Accessibility and Content of Abdominal Transplant Fellowship Program Websites in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: Organ transplant volume is at an all-time high. Prospective applicants often utilize individual programs' websites for information when deciding if and where to apply for fellowship training. Accessibility and content from one program's website to the next is highly variable and may contribute to the selection of programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accessibility and content of abdominal transplant surgery fellowship websites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) website provides a complete list of abdominal transplant fellowship programs in the United States. A Google search was performed to determine the presence and accessibility of a program's website. Available websites were evaluated on the presence of 20 content criteria. RESULTS: Sixty-five programs in the United States were identified using the ASTS directory. Websites for fifty-one (78%) fellowship programs were identified. Three-fourths of websites contained 50% or less of the 20 evaluated data points, whereas 24% of websites contained 5 or less criteria. The most and least included data points were program description (100%) and on-call expectations (10%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The accessibility and content of a program's website is one major factor that can influence a potential applicant's decision on where to pursue transplant surgery fellowship training. This study revealed that a significant percentage of programs fail to provide a functional website. Of the fifty-one programs that did have websites, information deemed important to prospective applicants may be considered inadequate.

A SEER Database Analysis of the Survival Advantage of Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Underutilized Therapy.

PURPOSE: To measure transarterial chemoembolization utilization and survival benefit among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) patient population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study identified 37,832 patients with HCC diagnosed between 1991 and 2011. Survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. Propensity-score matching was used to address an imbalance of covariates. RESULTS: More than 75% of patients with HCC did not receive any HCC-directed treatment. Transarterial chemoembolization was the most common initial therapy (15.9%). Factors associated with the use of chemoembolization included younger age, more HCC risk factors, more comorbidities, higher socioeconomic status, intrahepatic tumor, unifocal tumor, vascular invasion, and smaller tumor size (all P < .001). Median survival was improved in patients treated with chemoembolization compared with those not treated with chemoembolization (20.1 vs 4.3 mo; P < .0001). Similar findings were demonstrated in propensity-scoring analysis (14.5 vs 4.2 mo; P < .0001) and immortal time bias sensitivity analysis (9.5 vs 3.6 mo; P < .0001). There was a significantly improved survival hazard ratio (HR) in patients treated with chemoembolization (HR, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.45). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HCC treated with transarterial chemoembolization experienced a significant survival advantage compared with those not treated with transarterial chemoembolization. More than 75% of SEER/Medicare patients diagnosed with HCC received no identifiable oncologic treatment. There is a significant public health need to increase awareness of efficacious HCC treatments such as transarterial chemoembolization.

Defining the sham environment for post-myocardial infarction studies in mice.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of sham surgery in a minimally invasive surgical model of permanent coronary artery occlusion used to generate myocardial infarction (MI) in mice. Adult male C57BL/6J mice (3-6 mo old) were divided into five groups: day (D) 0 (no surgical operation), D1 Sham, D1 MI, D7 Sham, and D7 MI. A refined MI surgery technique was used to approach the coronary artery without the ribs being cut. Both sham and MI mice had the left ventricle (LV) exposed through a small incision. To test the effects of surgery alone, the suture was passed around the coronary artery but not ligated. The MI mice were subjected to permanent coronary artery ligation. The mice were killed at D1 or D7 postsurgical procedure. Compared with D0 no surgery controls, the D1 and D7 sham groups exhibited no surgical mortality and similar necropsy and echocardiographic variables. Surgery alone did not induce an inflammatory cell response, as evidenced by the lack of leukocyte infiltration in the sham groups. Analysis of 165 inflammatory cytokines and extracellular matrix factors in sham revealed that a minor gene response was initiated but not translated to protein levels. Collagen deposition did not occur in the absence of MI. In contrast, the D1 and D7 MI groups showed the expected robust inflammatory and scar formation responses. When a minimally invasive procedure to generate MI in mice was used, the D0 (no surgical operation) control was an adequate replacement for the use of sham surgery groups.

