Painful gynecologic and obstetric complications of female genital mutilation/cutting: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The health complications experienced by women having undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) are a source of growing concern to healthcare workers globally as forced displacement and migration from countries with high rates of this practice increases. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we investigate the association between FGM/C and painful gynecologic and obstetric complications in women affected by the practice. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We performed a comprehensive literature search from inception to December 19, 2019 of Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, The Cochrane Library (Wiley), and POPLINE (prior to its retirement) for studies mentioning FGM/C. Two reviewers independently screened studies reporting prevalences of painful gynecologic and obstetric sequelae resulting from FGM/C. Random effects models were used to estimate pooled odds ratios (ORs) for outcomes obtained from cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control designs. Subgroup analysis was performed to assess and control for effect differences introduced by study design. Validated appraisal tools were utilized to assess quality and risk of bias. Our study was registered with PROSPERO. Two reviewers independently screened 6,666 abstracts. Of 559 full-text studies assessed for eligibility, 116 met eligibility criteria, which included studies describing the incidence or prevalence of painful sequelae associated with FGM/C. Pooled analyses after adjustment for study design found that FGM/C was associated with dyspareunia (6,283 FGM/C and 3,382 non-FGM/C participants; pooled OR: 2.47; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.45-4.21; I2: 79%; p-value < 0.01), perineal tears (4,898 FGM/C and 4,229 non-FGM/C participants; pooled OR: 2.63; 95% CI: 1.35-5.11; I2: 67%; p-value = 0.01), dysuria (3,686 FGM/C and 3,482 non-FGM/C participants; pooled OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.17-1.75; I2: 0%; p-value = 0.01), episiotomy (29,341 FGM/C and 39,260 non-FGM/C participants; pooled OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.26-2.82; I2: 96%; p-value < 0.01), and prolonged labor (7,516 FGM/C and 8,060 non-FGM/C participants; pooled OR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.27-3.28; I2: 90%; p-value < 0.01). There was insufficient evidence to conclude that there was an association between FGM/C and dysmenorrhea (7,349 FGM/C and 4,411 non-FGM/C participants; pooled OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 0.97-2.84; I2: 86%; p-value = 0.06), urinary tract infection (4,493 FGM/C and 3,776 non-FGM/C participants; pooled OR: 2.11; 95% CI: 0.80-5.54; I2: 90%; p-value = 0.10), instrumental delivery (5,176 FGM/C and 31,923 non-FGM/C participants; pooled OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.78-1.79; I2: 63%; p-value = 0.40), or cesarean delivery (34,693 FGM/C and 46,013 non-FGM/C participants; pooled OR: 1.51; 95% CI: 0.99-2.30; I2: 96%; p-value = 0.05). Studies generally met quality assurance criteria. Limitations of this study include the largely suboptimal quality of studies. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we observed that specific painful outcomes are significantly more common in participants with FGM/C. Women who underwent FGM/C were around twice as likely as non-FGM/C women to experience dyspareunia, perineal tears, prolonged labor, and episiotomy. These data indicate that providers must familiarize themselves with the unique health consequences of FGM/C, including accurate diagnosis, pain management, and obstetric planning. REVIEW PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The review protocol registration in PROSPERO is CRD42018115848.

Iliac Vein Stenting for Chronic Proximal Venous Outflow Obstruction in a Predominantly Asian-American Cohort.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the outcome of vein stenting placement for chronic proximal venous outflow obstruction (PVOO) in a predominantly Asian-American cohort to improve patient selection, enhance technical approach, and better define quality measurements of this emerging vascular intervention. METHODS: A total of 462 consecutive patients, 73% Asian American (n = 336), who underwent iliac vein stenting for chronic PVOO from October 2013 to July 2016 were reviewed. Postoperative outcomes at five follow-up visits were assessed. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were run for demographic and operative variables. Ordered logistic regressions were run for the outcome at each time point, and Chi-squared tests as well as Fisher's exact tests were used for categorical variables. RESULTS: Follow-up was maintained in 90% of patients, with a mean follow-up time of 695 days. Asian-American patients were more likely to present with varicose veins (77.4% vs. 54.8%, P < 0.001), and non-Asian patients were more likely to present with active ulceration (26.2% vs. 5.1%, P < 0.001). Asian-American patients were more likely to have bilateral stents placed (61.6% vs. 50%, P = 0.026) and were less likely to have reinterventions (11.3% vs. 27.8%, P < 0.001), a history of deep vein thrombosis (8.3% vs. 29.4%, P < 0.001), or intraoperative findings of chronic postphlebitic changes (17.6% vs. 33.3%, P < 0.001). Kruskal-Wallis tests were significant for improvement in patients of all the Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, Pathophysiology classes at 30 days (P = 0.041), 90 days (P = 0.045), 6 months (P = 0.041), and 1 year (P < 0.01). The Asian-American population had improved but comparatively lower follow-up scores at the 30-day mark (48% significantly improved or better vs. 63%, P = 0.008) but higher follow-up scores at the >1 year mark (80% significantly improved or better vs. 59%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Asian-American patients undergoing vein stent placement for chronic PVOO had comparatively worse outcomes than non-Asian patients at 30 days and better outcomes after one year. These patient groups had different outcomes postoperatively and outcomes which evolve differently over time.

