Wellbeing as Defined by Resident Physicians: A Qualitative Study.

The importance of resident wellbeing is increasingly recognized by the ACGME as essential. While prior studies have quantified wellbeing/burnout, few have defined wellbeing from the resident-physician perspective. A REDCap® survey was distributed to residents in various programs, responses were grouped by theme, and data analyzed via chi-square. From 19 institutions, 53/670 responded, from university (34.0%), community (30.2%), and community/university-affiliated (30.2%) programs, mostly surgical (84.9%), followed by medical (9.4%). Wellbeing was defined by mental and spiritual/religious health (33.8%), overall health (23.0%), free time/time management (23.0%), and job/salary satisfaction (18.9%). Proposed changes to traditional training included fewer hours and more schedule flexibility (38.2%), and increased/improved support/feedback (14.7%). Nearly half of the respondents perceived lacking education on career longevity. Wellbeing is paramount to the personal/professional development of residents. Data on resident-defined wellbeing are lacking. The improved understanding of wellbeing defined here can be used to improve residency training programs.

Incidence of Complicated Appendicitis as a Metric of Health Care Delivery.

BACKGROUND: Complicated acute appendicitis (CAA) has been linked to extremes of age, racial and socioeconomic disparities, public insurance, and remote residency. CAA rate has been used from 2005 to 2018 as a health care quality metric, with the assumption that delay in treatment was a main cause of perforation. We studied factors that could contribute to CAA focusing on modifiable factors which could be altered as part of a health care delivery system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All primary admissions for acute appendicitis (AA) from the 2010 Nationwide Inpatient Sample were linked to 2010 state-level physician density data. CAA was distinguished by codes for perforation, generalized peritonitis, or intra-abdominal abscess. A multivariable logistic regression model for CAA prediction was built. RESULTS: A total of 288 556 patients were admitted with AA and 86 272 (29.9%) had CAA. Independent factors, linked to CAA, included age outside the 10-39 range (odds ratio (OR) = 2.1-2.4 and all P < .001), male gender (OR = 1.2), malnutrition (OR = 6.2), diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.1), chronic anemias (OR = 1.9), nonprivate insurances (OR 1.2-1.5), nonmetropolitan patient's residence (OR = 1.15), and Midwest region (OR = 1.2). Patient income and physician coverage were not significant factors after adjustment for all other covariates. Highest CAA fraction of 39.6% was noted in rural patients admitted to urban teaching facilities. DISCUSSION: Although provider coverage at the state level may seem adequate and not related to increased CAA rates, the distance patients traveled for their definitive surgical care correlated with higher rates of CAA. Adjusting physician distribution into nonurban settings closer to patients could decrease rates of CAA by diminishing time to definitive care.

Use of CT Scans for Abdominal Pain in the ED: Factors in Choice.

Overutilization of healthcare resources is a threat to long-term healthcare sustainability and patient outcomes. CT is a costly but efficient means of assessing abdominal pain; however, 97 per cent of ED physicians acknowledge its overutilization. This study sought to understand factors that influence ED providers' decision regarding CT use in the evaluation of abdominal pain. After evaluating a patient for acute abdominal pain, ED providers filled in a form in which the primary diagnosis and index of suspicion were recorded. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify predictors of outcomes. The CT scan utilization rate was 54.82 per cent. Whereas 34.11 per cent of CT scans were normal, 30 per cent yielded an acute abdominal pathology. Tenderness and rebound tenderness were positive predictors of high index of suspicion [odds ratio (OR) 2.09 and 2.54, respectively]. These variables were also predictive of obtaining a CT scan [OR 2.64 and 3.41, respectively]. Compared with whites, the index of suspicion was 26 per cent and 56 per cent less likely to be high when patients were black [OR 0.73] or Hispanic [OR 0.44] respectively. Blacks and Hispanics were less likely to have CT scans performed than whites [OR 0.58 and 0.48, respectively]. Leukocytosis significantly affected the index of suspicion for acute abdominal pathology, obtaining a CT scan and the acuity of CT scan diagnosis on multivariate analysis. Patients aged ≥60 years had 2.03 odds of acute CT finding compared with those aged <60 years. There is a need for committed efforts to optimize CT scan utilization and eliminate socioeconomic disparities in health care.