Predictors of repeat transarterial chemoembolization in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Repeat transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a common intervention performed for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to identify predictors of the need for repeat TACE. METHODS: Between 2008 and 2012, data on patient and tumour variables were collected for 262 patients treated with a first TACE procedure for HCC. The decision to perform repeat TACE procedures was made at the completion of the first TACE or after follow-up imaging demonstrated the subtotal treatment of HCC tumours. RESULTS: Repeat TACE was performed in 67 of 262 (25.6%) patients. Necrosis of HCC, measured after the first TACE, was lower in patients who subsequently received repeat TACE (P = 0.042). On multivariable analysis, total tumour diameter of >5 cm [odds ratio (OR) 2.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.45-5.25; P = 0.002] and increasing age (OR 1.04/year, 95% CI 1.00-1.07; P = 0.030) were predictive of the need for repeat TACE. Measures of liver function and TACE approach (selective versus non-selective) were not predictive of repeat TACE. Median survival did not differ significantly between patients who did (median survival: 21.1 months) and did not (median survival: 26.1 months) receive a repeat TACE procedure (P = 0.574). CONCLUSIONS: The requirement for repeat TACE is associated with older age, increased HCC tumour burden and subtotal TACE-induced HCC necrosis. Importantly, repeat TACE was not associated with reduced survival.

Career Outcomes of Nondesignated Preliminary Surgery Residents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Nondesignated preliminary surgery (NDPS) residency offers postgraduate medical education with no guarantee of a subsequent categorical position. Some literature exists detailing the career outcomes of these residents, but these results are complicated by the limited scale of these studies. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize the career outcomes of these residents from the existing literature. METHODS: The PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases were queried from inception for studies reporting the career outcomes of NDPS residents. Data were collected and extracted by 2 independent reviewers in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The primary outcome of this study is the proportion of NDPS residents obtaining a categorical general surgery position. Secondary outcomes include the percentages of residents obtaining surgical subspecialty positions, obtaining nonsurgical specialty positions, and leaving graduate medical education. RESULTS: Overall, 13 studies reporting NDPS residents (n = 2606) were identified. The overall pooled estimate for obtaining a categorical general surgery position after NDPS residency was 37.1% (95% CI, 31.3%-43.2%), with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 81.8%; p < 0.001). Residents in the second postgraduate year were significantly more likely than those in the first year to obtain a general surgery position (50.6% vs 29.0%, respectively; p < 0.001). Residents subsequently training in a surgical subspecialty (13.3%) largely entered orthopedics (3.6%), urology (2.1%), and obstetrics and gynecology (1.6%). For residents entering nonsurgical training (32.1%), a majority entered anesthesiology (11.7%), internal medicine (3.8%), and radiology (3.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Although NDPS residents have heterogenous career outcomes, they largely obtain categorical positions in general surgery and surgical subspecialties.

General surgery applicant perspectives: Two years of virtual interview experiences and supplemental application impressions.

BACKGROUND: We sought to evaluate the unique benefits and challenges the virtual recruitment and interviewing platform had on general surgery residency applicants. METHODS: Applicants who interviewed for a categorical position at our institution during the 2021 and 2022 Match season were contacted to participate in the anonymous online survey focused on applicant behavior related to the virtual interview format. Data were analyzed using chi-square and paired t-tests. RESULTS: A response rate of 56.7 â€‹% (n â€‹= â€‹135) was achieved. Applicants accepted a median of 17 (IQR 13-20) interviews in 2021 and 15 (IQR 11-19) interviews in 2022. More than half (54 â€‹%) of applicants indicated they applied to more programs, and 53 â€‹% accepted more interviews, because of the virtual format. The greatest advantages of the virtual interviews as cited by applicants were saving money (96.3 â€‹%), saving time (49.6 â€‹%), and avoiding travel risks (43.7 â€‹%). The top limitations of virtual interviews were less exposure to current residents and faculty (61.5 â€‹%), to the city or location of the program (58.5 â€‹%), and difficultly comparing programs (57.8 â€‹%). The 2022 Match cycle included use of the supplemental application; however, 85 â€‹% of applicants did not feel that the supplemental improved their overall application. Some applicants (20 â€‹%) who "signaled" programs did not receive an interview offer from any of the programs they signaled. CONCLUSION: The transition to virtual interviews saved applicants time and money but limited their exposure. Future efforts to maintain virtual interviews will need to be balanced against the intangible benefit of human interaction and observing a program's culture.

