Frequency of Adequate Endometrial Biopsy in Evaluation of Postmenopausal Women With Benign Endometrial Cells on Pap Test.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the frequency that endometrial biopsies (EMBs) performed on postmenopausal (PMP) women with benign endometrial cells (BECs) on Pap test are adequate for assessing malignancy or hyperplasia. METHODS: This is a case series including all PMP women older than 55 years at a single academic institution between January 2008 and September 2015 with a Pap test result including BEC. Patients were identified via an internal cytology database. Patient data, the ability to obtain an EMB, and the result of the EMB were collected. An adequate EMB was defined as the presence of glands and stroma sufficient to assess for endometrial hyperplasia and/or malignancy. Descriptive statistics were performed, and then univariable and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate associations of patient factors and adequacy of EMB. RESULTS: One hundred sixteen women met inclusion criteria. One hundred seven had an EMB scheduled (92%) and of those 91 EMBs were obtained (85%). Of the obtained biopsies, 63 were inadequate to rule out the diagnosis of hyperplasia and/or malignancy (69%). Of these, 19 patients underwent pelvic ultrasound (30%), 12 followed up with repeat Pap test (19%), and 4 underwent dilation and curettage (6%). Of the adequate biopsies, 5 had a diagnosis of hyperplasia (18%) and 5 with malignancy (18%). CONCLUSIONS: In PMP women with BEC on Pap test, adequate EMB was only obtained in 31% of patients. Most patients without an adequate biopsy had no further workup of their abnormal Pap test.

The Association Between Medicolegal and Professional Concerns and Chest Pain Admission Rates.

OBJECTIVES: For patients in whom acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a concern, disposition decisions are complex and multifactorial and have traditionally been a source of considerable variation. An important factor in disposition decisions for these patients may be physician-perceived medicolegal risk and related professional concerns. The study aim was to determine, at the point of care, how much less frequently physicians report that they would admit possible ACS patients if there was either zero or a defined medicolegal risk. METHODS: This was a point-of-care emergency physician survey. Research assistants approached physicians at or immediately following the moment of disposition decisions for patients who were being admitted for ACS. The primary outcome measures were the proportion of physicians reporting that patients would not have been admitted if medicolegal issues were of no concern and the proportion of physicians reporting that patients would not have been admitted if there was an "acceptable miss rate" of 1% to 2% for ACS patients. RESULTS: During the 3-month study period, 576 patients were admitted to an inpatient unit or to the ED observation protocol. Physicians were approached in 271 cases, and 259 surveys were completed. When presented with hypothetical zero medicolegal risk, physicians answered that they would not have admitted the patients in 30% of cases. With a hypothetical 1% to 2% acceptable miss rate, physicians indicated that they would not have admitted the patients in 29% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: ED medicolegal and professional concerns may substantially increase admissions for possible ACS. An acceptable miss rate or a zero medicolegal risk environment could potentially lead to a major reduction in admissions that physicians feel to be clinically unnecessary.

Surgical repair of ileovesical fistulas: long-term complications, quality of life, and patient satisfaction.

Ileovesical fistulas (IVFs) are an uncommon complication of Crohn's disease. The aim of this study is to compare long-term surgical outcomes, assess quality of life, and quantify patient satisfaction after IVF repair. A retrospective chart review followed by a prospective survey was carried out. Survey questions focused on patient satisfaction and quality of life after repair of IVF. Fifty-one patients were identified from an administrative database. Mean follow-up was 4.3 years with a response rate of 51 per cent. At the time of the study, 0 per cent mortality and 16 per cent morbidity were recorded. No recurrence was noted. There was no statistical significance in incidence of complications between laparoscopic and open surgery. Statistically significant differences in single-stage versus multistage operations were found in postoperative day of discharge (P < 0.001) and patient satisfaction (P = 0.049). Ninety-eight per cent of patients reported extreme satisfaction with their surgery and an improvement in quality of life. A low incidence of morbidity and recurrence supports early surgical intervention in IVFs.