Measured versus Estimated Blood Loss: Interim Analysis of a Prospective Quality Improvement Study.

Estimated blood loss (EBL) is an increasingly important factor used to predict outcomes, such as morbidity and mortality, length of stay, and readmissions, after major abdominal operations. However, blood loss is difficult to estimate, with frequent under- and overestimations, consequences of which can be potentially dangerous for individual patients and confounding for scoring systems relying on EBL. We hypothesized that EBL is often inaccurate and have prospectively enrolled consecutive patients undergoing major elective intra-abdominal operations. Actual hemoglobin levels were measured and used to calculate the measured blood loss (MBL), which was compared with the EBL, as estimated both by surgeons (sEBL) and anesthesiologists (aEBL). Of 23 eligible cases at interim analysis, pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 8) was the most common, followed by colectomy (n = 3), hepatectomy (n = 3) and gastrectomy (n = 2), biliary excision and reconstruction (n = 2), combined gastrectomy + colectomy (n = 1), radical nephrectomy (n = 1), open cholecystectomy (n = 1), pancreatic debridement (n = 1), and exploratory laparotomy (n = 1). aEBL overestimated MBL by 192 mL (143%) on average. The aEBL was significantly greater than the MBL (P = 0.004), whereas the sEBL was significantly less than the MBL (P = 0.009). In conclusion, surgeons significantly underestimate and anesthesiologists significantly overestimate EBL. This finding impacts not only immediate patient care but also the interpretation of scoring systems relying on EBL.

Detecting accidental punctures and lacerations during cholecystectomy in large datasets: Two methods of analysis.

BACKGROUND: After the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report To Err Is Human highlighted the impact of medical errors, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed Patient-Safety Indicators (PSI) to improve quality by identifying potential inpatient safety problems. PSI-15 was created to study accidental punctures and lacerations (APL), but PSI-15 may underestimate APLs in populations of patients. This study compares PSI-15 with a more inclusive approach using a novel composite of secondary diagnostic and procedural codes. METHODS: We used Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data (2000-2012) from AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (H-CUP). We analyzed PSI-15-positive and -negative cholecystectomies. Cross tabulations identified codes that were significantly more frequent among PSI-15-positive cases; these secondary diagnostic and procedural codes were selected as candidate members of a composite marker (CM) of APL. We chose cholecystectomy patients for study because this is one of the most common general operations, and the large size of NIS allows for meaningful analysis of infrequent occurrences such as APL rates. RESULTS: CM identified 1.13 times more APLs than did PSI-15. Patients with CM-detected APLs were significantly older and had worse mortality, comorbidities, lengths of stay, and charges than those detected with PSI-15. Further comparison of these two approaches revealed that time-series analysis for both APL markers revealed parallel trends, with inflections in 2007, and lowest APL rates in July. CONCLUSIONS: Although CM may yield more false positives, it appears more inclusive, identifying more clinically significant APLs, than PSI-15. Both measures presented similar trends over time, arguing against inflation in PSI-15 reporting. While arguably less specific, CM may increase sensitivity for detecting APL events during cholecystectomies. These results may inform the interpretation of other large population studies of APLs following abdominal operations.

Effectiveness of an Early Ultrasound Training Curriculum for General Surgery Residents.

Ultrasound (US) is fast becoming an extension of the physical examination in most surgical settings. Unfortunately, few residency programs offer a formal US training curriculum to their general surgical residents. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a formal US training module for general surgery residents. We studied the degree of improvement observed between junior and senior residents. A training-based study was conducted to evaluate baseline knowledge and skills. Subsequently, a formal didactic and practical training program for our surgery residents was instituted. Residents were then scored in various categories. A total of 18 surgical residents comprising 10 junior and 8 senior residents completed our US training module. There was no significant improvement in the scores of the senior resident group. In the junior group, the written test, image detection, optimization, and interpretation categories improved significantly after completion of the training module. Comparison of improvement in scores between junior and senior residents revealed a significantly better improvement in the junior group than in the senior group. Early training of surgical residents can significantly improve US performance in junior residents. This early training has the benefit of increased utilization of bedside US for diagnostic and procedural purposes. Interestingly, even without formal training, skill acquisition of senior residents is noted to occur during modern surgical training.

