‹< â€‹0.001). This trend persisted in subgroup analyses of patients aged 16-17 (63.8 â€‹% vs 40.5 â€‹% vs 6.4 â€‹%,p â€‹< â€‹0.001) and with injury severity score greater than 25 (83.8 â€‹% vs 74.0 â€‹% vs 35.1 â€‹%,p â€‹< â€‹0.001). CONCLUSION: VTE prophylaxis is administered more frequently to adolescent trauma patients treated at ATCs and MTCs compared to PTCs despite published guidelines. Prospective studies are needed to assess the clinical utility of VTE prophylaxis in the adolescent trauma population.

Maximizing wound coverage in full-thickness skin defects: A randomized-controlled trial of autologous skin cell suspension and widely meshed autograft versus standard autografting.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic insults, infection, and surgical procedures can leave skin defects that are not amenable to primary closure. Split-thickness skin grafting (STSG) is frequently used to achieve closure of these wounds. Although effective, STSG can be associated with donor site morbidity, compounding the burden of illness in patients undergoing soft tissue reconstruction procedures. With an expansion ratio of 1:80, autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) has been demonstrated to significantly decrease donor skin requirements compared with traditional STSG in burn injuries. We hypothesized that the clinical performance of ASCS would be similar for soft tissue reconstruction of nonburn wounds. METHODS: A multicenter, within-patient, evaluator-blinded, randomized-controlled trial was conducted of 65 patients with acute, nonthermal, full-thickness skin defects requiring autografting. For each patient, two treatment areas were randomly assigned to concurrently receive a predefined standard-of-care meshed STSG (control) or ASCS + more widely meshed STSG (ASCS+STSG). Coprimary endpoints were noninferiority of ASCS+STSG for complete treatment area closure by Week 8, and superiority for relative reduction in donor skin area. RESULTS: At 8 weeks, complete closure was observed for 58% of control areas compared with 65% of ASCS+STSG areas (p = 0.005), establishing noninferiority of ASCS+STSG. On average, 27.4% less donor skin was required with ASCS+ STSG, establishing superiority over control (p < 0.001). Clinical healing (≥95% reepithelialization) was achieved in 87% and 85% of Control and ASCS+STSG areas, respectively, at 8 weeks. The treatment approaches had similar long-term scarring outcomes and safety profiles, with no unanticipated events and no serious ASCS device-related events. CONCLUSION: ASCS+STSG represents a clinically effective and safe solution to reduce the amount of skin required to achieve definitive closure of full-thickness defects without compromising healing, scarring, or safety outcomes. This can lead to reduced donor site morbidity and potentially decreased cost associated with patient care.Clincaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04091672. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management; Level I.

Faculty Scoring of General Surgery Residency Interviewees: A Comparison of In-Person and Virtual Interview Formats.

OBJECTIVE: With new rules regarding social distancing and non-essential travel bans, we sought to determine if faculty scoring of general surgery applicants would differ between the in-person interview (IPI) and virtual interview (VI) platforms. DESIGN: A single institution, retrospective review comparing faculty evaluation scores of applicant interviewees in the 2019 and 2020 MATCH® application cycles (IPIs) and the 2021 and 2022 application cycle (VIs) was conducted. Faculty scored applicants using a 5-point Likert scale in 7 areas of assessment and assigned each student to 1 of 4 tiers (tier 1 highest). A composite score for the 7 assessments (maximum score 35) was calculated. Mean and composite scores and tiers were compared between VI and IPI cycles and adjusted for within-interviewer correlations. The variance of the 2 groups were also compared. SETTING: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, an academic, tertiary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: General Surgery applicants for the 2019 to 2022 MATCH® application cycles. RESULTS: Four hundred forty-one faculty IPI ratings of General Surgery applicants were compared to 531VI ratings. No difference in mean composite scores, individual assessments, or tier ranking. Less variance was identified in the VI group for academic credentials (0.6 vs 0.6, p = 0.01), strength of letters (0.7 vs 0.4, p = 0.005), communication skills (0.4 vs 0.6, p = 0.01), personal qualities (0.2 vs 0.5, p = 0.02), overall sense of fit for program (0.6 vs 0.9, p = 0.01), and tier ranking (0.3 vs 0.4, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Faculty ratings of General Surgery applicants in the VI format appear to be similar to IPI. However, faculty ratings of VI applicants demonstrated less variability in scores in most assessments. This finding is potentially concerning, as it may suggest an inability of VI to detect subtle differences between applicants as comparted to IPI.

