Perspectives of Resident and Attending Ophthalmologists on Common Ethical Dilemmas in Research.

Purpose To assess how resident and attending ophthalmologists perceive and evaluate ethically controversial scenarios regarding mentorship, authorship, and ethics compliance that may occur during research involving residents. Methods An online survey was developed and contained 14 controversial vignettes based on common research scenarios that can occur when conducting research with trainees. The scenarios were designed to capture issues regarding three themes: mentorship, authorship, and compliance with ethical guidelines. Resident and attending ophthalmologists at eight military and civilian academic residency programs in the United States were invited to participate. Respondents used a Likert scale to assess the ethicality of the situations in addition to self-reported demographic characteristics. Results The response rate was 35.6% (77/216), consisting of 37.7% ( n = 29) residents and 62.3% ( n = 48) attendings. More attending ophthalmologists responded than residents ( p = 0.004). Many respondents identified controversies around compliance (67.3%) and authorship (57.1%) as unethical, whereas situations regarding mentorship were largely viewed as neutral to ethical (68.0%). Responses to two scenarios, one regarding mentorship and one regarding authorship, significantly differed between residents and attendings ( p = 0.001 and p = 0.022, respectively). Conclusion Academic ophthalmologists' perceptions of the ethicality of common research scenarios varied. There is a need for more prescriptive guidelines for authorship and mentorship ethics at all training levels to ensure consistency, fairness, and integrity of research.

A Case Report of Slug Ingestion Causing Eosinophilic Meningitis, Papilledema, and Pronounced Motor Weakness in a US Marine.

Angiostrongyliasis is the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis worldwide and is primarily characterized by eosinophilic meningitis, meningoencephalitis, or myelitis. It is caused by ingestion of the nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm (or apple snail). The most common route of infection is by ingestion of parts of the intermediate hosts like mollusks or food contaminated with infective third stage larvae. Following ingestion, the larvae migrate through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream and further into the central nervous system where they cause meningo-encephalo-myelitis and can have a variety of ocular manifestations. We present a case of a Caucasian United States Marine who suffered severe meningo-encephalo-myelitis with papilledema following ingestion of a raw Giant African Snail (Lissachatina lutica) while stationed in Japan. He developed eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, polyneuropathy, motor weakness, and papilledema. We describe the unique clinical features of this disease in our patient.

Intraocular Pressure During Robotic-assisted Laparoscopic Procedures Utilizing Steep Trendelenburg Positioning.

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of steep Trendelenburg (sTBURG) surgical positioning on intraocular pressure (IOP) during robotic-assisted laparoscopy (RAL) in subjects without previously identified ocular disease. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS AND CONTROLS: Eighteen patients undergoing RAL with sTBURG and 21 controls undergoing open and laparoscopic cases in horizontal positioning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Research data derived from an approved Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA, IRB protocol. A study group undergoing RAL utilizing sTBURG (group 1) was compared with a control group undergoing open surgery in the horizontal position (group 2), and laparoscopic cases in the horizontal position (group 3). An ophthalmologic examination including Snellen visual acuity, IOP, Humphrey Visual Field (HVF) 24-2 with standard Swedish Interactive Thresholding Algorithm, time domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) analysis, pachymetry, and dilated fundus examination was conducted preoperatively and at 1 month postoperatively. IOP was measured intraoperatively at discrete time-points. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: IOP values, change in OCT RNFL thickness, HVF mean deviation, and HVF pattern standard deviation. RESULTS: Baseline IOP (mm Hg) was similar, 13.7±3.2 for group 1 versus 15.3±3.2 for group 2 and 14.1±2.4 for group 3 (P=0.55). The IOP plateau from 60 minutes until case conclusion occurred at 29.9 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, 27.4-32.5), 19.9 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, 17.6-22.3), and 22.8 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, 20.2-25.4) for group 1, group 2, and group 3, respectively. There were no significant changes in OCT RNFL thickness, HVF mean deviation, and HVF pattern standard deviation. CONCLUSIONS: Significant elevations of IOP are experienced during robotic surgery utilizing sTBURG positioning in patients with healthy eyes, and we recommend a multidisciplinary approach in determining potential risk to those with known ocular disease who are candidates for these procedures.