Perceptions of Surgical Drains Among Breast Reconstruction Patients and Health Care Staff: A Qualitative Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Surgical drains are a key component for recovery in breast reconstruction procedures. However, they are often cumbersome and carry a risk for infection with prolonged use. Our aim was to develop a more thorough understanding of patient and health care provider perspectives on surgical drains, to inform future efforts in improving the breast reconstruction patient experience. METHODS: Twenty-nine breast reconstruction patients and eight plastic surgery providers were recruited to complete surveys focused on surgical drains. Likert scales ranging from 1-5 were developed to gauge how bothersome drains felt, as well as concern for infection. Ordinal variable and categorical multiple-choice analyses were applied as appropriate. RESULTS: Fifteen (51.7%) patients underwent implant-based breast reconstruction, and 14 (48.3%) patients underwent autologous breast reconstruction. The most common duration of drain placement was two weeks (N=13). The surgical site infection rate requiring antibiotics was 28% (N=8). On a scale of 1-5, both patients (median = 3) and providers (median = 2.5) viewed drains as bothersome. Patients were "frequently" concerned about infection risk (median = 3). Other high-frequency patient concerns included general pain and discomfort. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical drains are a common component of breast reconstruction procedures and are viewed as cumbersome by both patients and providers. Patients expressed concerns about drain site pain, discomfort, and tugging on clothing. Patients and providers both believed that drains could contribute to surgical site infection. Overall, this data provides insight to drive future improvements in the patient drain experience.

Integrated Health Maintenance Reminders for Improved HPV Vaccine Administration: Toward Improvements in Completion Disparities.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a health maintenance reminder (HMR) on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine administration and completion across different age, insurance, and race cohorts. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective pre-post analysis. SETTING: Academic primary care. METHODS: Patients aged 9 to 26 who had initiated the HPV vaccine series from 2016 to 2021 were analyzed, based on current age-based standards. The cohort was divided based on vaccine uptake before and after the implementation of the HMR program in February 2020. The multivariate analysis estimated the odds of vaccine completion based on sociodemographic factors, and variable interactions were investigated to determine independent associations between sociodemographic factors and HMR implementation. RESULTS: There were 7654 individual patients (mean age was 15.8 years; 46.7 were males; and 50.7% were white). HPV vaccine completion rates increased post-HMR implementation by 59.2% (37% pre-, and 58.9% post-HMR; p < .001) in the entire cohort. Overall, black patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.60, 0.70) and patients ≥18 years (aOR = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.15) were significantly less likely to complete their vaccine series; however, this improved significantly following HMR in these groups (p < .001). Post-HMR, race, and insurance status were not independently associated with disparate vaccine completion rates, however, age was, and patients ≤14 or younger had higher odds of vaccine completion (aOR = 3.54; 95% CI: 2.91, 4.32). CONCLUSION: The implementation of an HMR was associated with increased HPV vaccine uptake across age and race groups in this single-institution study. Future research should explore barriers to implementing HMRs in different health care settings.

Survival and tumor characteristics of patients presenting with single primary versus second primary melanoma lesions.

BACKGROUND: Patients with single primary melanomas have an increased risk of developing subsequent melanomas. Secondary tumors diagnosed within and after 3 months are termed "synchronous" and "asynchronous," respectively. OBJECTIVE: To compare tumor distributions and survival characteristics between patients with second primary melanomas and those with single primary melanomas. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study. Data were collected from an institutional database from 14,029 patients with a diagnosis of a primary melanoma seen between 1970 and 2004. RESULTS: The synchronous and asynchronous cohorts demonstrated significantly improved survival probabilities compared with the single primary cohort (P = .04 and .002, respectively). Single primary lesions (2.2 ± 2.3 mm) were significantly thicker than the first-identified synchronous (2.0 ± 1.7 mm) and asynchronous (1.7 ± 1.3 mm) lesions. Synchronous lesions were more likely to be anatomically concordant compared with asynchronous lesions (55.7% vs 38.2%, P < .001). LIMITATIONS: Single-center study design and incomplete records for second primary melanoma Breslow depth and histopathology. CONCLUSION: Patients with second primary melanomas demonstrated a significant survival advantage and thinner lesions compared with those with single primary melanomas. Our reported tumor distributions support the role of full body skin examinations, with attention to the region of initial diagnosis.

