Scaling up Surgical Capacity in Kenya: The Kenya Hospital Assessment Tool (K-HAT).

INTRODUCTION: Although substantial progress has been achieved to bring surgical care to the forefront of global health discussions, a number of low-and middle-income countries are still in the process of developing a National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthesia Plan (NSOAP). This paper describes the initial step toward the development of the NSOAP through the creation of the Kenya National Hospital Assessment Tool (K-HAT). METHODS: A study protocol was developed by a multisectoral collaborative group that represented the pillars of surgical capacity development in Kenya. The K-HAT was adapted from two World Health Organization (WHO) tools: the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment tool and the Situational Analysis Tool. The survey tool was deployed on Open Data Kit, an open-source electronic encrypted database. This new locally adapted tool was pilot tested in three hospitals in Kenya and subsequently deployed in Level 4 facilities. RESULTS: Eighty-nine questions representing over 800 data points divided into six WHO Health Systems Strengthening sections comprised the K-HAT which was deployed to over 95% of Level 4 hospitals in Kenya. When compared to the WHO Service Availability and Readiness Assessment tool, the K-HAT collected more detailed information. The pilot test team reported that K-HAT was easy to administer, easily understood by the respondents, and that it took approximately 1 hour to collect data from each facility. CONCLUSIONS: The K-HAT collected comprehensive information that can be used to develop Kenya's NSOAP.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Global Neuroma Incidence in Upper Extremity Amputees.

BACKGROUND: Neuromas substantially decrease a patient's quality of life and obstruct the use of prosthetics. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the global incidence of neuroma formation in upper extremity amputees. METHODS: A literature search was performed using 3 databases: Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Cochrane. Inclusion criteria for the systematic review were those studies investigating only upper extremity amputees and reported postamputation neuroma. A random-effects, inverse-variance analysis was conducted to determine the pooled proportion of neuromas within the upper extremity amputation population. Critical appraisal using the JBI Checklist for Studies Reporting Prevalence Data of each individual article were performed for the systematic review. RESULTS: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria collating a total of 1931 patients across 8 countries. More than three-fourth of patients are young men (77%; age range, 19-54 years) and had an amputation due to trauma. The random-effects analysis found the pooled combined proportion of neuromas to be 13% (95% confidence interval, 8%-18%). The treatment of neuroma is highly variable, with some patients receiving no treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The pooled proportion of neuroma incidence in the 1931 patients was 13%. With the known global prevalence of upper extremity amputees, this translates to nearly 3 million amputees suffering from a neuroma globally. Increasing training in preventative surgical methods could contribute to lowering this incidence and improving the outcomes of this patient population.

Addressing Current Deficits in Patient Education Materials Through Crowdsourcing.

BACKGROUND: Patient education materials are commonly reported to be difficult to understand. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to use crowdsourcing to improve patient education materials at our institution. METHODS: This was a department-wide quality improvement project to increase organizational health literacy. There are 6 phases of this pilot study: (1) evaluating preexisting patient education materials, (2) evaluating online patient education materials at the society (the American Society of Plastic Surgeon) and government level (Medline Plus), (3) redesigning our patient education material and reevaluating the education material, (4) crowdsourcing to evaluate understandability of the new patient education material, (5) data analysis, and (6) incorporating crowdsourcing suggestions to the patient education material. RESULTS: Breast-related patient education materials are not easy to read at the institution level, the society level, and the government level. Our new implant-based breast reconstruction patient education material is easy to read as demonstrated by the crowdsourcing evaluation. More than 90% of the participants reported our material is "very easy to understand" or "easy to understand." The crowdsourcing process took 1.5 days, with 700 workers responding to the survey. The total cost was $9. After incorporating participants' feedback into the finalized material, the readability of the material is at the recommended reading level. The material also had the recommended length (between 400 and 800 words). DISCUSSION: Our study demonstrated a pathway for clinicians to efficiently obtain a large amount of feedback to improve patient education materials. Crowdsourcing is an effective tool to improve organizational health literacy.

