Unmasking the Impact: Exploring the Role of Masks in Trauma-Informed Care Communication.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID pandemic has necessitated mask-wearing by inpatient providers; however, the impact of masks on the acute care surgeon-patient relationship is unknown. We hypothesized that mask-wearing, while necessary, has a negative impact by acting as a barrier to communication, empathy, and trust between patients and surgeons. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed by administering a written survey in English or Spanish to trauma, emergency general surgery, burn, and surgical critical care inpatients aged ≥18 y at a University Level 1 Trauma Center between January 2023 and June 2023. Patients were asked seven questions about their perception of mask effect on interactions with their surgery providers. Responses were scored on a five-point Likert scale and binarized for multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: There were 188 patients who completed the survey. The patients were 68% male, 44% Hispanic, and 17% Spanish speaking, with a median age of 45-54 y. A third of patients agreed that surgeon mask-wearing made it harder to understand the details of their surgical procedure and made them less comfortable in giving consent. Twenty three percent agreed that it was harder to trust their provider; increasing age was associated with lower levels of trust, odds ratio 1.36 (confidence interval 1.10-1.71, P = 0.006). Findings were consistent among patients of different sex, race/ethnicity, language, and pre-COVID hospital experience. CONCLUSIONS: Mask-wearing, while important, has a negative impact on the patient-surgeon relationship in trauma and acute care surgery. Providers must be conscious of this effect while wearing masks and strive to optimize communication with patients to ensure high-quality trauma-informed care.

Prophylactic Perigraft Arterial Sac Embolization During EVAR: Minimizing Type II Endoleaks and Improving Sac Regression.

BACKGROUND: Type II endoleaks (ELII) are the most common complication following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Persistent ELII require continual surveillance and have been shown to increase the risk of Type I and III endoleaks, sac growth, need for intervention, conversion to open or even rupture, directly or indirectly. These are often difficult to treat following EVAR, and there are limited data regarding the effectiveness of prophylactic treatment of ELII. The aim of this study is to report the midterm outcomes of prophylactic perigraft arterial sac embolization (pPASE) performed in patients undergoing EVAR. METHODS: This is a comparison of 2 elective cohorts of those undergoing EVAR using the Ovation stent graft with and without prophylactic branch vessel and sac embolization. Patients who underwent pPASE at our institution had their data collected in a prospective, institutional review board-approved database. These were compared against the core lab-adjudicated data from the Ovation Investigational Device Exemption trial. Prophylactic PASE was performed at the time of EVAR with thrombin, contrast, and Gelfoam if the lumbar or mesenteric arteries were patent. Endpoints included freedom from ELII, reintervention, sac growth, all-cause mortality, and aneurysm-related mortality. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients (13.1%) underwent pPASE, while 238 patients (86.9%) had standard EVAR. Median follow-up was 56 months (33-60 months). The 4-year freedom from ELII estimates were 84% for the pPASE versus 50.7% for the standard EVAR group (P = 0.0002). All aneurysms in the pPASE group remained stable in size or demonstrated regression, whereas aneurysm sac expansion was seen in 10.9% of the standard EVAR group, P = 0.03. At 4 years, mean AAA diameter decreased by 11 mm (95% CI 8-15) in the pPASE group versus 5 mm (95% CI 4-6) for the standard EVAR group, P = 0.0005. There were no differences in the 4-year freedom from all-cause mortality and aneurysm-related mortality. However, the difference in reintervention for ELII trended toward significance (0.0% vs. 10.7%, P = 0.1). On multivariable analysis, pPASE was associated with a 76% reduction in ELII [(95% CI): 0.24 (0.08-0.65), P = 0.005]. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that pPASE in those undergoing EVAR is safe and effective in the prevention of ELII and significantly improves sac regression over standard EVAR while minimizing the need for reintervention.

Prophylactic Aneurysm Embolization during EVAR Is Safe, Improves Sac Regression and Decreases the Incidence of Type II Endoleak.