Irreversible Electroporation as a Bridge to Liver Transplantation.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in proximity to major hepatic vasculature poses a risk for invasion, which would contraindicate liver transplantation, yet, is difficult to treat with thermal ablation. This study was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of irreversible electroporation (IRE) as a bridge to transplantation for high-risk tumors. All patients with HCC in proximity to major hepatic vasculature treated with laparoscopic IRE as bridge to transplantation were studied. Patient and tumor characteristics, length of stay, and treatment-related complications were recorded. Tumor response was assessed with CT and explant pathology. Five patients with a median Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) of 13 (7-21) underwent IRE. The median tumor size was 2.7 cm (1.5-3.7 cm). Adjacent structures included the right portal vein, hepatic veins/inferior vena cava (IVC) and left portal vein. Length of stay was one day for all patients. One patient suffered portal vein thrombosis. The transplant occurred at a median of 142 days (47-264) after IRE. Pathologic necrosis ranged from 30 to 100 per cent, without any vascular invasion. Four patients remain alive with no evidence of disease with median follow-up of 403 (227-623) days. The remaining patients died because of transplant-related complications on post IRE day 297. IRE shows promise as a bridge to liver transplant for high risk HCC in a preliminary series, justifying further prospective evaluation.

Autogenous Fat Grafting to the Breast and Gluteal Regions: Safety Profile Including Risks and Complications.

Given the widespread utility and therapeutic potential of autogenous fat grafting, plastic surgeons should be familiar with its safety profile and associated adverse events. This article provides a critical review of the literature and delineates risk factors associated with various complications when grafting to the breast and gluteal regions. The majority of adverse events are related to fat necrosis and require minimal diagnostic or therapeutic intervention. Larger graft volumes, as in cosmetic augmentation, are associated with higher incidences of fatty necrosis. The oncologic safety of fat grafting is supported by multiple clinical studies with thousands of breast cancer patients, albeit predominantly retrospective in nature. Although less frequent, serious complications include fat emboli during gluteal augmentation. Identification of associated risk factors and implementation of proper surgical techniques may minimize the occurrence of life-threatening complications.

Ethnic and Age Disparities in Outcomes Among Liver Transplant Waitlist Candidates.

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing prevalence of end-stage liver disease in older adults, there is no consensus to determine suitability for liver transplantation (LT) in the elderly. Disparities in LT access exist, with a disproportionately lower percentage of African Americans (AAs) receiving LT. Understanding waitlist outcomes in older adults, specifically AAs, will identify opportunities to improve LT access for this vulnerable population. METHODS: All adult, liver-only white and AA LT waitlist candidates (January 1, 2003 to October 1, 2015) were identified in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. Age and race categories were defined: younger white (age <60 years), younger AA, older white (age, ≥60 years), and older AA. Outcomes were delisting, transplantation, and mortality and were modeled using Fine and Gray competing risks. RESULTS: Among 101 805 candidates, 58.4% underwent transplantation, 14.7% died while listed, and 21.4% were delisted. Among those delisted, 36.1% died, whereas 7.4% were subsequently relisted. Both older AAs and older whites were more likely than younger whites to be delisted and to die after delisting. Older whites had higher incidence of waitlist mortality than younger whites (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.13). All AAs and older whites had decreased incidence of LT, compared with younger whites. CONCLUSIONS: Both older age and AA race were associated with decreased cumulative incidence of transplantation. Independent of race, older candidates had increased incidences of delisting and mortality after delisting than younger whites. Our findings support the need for interventions to ensure medical suitability for LT among older adults and to address disparities in LT access for AAs.

Primary extrahepatic bile duct neuroendocrine tumor with obstructive jaundice masquerading as a Klatskin tumor.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the extrahepatic bile duct are extremely rare and reported infrequently in the literature. These tumors are difficult to diagnose preoperatively, and the prognosis is variable, often determined by extent of disease, tumor grade and resectability. This case report presents a 45-year-old male with history of biliary obstruction relieved by endobiliary stents with common hepatic duct stricture just above the cystic duct, thought to be a Klatskin's cholangiocarcinoma. Final pathological examination was consistent with primary extrahepatic NET.

The fortuitous repair of a common bile duct injury following placement of a percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram catheter.

Common bile duct injuries are associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality and are discussed frequently in the literature. These injuries may be difficult to diagnose intraoperatively and are often challenging to repair, necessitating referral to hepatobiliary surgery specialists at academic institutions. This case report highlights the management of a completely disrupted common bile duct identified post-operatively using a percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) catheter to bridge the gap between the proximal and distal ductal injury prior to operative repair. In addition, the management of this patient's sickle cell crisis post-operatively using red blood cell exchange transfusion is discussed.

