Acute global testicular infarction: A rare and important complication after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Testicular ischemia is one of the most rarely reported complications of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). Although the pathogenesis remains unclear, thromboembolic events in the setting of testicular artery origin occlusion by the stent graft and poor baseline collateral testicular circulation are presumed causes. A 73-year-old man developed acute right testicular infarction 3 days after EVAR, requiring orchiectomy. This case emphasizes the importance of recognizing and evaluating testicular pain after EVAR and counseling patients on this possible EVAR complication.

Superior mesenteric artery mycotic aneurysm repaired with bifurcated saphenous vein graft.

A mycotic aneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery caused by Enterococcus faecalis was successfully treated with aneurysmectomy and reconstruction with a bifurcated saphenous vein graft. A 49-year-old man with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and a recent left transmetatarsal amputation for osteomyelitis presented to the emergency department with severe abdominal pain, an unexplained 30-lb weight loss, and wound dehiscence. Computed tomography angiography showed an aneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery and a splenic abscess. The patient underwent splenectomy, surgical resection of the aneurysm, and reconstruction with a bifurcated saphenous vein. Follow-up revealed normal gastrointestinal function and graft patency.

Standardization of Trauma, General Surgical Morbidity and Mortality Conferences: Development and Dissemination of a "Toolkit" in Peru.

BACKGROUND: Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conferences allow clinicians to review adverse events and identify areas for improvement. There are few reports of structured M&M conferences in low- and middle-income countries and no report of collaborative efforts to standardize them. METHODS: The present study aims to gather general surgeons representing most of Peru's urban surgical care and, in collaboration, with trauma quality improvement experts develop a M&M conferences toolkit with the expectation that its diffusion impacts their reported clinical practice. Fourteen general surgeons developed a toolkit as part of a working group under the auspices of the Peruvian General Surgery Society. After three years, we conducted an anonymous written questionnaire to follow-up previous observations of quality improvement practices. RESULTS: A four-component toolkit was developed: Toolkit component #1: Conference logistics and case selection; Toolkit component #2: Documenting form; Toolkit component #3: Presentation template; and Toolkit component #4: Code of conduct. The toolkit was disseminated to 10 hospitals in 2016. Its effectiveness was evaluated by comparing the results of surveys on quality improvement practices conducted in 2016, before toolkit dissemination (101 respondents) and 2019 (105 respondents). Lower attendance was reported by surgeons in 2019. However, in 2019, participants more frequently described "improve the system" as the perceived objective of M&M conferences (70.5% vs. 38.6% in 2016; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We established a toolkit for the national dissemination of a standardized M&M conference. Three years following the initial assessment in Peru, we found similar practice patterns except for increased reporting of "system improvement" as the goal of M&M conferences.

SARS-CoV-2 infection is not associated with a higher rate of post-operative complications in adult appendectomy patients in Peru: Cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: We present outcomes of patients with SARS-CoV-2 undergoing appendectomy in order to aid in clarification of current controversies regarding safety of therapeutic options for emergency surgical diseases in patients with SARS-CoV-2. Peru has the greatest number of per capita deaths due to SARS-CoV-2 of any country and is one of few with a COVID-dedicated hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective observational study included all adult patients with acute appendicitis admitted to an urban, public, COVID-dedicated hospital over two months. Baseline characteristics and post-operative outcomes at 28 days are reported. RESULTS: 58 patients, 35 male and 23 female, ages 15-73 years with SARS-CoV-2 as diagnosed by IgM (12%), IgG (19%) or both (69%) and acute appendicitis as diagnosed using the Alvarado Score and confirmed intraoperatively were enrolled. All patients presented with right lower quadrant pain, 86% with leukocytosis, 88% with nausea/emesis and no patients with respiratory complaints. All patients underwent open appendectomy, 90% under regional anesthesia. Average operative time was 54±25 min, length of stay 2.5±1.5 days. 14% of patients had a post-operative complication, all were minor, four (7%) incisional surgical site infections, one (2%) organ space, and three (5%) incisional seromas, no deaths or serious complications. CONCLUSION: Open surgical management of acute appendicitis with regional anesthesia in adults with pre-operative diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 is feasible and not associated with an increased frequency or severity of post-operative complications, longer operative time, or extended hospitalization as compared to reports in similar patients without SARS-CoV-2.

Changes in error patterns in unanticipated trauma deaths during 20 years: In pursuit of zero preventable deaths.