BACKGROUND: Clinically significant endoleaks remain costly, time-consuming, morbid and even mortal following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Perigraft arterial sac embolization (PASE) has been utilized to treat type II endoleaks (T2EL) diagnosed at the time of EVAR or after repair. Our objective was to analyze the safety and efficacy of prophylactic PASE on the incidence of T2EL and aneurysm sac regression in patients undergoing EVAR. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of prospectively maintained databases from the University of California San Diego and the San Diego Veterans Affairs hospitals between 2015 and 2019. Prophylactic PASE (pPASE) was performed at the time of EVAR with thrombin, contrast and gelfoam liquid embolic aneurysm treatment as previously described. We evaluated technical success, freedom from T2EL, freedom from reintervention, from sac expansion, from type I/III EL, from all-cause mortality (ACM), from aneurysm-related mortality and from non-target embolization (NTE). RESULTS: A total of 44 patients were included in the study. Technical success was 100% and no NTE was observed. The average duration of follow-up was 14 ± 11months. In those treated and followed by CT scan, 100% of patients' aneurysms halted their growth following PASE, while 65.9% demonstrated sac regression. Mean aneurysm sac diameter decreased by 9 mm (95% CI 7-12). At 3 years, freedom from T2EL was 87.1%. Presence of T2EL did not result in aneurysm expansion during the follow-up period and thus did not require reintervention in any of these patients. Freedom from re-intervention was 83.2% for Type Ib EL and limb occlusion and all procedures were determined to be successful at the time of completion. No aneurysm-related deaths occurred during the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: PASE proves to be an effective tool in sac management for prophylaxis of endoleak and maximizing sac regression in EVAR. It is safe, effective and durable when employed in this manner in the short and medium-term and was associated with low rates of T2ELs and reinterventions and a 100% freedom from sac expansion. Further analysis is required to evaluate the long-term outcomes of this adjunctive procedure in EVAR.

Sociodemographic Factors That Influence the Choice to Pursue Nasoalveolar Molding: One Pediatric Hospital's Experience.

OBJECTIVE: To identify demographic factors that influence choosing nasoalveolar molding (NAM) in the treatment of cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL±P), and NAM treatment compliance. DESIGN: This work is a retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary pediatric hospital. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty-nine patients with a diagnosis of unilateral complete CL±P receiving treatment when NAM was offered (January 1, 2008-July 26, 2016). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Demographic variables collected included race, ethnicity, ZIP code, number of caregivers, caregiver employment status, and health insurance status. Medical variables collected included diagnosis, treatment pursued, compliance with NAM, completion of NAM, and the treating cleft surgeon and orthodontist. Data were analyzed via Fisher exact tests, χ2 tests, and multivariate logistic regression to identify factors that influence the decision to pursue NAM and treatment compliance. RESULTS: Univariate analyses identified the following significant factors predicting the pursuit of NAM: race and insurance type (both P < .001), surgeon (P = .005), income level (P = .009), comorbidities (P = .015), and syndromic diagnosis (P = .033). Driving distance trended toward significance (P = .078). Multivariate regression analyses indicated that Asian race (P = .047), insurance type (P = .046), driving distance (P = .019), and surgeon (P = .017) were significant predictors of pursuit of NAM. CONCLUSIONS: There are disparities in patient choice of NAM at our center for children with complete cleft lip. African American patient families were less likely to pursue this intervention. A stronger understanding of the barriers that lower income and minority patients face is needed in order to better characterize disparities in cleft care.

Hiatal Hernia after Esophagectomy: An Underappreciated Complication?

