Demographics and trends of cleft lip and palate patients born in Tennessee from 2000 to 2017.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of orofacial clefts (OFCs) in Tennessee over the span of 2000-2017, and evaluate the effects of race/ethnicity, sex, maternal/paternal age and socioeconomic status on the prevalence. METHODS: Records of all live births and demographics of newborns in Tennessee from 2000 to 2017 were requested from the Tennessee Department of Health to calculate the prevalence of OFCs. Data from United States Census was also obtained. Data provided were deidentified. RESULTS: Tennessee showed a significant decrease in prevalence rates of cleft lip, with and without cleft palate (CL ± P), when comparing the time periods of 2000-2007 to 2008-2017. A significant positive correlation was found with CL ± P prevalence rates in regions with higher Caucasian populations and a negative correlation in regions with higher African American populations. The CP prevalence rates showed a negative correlation with increased median household income. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study to show a significant negative correlation with median household income and CP prevalence rates. Our study showing an increase in prevalence rates of OFCs with decreased socioeconomic status indicates that the areas of Tennessee with the lowest median household income averages would likely benefit from understanding other possible modifiable factors that are driving this correlation.

Comparative analysis of outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma exceeding the milan criteria treated with liver transplantation versus partial hepatectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Proponents of orthotopic liver transplantation (TXP) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) advocate expanding the Milan criteria. We performed a matched analysis comparing patients treated with TXP to patients treated with partial hepatectomy (PHX) for HCC exceeding the Milan criteria. METHODS: From the United Network for Organ Sharing registry, we identified 92 US patients with HCC exceeding the Milan criteria who underwent TXP between 2002 and 2005. During the same period, 94 patients with similar tumor size criteria underwent PHX at a single center. Data were analyzed using χ(2), parametric, nonparametric, and Kaplan-Meier methods. RESULTS: TXP patients were more commonly male (82% vs. 65%, P=0.01) and had a higher Model for End Stage Liver Disease score (median 11 vs. 7, P<0.001). Pathologic cirrhosis (79% TXP vs. 38% PHX, P<0.001), particularly secondary to hepatitis C virus (29% TXP vs. 5% PHX, P<0.001), was more common among TXP patients. Mean cumulative tumor size was 10.0 cm (63% exceeding University of California at San Francisco criteria) among PHX patients compared with 6.4 cm (20% exceeding University of California at San Francisco criteria) for TXP patients (P<0.001). With a median follow-up of 34 months (range, 1-86), 3-year survival was similar between the cohorts (66%±10% for TXP vs. 66%±10% for PHX, P=0.97). Cancer deaths (26/37, 70%) were more prevalent among PHX patients, whereas noncancer deaths (25/37, 68%) were common in TXP patients (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among heterogeneous patients with HCC who exceed the Milan criteria, TXP and PHX achieve similar overall survival. Further study is needed to ensure appropriate patient selection for these disparate therapies.

Therapy of renal artery aneurysms in New York State: outcomes of patients undergoing open and endovascular repair.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate changing trends in therapy and determinants of outcomes among patients with a renal artery aneurysm (RAA) undergoing surgical or endovascular repair in New York State (NYS). A retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent therapy for RAA in NYS from October 1, 2000, to December 31, 2006, was identified from the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database. Regression models which included hospital and patient characteristics were created to identify predictors of untoward events following surgical or endovascular intervention. Over this time period 215 patients with RAA repairs were analyzed. In multivariate analysis, preoperative predictors of death included diabetes (adjusted odds ratio [OR]=57.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3-1,430.1, p=0.013), the presence of other aneurysms (adjusted OR=18.5, CI 1.5-234.4, p=0.024), and coagulopathy (adjusted OR=16.9, CI 3.4-393.1, p=0.03) but not repair type. Perioperative cardiac (adjusted OR=16.7, CI 1.4-197.1, p=0.026) and vascular device-related (adjusted OR=11.1, CI 1.003-123.0, p=0.049) complications were predictive of mortality. When patients with other aneurysms were excluded from analysis (n=153), there were no significant predictors of death. Ninety-one endovascular and 124 open surgical repairs were performed with a significant increase in the proportion of endovascular repairs performed over time (p<0.001), although since 2003 the proportion of both has been roughly equal. Diabetes (15.4% vs. 5.6%, p=0.018), chronic anemia (5.5% vs. 0.8%, p=0.04), and emergent admission (48.4% vs. 24.2%, p<0.001) were more prevalent among those with endovascular repair. Endovascular therapy was associated with a lower incidence of complications, lower median length of stay (4 vs. 7 days, p<0.001), and lower rates of discharge to skilled nursing facilities (18.9% vs. 39.2%, p=0.001). There has been an increasing number of treated RAAs in NYS since 2000, with the increase being primarily in those treated by endovascular techniques. Whether this represents a true increase in RAA incidence requiring management or an extension of indications is unknown. Outcomes after endovascular repair were better than those after conventional surgery, although whether this was due to the technique of repair itself or preprocedural selection bias cannot be determined.

The cumulative effects of cold ischemic time and older donor age on liver graft survival.

INTRODUCTION: To provide greater equity among those awaiting a liver transplant, expanded geographic sharing of cadaveric organs has been proposed. A potential unintended consequence could be an increase in cold ischemia time (CIT), which may be deleterious to organs from older donors. This study sought to quantify the relative risk (RR) associated with increased CIT among older donors. METHODS: A retrospective study examining 18,787 liver transplants within the United Network for Organ Sharing database from 2002 to 2006 was performed. Cox Regression analysis was used to model the RR of graft loss with respect to increased CIT among older donors (>60 years) relative to younger donors (<60 years), while controlling for multiple donor and recipient characteristics. RESULTS: Relative to younger donors with minimal CIT (<6 h), a 73.0% increase in the risk of graft loss was observed for older donors with a CIT between 8 and 10 h, a 56.9% increase for CIT between 10 and 12 h, and a 92.7% increase for a CIT of 12 or more hours. Additionally, the RR of graft loss for older donors with minimal CIT (<6 h) was greater than the RR for younger donors with a CIT between 0 and 12 h. CONCLUSION: The additive effects of increased donor age and cold ischemic time greatly impair graft survival. Quantification of the adverse nature of increasing CIT as a potential consequence of wider geographic organ sharing should be considered as allocation policies are modified to improve recipient equity in the face of an aging donor pool.