Clues to predict incidental gallbladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Consequences of incidental gallbladder cancer (iGBC) following cholecystectomy may include repeat operation (depending on T stage) and worse survival (if bile spillage occurred), both avoidable if iGBC were suspected preoperatively. METHODS: A retrospective single-institution review was done. Ultrasound images for cases and controls were blindly reviewed by a radiologist. Chi-square and Student's t tests, as well as logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses were used. A P ≤ 0.01 was considered significant. RESULTS: Among 5796 cholecystectomies performed 2000-2013, 26 (0.45%) were iGBC cases. These patients were older (75.61 versus 52.27 years), had more laparoscopic-to-open conversions (23.1% versus 3.9%), underwent more imaging tests, had larger common bile duct diameter (7.13 versus 5.04 mm) and higher alkaline phosphatase. Ultrasound imaging showed that gallbladder wall thickening (GBWT) without pericholecystic fluid (PCCF), but not focal-versus-diffuse GBWT, was associated significantly with iGBC (73.9% versus 47.4%). On multivariable logistic regression analysis, GBWT without PCCF, and age were the strongest predictors of iGBC. The consequences iGBC depended significantly on intraoperative bile spillage, with nearly all such patients developing carcinomatosis and significantly worse survival. CONCLUSIONS: Besides age, GBWT, dilated common bile duct, and elevated alkaline phosphatase, number of preoperative imaging modalities and the presence of GBWT without PCCF are useful predictors of iGBC. Bile spillage causes poor survival in patients with iGBC.

HIDA scan for functional gallbladder disorder: ensure that you know how the scan was done.

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing use of fatty meal (FM) as a substitute for cholecystokinin (CCK) in pain reproduction during hepato-imino-diacetic acid (HIDA) scan in functional gallbladder disorder, there are no studies comparing the differences between CCK and FM. The present study was to compare the efficacy of FM in comparison of CCK in FGBD application. METHODS: Patients undergoing HIDA scans from August 2013 to May 2014 were divided into two groups: those undergoing CCK-stimulated HIDA scan versus FM-stimulated HIDA scan. These groups were compared according to demographics and HIDA results. RESULTS: Of 153 patients, 70 received CCK and 83 FM. There was no difference regarding age, gender, gallstones, gallbladder ejection fraction and time to visualization. However, significantly more of the patients receiving CCK than FM experienced pain reproduction (61% vs 30%, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Stimulation of gallbladder contractility with a FM during HIDA is less than half as likely to reproduce biliary symptoms compared to CCK, despite similar ejection fractions and other parameters. It is essential that providers account for this difference when counseling patients regarding cholecystectomy for functional gallbladder disorder.

Age-related differences pre-, intra-, and postcholecystectomy: A retrospective cohort study of 6,868 patients.

BACKGROUND: Cholecystectomy (CCY) is increasingly performed in older individuals. We sought to examine age-related differences in pre-, intra-, and postoperative factors at a community hospital, using a very large, single-institution cholecystectomy database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 6868 patients who underwent CCY from 2001 to 2013 was performed. ROC analysis identified the optimal age cutoff when complications reached a significant inflection point (<55 and ≥55 years). Multiple clinical features and outcomes were measured and compared by age. Logistic regression was used to examine how well a set of covariates predicted postoperative complications. RESULTS: Older patients had significantly higher rates of comorbidities and underwent more extensive preoperative imaging. Intraoperatively, older patients had more blood loss, longer operative times, and more open operations. Postoperatively, older patients experienced more complications and had significantly different pathological findings. While holding age and gender constant, regression analyses showed that preoperative creatinine level, blood loss and history of previous operation were the strongest predictors of complications. The risk for developing complications increased by 2% per year of life. CONCLUSION: Older patients have distinct pre-, intra-, and postoperative characteristics. Their care is more imaging- and cost-intensive. CCY in this population is associated with higher risks, likely due to a combination of comorbidities and age-related worsened physiological status. Pathologic findings are significantly different relative to younger patients. While removing the effect of age, preoperative creatinine levels, blood loss, and history of previous operation predict postoperative complications. Quantifying these differences may help to inform management decisions for older patients.