Instilling Hope and Resiliency: A Narrative Photo-Taking Intervention During an Intercultural Exchange Involving 9/11 Survivors in Post 3/11 Japan.

On March 11, 2011 ("3/11"), a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Northeastern Japan triggered a tsunami and nuclear power plant meltdown that killed 16,000 people and displaced more than 470,000 people. Since 2012, a group of volunteer docents from the September 11th Families Association in New York City has traveled throughout Northeastern Japan and held organized meetings where 9/11 and 3/11 survivors share their experiences and stories of trauma as part of an intercultural exchange to promote posttraumatic recovery. We sought to elucidate whether participating 9/11 docents developed a sense of increased resiliency by participating in this international outreach. This study employed photo-taking as well as framing questions, which were developed by 9/11 docents from the August 2016 trip. These questions guided photo-taking and resulting photographs informed discussion in individual and group sharing sessions. This process helped identify codes that guided analysis. Participants acquired a deeper appreciation of their own ability to overcome adversity and experienced a gratifying desire to help 3/11 survivors better cope with their experiences. This narrative photo-taking and group sharing experience demonstrates that a cross-cultural exchange between survivors of different disasters can instill feelings of resilience among participants. It additionally provides early evidence of the efficacy of such an exchange in benefitting disaster survivors in the long term.

Improved outcomes for spinal versus general anesthesia for hip fracture surgery: a retrospective cohort study of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of consensus in the literature as to whether anesthetic modality influences perioperative complications in hip fracture surgery. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of spinal anesthesia compared with general anesthesia on postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients who underwent hip fracture surgery using data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). METHODS: We used the ACS NSQIP to identify patients aged 50 and older who received either spinal or general anesthesia for hip fracture surgery from 2016 to 2019. Propensity-score matching was performed to control for clinically relevant covariates. The primary outcome of interest was the combined incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction (MI) or death within 30 days. Secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality, hospital length of stay and operative time. RESULTS: Among the 40 527 patients aged 50 and over who received either spinal or general anesthesia for hip fracture surgery from 2016 to 2019, 7358 spinal anesthesia cases were matched to general anesthesia cases. General anesthesia was associated with a higher incidence of combined 30-day stroke, MI or death compared with spinal anesthesia (OR 1.219 (95% CI 1.076 to 1.381); p=0.002). General anesthesia was also associated with a higher frequency of 30-day mortality (OR 1.276 (95% CI 1.099 to 1.481); p=0.001) and longer operative time (64.73 vs 60.28 min; p<0.001). Spinal anesthesia had a longer average hospital length of stay (6.29 vs 5.73 days; p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Our propensity-matched analysis suggests that spinal anesthesia as compared with general anesthesia is associated with lower postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery.