Reduced Access to Acute Hand Care and Potential Role of Telemedicine in Tennessee During the COVID Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have identified that there is limited, although expanding, access to acute hand care in Tennessee. Because of the rapid changes that occurred in health delivery and access during the coronavirus disease pandemic, we reassessed access to acute hand care, with particular interest in the utilization of telemedicine to assess if this increased access. METHOD: We surveyed Tennessee hospitals listed by the Tennessee Hospital Association on their management of hand trauma and availability of telemedicine programs. Census data including population demographics such as race, age, income, and county size were merged with the survey data. Descriptive analysis was performed comparing the 2021 cohort with the historic 2018 cohort and between counties that had hand care versus counties that had no hand care. RESULT: Survey response rate was 71.4% (n = 80 of 112). Telemedicine was used in 80% of the hospitals for other specialties but was not used for hand care. Overall, counties that offered hand trauma care reduced from 60% to 26% from 2018 to 2021 ( P < 0.001). This change was associated with a significant reduction of acute hand care among counties that were classified micropolitan (from 56.3% to 6.7%, P < 0.01). Percentage of hand specialists on staff and 24/7 specialists availability remained low and were similar to the availability in 2018. CONCLUSIONS: There was a decrease of acute hand care access in Tennessee during the coronavirus disease pandemic despite widespread utilization of telemedicine for other specialty consults. Expansion of telemedicine in acute hand care, targeted to micropolitan areas, may help to reduce variability in access to care.

Patterns of Perioperative Hormone Therapy for Gender-Affirming Surgery.

INTRODUCTION: There is no consensus regarding perioperative hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for gender-affirming surgery (GAS). Common concerns for continuing perioperative HRT included risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or hematoma. However, discontinuing HRT is not risk free and may cause mood swing or increased anxiety. Our study aimed to investigate current patterns of HRT before GAS worldwide. METHODS: The first stage of Delphi technique was implemented by sending a 27-item survey to all surgeons (total n = 150; 94 plastic surgeon, 35 urologist, and 21 gynecologists) of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health who perform GAS. Survey themes included the hormone type, duration, and usage of DVT prophylaxis. RESULTS: Overall survey response rate was 34% (total n = 51; 8 urologists, 35 plastic surgeons, and 8 gynecologists). The majority of surgeons are US-based (n = 39, 76%). The most common HRTs are in injection form (n = 28, 55%). The majority of surgeons do not stop HRT before GAS and do provide DVT prophylaxis to all patients <1 week after GAS. The most common procedure that surgeons discontinue HRT is feminizing bottom surgery (43%). For surgeons who discontinue HRT before GAS, there is a wide variation on discontinuation schedule. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable variation in perioperative HRT patterns for GAS. Further research is needed to develop a data-driven consensus guideline to provide high quality of care for transgender and nonbinary patients.

In-Vivo MRI in Rodents: A Protocol for Optimal Animal Positioning.

ABSTRACT: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a potentially powerful novel peripheral nerve diagnosis technique. To determine its validity, in-vivo preclinical studies are necessary. However, when using a rodent model, positioning rats and achieving high-resolution images can be challenging. We present a short report that outlines an optimal protocol for positioning rats for in-vivo MRI acquisition. Female Sprague-Dawley rats with sciatic nerve injury were induced into anesthesia using 4% isoflurane in oxygen and maintained at 1.5%. Rats were placed into a plexiglass cradle in a right lateral recumbent position, and a surface coil was placed over the left leg. Respiration rate and body temperature were monitored throughout the scan. Our protocol was successful as rats were able to undergo MRI scanning safely and efficiently. There were no adverse reactions, and clear images of the left sciatic nerve were obtained. Animal positioning took 30 minutes, and 5 different acquisitions were obtained in 2 hours. The total time from anesthesia induction to recovery was under 3 hours. Given the increasing interest in MRI diagnostic techniques, we hope this report aids other researchers studying peripheral nerve injury imaging in rat models.

Amputated Digit Replantations: Critical Digit Ischemia Timing, Temperature, and Other Predictors of Survival.

