Gaps in Training: Misunderstandings of Airway Management in Medical Students and Internal Medicine Residents.

OBJECTIVES: (1) Evaluate baseline airway knowledge of medical students (MSs) and internal medicine (IM) residents. (2) Improve MS and IM resident understanding of airway anatomy, general tracheostomy and laryngectomy care, and management of airway emergencies. METHODS: A before-and-after survey study was carried out over a single academic year. MS and IM resident knowledge was evaluated before and after an educational, grand rounds-style lecture reviewing airway anatomy, tracheostomy tube components, tracheostomy and laryngectomy care, and clinical vignettes. The primary outcome measure was change in pre- and postlecture survey scores. RESULTS: Prelecture surveys were completed by 90 participants, and 83 completed a postlecture assessment. Postlecture scores were statistically improved for all questions on the assessment (P < .001). Level of training did not confer an improved pre- or postlecture survey score. DISCUSSION: While the majority of participants in our study had previously cared for patients with a tracheostomy or laryngectomy, less than half were able to correctly address basic airway emergencies. Senior IM residents were no more proficient than MSs in addressing airway emergencies. The lack of formal airway training places patients at risk with routine care and in emergencies, demonstrating the need for formal airway education for early medical trainees. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Our data demonstrate a serious gap in MS and IM resident knowledge with respect to emergent airway care in patients with tracheostomies and laryngectomies. An interdepartmental collaborative curriculum offers a realistic and potentially life-saving solution for medical trainees.

Transfeminine Gender Confirmation Surgery with Penile Inversion Vaginoplasty: An Initial Experience.

To detail the early experience with and results of a transfeminine (TF) genital reconstruction at an established plastic surgery practice in Western New York. METHODS: Between June 2016 and June 2019, 30 patients underwent penile inversion vaginoplasty for TF gender reassignment. All patients fulfilled World Professional Association for Transgender Health and NY State criteria for reassignment surgery. All surgeries were carried out at a large, government-owned tertiary care center. RESULTS: There were 30 patients in this retrospective study, with a mean age of 37 years (SD 5.4) and a mean body mass index of 27.3 kg/m2 (SD 3.2 kg/m2). Nineteen patients never smoked, 4 were former smokers, and 7 were current smokers. Primary surgery was an orchiectomy and modified single-stage penile inversion vaginoplasty. Mean operative time was 6.0 hours. Mean initial hospital stay was 8.2 days. Three of the 30 (10%) patients required transfusion. There were 6 (20%) complications. Three complications (10%) required reoperation: 1 patient for wound dehiscence on postoperative day 7, 1 for rectal perforation identified on postoperative day 10, and 1 for urethrovaginal fistula. All complications were addressed without sequalae. Twenty of the 30 (66%) patients have undergone revision surgery. Indications for revision were prolapse correction/deepening, labiaplasty, clitoral hood construction/revision, meatal asymmetry, urinary fistula repair, and posterior vaginal flap revision. Twenty-one of 28 (75%) revisions were outpatient surgeries. There were no complications from these procedures. Overall satisfaction via survey was 92% (24 respondents). CONCLUSIONS: TF gender reassignment is a novel, challenging set of procedures for the specialty of plastic surgery. With appropriate consideration and technique, penile inversion vaginoplasty is a safe, effective means of achieving this goal.

Presurgical induction chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The indications for and efficacy of induction chemotherapy in the management of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is controversial. With the advent of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers, survival has improved significantly. Here we present a group of patients with tonsil cancer treated with induction chemotherapy followed by surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with tonsil cancer were treated with induction chemotherapy, consisting of cisplatin and docetaxel, followed by neck dissection and radical tonsillectomy. Twenty-six patients were HPV+, 28 were nonsmokers or long-term former smokers, and 28 were T1/T2. Fourteen patients required postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Median follow-up time was 4.1 years. RESULTS: A complete response to induction chemotherapy was achieved in 45% (17) of patients. In total, 76% (29/38) of patients were successfully treated: 53% (20/38) with chemotherapy and surgery alone, and 24% (9/38) required postoperative CRT. Almost 90% (23/26) of HPV+ and half (6/12) of HPV- patients are no evidence of disease (NED). HPV status is a significant prognostic factor (P = .02). Only 38% (5/13) of current smokers were NED compared to 96% (24/25) of nonsmokers (P = .0002). All HPV+ nonsmokers (20/20) were NED at last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the primary driver of prognosis was smoking status. HPV status and T stage were also important. The prognosis for HPV+ nonsmokers is extremely good; most likely regardless of treatment. Treatment failures have a poor chance of salvage, irrespective of treatment type. With the major exception of HPV- smokers, induction chemotherapy followed by surgery with selective CRT is a viable treatment option for tonsil cancer. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 130:1206-1211, 2020.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for management of the N0 neck in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The management of the clinically N0 (cN0) neck is controversial for early stage squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC). This paper represents a single institution series analyzing the efficacy of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) for early stage oral cavity cancers. METHODS: From 2005 to 2017, 108 patients with cN0 OSCC were treated with primary resection and SNB. Patients with positive biopsy results proceeded to neck dissection with or without adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Mean follow-up for the entire cohort was 50.8 months (range: 8-147 months). Clinically, 56 patients were T1N0, 49 patients were T2N0, and three patients were T3N0 or greater. RESULTS: Disease-specific survival was 93% within the entire cohort. Sentinel lymph nodes were identified in 95.4% of patients. Twenty one patients had a positive biopsy. There were seven false-negative biopsies. The overall rate of nodal disease was 26%. Accuracy of node biopsy was 93%, with sensitivity of 75%, and negative predictive value of 91%. Recurrence rate was 19% (20/108), with an overall survival of 60% in this subgroup. CONCLUSION: SNB is a safe, effective, and well tolerated method for staging cN0 OSCC.