Traumatic bile duct neuroma presenting with acute cholangitis: A case report and review of literature.

Traumatic neuroma of the biliary tree has been previously reported as isolated case reports. In literature, these typically present following prior liver transplant or cholecystectomy, wherein the bile ducts have been disrupted in some form. Here we report the case of a 41-year old male who initially presented with acute cholangitis ten years after an open cholecystectomy complicated by a bile leak. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography revealed a stricture within the mid distal common hepatic duct. The patient temporarily resolved his initial episode with stent placement, and he was eventually taken to the operating room for bile duct resection and hepaticojejunostomy given a persistent stricture and concern for underlying malignancy. Final pathology demonstrated a traumatic bile duct neuroma. This unusual entity should be considered in patients with benign appearing strictures presenting years after surgery, and awareness may aid in preoperative counseling as well.

Careful Patient Selection Achieves High Radiocephalic Arteriovenous Fistula Patency in Diabetic and Female Patients.

BACKGROUND: The radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula (rcAVF) is considered the first-choice site for hemodialysis access; however, it has been associated with decreased rates of patency and maturation in women and diabetic patients in some studies. We hypothesized that careful preoperative selection of patients for an rcAVF fistula would result in a high 1-year patency rate and that external factors, such as female gender and diabetes mellitus (DM), would not adversely affect fistula patency. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of all patients who underwent rcAVF creation at a single institution from January 2011 to June 2016. Patients were carefully selected based on clinical examination and preoperative, B-mode, ultrasound findings. Primary patency and primary assisted patency at 1 year were calculated. Survival analysis was also conducted to evaluate for factors associated with rcAVF patency. RESULTS: There were 158 patients identified who underwent rcAVF fistula creation and were seen in follow-up. The 1-year primary and primary assisted patency rates were 62% and 81%, respectively. On Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, there was no difference in rcAVF patency with respect to gender, Hispanic race, anesthesia type, DM, and smoking status. Patients with a prior AVF, most often received in the nondominant arm and now receiving an rcAVF in the dominant arm, had a significantly higher risk of fistula failure, in both primary and primary assisted patency survival (hazard ratio 5.1, 95% confidence interval 1.6-16.2, P = 0.06). Patients without a history of hypertension (HTN), as noted in the electronic medical records, trended toward a higher risk of primary assisted patency rcAVF failure, compared to those who had a history of HTN (hazard ratio 3.0, 95% confidence interval 1.1-7.9, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: With careful patient selection, the rcAVF can achieve a high 1-year primary assisted patency rate. Female gender and DM were not significantly associated with an increase in rcAVF failure and should not be heavily relied on in-patient selection. First-time AVF patients and patients with a history of HTN may be associated with increased rcAVF patency.

A survey of robotic surgery training curricula in general surgery residency programs: How close are we to a standardized curriculum?

BACKGROUND: Robotic surgery is increasingly adopted into surgical practice, but it remains unclear what level of robotic training general surgery residents receive. The purpose of our study was to assess the variation in robotic surgery training amongst general surgery residency programs in the United States. METHODS: A web-based survey was sent to 277 general surgery residency programs to determine characteristics of resident experience and training in robotic surgery. RESULTS: A total of 114 (41%) programs responded. 92% (n = 105) have residents participating in robotic surgeries; 68%(n = 71) of which have a robotics curriculum, 44%(n = 46) track residents' robotic experience, and 55%(n = 58) offer formal recognition of training completion. Responses from university-affiliated (n = 83) and independent (n = 31) programs were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Many general surgery residencies offer robotic surgery experience, but vary widely in requisite components, formal credentialing, and case tracking. There is a need to adopt a standardized training curriculum and document resident competency.

Preoperative Antibiotics for Dialysis Access Surgery: Are They Necessary?

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend preoperative antibiotics in all vascular surgery cases. However, we hypothesize that patients undergoing arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and arteriovenous graft (AVG) creation have low rates of postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) and that preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis in these patients may not be necessary. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of all patients who underwent AVF and AVG creation from November 2014 through July of 2016 at a single institution. At our institution, preoperative antibiotic use is surgeon dependent. Patients who received preoperative antibiotics were compared with those who did not. The primary outcome measured was the development of postoperative SSI. RESULTS: There were 304 patients identified and 294 patients with 30 day postoperative follow-up. Of the 294 patients, 23 (7.8%) received an AVG, and 271 (92.2%) received an AVF. There were 244 (83%) patients who received preoperative antibiotics and 50 (17%) who did not. Overall, there were 2 (0.68%) SSIs identified. Both patients with postoperative SSI underwent AVF creation and received preoperative antibiotics. There was no statistically significant difference in SSI rate between antibiotic and nonantibiotic groups (P = 1.0), and no difference when comparing patients that received AVG (0%) and AVF (0.73%) (P = 1.0). CONCLUSIONS: The rate for postoperative SSI following hemodialysis access surgery is very low both for patients undergoing AVF and AVG. Furthermore, there was no difference in SSI rate between antibiotic and nonantibiotic groups. Given these findings, we conclude that preoperative antibiotics for AVF creation may not be necessary.