The role of surgery in the treatment of endoscopic complications.

As the number, diversity, and complexity of endoscopic complications has increased, so too has the number, diversity, and complexity of operative interventions required to treat them. The most common complications of endoscopy in general are bleeding and perforation, but each endoscopic modality has specific nuances of these and other complications. Accordingly, this review considers the surgical complications of endoscopy by location within the gastrointestinal tract, as opposed to by complication types, since there are many complication types that are specific for only one or few locations, such as buried-bumper syndrome after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and pancreatitis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and since the management of a given complication, such as perforation, may be vastly different in one area than in another area, such as perforations of the esophagus versus the retroperitoneal duodenum versus the intraperitoneal duodenum. It is hoped that this review will provide guidance for gastroenterologists considering a particular procedure, either to assess the risks for surgical complications in preparation for patient counseling, or assist in assessing a patient who seems to be having a severe complication, or to learn what operation might be required to treat a given complication and how that operation might be performed. As with many operations, those for the treatment of endoscopic complications are typically performed only when less invasive, nonoperative strategies fail.

Verbal Aggressiveness Among Physicians and Trainees.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand verbal aggressiveness among physicians and trainees, including specialty-specific differences. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: The Infante Verbal Aggressiveness Scale (IVAS) was administered as part of a survey to 48 medical students, 24 residents, and 257 attending physicians. The 72 trainees received the IVAS and demographic questions, whereas the attending physicians received additional questions regarding type of practice, career satisfaction, litigation, and personality type. RESULTS: The IVAS scores showed high reliability (Cronbach α = 0.83). Among all trainees, 56% were female with mean age 28 years, whereas among attending physicians, 63% were male with mean age 50 years. Average scores of trainees were higher than attending physicians with corresponding averages of 1.88 and 1.68, respectively. Among trainees, higher IVAS scores were significantly associated with male sex, non-US birthplace, choice of surgery, and a history of bullying. Among attending physicians, higher IVAS scores were significantly associated with male sex, younger age, self-reported low-quality of patient-physician relationships, and low enjoyment talking to patients. General surgery and general internal medicine physicians were significantly associated with higher IVAS scores than other specialties. General practitioners (surgeons and medical physicians) had higher IVAS scores than the specialists in their corresponding fields. No significant correlation was found between IVAS scores and threats of legal action against attending physicians, or most personality traits. Additional findings regarding bullying in medical school, physician-patient interactions, and having a method to deal with inappropriate behavior at work were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals choosing general specialties display more aggressive verbal communication styles, general surgeons displaying the highest. The IVAS scoring system may identify subgroups of physicians with overly aggressive (problematic) communication skills and may provide a backdrop for educating physician communicators. The relationship between verbal aggressiveness and efficacy of clinical communication merits inquiry.

Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy for Adrenal Cancer-A Systematic Review.

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is increasingly employed for removal of adrenal masses. As adrenal tumors increase in size, however, their malignant potential likewise increases, raising concerns for the use of laparoscopy for removal of large adrenal malignancies. We present a systematic review of the use of laparoscopic adrenalectomy of large malignant tumors. A PubMed search was undertaken and two independent reviewers reviewed the manuscripts and a methodological index for nonrandomized studies score was determined. Manuscripts with scores greater than eight were included. The primary end points were rate of cancer recurrence, rate of conversion to open, complications, and surgical technique. Our initial search produced 412 manuscripts. After abstract review, 44 manuscripts were scored, of which 19 manuscripts were used. A total of 2183 tumors were removed, of which 517 were malignant. Average follow-up time was 38.7 months. The recurrence rate was 12.9 per cent. The rate of conversion was 3.6 per cent. The main techniques used were transabdominal and retroperitoneal. No significant differences in rate of recurrence or complications were seen when compared with open. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy may be performed for large and malignant tumors; however, most manuscripts on this subject lack significant scientific rigor and follow-up.