BACKGROUND: A fundamental goal of continuous process improvement programs is to evaluate and improve the ratio of actual to expected mortality. To study this, we examined contributors to error-associated deaths during two consecutive periods from 1996 to 2004 (period 1) and 2005 to 2014 (period 2). METHODS: All deaths at a level I trauma center with an anticipated probability of death less than 50% and/or identified through process improvement committees were examined. Demographics were assessed for trend only because period 1 data were only available in median and interquartile range. Each death was critically appraised to identify potential error, with subsequent classification of error type, phase, cause, and contributing cognitive processes, with comparison of outcomes made using χ test of independence. RESULTS: During period 1, there were a total of 44,401 admissions with 2,594 deaths and 64 deaths (2.5%) associated with an error, compared with 60,881 admissions during period 2 with 2,659 deaths and 77 (2.9%) associated with an error. Deaths associated with an error occurred in younger and less severely injured patients in period 1 and were likely to occur during the early phase of care, primarily from failed resuscitation and hemorrhage control. In period 2, deaths occurred in older more severely injured patients and were likely to occur in the later phase of care primarily because of respiratory failure from aspiration. CONCLUSION: Despite injured patients being older and more severely injured, error-associated deaths during the early phase of care that was associated with hemorrhage improved over time. Successful implementation of system improvements resolved issues in the early phase of care but shifted deaths to later events during the recovery phase including respiratory failure from aspiration. This study demonstrates that ongoing evaluation is essential for continuous process improvement and realignment of efforts, even in a mature trauma system. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management, level IV.

Assessment of Rehabilitation Infrastructure in Peru.

OBJECTIVE: To assess rehabilitation infrastructure in Peru in terms of the World Health Organization (WHO) health systems building blocks. DESIGN: Anonymous quantitative survey; questions were based on the WHO's Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care and rehabilitation professionals' input. SETTING: Large public hospitals and referral centers and an online survey platform. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of hospital personnel working in rehabilitation and neurology (N=239), recruited through existing contacts and professional societies. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures were for 4 WHO domains: health workforce, health service delivery, essential medical products and technologies, and health information systems. RESULTS: Regarding the domain of health workforce, 47% of physical therapists, 50% of occupational therapists, and 22% of physiatrists never see inpatients. Few reported rehabilitative nurses (15%) or prosthetist/orthotists (14%) at their hospitals. Even at the largest hospitals, most reported ≤3 occupational therapists (54%) and speech-language pathologists (70%). At hospitals without speech-language pathologists, physical therapists (49%) or nobody (34%) perform speech-language pathology roles. At hospitals without occupational therapists, physical therapists most commonly (59%) perform occupational therapy tasks. Alternate prosthetist/orthotist task performers are occupational therapists (26%), physical therapists (19%), and physicians (16%). Forty-four percent reported interdisciplinary collaboration. Regarding the domain of health services, the most frequent inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation barriers were referral delays (50%) and distance/transportation (39%), respectively. Regarding the domain of health information systems, 28% reported rehabilitation service data collection. Regarding the domain of essential medical products and technologies, electrophysical agents (88%), gyms (81%), and electromyography (76%) were most common; thickened liquids (19%), swallow studies (24%), and cognitive training tools (28%) were least frequent. CONCLUSIONS: Rehabilitation emphasis is on outpatient services, and there are comparatively adequate numbers of physical therapists and physiatrists relative to rehabilitation personnel. Financial barriers seem low for accessing existing services. There appear to be shortages of inpatient rehabilitation, specialized services, and interdisciplinary collaboration. These may be addressed by redistributing personnel and investing in education and equipment for specialized services. Further examination of task sharing's role in Peru's rehabilitation services is necessary to evaluate its potential to address deficiencies.

A Global Assessment of Access to and Use of Medical Information: The State of Evidence-Based Surgery.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess surgeons' access to and use of medical information, as well as their training and perceptions about evidence-based medicine (EBM), in order to identify priority areas for improvement. STUDY DESIGN: An anonymous survey conducted among surgeons from the USA, Ghana, Peru, and Thailand examined access to, and use and perception of, medical literature. RESULTS: Of 307 participants, 98% reported access to "OK" or "good" internet. Fifty-one percent reported that language was a barrier to accessing needed medical information; most frequently in Peru (73%) and Thailand (64%). Access to priced full-text journals was poorest in Peru, where 54% lacked access, followed by Ghana (42%) and Thailand (32%). US respondents scored highest on the EBM knowledge test (1.4, SD 0.8), followed by Thailand (1.3, SD 0.9), Ghana (1.1, SD 0.8), and Peru (0.9, SD 0.8) (p < 0.001). Adjusted analysis revealed Ghanaians and Peruvians spent 5% and 1% more on medical information, respectively, relative to country income, than persons from other countries (p < 0.01). After adjustment, employment in a large and/or urban hospital and history of EBM training were associated with better EBM test scores, while middle-income origin and public hospital employment were associated with worse scores (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Language, access to priced full-text journals, and training are significant barriers to surgeons' practice of EBM globally. The way forward involves collaboration among surgical societies, publishers, hospital employers, and international policymakers in providing surgeons from all country income levels with the access and training necessary to interpret and apply medical information.

Status of trauma quality improvement programs in the Andean region: What foundation do we have to build on.