Reported Methods, Distributions, and Frequencies of Torture Globally: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Despite its prohibition by the United Nations Convention against Torture and other international treaties, torture has been perpetrated against countless individuals worldwide, and health care practitioners globally are increasingly encountering refugee torture survivors in their clinical practices. The methods, geographic distribution, and frequency of torture globally are not well described, which limits health care practitioners' ability to adequately diagnose and treat the sequelae of torture. Objective: To rank the commonness of torture methods and identify the regions of the world with which they are associated. Data Sources: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library were searched from inception to July 2021. Study Selection: Included studies were peer-reviewed articles in English, contained an independent sample population of individuals who experienced torture, and outlined the type(s) of torture experienced. Excluded studies were not peer reviewed, lacked an independent sample population, or did not specify torture methods. Articles were chosen for inclusion by 2 independent and blinded reviewers, and a third, independent reviewer resolved discrepancies. Overall, 266 articles-15.3% of the 1739 studies initially identified for full review-met the inclusion criteria. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Data abstraction and quality assessment followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Data were extracted by 2 independent and blinded reviewers into predefined templates, and a third, independent reviewer resolved discrepancies. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Downs and Black Checklist. Main Outcomes and Measures: Torture methods were ranked by their average frequencies, numbers of reporting studies, and numbers of countries wherein the methods occurred. Results: A total of 9937 titles and abstracts were screened, and 266 studies encompassing 103 604 individuals (13 350 men, 5610 women, and 84 644 unspecified) were analyzed. Torture was reported for 105 countries; 21 methods accounted for 84% of all reported methods and 10 methods accounted for 78% of all physical tortures. The top 3 methods were beating or blunt-force trauma (reported in 208 studies and 59 countries; average frequency, 62.4%; 95% CI, 57.7%-67.1%), electrical torture (reported in 114 studies and 28 countries; average frequency, 17.2%; 95% CI, 15.0%-19.4%), and starvation or dehydration (reported in 65 studies in 26 countries; average frequency, 12.7%; 95% CI, 10.2%-15.2%). According to the Downs and Black appraisal tool, 50 studies were rated as good or excellent and 216 as fair or poor. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study suggest that torture remains widespread. Although innumerable torture methods exist, a limited number account for the vast majority of reported tortures. So that targeted therapies may be developed, additional investigation is needed to better elucidate the sequelae associated with the most common torture methods, described here.

The anaesthetic management of patients with thoracic ascending aortic aneurysms: A review.

Thoracic aortic aneurysms present significant challenges to clinicians, especially due to their complex nature and an evolving understanding of the safest and most effective ways to manage this condition in the perioperative setting. Thoracic aortic aneurysms have a prevalence rate of 1.3-8.9% in men and 1.0-2.2% in women, and they are estimated to affect more than five per 100,000 person-years. This is notable because the complications of thoracic aortic aneurysms can be catastrophic. The current understanding of the optimal intraoperative management of thoracic aortic aneurysms is changing, as more evidence becomes available regarding lung protective ventilation and its role in enhancing patient safety and wellbeing. This review strives to provide a brief historical understanding of thoracic aortic aneurysms and highlight some of the key discoveries and advances in the management of this condition. This review then describes an overview of the general anaesthetic principles associated with thoracic aortic aneurysms, including ventilatory modalities and how these impact a patient's physiology and intraoperative haemodynamics. A brief discussion on one-lung ventilation is then provided, drawing from current literature in the field, to describe the most up-to-date management of thoracic aortic aneurysms.

Dental clearance and postoperative heart infections: Observations from a preoperative evaluation clinic for day-admission surgery.

Every year, two-million hospitalised patients develop healthcare-associated infections with a consequent mortality eclipsing 90,000. The literature suggests that dental infections are one of many potential sources of these infections and may be associated with an increased risk of endocarditis in surgical patients, especially those undergoing cardiac procedures, though some studies have conversely shown no heightened risk of cardiac infections in patients forgoing pre-surgical dental screenings. We sought to elucidate whether patients seen at our preoperative evaluation clinic who obtained pre-surgical dental clearance experienced improved outcomes compared to those who did not receive dental clearance prior to their surgical interventions. The medical records of 196 consecutive patients were reviewed who were seen at the pre-anaesthesia evaluation prior to elective cardiac surgery from July 2017 to February 2018. Of this cohort, 102 patients had pre-surgical dental clearance, while 94 did not have dental clearance. Preoperative demographic and comorbidity data were analysed using independent t-tests. We found no significant differences between these group in terms of post-operation infections (zero instances versus four instances, p > 0.05), length of intensive care unit stay (two days versus two days, p = 0.815), or mortality associated with elective cardiac procedures (zero instances). Further evaluation of preoperative dental clearance and its potential to prevent morbidity (e.g. postoperative infections) is warranted.

