Risk of Proctectomy After Ileorectal Anastomosis in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis in the Modern Era.

BACKGROUND: Prophylactic surgery for familial adenomatous polyposis has evolved over several decades. Restorative proctocolectomy with IPAA provides an alternative to total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis. We have previously shown that the rate of proctectomy and rectal cancer after total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis in the "pre-pouch era" was 32% and 13%, respectively. OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of proctectomy and rectal cancer among familial adenomatous polyposis patients and relative rectal sparing (fewer than 20 rectal polyps) selected for total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis in the modern era. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Single tertiary care institution with a hereditary colorectal cancer registry. PATIENTS: Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis who underwent total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis between 1993 and 2020. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of proctectomy for any indication and rectal cancer. RESULTS: A total of 197 patients with a median age of 24 years (range, 10-67) were included. The median follow-up after total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis was 13 years (interquartile range, 6-17). Sixteen patients (8%) underwent proctectomy. Indications included rectal cancer in 6 patients (3%; 2 stage I and 4 stage III), polyps with high-grade dysplasia in 4 (2%), progressive polyp burden in 3 (1.5%), defecatory dysfunction in 2 (1%), and anastomotic leak in 1 (0.5%). Among 30 patients (18%) with 20 or more rectal polyps at the time of total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis, 8 patients (26%) underwent proctectomy and 3 patients developed rectal cancer (10%). Among 134 patients (82%) with fewer than 20 polyps, 8 patients (6%) underwent proctectomy and 3 patients developed rectal cancer (2%). Number of rectal polyps at the time of total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis was associated with the likelihood of proctectomy (OR 1.1, p < 0.001) but not incident rectal cancer ( p = 0.3). LIMITATION: Retrospective data collection. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis selected for total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis by rectal polyp number have low rates of proctectomy and rectal cancer compared to historical controls. With appropriate selection criteria and surveillance, total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis remains an important and safe treatment option for patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. See Video Abstract . RIESGO DE PROCTECTOMA DESPUS DE ANASTOMOSIS ILEORRECTAL EN POLIPOSIS ADENOMATOSA FAMILIAR EN LA ERA MODERNA: ANTECEDENTES:La cirugía profiláctica para la poliposis adenomatosa familiar (PAF) ha evolucionado durante varias décadas. La proctocolectomía restauradora con anastomosis anal con bolsa ileal (IPAA) proporciona una alternativa a la colectomía abdominal total con anastomosis ileorrectal (TAC/IRA). Anteriormente hemos demostrado que la tasa de proctectomía y cáncer de recto después de TAC/IRA en la era "pre-bolsa" era del 32% y el 13%, respectivamente.OBJETIVO:Determinar la tasa de proctectomía y cáncer de recto entre pacientes con PAF y pacientes con preservación rectal relativa (<20 pólipos rectales) seleccionados para TAC/IRA en la era moderna.DISEÑO:Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo.ÁMBITO:Institución única de atención terciaria con un registro de cáncer colorrectal hereditario.PACIENTES:Pacientes con PAF que se sometieron a TAC/IRA entre 1993 y 2020.MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO PRINCIPALES:Incidencia de proctectomía por cualquier indicación y cáncer de recto.RESULTADOS:Se incluyeron 197 pacientes con una mediana de edad de 24 años (rango 10-67). La mediana de seguimiento tras TAC/IRA fue de 13 años (RIC 6-17). 16 pacientes (8%) fueron sometidos a proctectomía. Las indicaciones incluyeron cáncer de recto en 6 (3%) (2 en estadio I y 4 en estadio III); pólipos con displasia de alto grado en 4 (2%); carga progresiva de pólipos en 3 (1,5%), disfunción defecatoria en 2 (1%); y fuga anastomótica en 1 (0,5%). Entre 30 pacientes (18%) con ≥20 pólipos rectales en el momento de TAC/IRA, 8 pacientes (26%) se sometieron a proctectomía y 3 pacientes desarrollaron cáncer de recto (10%). Entre 134 pacientes (82%) con <20 pólipos, 8 pacientes (6%) se sometieron a proctectomía y 3 pacientes desarrollaron cáncer de recto (2%). El número de pólipos rectales en el momento de TAC/IRA se asoció con la probabilidad de proctectomía (OR 1,1, p <0,001), pero no con la incidencia de cáncer de recto (p = 0,3).LIMITACIÓN:Recopilación de datos retrospectivos.CONCLUSIÓN:Los pacientes con PAF seleccionados para TAC/IRA por el número de pólipos rectales tienen tasas bajas de proctectomía y cáncer de recto en comparación con los controles históricos. Con criterios de selección y vigilancia adecuados, TAC/IRA sigue siendo una opción de tratamiento importante y segura para los pacientes con PAF. (Pre-proofed version ).