INTRODUCTION: Trauma quality improvement (QI) programs have been shown to improve outcomes and decrease cost. These are high priorities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 2,000,000 deaths due to survivable injuries occur each year. We sought to define areas for improvement in trauma QI programs in four LMICs. METHODS: We conducted a survey among trauma care providers in four Andean middle-income countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. RESULTS: 336 physicians, medical students, nurses, administrators and paramedical professionals responded to the cross-sectional survey with a response rate greater than 90% in all included countries except Bolivia, where the response rate was 14%. Eighty-seven percent of respondents reported morbidity and mortality (M&M) conferences occur at their hospital. Conferences were often reported as infrequent - 45% occurred less than every three months and poorly attended - 63% had five or fewer staff physicians present. Only 23% of conferences had standardized selection criteria, most lacked documentation - notes were taken at only 35% of conferences. Importantly, only 13% of participants indicated that discussions were routinely followed-up with any sort of corrective action. Multivariable analysis revealed the presence of standardized case selection criteria (OR 3.48, 95% CI 1.16-10.46), written documentation of the M&M conferences (OR 5.73, 95% CI 1.73-19.06), and a clear plan for follow-up (OR 4.80, 95% CI 1.59-14.50) to be associated with effective M&M conferences. Twenty-two percent of respondents worked at hospitals with a trauma registry. Fifty-two percent worked at institutions where autopsies were conducted, but only 32% of those reported the autopsy results to ever be used to improve hospital practice. CONCLUSIONS: M&M conferences are frequently practiced in the Andean region of Latin America but often lack methodologic rigor and thus effectiveness. Next steps in the maturation of QI programs include optimizing use of data from autopsies and registries, and systematic follow-up of M&M conferences with corrective action to ensure that these activities result in appreciable changes in clinical care.

Mixed-Methods Assessment of Trauma and Acute Care Surgical Quality Improvement Programs in Peru.

BACKGROUND: Evidence for the positive impact of quality improvement (QI) programs on morbidity, mortality, patient satisfaction, and cost is strong. Data regarding the status of QI programs in low- and middle-income countries, as well as in-depth examination of barriers and facilitators to their implementation, are limited. METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive study employed a mixed-methods design, including distribution of an anonymous quantitative survey and individual interviews with healthcare providers who participate in the care of the injured at ten large hospitals in Lima, Peru. RESULTS: Key areas identified for improvement in morbidity and mortality (M&M) conferences were the standardization of case selection, incorporation of evidence from the medical literature into case presentation and discussion, case documentation, and the development of a clear plan for case follow-up. The key barriers to QI program implementation were a lack of prioritization of QI, lack of sufficient human and administrative resources, lack of political support, and lack of education on QI practices. CONCLUSIONS: A national program that makes QI a required part of all health providers' professional training and responsibilities would effectively address a majority of identified barriers to QI programs in Peru. Specifically, the presence of basic QI elements, such as M&M conferences, should be required at hospitals that train pre-graduate physicians. Alternatively, short of this national-level organization, efforts that capitalize on local examples through apprenticeships between institutions or integration of QI into continuing medical education would be expected to build on the facilitators for QI programs that exist in Peru.

Surgeons' and Trauma Care Physicians' Perception of the Impact of the Globalization of Medical Education on Quality of Care in Lima, Peru.

Importance: The globalization of medical education-the process by which trainees in any region gain access to international training (electronic or in-person)-is a growing trend. More data are needed to inform next steps in the responsible stewardship of this process, from the perspective of trainees and institutions at all income levels, and for use by national and international policymakers. Objective: To describe the impact of the globalization of medical education on surgical care in Peru from the perspective of Peruvian surgeons who received international training. Design, Setting, and Participants: Observational study of qualitative interviews conducted from September 2015 to January 2016 using grounded theory qualitative research methods. The study was conducted at 10 large public institutions that provide most of the trauma care in Lima, Peru, and included urban resident and faculty surgery and trauma care physicians. Exposures: Access to international surgical rotations and medical information. Main Outcomes and Measures: Outcome measures defining the impact of globalization on surgical care were developed as part of simultaneous data collection and analysis during qualitative research as part of a larger project on trauma quality improvement practices in Peru. Results: Fifty qualitative interviews of surgeons and emergency medicine physicians were conducted at 10 hospitals, including multiple from the public and social security systems. A median of 4 interviews were conducted at each hospital, and fewer than 3 interviews were conducted at only 1 hospital. From the broader theme of globalization emerged subthemes of an eroded sense of agency and a perception of inadequate training on the adaptation of international standards as negative effects of globalization on surgical care in Peru. Access to research funds, provision of incentives for acquisition of advanced clinical training, increased expectations for patient outcomes, and education in quality improvement skills are ways in which globalization positively affected surgeons and their patients in Peru. Conclusions and Relevance: Short-term overseas training of surgeons from low- and middle-income countries may improve care in the surgeons' country of origin through the acquisition of skills and altered expectations for excellence. Prioritization of evidence-based medical education is necessary given widespread internet access and thus clinician exposure to variable quality medical information. Finally, the establishment of centers of excellence in low- and middle-income countries may address the eroded sense of agency attributable to globalization and offer a local example of world-class surgical outcomes, diminishing surgeons' most frequently cited reason for emigration: access to better surgical training.