Shared decision-making for postoperative opioid prescribing and preoperative pain management education decreases excess opioid burden.

INTRODUCTION: Managing postoperative pain requires an individualized approach in order to balance adequate pain control with risk of persistent opioid use and narcotic abuse associated with inappropriately outsized narcotic prescriptions. Shared decision-making has been proposed to address individual pain management needs. We report here the results of a quality improvement initiative instituting prescribing guidelines using shared decision-making and preoperative pain expectation and management education to decrease excess opioid pills after surgery and improve patient satisfaction. METHODS: Pre-intervention prescribing habits were obtained by retrospective review perioperative pharmacy records for patients undergoing general surgeries in the 24 months prior to initiation of intervention. Patients scheduled to undergo General Surgery procedures were given a survey at their preoperative visit. Preoperative education was performed by the surgical team as a part of the Informed Consent process using a standardized handout and patients were asked to choose the number of narcotic pills they wished to obtain within prescribing recommendations. Postoperative surveys were administered during or after their 2-week postoperative visit. RESULTS: 131 patients completed pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys. The average prescription size decreased from 12.29 oxycodone pills per surgery prior to institution of pathway to 6.80 pills per surgery after institution of pathway (p < 0.001). The percentage of unused pills after surgery decreased from an estimated 70.5% pre-intervention to 48.5% (p < 0.001) post-intervention. 61.1% of patients with excess pills returned or planned to return medication to the pharmacy with 16.8% of patients reporting alternative disposal of excess medication. Patient-reported satisfaction was higher with current surgery compared to prior surgeries (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Institution of procedure-specific prescribing recommendations and preoperative pain management education using shared decision-making between patient and provider decreases opioid excess burden, resulting in fewer unused narcotic pills entering the community. Furthermore, allowing patients to participate in decision-making with their provider results in increased patient satisfaction.

Racial disparity in survival from early breast cancer in the department of defense healthcare system.

BACKGROUND: Racial disparity is often identified as a factor in survival from breast cancer in the United States. Current data regarding survival in patients treated in the Department of Defense Military Healthcare System is lacking. METHODS: The Department of Defense Automated Central Tumor Registry (ACTUR) was queried for all women diagnosed with Stage I or II breast cancer from January 1, 1996 through December 31, 2008. Statistical analyses evaluated demographics, surgical treatment, tumor stage, and survival rates. RESULTS: There were 8,890 patients meeting inclusion criteria. Patients who were younger, Asian American (versus white or black), lower T and/or N stage had significantly improved survival rates. Interestingly, white and black patients demonstrated similar survival in this study. Patients with a longer period of time between diagnosis and treatment had no decrement in survival. As would be expected, patients with a longer recurrence free period enjoyed longer survival. CONCLUSIONS: Survival from early stage breast cancer is equivalent between white and black patients in the Department of Defense Healthcare System. This finding is contrary to reports from our civilian counterparts and may be indicative of improved access to care and overall improved cancer surveillance.

Institutional Improvement in Weight Loss after Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a recent addition to the bariatric surgery armamentarium. It has been demonstrated to be an efficacious stand-alone bariatric procedure in regard to weight loss. This study evaluates the progress of our initial experience with LSG. Retrospective review of prospective data from 2008 to 2010. Compared data between our first operative year of experience with LSG (2008) and our third year of experience (2010). Data compared for up to three years postoperatively. End points were percentage of excess body weight loss (%EWL) and percentage of excess body mass index loss (%EBL). Institutional improvement in %EWL and %EBL rates as our collective experience increased with LSG. Mean increase in %EWL of 14 per cent and mean increase of %EBL of 22 per cent. In our first year performing LSG the institutional weight loss was <50 per cent EWL, which is often cited as a benchmark level for "success" after bariatric surgery. By our third year of experience with LSG we achieved an institutional weight loss >50 per cent EWL. Institutional improvement in weight loss results with LSG as the collective experience increased. Several factors could have contributed to this observation to include a surgical mentorship program and the institution of formal nutritional education. This study demonstrates that institutional experience is a significant factor in weight loss results with LSG.

Does Preoperative Weight Change Predict Postoperative Weight Loss After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy?

Background: Some institutions and insurance companies mandate a preoperative weight loss regimen prior to bariatric surgery. Previous studies suggest little to no correlation between preoperative and postoperative weight loss for laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RNYGB). This study examined the impact of preoperative weight change for patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients undergoing LSG at the authors' institution from 2010 to 2012. Patients were grouped based on preoperative weight gain or loss. The correlation between preoperative BMI change and postoperative BMI change was studied, as well as length of surgery. Results: Of 141 patients with 1-year follow-up, 72 lost, six maintained, and 64 gained weight preoperatively. Percentage of excess BMI loss at 1 year was not statistically different between those who lost weight and those who gained weight. Percent change in BMI from initial visit to surgery does not correlate with change in BMI at 1 year postoperatively or with length of surgery. Conclusions: Preoperative weight loss is not a reliable predictor of postoperative weight loss or shorter operative time after LSG. Potential patients who otherwise meet indications for LSG should not be denied based on inability to lose weight.