BACKGROUND: The natural history of hiatal herniation of small and/or large bowel post-esophagectomy (HHBPE) in the current era of improving long-term survival and evolving surgical technique is unknown. The aim of this study was to describe the rate and risk factors of HHBPE at our hospital. METHODS: Patients undergoing esophagectomy between January 2011 and June 2017 were included if both follow-up information and axial imaging were available beyond 3 months post-esophagectomy. Patient characteristics, disease information, and treatment factors were all included in univariate analysis comparing patients with and without HHBPE, and multivariate regression was used to identify significant independent risk factors associated with HHBPE. RESULTS: Of 310 esophagectomy patients analyzed, 258 patients were included in the study, with 79 patients (31%) showing evidence of an HHBPE and an overall median follow-up of 24 months; 44 of 79 patients (56%) had symptoms possibly referable to HHBPE and 17 of 79 patients (22%) underwent surgical repair. On univariate analysis, neoadjuvant therapy (n = 176), higher clinical stage, minimally invasive approach (n = 154), and transhiatal esophagectomy (n = 189) were significant predictors of HHBPE (p < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, neoadjuvant therapy and transhiatal approach remained significant independent predictors (p < 0.05). The rate of HHBPE was 44% in the 131 patients (51%) that had both factors. CONCLUSIONS: HHBPE in the current era of neoadjuvant therapy and minimally invasive esophagectomy is common. HHBPE can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, but operation to repair HHBPE is uncommon on intermediate follow-up. Additional study and long-term follow-up are required to fully assess the impact of HHBPE and to potentially modify surgical practice to prevent or minimize HHBPE.

Surgical management of obesity.

Obesity is a spreading epidemic associated with significant morbidity and mortality with a prevalence of over 36% worldwide. In the face of a growing epidemic, increasing medical costs, and the disappointing limitations of medical and lifestyle modification bariatric surgery was found to consistently lead to significant weight loss and improvement in obesity-associated comorbidities when compared to non-surgical interventions. Bariatric procedures fall within three basic categories: restrictive procedures, malabsorptive procedures, and procedures that combine both restrictive and malabsorptive mechanisms. Four major procedures are currently performed (most often laparoscopically): Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, adjustable gastric banding, and sleeve gastrectomy. Although the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was the most frequently performed bariatric procedure, the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has since become the most popular. Bariatric surgery currently has similar mortality rates to standard general surgical operations. Morevoer, bariatric surgery reduces mortality by the improvement and remission of obesity-related comorbidities. Newer minimally-invasive weight loss procedures and endoscopic methods continue to evolve as we expand our understanding of the intricacies of obesity and the effects of currently available surgical treatments.

Sex differences in vascular dysfunction and cardiovascular outcomes: The cardiac, endothelial function, and arterial stiffness in ESRD (CERES) study.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies suggest that women with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) may have higher rates of mortality than men, but it is unknown whether sex differences in vascular function explain this disparity. The cardiac, endothelial function, and arterial stiffness in ESRD (CERES) study is an ongoing, prospective observational study designed to investigate vascular function, myocardial injury, and cardiovascular outcomes in ESRD. METHODS: Among 200 CERES participants (34% women), we evaluated arterial wave reflections as augmentation index normalized to a heart rate of 75 (AIx75), arterial stiffness as pulse wave velocity, and macro- and microvascular endothelial dysfunction as flow-mediated dilation and velocity time integral (VTI). Over a median of 14 months, participants were followed for the composite outcome of cardiovascular hospitalization or all-cause death. FINDINGS: Women had higher arterial wave reflection (Mean, SD AIx75 30% ± 9% for women vs. 21% ± 10% for men; P < 0.001) and worse microvascular function (VTI 55 ± 30 cm for women vs. 70 ± 27 cm for men; P = 0.007). After multivariable adjustment, female sex remained associated with a 0.5-SD higher AIx75 (95% CI [0.01, 0.9]) and 0.3-SD lower VTI (95%CI [0.1, 0.7]). Women experienced higher adjusted rates of the composite outcome (HR 2.5; 95%CI [1.1, 5.6]; P = 0.03), and further adjustment for arterial wave reflection attenuated this risk. DISCUSSION: Vascular dysfunction may partly explain the association of female sex with higher cardiovascular risk and mortality in patients with ESRD. Further studies are needed to explore whether sex differences in vascular function predict long-term outcomes, and whether hormonal or inflammatory factors explain these associations.

Assessment of operating room airflow using air particle counts and direct observation of door openings.

