Safety and efficacy of ambulatory tubeless mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the management of 10-25-mm renal calculi: A retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of ambulatory mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL) in a totally tubeless exit (without a nephrostomy tube or an internal stent) and tubeless exit (without a nephrostomy tube but with an internal stent) for the treatment of renal calculi 10-25 mm in size. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent mini-PCNL at our institution between September 2018 and September 2022. The study included a cohort of 95 patients diagnosed with renal calculi measuring 10-25 mm. All patients underwent a computed tomography (CT) renal colic scan preoperatively, on postoperative day one (POD 1), and at three-month followup. Patient demographics and outcome parameters were recorded, including stone characteristics, operative time, hospital stay, stone-free rate (SFR), complication rates, and subsequent emergency room (ER) visits. Patients were considered stone-free if they had no fragments or residual fragments measuring <4 mm. RESULTS: The median maximum stone diameter was 16 mm (10-25 mm). Twenty-nine patients (30.5%) had multiple renal calculi. The median operative time was 64 (38-135) minutes. Eighty-six patients (90.5%) underwent a totally tubeless procedure, without a nephrostomy tube or an internal stent. All patients were discharged home on the same operative day with a median hospitalization time of six hours. Seven (7.4%) postoperative ER visits were recorded, and two (2.1%) led to hospital readmission. The frequency of grade I, II, and III Clavien-Dindo complications were 18 (18.9%), one (1.1%), and one (1.1%), respectively. The SFR on POD 1 and three-month followup was 73.7% and 92.6%, respectively. None of the patients in the study required retreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Ambulatory tubeless mini-PCNL is a safe and effective treatment option for 10-25 mm renal stones. Experienced institutions can safely adopt ambulatory mini-PCNL as a treatment option without an increased risk of postoperative complications, ER visits, or hospital readmissions.

Safety and clinical outcomes of GreenLight laser prostatectomy in octogenarians.

INTRODUCTION: We evaluated the impact of age on perioperative morbidity and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing GreenLight laser prostatectomy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of prospectively collected data from individuals who underwent GreenLight laser prostatectomy from May 2018 to July 2022. Patient demographics and outcome measures were recorded, including indications for the procedure and American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) scores. All patients had postoperative followup visits at one, three, six, and 12 months. Our evaluation included the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS ), quality of life (QoL) assessment, maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), postvoid residual volume (PVR), and catheter-free status. RESULTS: One-hundred-sixty-eight males who underwent GreenLight laser prostatectomy were included. The non-octogenarian group consisted of 111 patients and the octogenarian group comprised 57 individuals. Based on ASA scores, most octogenarians were deemed high-risk (ASA III: 91.2%), while over half of non-octogenarians were lower-risk (ASA II: 53.2%) (p<0.001). Intraoperative parameters, including operative time, vaporization time, lasing time, and energy did not differ significantly between groups. There was no difference in the proportion of intraoperative complications between non-octogenarians and octogenarians (0.9% vs. 3.5%). Postoperative complications were not statistically significant between the two groups (p=0.608). There was also no observed difference in the proportion of patients requiring readmission (p=0.226) or retreatment (p=1.0). CONCLUSIONS: GreenLight laser prostatectomy is a safe and effective treatment for BPH regardless of age. It provides similar surgical and functional outcomes as younger men while maintaining the QoL of octogenarians.

Assessing the Accuracy, Quality, and Readability of Information Related to the Surgical Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

Objectives: To assess the accuracy, quality, and readability of online educational health information in English related to the most common benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) guideline-approved surgical treatments. Methods: The terms "benign prostatic hyperplasia," "BPH," and all eight guideline-approved treatment modalities studied, were searched to retrieve the first five relevant websites and first two paid advertised websites related to the surgical treatment options for BPH. These modalities included transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), GreenLight photovaporization, endoscopic enucleation of the prostate, Rezum, Urolift, Aquablation, open simple prostatectomy, and robotic simple prostatectomy (RSP). All relevant websites were assessed for their accuracy, quality, and readability using standardized scoring systems. Results: The mean accuracy score for each of the treatment modalities were all indicative of good accuracy, with 76%-99% of the information presented as being accurate. The median quality score was statistically different across the eight treatment modalities (p = 0.015). The median readability grade level was statistically different across the eight treatment modalities (p = 0.009). Websites that described TURP (median readability grade level, 9.00 [interquartile range (IQR) 8.00-10.80]) were significantly easier to read than those related to RSP (median readability grade level, 14.35 [IQR, 11.08-16.50]) (p = 0.011). No other statistically significant differences were found within the other treatment modality websites. Conclusions: The majority of websites retrieved were found to be of high accuracy, good quality, and poor readability. Additionally, it was found that none of the retrieved websites included descriptions for all the other included treatment modalities. Given these findings, the authors recommend the development of centralized resources with all guideline-approved treatment modalities and accurate, readable, and high-quality information related to the surgical treatment of BPH.

Application of Novel 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine-Containing Antimicrobial Polymers for the Prevention of Uropathogen Attachment to Urinary Biomaterials.