Secondary interventions after iliac vein stenting for chronic proximal venous outflow obstruction.

OBJECTIVE: Iliac vein stent placement is an increasingly common procedure in the treatment of chronic proximal venous outflow obstruction (PVOO), but secondary interventions after vein stent placement remain poorly characterized. Our goal was to identify the incidence, indications, operative findings, and outcomes of secondary interventions after the primary iliac vein stent procedure at a single institution. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical history of 490 patients (57.6% female, 42.4% male; mean age, 60.77 years [range, 18-92 years]; 93.28% follow-up, with a mean follow-up of 308.59 days) who underwent iliac vein stent placement for PVOO between October 2013 and January 2016. We evaluated the clinical presentation, intraoperative findings, and outcomes of those patients requiring a secondary intervention after an initial iliac vein stent procedure. RESULTS: Secondary interventions after an initial stent placement were identified in 50 of 490 patients (10.2%; mean age, 61.54 years [range, 19-92 years]; 58% female [n = 29]). At the time of each individual intervention, 1, 18, 17, 1, and 13 patients had Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology class 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 disease, respectively. Of these 50 patients, 58% (n = 29) of secondary interventions were due to recurrence of symptoms after the initial stent surgery, 18% (n = 9) were due to the development of new symptoms, and 24% (n = 12) were due to persistence of symptoms. The primary cause of PVOO in the patient cohort was 52% (n = 26) extrinsic iliac vein compression, 28% post-thrombotic, and 20% mixed. Intraoperative findings during the secondary intervention included malposition or angulation of the stent (6% [n = 3]); acute deep venous thrombosis/thrombosis (14% [n = 7]); an additional lesion, that is, stenosis in a native iliac vein proximal or distal to the original lesion (68% [n = 34]); stenosis within the stent, that is, stent stenosis without finding of thrombus or isolated, focal intrastent thrombosis (38% [n = 19]); and impairment of flow of the contralateral vessel from the previously placed stent (6% [n = 3]). The types of secondary interventions included placement of a new stent (86% [n = 43]), isolated balloon angioplasty alone (10% [n = 5]), and catheter pharmacomechanical thrombectomy (14% [n = 7]). Symptomatic improvement was observed after the secondary intervention in 90% of patients (n = 45), whereas only 2% (n = 1) of patients experienced only a transient improvement, and 8% of patients (n = 4) reported no improvement in their symptoms after the secondary interventions. CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes a secondary intervention rate of 10.2% after iliac vein stent placement for chronic PVOO and identifies discrete and definable intraoperative findings as targets for quality improvement. The very good results strongly suggest that an aggressive approach to treatment of these complications is warranted.

Virchow's triad in "silent" deep vein thrombosis.

OBJECTIVE: While determining the incidence of chronic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and the hypercoagulation profiles of patients who underwent venous stenting for symptomatic venous insufficiency, we assessed the significance of Virchow's triad in the setting of proximal venous outflow obstruction and DVT. METHODS: Within our registry of 500 patients who underwent venous stenting for proximal venous outflow obstruction between 2013 and 2016, we selected the first 152 consecutive patients who had routine hypercoagulation profile testing performed preoperatively. Statistical analysis was performed using independent t-tests, χ2 tests, and multiple logistic regressions. RESULTS: By history or intraoperative chronic postphlebitic changes (CPPCs), 77 patients (50.7%) were positive for remote DVT; 51 (33.6%) had intraoperative findings of CPPCs without a history of DVT, 20 (13.2%) had intraoperative CPPCs with a history of DVT, and 6 (3.9%) had a history of DVT without intraoperative findings. The χ2 tests were significant for increased findings of CPPCs among patients with a history of DVT (81% vs 38%; P < .01). The χ2 tests were also significant for increased rates of intraoperative findings of CPPCs in patients with one or more positive hypercoagulation markers (67% vs 42%; P < .01). The most significant predictor for findings of CPPCs or DVT history was the presence of at least one hypercoagulation marker (n = 148; odds ratio, 2.41; P = .022). CONCLUSIONS: Remote history of DVT and intraoperative findings of CPPCs were prevalent. CPPC findings were found in many patients with no history of DVT. Hypercoagulation markers conferred significant predictive value for DVT. This information may influence our understanding of Virchow's triad and DVT etiology.