Current guidelines for chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: Room for improvement?

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the most common oncologic therapy used according to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) guidelines established in 2005, revised in 2011. The purpose of this study was to determine how AASLD criteria for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have impacted TACE practice in the community. Clinical, demographic, and cause of death information were collected for patients diagnosed with HCC in the 2012 linkage of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare database. Propensity score survival analysis was used to compare survival outcomes in patients whose HCC tumor characteristics were less than, met, or were beyond AASLD criteria. The proportion of patients with HCC receiving TACE who met the AASLD-recommended criteria increased after the 2005 guidelines were published. Up to 17% of patients treated with TACE had tumor characteristics less than the AASLD criteria and were not offered potentially curative therapies. Propensity score matching demonstrated the largest survival advantage in patients with HCC whose tumor characteristics met the AASLD criteria (hazard ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.47). A significant survival advantage was also observed in patients with HCC whose tumor characteristics exceeded the AASLD criteria. Conclusion: The AASLD criteria successfully identify a population of patients with HCC that maximally benefit from TACE therapy. However, patients with HCC with tumor characteristics beyond the AASLD criteria also appear to receive a significant survival advantage with TACE. Further studies are necessary to improve referral patterns and appropriate use of chemoembolization in the management of unresectable HCC. (Hepatology Communications 2017;1:338-346).

Duplicated extrahepatic bile duct identified following cholecystectomy injury.

Though variations of intrahepatic biliary anatomy are quite common, duplication of the extrahepatic biliary system is extremely rare and reported infrequently in the literature. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is one of the most common general surgery procedures performed. Unfortunately, iatrogenic bile duct injuries can contribute to significant morbidity including hospital readmissions, infectious complications and death. Anomalous extrahepatic biliary anatomy may be one of the factors, which increases the likelihood of bile duct injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We present a case of an iatrogenic bile duct injury that occurred during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, in which a duplicated extrahepatic biliary system was identified intraoperatively during the definitive operative repair.

Insurance Type and Solid Organ Transplantation Outcomes: A Historical Perspective on How Medicaid Expansion Might Impact Transplantation Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The number of Medicaid beneficiaries has increased under the Affordable Care Act, improving access to solid organ transplantation in this disadvantaged patient cohort. It is unclear what impact Medicaid expansion will have on transplantation outcomes. We performed a retrospective cohort analysis to measure the frequency and variation in Medicaid transplantation and post-transplantation survival in Medicaid patients. STUDY DESIGN: Adult heart, lung, liver, and renal transplant recipients between 2002 and 2011 (n = 169,194) reported to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients were identified. Transplant recipients were classified based on insurance status (private, Medicare or Medicaid). Outcomes measures included 5-year post-transplantation survival, summarized using Kaplan-Meier curves and compared with log-rank tests. Organ-specific Cox proportional hazards models were used to adjust for donor and recipient factors. RESULTS: Medicaid patients comprised 8.6% of all organ transplant recipients. Fewer transplantations were performed than expected among Medicaid beneficiaries for all organs except liver (liver: observed to expected ratio = 1.21; 95% CI, 0.68-1.90; heart: observed to expected ratio = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.44-1.49; lung: observed to expected ratio = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.22-1.06; renal: observed to expected ratio = 0.32; 95% CI, 0.08-0.72). Medicaid transplant recipients were listed with more severe organ failure and experienced shorter transplant wait times. Post-transplantation survival was lower in Medicaid patients compared with private insurance for all organs. Post-transplantation survival in Medicaid patients was similar to Medicare patients for heart, liver, and renal but lower in lung. CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid organ transplant beneficiaries had significantly lower survival compared with privately insured beneficiaries. The more severe organ failure among Medicaid beneficiaries at the time of listing, suggested a pattern of late referral, which might account for worse outcomes. Implementation of the Affordable Care Act gives the opportunity to develop the necessary infrastructure to ensure timely transplantation referrals and improve long-term outcomes in this vulnerable population.

Risk Factors Associated with Reoperation for Bleeding following Liver Transplantation.