INTRODUCTION: A common consideration for replantation success is the ischemia time following injury and the preservation temperature. A classic principle within the hand surgery community describes 12 hours of warm ischemia and 24 hours of cold ischemia as the upper limits for digit replantation; however, these limits are largely anecdotal and based on older studies. We aimed to compare survival data from the large body of literature to aid surgeons and all those involved in the replantation process in hopes of optimizing success rates. METHODS: The PubMed database was queried on April 4th, 2023, for articles that included data on digit replantation survival in terms of temperature of preservation and ischemia time. All primary outcomes were analyzed with the Mantel-Haenszel method within a random effects model. Secondary outcomes were pooled and analyzed using the chi-square statistic. Statistical analysis and forest plot generation were completed with RevMan 5.4 software with odds ratios calculated within a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis identified that digits preserved in cold ischemia for over 12 hours had significantly higher odds of replantation success than the amputated digits replanted with 0-12 hours of warm ischemia time ( P ≤ 0.05). The odds of survival in the early (0-6 hours) replantation group were around 40% greater than the later (6-12 hours) replantation group ( P ≤ 0.05). Secondary outcomes that were associated with higher survival rates included a clean-cut amputation, increased venous and arterial anastomosis, a repair that did not require a vein graft, and replants performed in nonsmokers ( P ≤ 0.05). DISCUSSION: Overall, these findings suggest that when predicting digit replantation success, time is of the essence when the digit has yet to be preserved in a cold environment. This benefit, however, is almost completely diminished when the amputated digit is appropriately maintained in a cold environment soon after injury. In conclusion, our results suggest that there is potential for broadening the ischemia time limits for digit replant survival outlined in the literature, particularly for digits that have been stored correctly in cold ischemia.

Assessment of x-ray efficacy for intraoperative microneedle retrieval using a cadaveric model.

INTRODUCTION: Institutional protocols often mandate the use of x-rays when a microneedle is lost intraoperatively. Although x-rays can reliably show a macroneedle, the benefit of x-rays in detecting microneedles in human tissues has not been established as available data on this topic are investigated in anthropometric models. The current study aims to evaluate whether x-rays can reliably detect retained microneedles in a human cadaveric model. We hypothesize that microneedles would be detected at a significantly lower rate than macroneedles by x-ray in human tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Needles ranging from 4-0 to 10-0 were placed randomly throughout a cadaveric hand and foot. Each tissue sample was x-rayed using a Fexitron X-Ray machine, taking both anteroposterior and lateral views. A total of six x-ray images were then evaluated by 11 radiologists, independently. The radiologists circled over the area where they visualized a needle. The accuracy of detecting macroneedles (size 4-0 to 7-0) was compared with that of microneedles (size 8-0 to 10-0) using a chi-square test. RESULTS: The overall detection rate for the microneedles was significantly lower than the detection rate for macroneedles (13.5% vs 88.8%, p < .01). When subcategorized between the hand and the foot, the detection rate for microneedles was also significantly lower than the rate for macroneedles (hand: 7.6% for microneedles, 93.2% for macroneedles, p < .01; foot: 19.5% for microneedles, 84.4% for macroneedles, p < .01). The detection rate, in general, significantly decreased as the sizes of needles became smaller (7-0:70.5%, 8-0:18.2%, 9-0:16.7%, 10-0:2.3%, p < .01). CONCLUSION: X-rays, while useful in detecting macroneedles, had a significantly lower rate of detecting microneedles in a cadaveric model. The routine use of x-rays for a lost microneedle may not be beneficial. Further investigation with fresh tissue and similar intraoperative x-ray systems is warranted to corroborate and support these findings.

Easing the Burden on Caregivers- Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Physicians and Caregivers of Children with Cleft Lip and Palate.

OBJECTIVE: Many caregivers of children with cleft lip and palate experience a high level of anxiety throughout their child's medical and surgical care. We aim to evaluate artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to mitigate these feelings and can aid clinicians in the development of robust pediatric educational materials for caregivers and families. DESIGN: Thirteen of the most common postoperative questions following cleft lip and/or palate repair were developed by an expert panel of senior Pediatric Plastic Surgeons and were posed to ChatGPT. Professional answers from the expert panel were provided and compared to responses from ChatGPT. A literature review was also conducted to generate a new support model for caregivers with children undergoing a surgical procedure. SETTING: Department of Pediatric Plastic Surgery at a metropolitan Children's Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Senior Pediatric Plastic Surgeons at a metropolitan Children's Hospital. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The primary outcome was to determine the ability of ChatGPT to respond to common postoperative questions and to develop a model for AI assistance in family-centered perioperative care. RESULTS: ChatGPT had a postoperative question response accuracy rate of 69% when compared with subject matter expert responses, with its greatest errors being information errors. An extensive literature search revealed that AI can assist in multiple traditional perioperative strategies to reduce caregivers and patient anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Artificial Intelligence can help to reduce the burden of generating patient education materials as well as support caregivers in multiple aspects and perioperative care.