Guideline Awareness Disparities in Plastic Surgery: A Survey of American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) clinical practice guidelines were constructed to help direct evidence-based surgical management in plastic surgery. Societal member awareness of the recommendations for breast reconstruction has yet to be studied among ASPS members. Methods: Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using electronic survey data from 243 ASPS members. Characteristics, including respondent demographics, practice distribution, and geographic locations, were correlated to the awareness of autologous and expander/implant-based reconstruction guidelines. Results: Of the respondents, 52% and 35.7% reported awareness for autologous breast reconstruction and expander/implant-based reconstruction guidelines, respectively. Surgeons who performed more general and autologous breast reconstruction were more likely to be aware of autologous breast reconstruction and expander/implant-based guidelines (P = 0.0034 and 0.032). Autologous breast reconstruction guideline awareness was geographically disparate (P = 0.031), with greater awareness in the Northeast (OR, 4.5; 95% CI, 1.63-12.53; P = 0.01) and Southwest (OR, 3.91; 95% CI, 1.18-13.83; P = 0.01). Respondents with larger practice percentages of breast reconstruction and those with higher annual academic meeting attendance reported greater awareness of expander/implant-based guidelines (P = 0.044 and 0.040). Meeting attendance (OR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.15-8.91; P = 0.022) and practice-based (OR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.52-8.91; P = 0.027) awareness disparities were also appreciated on multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Guideline awareness in plastic surgery varies by practice composition and geography. These findings can be used to help inform more targeted educational and implementation strategies in breast reconstruction. Clinical Question/Level of Evidence: Quality Improvement/Level IV.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Surgical Outcomes after Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Women of color with breast cancer are less likely to undergo post-mastectomy reconstruction compared with White women, but it is unclear whether their perioperative outcomes are worse. The goal of this study was to investigate differences in preoperative comorbidities and postoperative complications by race/ethnicity among women with breast cancer undergoing postmastectomy reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: Data were collected from the National Inpatient Sample database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project from 2012 to 2016. Patient demographics, types of reconstruction, comorbid conditions, Charlson-Deyo Combined Comorbidity (CDCC) scores, length of stay (LOS), and perioperative complications were abstracted. Multivariate linear and logistic regression were performed to model LOS and likelihood of postoperative complications, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with White women (n = 19,730), Black women (n = 3,201) underwent autologous reconstruction more frequently (40.7% vs 28.3%), had more perioperative comorbidities (eg diabetes: 12.9% vs 5.8%), higher CDCC scores (% CDCC ≥ 4: 5.5% vs 2.7%), and longer LOS (median 3 vs 2 days, all p < 0.001). Being Black (vs White: +0.13 adjusted days, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.19) was also associated with longer LOS and an increased likelihood of surgical complications (vs White: odds ratio 1.24, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.42, both p < 0.01), but this association did not persist when outcomes were limited to microsurgical complications. CONCLUSION: Disparities in postmastectomy breast reconstruction between Black and White women extend beyond access to care and include perioperative factors and outcomes. These findings suggest an important opportunity to mitigate inequities in reconstruction through perioperative health optimization and improved access to and co-management with primary care.

Contextualizing Breast Implant Removal Patterns with Google Trends: Big Data Applications in Surgical Demand.

The demand for breast implant removal (BIR) has increased substantially in recent years. This study leveraged large datasets available through Google Trends to understand how changes in public perception could be influencing surgical demand, both geographically and temporally. METHODS: Using Google Trends, we extracted relative search volume for BIR-related search terms in the United States from 2006 to 2019. A network of related search terms was established using pairwise correlative analysis. Terms were assessed for correlation with national BIR case volume based on annual reports provided by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. A surgical demand index for BIR was created on a state-by-state basis. RESULTS: A network of internally correlated BIR search terms was found. Search volumes for such terms, including "explant" [ρ = 0.912], "breast implant removal" [ρ = 0.596], "breast implant illness" [ρ = 0.820], "BII" [ρ = 0.600], and "ALCL" [ρ = 0.895] (P < 0.05), were found to be positively correlated with national BIR case volume, whereas "breast augmentation" [ρ = -0.596] (P < 0.05) was negatively correlated. Our 2019 BIR surgical demand index revealed that Nevada, Arizona, and Louisiana were the states with the highest BIR demand per capita. CONCLUSIONS: Google Trends is a powerful tool for tracking public interest and subsequently, online health information seeking behavior. There are clear networks of related Google search terms that are correlated with actual BIR surgical volume. Understanding the online health queries patients have can help physicians better understand the factors driving patient decision-making.

The utility of computed tomographic angiography in a neonate on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with extreme cyanosis after Blalock-Taussig shunt.

A modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (mBTS) is often employed to provide pulmonary blood flow in neonates that are born with cyanotic congenital heart defects. However, acute shunt thrombosis can occur in the postoperative period, resulting in profound cyanosis. In this case report, we describe the utility of computed tomographic angiography (CTA) in the management of a neonate with extreme cyanosis after placement of a mBTS while on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Using CTA, several small clots were identified in the shunt as well as stenosis of the left pulmonary artery; neither of which were identified with echocardiography. The CTA allowed for quick identification of the disorder and helped direct prompt surgical intervention.

Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography-Derived Plaque Quantification in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome.

This study investigated the discriminatory value of quantitative atherosclerotic plaque markers derived from coronary computed tomography angiography (cCTA) in patients with first acute coronary syndrome (ACS) compared with patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Forty patients (56.9 ± 9.3 years, 55% men) admitted with their first ACS and Framingham risk score-matched controls with stable CAD were retrospectively analyzed. All patients had undergone cCTA followed by invasive coronary angiography. Total plaque volume, calcified and noncalcified plaque volumes, plaque burden (in %), remodeling index, lesion length, presence of napkin-ring sign, segment involvement score, and segment stenosis score were derived from cCTA and compared between both groups on a per-lesion and per-patient level. Patients with ACS showed a significant higher number of obstructive CAD and higher values for segment stenosis score, segment involvement score, noncalcified plaque volume, lesion length, and remodeling index than the stable angina group (all p <0.05). On a per-lesion level, culprit lesions had significantly higher values for plaque burden, total plaque volume, noncalcified plaque volume, remodeling index, lesion length, and prevalence of napkin-ring sign in comparison to nonculprit lesions (all p <0.05). On receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, a stepwise model demonstrated incremental discriminatory power for identifying ACS both per-patient (area under the curve 0.92, p <0.0001) as well as per-lesion (area under the curve 0.88, p <0.0001). cCTA-derived culprit plaque markers show discriminatory value both on a per-patient and per-lesion level. A combination of markers added to the Framingham risk score yields the greatest discriminatory ability.