Factors Associated with Early Thrombosis after Arteriovenous Fistula Creation.

BACKGROUND: Arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) are the preferred modality for hemodialysis access. Early thrombosis hampers development of a working AVF. We endeavored to determine the incidence and identify factors associated with early thrombosis of AVF and to determine salvage rates following thrombosis, at a high-volume hemodialysis access center. METHODS: Retrospective review of autologous AVF was created between November 2014 and July 2016 at a single center. Early thrombosis was defined as thrombosis that occurred within 30 days of surgery. RESULTS: There were 291 AVFs. The median age was 54.7 years, and 192 patients (66%) were male. Early postoperative AVF thrombosis was noted in 5 (1.7%) cases. Factors associated with early thrombosis on univariate analysis included previous access surgery (P = 0.02) and absence of a good intraoperative thrill (P = 0.006). Intraoperative protamine use trended toward significance (P = 0.06). Factors that were not significant included gender, diabetes, dialysis at time of surgery, fistula configuration, and systemic heparin use. None of the thrombosed fistulas were salvaged. CONCLUSIONS: Early thrombosis is a relatively rare complication of AVF creation at a high-volume center. Previous access surgery and absence of good thrill at conclusion of the procedure are associated with early thrombosis.

Ultrasound Vein and Artery Mapping by General Surgery Residents During Initial Consult Can Decrease Time to Dialysis Access Creation.

BACKGROUND: Formal preoperative ultrasound (US) mapping of vascular anatomy by radiology is recommended before hemodialysis access surgery. We hypothesized that US performed by general surgery residents in place of formal US would decrease the time from initial consult to creation of dialysis access without affecting patient outcomes. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of all patients who underwent dialysis access surgery from November 2014 to July 2016 and received preoperative upper extremity US vein and artery evaluation by either radiology or general surgery residents. The primary endpoints were days from initial consult to dialysis access creation, rate of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation, fistula maturation, and 1-year primary assisted patency. RESULTS: Of 242 patients, 167 (69%) had formal US, and 75 (31%) had only a resident US. The resident US group had 100% AVF creation compared with the formal US group with 92.2% AVF creation (P = 0.01). There was no difference between the groups in rate of fistula maturation (P = 0.1) and 1-year assisted patency (P = 0.9). Of the resident US 90.7% occurred in the outpatient setting. On multivariable analysis controlling for outpatient consult, the average time to the operating room was 13.7 days longer for the formal US group in the outpatient setting (P = 0.0006). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound vein and artery evaluation at the time of the initial consult by general surgery residents can decrease the time to dialysis access creation by bypassing the need for formal US with a higher rate of AVF creation and no difference in fistula maturation or 1-year primary assisted patency.

The Burden of Tunneled Central Venous Catheters for Hemodialysis in a County Hospital.

Prolonged use of central venous catheters (CVCs) for hemodialysis (HD) is associated with greater morbidity and mortality when compared with autogenous arteriovenous fistulas (AVF). The objective was to assess compliance with CVC guidelines in adults referred for hemoaccess at a county teaching hospital. Out of 256 patients, 172 (67.2%) were male, with a mean age of 50.0 ± 12.4 years. Overall 62.5 per cent initiated dialysis via CVC. Patients were divided into two groups (those with CVC (62.5%) and those without (37.5%)). Male gender was associated with initiation of dialysis via CVC versus no CVC (72.5 vs 58.3%, P = 0.02), as was a history of prior vascular access (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences between the groups regarding age, diabetes, smoking, ambulatory status, or insurance status. There were no differences in gender, age, insurance status, or prior vascular access between prolonged CVC use (≥90 days) and short-term CVC use (<90 days). We conclude that most patients initiated HD with CVC and exceed the recommended CVC duration. Men are more likely to initiate HD via CVC. Insurance status was not associated with CVC use. Multidisciplinary action may address barriers to reducing CVC duration.

Predictors of Steal in Hemodialysis Access.

Pathological steal is an uncommon but devastating complication after the creation of arteriovenous access for hemodialysis. In this study, we sought to assess predictors of clinically significant steal syndrome and to further evaluate the outcome of differing surgical treatment approaches. A retrospective analysis was performed of 282 consecutive patients undergoing hemodialysis access at a single center from November 2014 to April 2016. Adequate follow-up to assess for the development of steal was obtained in 237 patients. One hundred and fifty-seven (66%) patients were male, 152 (64%) Hispanic, and 164 (69%) had diabetes. Forty-three (18%) had prior access procedures. Autologous fistula was created in 218 patients (92%). Pathologic steal occurred in 15 patients (6.7%). On univariate analysis, significant predictors of steal included female sex [P = 0.03, odds ratio (OR) = 3.3, CI [1.1-9]), no systemic heparin at operation (P = 0.02, OR = 5.0, CI [1.4-10]), use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (P = 0.003, OR = 5.6, CI [1.7-18.6]), and increased vein size (3.1 vs 4.1 mm P = 0.01). Twelve patients had steal managed with an intervention, but only one patient received distal revascularization. Furthermore, we identify key predictors of clinically significant steal syndrome while demonstrating that distal revascularization and/or fistula ligation are rarely indicated treatment modalities.