Complications and Risks Associated With the Different Types of Abdominoplasties: An Analysis of 55,956 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Different types of abdominoplasties have been developed to address individual patient characteristics. However, an analysis of complication rates and risk factors for different types of abdominoplasties has yet to be reported. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the complication rates and risks associated with each type of abdominoplasty. METHODS: Utilizing the CosmetAssure database, patients undergoing an abdominoplasty from 2015 to 2022 were identified. Demographic factors and major complications were recorded and analyzed with a chi-square test or analysis of variance. A logistic regression was performed to identify the risk for developing complications associated with each type of abdominoplasty. RESULTS: A total of 55,596 patients underwent an abdominoplasty procedure by any method. The overall complication rate was 2.1%. There was a significant difference in the overall complication rates of all 7 types of abdominoplasties (P < .05), with fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty having the highest complication rate. The year of surgery, being underweight or morbidly obese, having diabetes, and being male placed patients at a significantly higher risk for developing a postoperative complication. Over 15,000 patients (27.2%) had concurrent procedures related to breast surgery, other body contouring, liposuction, or facial surgery. When accounting for various risk factors in a regression model, there was no significant added risk for major complications after a combination procedure with an abdominoplasty compared to abdominoplasty alone. CONCLUSIONS: Among the different types of abdominoplasties, a fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty has the highest complication rate. Concurrent cosmetic procedures with an abdominoplasty showed no added risk for major complications when compared to abdominoplasty alone.

Post-mastectomy Breast Reconstruction With Gas vs Saline Tissue Expanders: Does the Fill Type Matter?

The most common reconstruction technique following mastectomy is a 2-stage technique that involves tissue expansion followed by definitive implant-based reconstruction (IBR). Tissue expanders (TEs) have classically used saline for initial fill; however, TEs with an initial gas fill (GTE)-including the CO2-based AeroForm (AirXpanders, San Francisco, CA) TE and TEs initially filled with atmospheric air-have been increasingly used in the past decade. We aimed to compare the outcomes in breast reconstruction for tissue expanders initially filled with saline vs gas. PubMed was queried for studies comparing gas- and saline-filled tissue expanders (STEs) used in IBR. A meta-analysis was performed on major postoperative outcomes and the required expansion and definitive reconstruction time. Eleven studies were selected and included in the analysis. No significant differences existed between tissue expansion with GTEs vs STEs for 11 of the 13 postoperative outcomes investigated. Out of the complications investigated, only the risk of infection/cellulitis/abscess formation was significantly lower in the GTE cohort (odds ratio 0.62; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.82; P = .0009). The time to definitive reconstruction was also significantly lower in the GTE cohort (mean difference [MD], 45.85 days; 95% CI, -57.80 to -33.90; P < .00001). The total time to full expansion approached significance in the GTE cohort (MD, -20.33 days; 95% CI, -41.71 to 1.04; P = .06). A cost analysis considering TE cost and infection risk determined that GTE use saved a predicted $2055.34 in overall healthcare costs. Surgical outcomes for both fill types were predominantly similar; however, GTEs were associated with a significantly decreased risk of postoperative infection compared to saline-filled TEs. GTEs could also reduce healthcare expenditures and require less time until definitive reconstruction after placement.