Should Robotic Surgery Training Become a General Surgery Residency Requirement? A National Survey of Program Directors in Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) accounts for 15% of general surgery (GS) operations performed and is set to grow in prevalence. Currently, there are no training requirements or standard robotic curricula for GS residents. This study aimed to query GS program directors (PDs) on the necessity, extent, and potential impact of including RAS as a required component of residency training. DESIGN: Analysis of responses to a 14-question web-based survey. SETTING: Survey was distributed to PDs via the Association of Program Directors in Surgery listserv in April and May 2021. PARTICIPANTS: General surgery program directors RESULTS: Among 140 respondents, 110 (78.6%) agreed that operating at the robotic console should be a GS residency requirement, yet 93 (66.4%) indicated that RAS exposure negatively impacts the acquisition of other necessary skills. Still, 116 (82.9%) agreed that RAS training provided a net benefit to GS residents, PDs at academic programs were more supportive than those at independent programs of RAS console training requirements (68.2% versus 46.7%, p = 0.048). The median response to the ideal proportion of abdominopelvic cases performed by graduation was 20% robotic, 40% laparoscopic, and 35% open. The suggested minimum number of robotic cases that should be performed by graduation was indicated to be 30 cases by 26% of respondents, 20 by 23%, 10 by 12%, 5 by 4%, and "no minimum" by 36%. CONCLUSIONS: There is strong interest among PDs to institute RAS training requirements for GS residents. This study provides PD perspectives to help inform national conversations on whether and to what extent RAS requirements should be included in GS residency training.

AAST multicenter prospective analysis of prehospital tourniquet use for extremity trauma.

BACKGROUND: Tourniquet use for extremity hemorrhage control has seen a recent increase in civilian usage. Previous retrospective studies demonstrated that tourniquets improve outcomes for major extremity trauma (MET). No prospective study has been conducted to date. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes in MET patients with prehospital tourniquet use. We hypothesized that prehospital tourniquet use in MET decreases the incidence of patients arriving to the trauma center in shock. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively for adult patients with MET at 26 Level I and 3 Level II trauma centers from 2015 to 2020. Limbs with tourniquets applied in the prehospital setting were included in the tourniquet group and limbs without prehospital tourniquets were enrolled in the control group. RESULTS: A total of 1,392 injured limbs were enrolled with 1,130 tourniquets, including 962 prehospital tourniquets. The control group consisted of 262 limbs without prehospital tourniquets and 88 with tourniquets placed upon hospital arrival. Prehospital improvised tourniquets were placed in 42 patients. Tourniquets effectively controlled bleeding in 87.7% of limbs. Tourniquet and control groups were similarly matched for demographics, Injury Severity Score, and prehospital vital signs (p > 0.05). Despite higher limb injury severity, patients in the tourniquet group were less likely to arrive in shock compared with the control group (13.0% vs. 17.4%, p = 0.04). The incidence of limb complications was not significantly higher in the tourniquet group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study is the first prospective analysis of prehospital tourniquet use for civilian extremity trauma. Prehospital tourniquet application was associated with decreased incidence of arrival in shock without increasing limb complications. We found widespread tourniquet use, high effectiveness, and a low number of improvised tourniquets. This study provides further evidence that tourniquets are being widely and safely adopted to improve outcomes in civilians with MET. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management; Level IV.

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Is Safe in Emergency General Surgery Patients with Cirrhosis.

Cirrhosis is associated with adverse outcomes after emergency general surgery (EGS). The objective of this study was to determine the safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in EGS patients with cirrhosis. We performed a two-year retrospective cohort analysis of adult patients who underwent LC for symptomatic gallstones. The primary outcome was the incidence of intraoperative complications. Of 796 patients, 59 (7.4%) were cirrhotic, with a median model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score of 15 (IQR, 7). On unadjusted analysis, patients with cirrhosis were older, more likely to be male (both P < 0.01), diabetic (P < 0.001), had a higher incidence of preadmission antithrombotic therapy use (P < 0.02), and experienced a longer time to surgery (3.2 vs 1.8 days, P < 0.001). Coarsened exact matching revealed no difference in intra- or postoperative complications between groups (P = 0.67). Operative duration was longer in patients with cirrhosis (162 vs 114 minutes, P = 0.001), who also had a nonsignificant increase in the rate of conversion to an open cholecystectomy (14% vs 4%, P = 0.07). The results of this study indicate that LC may be safely performed in EGS patients with cirrhosis.

Narrowed pulse pressure predicts massive transfusion and emergent operative intervention following penetrating trauma.

