Disparate Access to Surgery for Operable Carcinoma of the Lung in North Carolina.

PURPOSE: Disparities in access to surgical care are associated with poorer outcomes in patients with cancer. We sought to determine whether vulnerable populations undergo an expected rate of surgery for Stage I-IIIA lung cancer in North Carolina (NC). METHODS: We calculated the proportional surgical ratio (PSR) to identify a potential disparity in surgery rates for early stage (I-IIIA) lung cancer, first in the five counties with the worst health outcomes (LRC) and subsequently the entire state. The reference was the five healthiest counties (HRC), initially, and then the single county with the best health outcomes. RESULTS: In 2016, 3,452 individuals with Stage I-IIIA lung cancer were diagnosed in NC of which 246,854 resided in LRC, whereas 1,865,588 resided in HRC. A total of 453 operable lung cancers were diagnosed in the HRC and 107 in the LRC. The observed lobectomy rate in HRC was 40.1% (range 20.2-58.3%) of early-stage lung cancer and 19% (range 12-36%) for LRC. The PSR was 0.65 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.35, 0.90). For all 99 counties across NC, the PSR ranged from 0.33 to 0.96 (mean = 0.49, standard deviation [SD] = 0.10). In a multivariable model, only other primary care provider ratio (relative rate per 100 increase = 0.997; 95% CI = 0.994, 0.999) was significantly associated with PSR. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals residing in LRC in NC are 42% less likely to undergo surgery for operable lung cancer than patients living in HRC. Understanding how factors impact access is key to designing informed interventions.

Lung Cancer: Epidemiology and Screening.

Lung Cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States and Worldwide. Incidence and mortality have been on the decline in the United States, while worldwide cases continue to increase. Risk factor modification and screening are critical to improving survival in patients with lung cancer. Identifying at-risk populations for access to care and screening programs will improve overall outcomes. Understanding environmental and carcinogenic sources are integral to public health policy and education. Innovations in population health and translational research will be essential in the future to improve lung cancer survival.

Multimodal Pain Management Protocol to Decrease Opioid Use and to Improve Pain Control After Thoracic Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Opioid addiction continues to be a devastating problem in our communities, and up to 40% of patients begin their addiction with legally prescribed opioids after injury or surgical procedure. An opioid-free multimodal pain regimen was developed with the goal of decreasing opioid exposure while maintaining adequate pain control. METHODS: A retrospective single-institution study was conducted of 313 consecutive patients undergoing minimally invasive lobectomy before (n = 211) and after (n = 102) implementation of an opioid-free protocol from 2016 to 2020. Data analysis was conducted on preoperative characteristics, postoperative opioid use at set time points (postoperative day 0, postoperative days 1 to 7, and total stay), pain scores, discharge with opioid prescription, and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: Patients on the opioid-free protocol had significantly lower average total morphine milligram equivalents at all time points. In addition, 56% of patients in the opioid-free group received no oral opioids at all, and 91% did not receive a patient-controlled analgesia pump. Average pain scores were significantly lower in the opioid-free protocol patients along with percentage of time spent with pain scores <3 and <6. With implementation of the protocol, 62% of patients are discharged without an opioid prescription compared with only 7% previously. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an opioid-free protocol led to a significant decrease in the use of postoperative opioids at all time points while improving overall management of pain. In addition, most patients are discharged with no home opioid prescription, decreasing a potential source of community opioid spread.

Are Esophagectomy Board Requirements Achievable? A Multi-Institutional Analysis.

Duty-hour restrictions have implications on trainee operative exposure necessary to meet minimum case-volume requirements. We utilized a previously validated simulation model to evaluate the effect of program volume, trainee numbers and complement, and rotation schedule on the probability of achieving adequate esophagectomy case numbers for cardiothoracic surgery trainees. A ProModel simulator centered on probabilistic distributions of operative cases was utilized. Historical data from five 2-year cardiothoracic surgery training programs were obtained from 2016-2018 and used as inputs to the simulator that generated 10,000 "trainee 2-year periods" per program. Programs varied in annual average esophagectomy volume (12-91 per year), with 2-4 trainees graduating over a 2-year training period. If esophagectomy cases were distributed solely based on scheduling and institutional volume, only 60% of evaluated programs could adequately expose all trainees in esophagectomy to meet case requirements. The 3 programs with adequate esophagectomy volumes had averaged 3.3 times (range 3.0-3.6) the minimum number of board-required cases for their programs' trainees. The ability of programs to provide trainees with adequate esophagectomy volume is challenging based on institutional volume and scheduling. Through simulation, we demonstrate that programs need >2 times the expected minimum number of esophagectomies to ensure that >90% of trainees meet case-volume requirements. Programs may consider strategies such as allowing trainees to select cases based on personal need, train fewer fellows, or enable trainees to seek subspecialty exposure externally to achieve minimum esophagectomy case-load requirements.

Robotic-Assisted Thoracoscopic Repair of Right-Sided Bochdalek Hernia in Adults: A Two-Case Series.

Bochdalek hernia is a congenital diaphragmatic hernia that presents rarely in adulthood. Because of the paucity of cases, no standard repair technique has been identified. Here we present two cases of robotic, thoracoscopic repair of this rare hernia defect. Two separate adult patients with right-sided abdominal pain presented to the emergency department for evaluation. Both patients were diagnosed with right-sided Bochdalek hernia and repair was undertaken with a robotic, transthoracic approach. Repair technique is described in detail, including port placement, dissection technique, and repair strategy. Advantages of the robotic, transthoracic approach are discussed in detail. A transthoracic minimally invasive approach using a robotic platform is noted to be both feasible and practical in the treatment of adult Bochdalek hernia.