Introduction and Objective: Urinary catheters and stents are frequently prone to catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) through biofilm formation. Several strategies have been evaluated in search of a stent coating to reliably prevent adherence of bacteria and biofilm. Previous in vivo and in vitro research with methoxylated polyethylene glycol 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) copolymer as a candidate coating showed promising results to reduce the bacterial attachment. We aimed to further enhance this antimicrobial activity by adding antimicrobial agents to newly synthesized DOPA-based copolymers. Materials and Methods: Building on our previous experience, novel copolymers were engineered based on DOPA. Quaternary ammonium groups and silver particles were added by cross-linking to increase the antimicrobial activity through both kill-by-contact and planktonic killing. After coating polyurethane sheets and measuring contact angles, all candidate coatings were challenged in vitro with an Escherichia coli culture. The most promising coatings were then further evaluated against a panel of seven clinically relevant uropathogens and planktonic killing, and microbial attachment was determined. Results: Initially, seven coatings were developed, referred to as Surphys 093-099. The most significant increase in contact angle was identified in Surphys-095 and -098. Surphys coatings S-094, S-095, and S-098 were cross-linked with silver and exhibited profound antimicrobial properties when challenged with E. coli. Further testing demonstrated S-095 to have antimicrobial efficacy against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria at different silver-loading concentrations. The final coating, consisting of a 2 mg/mL solution of S-095 cross-linked with 0.25 mg/mL AgNO3, appeared to be highly bactericidal showing a ≥99.9% bacterial killing effect while remaining below cytotoxicity levels. Conclusions: We were able to engineer DOPA-based copolymers and add quaternary ammonium and silver particles, thus increasing the bactericidal properties of the coating. These coatings have exhibited a biologically significant ability to prevent uropathogens from attaching to biomaterials and represent a realistic opportunity to combat CAUTI.

Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess an e-Learning on Acute Burns Management.

An e-learning tutorial was developed to cover the basic aspects of acute burns management. The aim of this study was to provide objective educational evidence supporting the role of an e-learning on acute burns management ("basic burns management" or BBM) when compared with traditional teaching methods when introduced in different medical school settings around the world. A multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, and St. George's University of London comparing the learning experience of medical students with the BBM e-learning tool (intervention) and a traditional lecture (control). A group of medical students was randomly allocated to the e-learning or lecture arms. Both groups were subjected to a 10-question pre-intervention and post-intervention tests assessing burns knowledge, and were asked to fill out a satisfaction survey. A total of 79 medical students of varying years of study participated. As a whole, students demonstrated a significant gain in knowledge after intervention (overall = 47.6%, P < .001), regardless of medical school year of study or interest in surgery. Participants undertaking the BBM e-learning had a greater exam score improvement and satisfaction compared with the traditional lecture even though they were not statistically significant. BBM e-learning is a free tool that provides comparable acute burn care learning opportunity and satisfaction outcomes to a traditional lecture, allowing convenient and standardized incorporation of burns teaching within an educational setting, regardless of geographical location, level of experience, or interest in surgery.

Hand Surgery Fellowship Selection Criteria: A National Fellowship Director Survey.

BACKGROUND: Candidate characteristics for hand surgery fellowship training remains unknown, as very little data is available in the literature. This study aims to provide information on the criteria that are employed to select candidates for the hand surgery fellowship match. METHODS: A 38-question survey was sent in April 2015 to all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recognized hand surgery fellowship program directors (n=81) involved in the U.S. match. The survey investigated factors used for the selection of applicants, including medical school, residency training, research experience, fellowship interview, and candidate characteristics. A 5-point Likert scale was used to grade 33 factors from "not at all important" (1) to "essential in making my decision" (5); or for five controversial factors from "very negative impact" (1) to "very positive impact in making my decision" (5). RESULTS: A total of 52% (42 out of 81) of responses were received from hand surgery fellowship program directors. The most important influential factors were interactions with faculty during interview and visit (4.6±0.6), interpersonal skills (4.6±0.5), overall interview performance in the selection process (4.6±0.6), professionalism and ethics (4.6±0.7), and letters of recommendation from hand surgeons (4.5±0.7). Factors that have a negative impact on the selection process include visa requirement (2.1±1.2), graduate of non-plastic surgery residency program (2.4±1.3), and graduate of a foreign medical school (2.4±1.1). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides data on hand surgery fellowship directors' perception on the criteria important for fellowship applicant selection, and showed that interview-related criteria and letters of recommendation are the important factors.

South Asian ethnicity as a risk factor for major adverse cardiovascular events after renal transplantation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: South Asians (SAs) comprise 25% of all Canadian visible minorities. SAs constitute a group at high risk for cardiovascular disease in the general population, but the risk in SA kidney transplant recipients has never been studied. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: In a cohort study of 864 kidney recipients transplanted from 1998 to 2007 and followed to June 2009, we identified risk factors including ethnicity associated with major cardiac events (MACEs, a composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction, coronary intervention, and cardiac death) within and beyond 3 months after transplant. Kaplan-Meier methodology and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to determine risk factors for MACEs. RESULTS: There was no difference among SAs (n = 139), whites (n = 550), blacks (n = 65), or East Asians (n = 110) in baseline risk, including pre-existing cardiac disease. Post-transplant MACE rate in SAs was 4.4/100 patient-years compared with 1.31, 1.16, and 1.61/100 patient-years in whites, blacks, and East Asians, respectively (P < 0.0001 versus each). SA ethnicity independently predicted MACEs along with age, male gender, diabetes, systolic BP, and prior cardiac disease. SAs also experienced more MACEs within 3 months after transplant compared with whites (P < 0.0001), blacks (P = 0.04), and East Asians (P = 0.006). However, graft and patient survival was similar to other groups. CONCLUSIONS: SA ethnicity is an independent risk factor for post-transplant cardiac events. Further study of this high-risk group is warranted.