Effect of Residents on Operative Time and Complications: Focus on Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in the Community.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand important aspects of resident education in the perioperative setting, given that there are conflicting data regarding resident training and outcomes (e.g., operative times and complications). To study continuity of care in a resident-run outpatient hospital clinic. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 2 databases. SETTING: The study was set up in a community teaching hospital. RESULTS: Of 4603 cases in a cholecystectomy database, 3302 (72%) were assisted by residents, with operative times ranging from 19 to 383 minutes, and 1576 (22.9%) were assisted by nonresidents. The average times were 93 and 77 minutes for resident- and non-resident-assisted cases, respectively. Complications were almost 3 times more likely for urgent vs. elective but were similar for resident-assisted vs. non-resident-assisted cases. The operative time was similar across PGY levels. Of 149 cases in a resident-run outpatient clinic, 100 (67%) of the residents participated in preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of case, but in only 4% of cases was it the same resident. CONCLUSION: Resident assistance increased operative times but not complications. Counterbalanced effects of increasing skill and increasing participation may explain this time stability across PGY levels. Continuity of care is preserved in the era of the 80-hour workweek, but not to a patient-specific degree.

A Systematic Review of Perforated Appendicitis and Phlegmon: Interval Appendectomy or Wait-and-See?

Patients with appendiceal abscess or phlegmon have been traditionally managed with antibiotics and radiologically guided drainage of the abscess. Many studies have questioned the need for interval appendectomy. A systematic review of the nonsurgical treatment of patients with an appendiceal abscess or phlegmon was undertaken. The rate of recurrence after nonsurgical management, morbidity and length of hospital stay was measured. PubMed and Cochrane databases were queried to identify 21 studies reporting the morbidity of nonsurgical treatment of appendiceal phlegmon or abscess, and five studies reporting the morbidity of performing interval appendectomy. Repeat nonsurgical management was compared with that of performing interval appendectomy. The studies included a total of 1943 patients, of which 1400 patients were managed nonsurgically and 543 patients underwent interval appendectomy. Nonoperative treatment had a mean recurrence of 12.4 per cent, a morbidity of 13.3 per cent, and the length of hospital stay was 9.6 days. The mean morbidity rate and length of hospital stay for patients who underwent interval appendectomy was 10.4 per cent and 5.0 days, respectively. Interval appendectomy and repeat nonoperative management in case of recurrence are associated with similar morbidity; however, elective interval appendectomy implies additional operative costs to prevent recurrence in one of eight patients.

Implications of gallbladder cholesterolosis and cholesterol polyps?

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of cholesterolosis has not been well established but there are some provocative, if not robust, studies of the role it may play in the pathophysiology of pancreatitis and biliary dyskinesia, as well as hypercholesterolemia. Our aim was to take advantage of a very large cholecystectomy (CCY) database to support or refute these potentially important reported associations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 6868 patients who underwent CCY from 2001-2013 was performed. Comparisons were made using the student t-test for continuous and chi-square analysis for categorical, variables. RESULTS: Among patients for whom the CCY was the primary operation, 1053 (18%) had cholesterolosis and 4596 did not. Compared to those without cholesterolosis, those with cholesterolosis were no more likely to have elevated cholesterol levels (P = 0.64) nor low gallbladder ejection fraction (P = 0.2). To evaluate cholesterolosis as a cause of pancreatitis, all patients with gallstones were eliminated, leaving 639 patients. Among these, not only was cholesterolosis not associated with more pancreatitis, but rather there was not a single patient with or without cholesterolosis who had pancreatitis. CONCLUSIONS: Despite prior reports of associations between cholesterolosis and elevated serum cholesterol, depressed ejection fraction, and increased risk of pancreatitis, careful analysis of this current, larger data set does not support these associations. Any patient with stones or sludge, or with biliary dyskinesia, and appropriate symptoms, should be considered for CCY, with or without suspected cholesterolosis.