Complication Profiles of Smooth vs Textured Tissue Expanders in Breast Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma first linked with breast implants in 2011. The correlation between BIA-ALCL and textured devices has led to increased use of smooth devices. However, much of the data surrounding smooth and textured devices investigates breast implants specifically and not tissue expanders. OBJECTIVES: We performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis to compare surgical outcomes for smooth tissue expanders (STEs) and textured tissue expanders (TTEs). METHODS: A search was performed on PubMed, including articles from 2016 to 2023 (n = 419). Studies comparing TTEs and STEs and reported complications were included. A random-effects model was utilized for meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 5 articles met inclusion criteria, representing 1709 patients in the STE cohort and 1716 patients in the TTE cohort. The mean duration of tissue expansion with STEs was 221.25 days, while TTEs had a mean time of tissue expansion of 220.43 days.Our meta-analysis found no differences in all surgical outcomes except for explantation risk. STE use was associated with increased odds of explantation by over 50% compared to TTE use (odds ratio = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.15 to 2.02; P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, STEs and TTEs had similar complication profiles. However, STEs had 1.5 times higher odds of explantation. The incidence of BIA-ALCL is low, and only a single case of BIA-ALCL has been reported with TTEs. This indicates that TTEs are safe and may lower the risk of early complications requiring explantation. Further studies are warranted to further define the relationship between tissue expanders and BIA-ALCL.

Bimanual Coordination in Children with Bilateral Cerebral Palsy: A Cross-Sectional Study.

AIM: To compare bimanual coordination in children with bilateral cerebral palsy (BCP) with that of children with typical development (TD) and correlate bimanual coordination with clinical measures of hand function. METHODS: 3-D kinematic data were collected from 14 children with BCP (mean age 13 years 1 month; range 7.3-17.2 years, 5 females) and 14 age-matched children with TD (mean age 13 years 1 month, range 7.0-16.0 years, 7 females) as they opened a drawer with one hand and activated a switch inside it with the other hand at self-paced and as-fast-as-possible speeds. Hand roles varied in each condition. Participants' hand function levels were classified using the Manual Ability Classification System. Unimanual dexterity and bimanual performance were evaluated using the Box and Blocks Test and Both Hands Assessment respectively. RESULTS: Participants with BCP performed the bimanual task more slowly (p < 0.001) and sequentially, as evidenced by greater time differences between the two hands achieving the end goal (p = 0.01). Faster speeds, particularly when the less affected hand opened the drawer, facilitated time-related measures of bimanual coordination (p < 0.05). Bimanual coordination correlated with all clinical measures of hand function (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: For children with BCP, speed and hand used for each subcomponent of the task influence bimanual coordination. Better bimanual coordination is associated with less impairment of both hands.

Comparison of Patient Education Materials Generated by Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer Versus Experts: An Innovative Way to Increase Readability of Patient Education Materials.

INTRODUCTION: Improving patient education materials may improve patient outcomes. This study aims to explore the possibility of generating patient education materials with the assistance of a large language model, Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT). In addition, we compare the accuracy and readability of ChatGPT-generated materials versus expert-generated materials. METHODS: Patient education materials in implant-based breast reconstruction were generated by experts and ChatGPT independently. Readability and accuracy of the materials are the main outcomes. Readability of the materials was compared using Flesch-Kincaid score. Accuracy of the materials generated by ChatGPT was evaluated by 2 independent reviewers. Content errors are categorized into information errors, statistical errors, and multiple errors (errors more than 2 types). RESULTS: The content generated by experts had higher readability. The Flesch-Kincaid score is at the 7.5 grade for expert-generated materials, whereas the content generated by ChatGPT is at the 10.5 grade (despite ChatGPT being asked to generate content at the seventh grade level). The accuracy of ChatGPT-generated content is 50%, with most errors being information errors. ChatGPT often provides information about breast reduction or breast augmentation, despite being asked specifically about breast reconstruction. Despite its limitation, ChatGPT significantly reduced the time required to generate patient education materials. Although it takes experts 1 month to generate patient education materials, ChatGPT generates materials within 30 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: ChatGPT can be a powerful starting tool to generate patient education materials. However, its readability and accuracy still require improvements.

Multidimensional Assessment of Patient-Reported Outcomes After Gender-Affirming Surgeries Using a Validated Instrument.