Virtual Recruitment in Surgical Residency Programs.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The Covid-19 pandemic forced residency programs to drastically change their interview processes and adopt virtual interviewing for the 2020-2021 match cycle. RECENT FINDINGS: While virtual interviewing decreased cost and increased convenience for applicants and programs involved in the match, it also introduced several potential disadvantages. Maximizing technological capabilities was an area of utmost concern at the start of the interview cycle, and multiple medical education organizations quickly recommended ways to move to virtual process, and to prevent and troubleshoot technical problems. However, other issues were less straightforward, such as how to address new sources of bias introduced by virtual interviewing, and how to ensure that programs and applicants could make informed decisions about their rank lists after only limited virtual interactions. Additionally, the increased convenience of interviewing raised concerns that students would accept more interviews, disrupting the established calculus programs used to determine how many interviews to offer per spot available. SUMMARY: In this review, we examine the benefits and disadvantages of virtual interviewing, review recommendations from the current literature on how to improve the process, and discuss what we learned from our own experience at an academic general surgery residency program over the course of this unprecedented interview season.

The Evolving Role of Radiotherapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer and the Potential for Nonoperative Management.

Locally advanced rectal cancer has broadly been defined as T3, T4, or lymph node-positive disease. In the 1990s, adjuvant chemoradiation was considered the optimal management for locally advanced rectal cancer. However, the paradigm shifted when the German CAO/ARO/AIO-94 Rectal Cancer trial established neoadjuvant chemoradiation as the standard of care, based on reduced rates of toxicity and local recurrence, as well as higher rates of sphincter preservation compared with postoperative chemoradiation. Both short-course radiation and long-course chemoradiation are currently accepted methods for neoadjuvant treatment, with recent trials showing equivalence in outcomes. While surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment, there are data supporting the use of magnetic resonance imaging for risk stratification in rectal cancer and encouraging prospective data regarding nonoperative management. This review summarizes data on the evolution of treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer and discusses emerging evidence for nonoperative management.

Evaluation of the Educational Environment of a Cadaver Course in Robotic Colorectal Surgery: A Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The educational environment is a crucial metric of medical education that affects the course participants' motivation, achievement, happiness and success. The aim of this study was to evaluate the educational environment of a cadaver course in robotic colorectal surgery by comparing the perceptions of the participating residents to those of the participating surgeons. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in 2017. Participants from the U.S. and Europe attended a course using eight fresh frozen cadaver torsos with no prior abdominal surgery. After course completion, participants anonymously completed 50-item Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaires to evaluate five components of the educational environment: perception of learning, perception of teachers, academic self-perception, perception of atmosphere, and social self-perception. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Mean scores were compared using an independent samples t-test. RESULTS: Twenty of 24 participants completed the DREEM questionnaire, consisting of 9 residents and 11 surgeons (12 from the U.S., 8 from Europe). The internal consistency of the questionnaire was excellent (alpha=0.97). The mean total score was excellent for both residents and surgeons, and the difference between the groups was not significant (154.1±25.8 vs. 168.1±18.9, p=0.197). Perception of learning was significantly better among surgeons ("teaching highly thought of") than among residents ("a more positive perception") (40.5±3.6 vs. 35.7±5.6, p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the residents' perception of learning may have been negatively influenced by the participation of surgeons in the same cadaver station.

Distractions during resident handoffs: incidence, sources, and influence on handoff quality and effectiveness.