BACKGROUND: The role of the operating room (OR) environment has been thought to contribute to surgical site infection rates. The quality of OR air, disruption of airflow, and other factors may increase contamination risks. We measured air particulate counts (APCs) to determine if they increased in relation to traffic, door opening, and other common activities. METHODS: During 1 week, we recorded APCs in 5-minute intervals and movement of health care workers. Trained observers recorded information about traffic, door openings, job title of the opener, and the reason for opening. RESULTS: At least 1 OR door was open during 47% of all readings. There were 13.4 door openings per hour during cases. Door opening rates ranged from 0.19-0.28 per minute. During this time, a total of 660 air measurements were obtained. The mean APCs were 9,238 particles (95% confidence interval [CI], 5,494- 12,982) at baseline and 14,292 particles (95% CI, 12,382-16,201) during surgery. Overall APCs increased 13% when either door was opened (P < .15). Larger particles that correlated to bacterial size were elevated significantly (P < .001) on door opening. CONCLUSIONS: We observed numerous instances of verbal communication and equipment movement. Improving efficiency of communication and equipment can aid in reduction of traffic. Further study is needed to examine links between microbiologic sampling, outcome data, and particulate matter to enable study of risk factors and effects of personnel movement.

Associations of Macro- and Microvascular Endothelial Dysfunction With Subclinical Ventricular Dysfunction in End-Stage Renal Disease.

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) suffer high rates of heart failure and cardiovascular mortality, and we lack a thorough understanding of what, if any, modifiable factors contribute to cardiac dysfunction in these high-risk patients. To evaluate endothelial function as a potentially modifiable cause of cardiac dysfunction in ESRD, we investigated cross-sectional associations of macro- and microvascular dysfunction with left and right ventricular dysfunction in a well-controlled ESRD cohort. We performed comprehensive echocardiography, including tissue Doppler imaging and speckle-tracking echocardiography of the left and right ventricle, in 149 ESRD patients enrolled in an ongoing prospective, observational study. Of these participants, 123 also underwent endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery (macrovascular function). Microvascular function was measured as the velocity time integral of hyperemic blood flow after cuff deflation. Impaired flow-mediated dilation was associated with higher left ventricular mass, independently of age and blood pressure: per 2-fold lower flow-mediated dilation, left ventricular mass was 4.1% higher (95% confidence interval, 0.49-7.7; P=0.03). After adjustment for demographics, blood pressure, comorbidities, and medications, a 2-fold lower velocity time integral was associated with 9.5% higher E/e' ratio (95% confidence interval, 1.0-16; P=0.03) and 6.7% lower absolute right ventricular longitudinal strain (95% confidence interval, 2.0-12; P=0.003). Endothelial dysfunction is a major correlate of cardiac dysfunction in ESRD, particularly diastolic and right ventricular dysfunction, in patients whose volume status is well controlled. Future investigations are needed to determine whether therapies targeting the vascular endothelium could improve cardiac outcomes in ESRD.

Axillary Web Syndrome: Current Understanding and New Directions for Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Axillary web syndrome (AWS) is a poorly understood but common cause of significant morbidity after axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer. It is characterized by painful scar tissue formation and contracture extending from the axilla down the medial arm which limits shoulder and arm mobility. We sought to gain a better understanding of its pathophysiology and available treatments. Additionally, we present our preliminary experience with 2 novel treatment methods: (1) percutaneous needle cord disruption with fat grafting, (2) Xiaflex injection to the cording. METHODS: In order to gain better understanding of current treatment modalities, we performed a literature search to identify articles that described axillary cording after axillary dissection exclusively for breast cancer. We performed operative percutaneous cord disruption and immediate autologous fat grafting in 18 patients. Xiaflex injection was performed in one patient. Details from the 2 new treatment modalities are described. RESULTS: Described treatments in the literature include physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, moist heat, and 1 case of Ascueven Forte. Typically, symptoms lasted from 1 week to 2 years, and most cases resolved by 3 months postoperatively with return to preoperative functionality. We found our 2 new treatment modalities markedly improved arm and shoulder range of motion, overall daily functioning, and pain. Aesthetic outcomes were also improved with softening of the cords. CONCLUSIONS: Axillary web syndrome remains an incompletely understood postoperative phenomenon, which warrants further research. Those patients who develop severe cording often do not respond to traditional therapy and may require more aggressive treatment. Our 2 novel techniques provide alternative options for treating this condition.