INTRODUCTION: Limited literatures used validated instruments to evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for transgender and gender-diverse population undergoing gender-affirming surgeries (GASs). This study aimed to evaluate PROs using a newly validated psychometric instrument, Vanderbilt Mini Patient-Reported Outcome Measures-Gender (VMP-G). METHODS: Vanderbilt Mini Patient-Reported Outcome Measures-Gender assesses 4 scales: quality of life, self-concept, satisfaction, and gender dysphoria. Scores range from 20 to 100, with higher scores representing superior PROs. Descriptive analysis was performed, and outcomes were compared in different races/ethnicities, gender identities, age, types of GAS, and time. Patients seeking GAS at Vanderbilt University Medical Center from October 11, 2021, to October 11, 2022, were included. Data were collected anonymously via the Research Electronic Data Capture survey tool at preoperative or postoperative clinic visits. RESULTS: A total of 207 patients completed VMP-G. Average age was 31.8 years (SD, ±11.5 years). Fifty-three percent of patients were postoperative GAS. In bivariate and linear regression analyses, postoperative patients scored higher on all scales compared with preoperative patients ( P < 0.001). After adjustment, postoperative patients scored 12.5 higher on VMP-G compared with preoperative patients ( P < 0.01). In subset analyses, GAS was associated with improved PROs in White, non-White, binary, and nonbinary and patients younger than 21 years ( P < 0.05). After GAS, patients younger than 21 years reported similar outcomes, compared with patients older than 21 years ( P > 0.05). No PROs differences were reported between patients who underwent top versus bottom surgery ( P = 0.2). Postoperative patients reported low rates of regret (2.8%). Scores on the VMP-G were sustained even 1 year after GAS. Each month after GAS was associated with a score improvement of 0.02 in the gender dysphoria domain after adjusting for patient demographics ( P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Using a validated GAS-specific measure, we found that surgery sustainably improves patients' self-reported outcomes including gender dysphoria.

Examination of Outcome Disparities in Reports of Prepectoral and Subpectoral Direct-to-Implant Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There are mixed results in surgical complications regarding the usage of prepectoral versus subpectoral implant placement in direct-to-implant breast reconstruction. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive synthesis of surgical complications between the subpectoral and prepectoral reconstructive method. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane were searched for literature published up until December 2022. Studies that compared subpectoral and prepectoral breast reconstruction and reported at least one postoperative complication were included. The following 8 major outcomes were included: revision and reoperation, capsular contracture, explantation, seroma, hematoma, infection, skin necrosis, and animation deformity. Systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to compare outcomes of the 2 techniques. Subgroup analysis was performed to compare whether practice differences in different countries may have an impact on outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 18 studies were identified in our literature search. Two thousand three hundred sixty patients were included, representing a total of 3135 breasts. Our analysis demonstrated that prepectoral reconstruction had significantly lower odds of developing postoperative hematoma [odds ratio (OR), 0.62; P = 0.05], seroma (OR, 0.67; P = 0.01), infection (OR, 0.64; P = 0.03), revision and reoperation (OR, 0.44; P < 0.00001), and animation deformity (OR, 0.01; P < 0.00001), compared with the subpectoral method. Subgroup analysis showed that differences between 3 countries (United States, Korea, Italy) are low (all subgroup heterogeneity test P > 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: While both subpectoral and prepectoral are safe methods for breast reconstruction, the prepectoral technique may lead to lower odds of developing multiple major postoperative complications.

Comparison of Complication Rates Between Subpectoral vs Prepectoral Techniques in Prosthetic Breast Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: The location of tissue expanders in implant-based breast reconstruction remains controversial due to variation in surgical techniques and devices. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive assessment of early and late complication rates between prepectoral and subpectoral placement of tissue expanders. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of all adult female patients who had undergone 2-stage implant-based breast reconstruction between 2013 and 2019 in our institution. Early complication was defined as complications that occurred within 30 days after surgery. Time-to-event analyses were performed and Cox proportional hazard models were used to adjust for confounders. RESULTS: In total, 854 patients were included; 76% of patients underwent a subpectoral tissue expander placement. After the first-stage procedure, the early complication rate was 34% and the late complication rate was 36.4%. After the second-stage procedure, the early complication rate was 16.3% and the late complication rate was 16.1%. Location of the tissue expander did not predict either overall early or late complication rates, regardless of the stages of reconstruction, after adjusting for confounders. Tissue expanders placed in prepectoral plane were associated with a higher hazard ratio (HR) for developing early and late infection after the first stage of reconstruction (HR, 2.1 and 2.4, respectively) as well as late infection after the second stage of reconstruction (HR, 5.3; all P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Location of tissue expanders did not predict risk of complication. However, the prepectoral group was associated with an increased risk of developing infection.