IMPORTANCE: Handoffs have significantly increased in number following Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) work-hour restrictions. Studies have shown correlations between the number of handoffs and errors/patient harm. Distractions are common during handoffs and may interfere with handoff quality and effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: To examine the frequency of distractions and their impact on handoff quality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this prospective observational study, a total of 214 surgical resident handoffs (residents = 184; Bay area residents [moonlighters] = 30) were observed over 18 months (July 11, 2012-December 19, 2014) by 2 independent observers in 3 teaching hospitals (university, county, and veterans). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Handoff quality (both giver and receiver) was assessed using a standardized scoring system. The number and types of distractions were recorded. RESULTS: Pages were the most common distraction (37.5%), followed by telephone calls (32.8%), residents/medical students (9.3%), talking (5.2%), and noise (4.1%). Distractions from attending physicians, electronics, nursing, consults, and room changes were less common (collectively 11%, each <3%). Distractions were present in 102 resident handoffs (48%) (16% with 1 distraction; 15% with 2; 6% with 3, and 11% with ≥4). Distractions occurred in 54% of junior resident handoffs (mean, 1.4/handoff), 30% of moonlighter handoffs (mean, 0.5/handoff), and 38% of senior resident handoffs (mean, 0.89/handoff) (P = .01, junior vs moonlighter/senior). Distractions were more common during evening than morning handoffs (52% vs 36%; P = .045) and during team vs individual handoffs (58% vs 44%; P < .10). Handoffs without distractions were shorter in length (13.2 minutes without distractions vs 21.5 minutes with distractions; P < .001) and minutes per patient (1.78 without vs 2.15 with distractions; P = .04). Handoff quality was not diminished by distractions, as measured by handoff giver score (15.41 without vs 15.47 with distractions; P = .90) and receiver score (7.42 without vs 7.25 with distractions; P = .45). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: To our knowledge, this is the largest study of distractions during surgical resident handoffs. Distractions were very common during handoffs; they were more common in the evening when junior residents more commonly performed the handoff and they increased the handoff length. However, distractions did not negatively affect the quality of resident handoffs. This may demonstrate the resilience of surgical residents to distractions.

Innovative approach using interprofessional simulation to educate surgical residents in technical and nontechnical skills in high-risk clinical scenarios.

IMPORTANCE: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies stress nontechnical skills that can be difficult to evaluate and teach to surgical residents. During emergencies, surgeons work in interprofessional teams and are required to perform certain procedures. To obtain proficiency in these skills, residents must be trained. OBJECTIVE: To educate surgical residents in leadership, teamwork, effective communication, and infrequently performed emergency surgical procedures with the use of interprofessional simulations. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: SimMan 3GS was used to simulate high-risk clinical scenarios (15-20 minutes), followed by debriefings with real-time feedback (30 minutes). A modified Oxford Non-Technical Skills scale (score range, 1-4) was used to assess surgical resident performance during the first half of the academic year (July-December 2012) and the second half of the academic year (January-June 2013). Anonymous online surveys were used to solicit participant feedback. Simulations were conducted in the operating room, intensive care unit, emergency department, ward, and simulation center. A total of 43 surgical residents (postgraduate years [PGYs] 1 and 2) participated in interdisciplinary clinical scenarios, with other health care professionals (nursing, anesthesia, critical care, medicine, respiratory therapy, and pharmacy; mean number of nonsurgical participants/session: 4, range 0-9). Thirty seven surgical residents responded to the survey. EXPOSURES: Simulation of high-risk clinical scenarios: postoperative pulmonary embolus, pneumothorax, myocardial infarction, gastrointestinal bleeding, anaphylaxis with a difficult airway, and pulseless electrical activity arrest. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Evaluation of resident skills: communication, leadership, teamwork, problem solving, situation awareness, and confidence in performing emergency procedures (eg, cricothyroidotomy). RESULTS: A total of 31 of 35 (89%) of the residents responding found the sessions useful. Additionally, 28 of 33 (85%) reported improved confidence doing procedures and 29 of 37 (78%) reported knowing when the procedure should be applied. Oxford Non-Technical Skills evaluation demonstrated significant improvement in PGY 2 resident performance assessed during the 2 study periods: communication score increased from 3 to 3.71 (P=.01), leadership score increased from 2.77 to 3.86 (P<.001), teamwork score increased from 3.15 to 3.86 (P=.007), and procedural ability score increased from 2.23 to 3.43 (P=.03). There were no statistically significant improved scores in PGY 2 decision making or situation awareness. No improvements in skills were seen among PGY 1 participants. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The PGY 2 residents improved their skills, but the PGY 1 residents did not. Participants found interprofessional simulations to be realistic and a valuable educational tool. Interprofessional simulation provides a valuable means of educating surgical residents and evaluating their skills in real-life clinical scenarios.