Effects of Spinal Deformities on Hiatal Hernia Occurrence and Recurrence.

BACKGROUND: Spinal deformities such as kyphosis, lordosis, and scoliosis have demonstrated a possible association between these deformities. Our hypothesis is that the presence of spinal deformities will increase the risk of hiatal hernia recurrence after repair. METHODS: The following data was retrospectively gleaned for patients undergoing hiatal hernia repair (1997-2022): age, sex, date of hiatal hernia repair, presence and type of spinal deformity, Cobb angle, type of hiatal hernia and size, type of hiatal hernia repair, recurrence and size, time to recurrence, reoperation, type of reoperation, and time to reoperation. RESULTS: Spinal deformities were present in 15.8% of 546 patients undergoing hiatal hernia repair, with a distribution of 21.8% kyphosis, 2.3% lordosis, 58.6% scoliosis, and 17.2% multiple. There was no difference in sex or age between groups. Spinal deformity patients were more likely to have types III and IV hiatal hernias (52.3% vs. 38.9%, p = 0.02) and larger hernias (median 5 [3-8] vs. 4 [2-6], p = 0.01). There was no difference in access, fundoplication use, or mesh use between groups. However, these patients had a higher recurrence rate (47.7% vs 30.0%, p = 0.001) and a shorter time to recurrence (months) (10.3 [5.6-25.1] vs 19.2 [9.8-51.0], p = 0.02). Cobb angle did not affect recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal deformity patients were more likely to have more complex and larger hiatal hernias. They were at higher risk of hiatal hernia recurrence after repair with shorter times to recurrence. This is a group that requires special attention with additional preoperative counseling and possibly use of surgical adjuncts in repair.

Effectiveness of Deep Brain Stimulation in Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa and Obesity: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: Anorexia nervosa and obesity are common appetite disorders, which may be life threatening if not treated and often coincide with psychiatric disorders. We sought to investigate whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) of specific regions within the brain could aid in the treatment of these disorders. This review aims to organize the literature regarding the feasibility of DBS via clinical outcomes and synthesize the data on patient demographics and electrode parameters for future optimization. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were all queried on 7 June 2022 to identify studies reporting the effect of DBS in treatment of either anorexia nervosa or obesity. We included studies involving 1) DBS, 2) treatment of anorexia nervosa or obesity, and 3) body mass index (BMI) as the primary outcome variable. Case reports, retrospective cohort studies, and randomized controlled trials were all eligible for inclusion. Exclusion of articles was based on the following criteria: 1) meta-analyses or systematic reviews or 2) describes diseases other than only anorexia or obesity. Screening of the 999 articles returned by an initial search yielded 23 studies for inclusion and further data extraction. Qualitative assessment of included studies was subsequently conducted in accordance with Newcastle-Ottawa Scale criteria. RESULTS: We included 23 articles (17 anorexia, 5 obesity) that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria, which included 8 case reports, 13 case series, and 1 case-control study. Our primary variables of interest were location of DBS, change in BMI after intervention, electrode parameters, and psychiatric comorbidities. A total of 131 patients were included and analyzed, 118 of those belonging in the anorexia cohort. For patients with anorexia, we found that the most common place for DBS was the subcallosal cingulate followed by the nucleus accumbens, resulting in an overall increase in BMI by 24.82% over the span of a mean 17.1 months. Psychiatric comorbidities (major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anxiety) were common in the anorexia cohort. For patients with obesity, DBS was most common in the lateral hypothalamus followed by the nucleus accumbens, resulting in a small decrease in BMI by 3.97% over a mean 17.2 months. Data were insufficient for this cohort to report on additional psychiatric comorbidities or calculate the duration from diagnosis to treatment. CONCLUSIONS: DBS seems to be a promising solution in addressing treatment-refractory anorexia, but additional prospective studies are still needed to confirm this same usefulness for the treatment of obesity. Primary limitations included the apparent lack of data on DBS for obesity as well as the dearth of cohort studies assessing efficacy of DBS compared with control treatments. Although these limitations could not be addressed in the current review, this study may incentivize future trials to assess DBS in patients with appetite disorders in a more controlled fashion.

Impact of advance care planning consults on advance directives completion.

OBJECTIVES: Advance care planning (ACP) consults have been credited with increasing the likelihood that patients will receive desired care at the end of life, including reduced hospitalization and spending. We aimed to investigate whether implementation of ACP consults leads to improved advance directive (AD) completion rates. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case-control evaluation. METHODS: Chart review was conducted among patients in hematology/oncology and primary care to compare AD completion rates of patients in each clinical area offered ACP consults between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018, and those not offered ACP consults prior to July 1, 2017. RESULTS: Completed ADs increased from historic rates of 1% to 65.9% of primary care patient records. Among hematology/oncology patients offered consults, completed ADs were present in 28.1% of patient records compared with historic rates of 3%. CONCLUSIONS: Patients offered ACP consults had significantly higher AD completion rates than those without consults in both primary care and hematology/oncology practices. The difference in ACP consult attendance between the primary care and hematology/oncology groups clearly suggests that further improvements can be made to assist patients in accessing AD education and completion support.