Introduction. This study's objective was to identify risk factors associated with reoperation for bleeding following liver transplantation (LTx). Methods. A retrospective study was performed at a single institution between 2001 and 2012. Operative reports were used to identify patients who underwent reoperation for bleeding within 2 weeks following LTx (operations for nonbleeding etiologies were excluded). Results. Reoperation for bleeding was observed in 101/928 (10.8%) of LTx patients. The following characteristics were associated with reoperation on multivariable analysis: recipient MELD score (OR 1.06/MELD unit, 95% CI 1.03, 1.09), number of platelets transfused (OR 0.73/platelet unit, 95% CI 0.58, 0.91), and aminocaproic acid utilization (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.27, 0.80). LTx patients who underwent reoperation for bleeding had a longer ICU stay (5 days ± 7 versus 2 days ± 3, P < 0.001) and hospitalization (18 days ± 9 versus 10 days ± 18, P < 0.001). The risk of death increased in patients who underwent reoperation for bleeding (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.26, 2.85). Conclusion. Reoperation for bleeding following LTx was associated with increased resource utilization and recipient mortality. A lower threshold for intraoperative platelet transfusion and antifibrinolytics, especially in patients with high lab-MELD score, may decrease the incidence of reoperation for bleeding following LTx.

Resource utilization associated with procurement of transplantable organs from donors that do not meet OPTN eligible death criteria.

BACKGROUND: The strategy of evaluating every donation opportunity warrants an investigation into the financial feasibility of this practice. The purpose of this investigation is to measure resource utilization required for procurement of transplantable organs in an organ procurement organization (OPO). METHODS: Donors were stratified into those that met OPTN-defined eligible death criteria (ED donors, n=589) and those that did not (NED donors, n=703). Variable direct costs and time utilization by OPO staff for organ procurement were measured and amortized per organ transplanted using permutation methods and statistical bootstrapping/resampling approaches. RESULTS: More organs per donor were procured (3.66±1.2 vs. 2.34±0.8, P<0.0001) and transplanted (3.51±1.2 vs. 2.08±0.8, P<0.0001) in ED donors compared with NED donors. The variable direct costs were significantly lower in the NED donors ($29,879.4±11590.1 vs. $19,019.6±7599.60, P<0.0001). In contrast, the amortized variable direct costs per organ transplanted were significantly higher in the NED donors ($8,414.5±138.29 vs. $9,272.04±344.56, P<0.0001). The ED donors where thoracic organ procurement occurred were 67% more expensive than in abdominal-only organ procurement. The total time allocated per donor was significantly shorter in the NED donors (91.2±44.9 hr vs. 86.8±78.6 hr, P=0.01). In contrast, the amortized time per organ transplanted was significantly longer in the NED donors (23.1±0.8 hr vs. 36.9±3.2 hr, P<0.001). DISCUSSION: The variable direct costs and time allocated per organ transplanted is significantly higher in donors that do not meet the eligible death criteria.

Distribution of cytochrome P-450 4A and 4F isoforms along the nephron in mice.

The production of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) in the kidney is thought to be involved in the control of renal vascular tone and tubular sodium and chloride reabsorption. 20-HETE production in the kidney has been extensively studied in rats and humans and occurs primarily via the actions of P-450 enzymes of the CYP4A and -4F families. Recent advancements in molecular genetics of the mouse have made it possible to disrupt genes in a cell-type-specific fashion. These advances could help in the creation of models that could distinguish between the vascular and tubular actions of 20-HETE. However, isoforms of the CYP4A and -4F families that may be responsible for the production of 20-HETE in the vascular and tubular segments in the kidney of the mouse are presently unknown. The goal of this study was to identify the isoforms of the CYP4A and -4F families along the nephron by RT-PCR of RNA isolated from microdissected renal blood vessels and nephron segments from 16- to 24-wk-old male and female C57BL/6J mice. CYP4A and -4F isoforms were detected in every segment analyzed, with sex differences only observed in the proximal tubule and glomeruli. In the proximal tubular segments from male mice, the 4A10 and -12 isoforms were present, whereas the 4A10 and -14 isoforms were detected in segments from female mice. In glomeruli, sex differences in the expression pattern of CYP4F isoforms were also observed, with male mice expressing the 4F13, -14, and -15 isoforms, whereas female mice expressed the 4F13, -16, and -18 isoforms. These results demonstrate that isolated nephron and renal vessel segments express multiple isoforms of the CYP4A and -4F families; therefore, elimination of a single CYP4A or -4F isoform may not decrease 20-HETE production in all nephron segments or the renal vasculature of male and female mice. However, the importance of CYP4A vs. -4F isoforms to the production of 20-HETE in each of these renal tubular and vascular segments of the mouse remains to be determined.