INTRODUCTION: The early identification of hemorrhagic shock may be challenging. The objective of this study was to examine the utility of a narrowed pulse pressure in identifying the need for emergent interventions following penetrating trauma. METHODS: In this 2.5-year retrospective study of adult patients with a penetrating mechanism, patients with a narrowed pulse pressure (<30 mmHg) were compared to those without. Main outcomes measures were the need for a massive transfusion or emergent operation. RESULTS: There were 957 patients, of which the majority were male (86%) and 55% presented with gunshot wounds. On multivariate analysis, a narrowed pulse pressure was associated with the need for massive transfusion (OR 3.74, 95% C.I. 1.8-7.7, p = 0.0003) and emergent surgery (OR 1.68, 95% C.I. 1.14-2.48, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: A narrowed pulse pressure is associated with the presence of hemorrhagic shock and need for emergent interventions among patients with penetrating torso trauma.

Can Deficiencies in Performance Be Identified Earlier in Surgical Residency? An Initial Report of a Surgical Trainee Assessment of Readiness Exam.

OBJECTIVE: Identifying gaps in medical knowledge, patient management, and procedural competence is difficult early in surgical residency. We designed and implemented an end-of-year examination for our postgraduate year 1 residents, entitled Surgical Trainee Assessment of Readiness (STAR). Our objective in this study was to determine whether STAR scores correlated with other available indicators of resident performance, such as the American Board of Surgery in-training exam (ABSITE) and Milestone scores, and if they provided evidence of additional discriminatory value. STUDY DESIGN: Overall and component scores of the STAR exam were compared to the ABSITE and Milestone assessment scores for the 17 categorical residents that took the exam in 2016 and 2017. SETTING: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a university-affiliated academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen categorical general surgery residents. RESULTS: The STAR Total Test Score (ß = 2.77, p = 0.006) was an independent predictor of the ABSITE taken the same year, and components of the STAR were independent predictors of ABSITE taken the following year. The STAR Total Test Score was lowest in the 3 residents who had at least 1 low Milestone score assessed in the same year; and 2 of these 3 residents had at least 1 low Milestone score assigned the next year after STAR. Lastly, the Patient Care 1 and 2 Milestones assessed in the same year as STAR were uniformly scored as appropriate for level of training, yet the corresponding STAR component for those milestones demonstrated 3 residents as having deficiencies. CONCLUSIONS: We have created a multifaceted standardized STAR exam, which correlates with performance on the ABSITE and early milestone scores. It also appears to discriminate resident performance where milestone assessments do not. Further evaluation of the STAR exam with longer term follow-up is needed to confirm these initial findings.

Anti-Xa-guided enoxaparin thromboprophylaxis reduces rate of deep venous thromboembolism in high-risk trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains undefined. This study evaluated an anti-Xa-guided enoxaparin thromboprophylaxis (TPX) protocol on the incidence of VTE in high-risk trauma patients based on Greenfield's Risk Assessment Profile (RAP) score. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study of patients admitted to a trauma intensive care unit over a 12-month period. Patients were included if they received anti-Xa-guided enoxaparin TPX. Dosage was adjusted to a prophylactic peak anti-Xa level of 0.2 to 0.4 IU/mL. Subgroup analysis was performed on high-risk patients (RAP score ≥10) who received lower-extremity duplex ultrasound surveillance for deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Data are expressed as mean ± SD. Significance was assessed at p < 0.05. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-one patients received anti-Xa-guided enoxaparin TPX. Four patients were excluded for age or acute VTE on admission. Fifty-six patients with RAP score of ≥10 and surveillance duplex evaluations were included in the subgroup analysis with mean age 43 ± 20 years, Injury Severity Score of 25 ± 10, and RAP score of 16 ± 4. Prophylactic anti-Xa levels were initially achieved in 34.6% of patients. An additional 25.2% required 40 to 60 mg twice daily to reach prophylactic levels; 39.4% never reached prophylactic levels. Weight, body mass index, ISS, and RAP score were significantly higher with subprophylactic anti-Xa levels. One patient developed bleeding complications (0.8%). No patient developed intracerebral bleeding or heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.Nine VTE events occurred in the high-risk subgroup, including four DVT (7.1%), all asymptomatic, and five pulmonary emboli (8.9%). The historical rate of DVT in similar patients (ISS 31 ± 12 and RAP score 16 ± 5) was 20.5%, a significant decrease (p = 0.031). Mean chest Abbreviated Injury Scale scores were significantly higher for patients developing pulmonary emboli than DVT, 3.0 ± 1.1 vs. 0.0 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Mean chest Abbreviated Injury Scale score was higher in patients developing pulmonary embolism. Increased weight, body mass index, ISS, and RAP score are associated with subprophylactic anti-Xa levels. Anti-Xa-guided enoxaparin dosing reduced the rate of DVT from 20.5% to 7.1% in high-risk trauma patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level IV.