Metformin use and the risk of anal intraepithelial neoplasia in type II diabetic patients.

AIM: Emerging evidence has suggested that metformin may be protective against the development of human-papillomavirus-related cancers. Anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) is highly associated with human papillomavirus infection and a precancerous status of anal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between metformin usage and the development of AIN in a large national sample. METHODOLOGY: The IBM MarketScan dataset was used to design a nested case-control study from 2010 to 2017. Patients aged 18-65 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) were evaluated, and cases of AIN were identified. Four controls were randomly selected in the risk set of each case by using incidence density sampling. The association between metformin usage and AIN was assessed using multivariate logistic regression modelling. RESULTS: A total of 258 patients with type 2 DM were diagnosed with AIN during the study interval, and these were matched to 1032 control patients without a diagnosis of AIN. Patients who developed AIN had 38% lower odds of prior metformin use compared to those without a history of AIN (P < 0.01) and this finding remained robust after adjusting for age, sex, human immunodeficiency virus infection and DM complications (P = 0.02). Patients with AIN had 56% lower odds of long-term metformin use compared to control patients (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: An AIN diagnosis in patients with DM is associated with 56% lower likelihood of prior metformin use. This relationship suggests that metformin could potentially play a protective role against AIN. Prospective studies in non-diabetic patients are warranted to examine these findings further.

Practitioner availability rather than surgical quality impacts the utilization of liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LT) provides better outcome than surgical resection (SR) although both are acceptable surgical options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is unclear whether non-clinical factors drive treatment decisions. Our goal is to identify factors that may affect treatment decisions. METHODS: Patients aged 18-74 with T2 HCC undergoing either LT or SR in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database from 2004 to 2014 were included. Healthcare resources data were analyzed to assess factors that predict utilization of LT versus SR, adjusted for demographic, clinical outcomes, and socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: 51% of patients (Total N = 2616) received LT, with a substantial state-level variation in LT rates (0.0%-66.9%). Higher LT center density [OR = 1.04 per 1% increment, P < 0.01], male gender (OR = 1.38, P = 0.02), and numbers of potential donors (OR = 1.19, P = 0.03) were positively associated with LT utilization. Conversely, higher incidence of chronic liver disease/cirrhosis (OR = 0.41 per one additional case per 100,000 populations, P = 0.001) and minority populations were negatively correlated with LT utilization. Notably, short-term surgical outcomes (in-hospital LT & SR mortality) were not associated with LT utilization. CONCLUSION: Liver transplant center density and organ availability, but not surgical outcomes, affect utilization of LT. Future studies should focus on increasing availability of resources.

Intensive Unimanual Training Leads to Better Reaching and Head Control than Bimanual Training in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.

AIMS: To quantify the changes in joint movement control and motor planning of the more-affected upper extremity (UE) during a reach-grasp-eat task in children with Unilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy (USCP) after either constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) or hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy (HABIT). METHODS: Twenty children with USCP (average age 7.7; MACS levels I-II) were randomized into either a CIMT or HABIT group. Both groups received intensive training 6 h a day for 15 days. Children performed a reach-grasp-eat task before and after training with their more-affected hand using 3D kinematic analysis. RESULTS: Both groups illustrated shorter movement time during reaching, grasping, and eating phases after training (p < 0.05). Additionally, both intensive training approaches improved joint control with decreased trunk involvement, greater elbow, and wrist excursions during the reaching phase, and greater elbow excursion during the eating phase (p < 0.05). However, only the CIMT group decreased hand curvature during reaching, lowered hand position at grasp, and decreased head rotation during the eating phase (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The current findings showed that both CIMT and HABIT improved UE joint control, but there were greater effects of CIMT on the more-affected UE motor planning and head control for children with USCP.