Primary uterine osteosarcoma arising in a leiomyoma with rapid local recurrence: A case report.

Background: Extraskeletal osteosarcoma is an extremely rare malignant neoplasm. Literature regarding primary osteosarcoma of the uterus is confined to only a small number of case reports. Case: A 57-year-old female with a history of uterine fibroids presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain. Imaging was notable for an enlarged uterus with a 15 cm calcified fibroid extending along the posterior uterus. The patient underwent a laparotomy for total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Pathological evaluation of the specimen yielded mesenchymal proliferation with osteoid formation and tumor cells with densely eosinophilic cytoplasm resembling osteoblasts with a final diagnosis of primary uterine osteosarcoma. Multidisciplinary tumor board recommended against adjuvant treatment, given the lack of evidence for improved outcomes for early-stage uterine sarcomas. The patient was followed up with surveillance visits every-three months, entailing physical examination and computed tomography(CT) scans. Unfortunately, she had locoregional oligometastatic recurrence of her disease at 1-year follow up. Conclusion: Primary uterine osteosarcoma is an extremely rare and aggressive neoplasm with limited understanding regarding optimal treatment options.

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Cesarean Delivery Decreases Length of Hospital Stay and Opioid Consumption: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the effect of a resident-led enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol for scheduled prelabor cesarean deliveries on hospital length of stay and postpartum opioid consumption. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent scheduled prelabor cesarean deliveries before and after implementation of an ERAS protocol at a single academic tertiary care institution. The primary outcome was length of stay following cesarean delivery. Secondary outcomes included protocol adherence, inpatient opioid consumption, and patient-centered outcomes. The protocol included multimodal analgesia and antiemetic medications, expedited urinary catheter removal, early discontinuation of maintenance intravenous fluids, and early ambulation. RESULTS: A total of 250 patients were included in the study: 122 in the pre-ERAS cohort and 128 in the post-ERAS cohort. There were no differences in baseline demographics, medical comorbidities, or cesarean delivery characteristics between the two groups. Following protocol implementation, hospital length of stay decreased by an average of 7.9 hours (pre-ERAS 82.1 vs. post-ERAS 74.2, p < 0.001). There was 89.8% adherence to the entire protocol as written. Opioid consumption decreased by an average of 36.5 mg of oxycodone per patient, with no significant differences in pain scores from postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 4 (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: A resident-driven quality improvement project was associated with decreased length of hospital stay, decreased opioid consumption, and unchanged visual analog pain scores at the time of hospital discharge. Implementation of this ERAS protocol is feasible and effective. KEY POINTS: · Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) principles can be effectively applied to cesarean delivery with excellent protocol adherence.. · Patients who participated in the ERAS pathway had significant decreases in hospital length of stay and opioid pain medication consumption with unchanged visual analog pain scores postoperative days 1 through 4.. · Resident-driven quality improvement projects can make a substantial impact in patient care for both process measures (e.g., protocol adherence) and outcome measures (e.g., opioid use)..

Ready for the robot? A cross-sectional survey of OB/GYN fellowship directors' experience and expectations of their incoming fellow's robotic surgical skills.

To describe OB/GYN fellowship directors' (FDs) observations, expectations, and preferences of incoming fellow's robotic surgery preparedness. Cross-sectional study. OB/GYN FDs in gynecologic oncology, minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility in the United States. 60 FDs answered the questionnaire. Participants completed an online questionnaire about their preferences and expectations of robotic surgery experience for incoming fellows. FDs observed that many incoming first-year fellows had a baseline understanding of robotic technology (60%) and robotic bedside assist experience (53%). However, few could perform more advanced robotic tasks; with FDs indicating fellows could infrequently robotically suture (18%), or perform the entire hysterectomy (15%). FDs reported higher composite observation than expectation scores (34.3 versus 22.2, p < 0.0001), and higher preference than expectation scores (34.0 versus 22.2, p < 0.0001). The composite expectation score of high-volume divisions was greater than of low-volume divisions (23.7 versus 14.0, p = 0.04). Among the domains identified, FDs most strongly preferred their fellows be able to bedside assist, have a basic understanding of robotic technology, and have basic robotic operative skills. While incoming fellows have more robotic skill than their FDs expect, few are deemed competent to independently operate the robot. Higher volume robotic surgery divisions have higher expectations of the robotic skills of their incoming fellows compared to low-volume divisions; however, FDs neither expected nor preferred their incoming fellows to be fully competent in all aspects of robotic surgery.

Does Participation in Obstetrics and Gynecology Subspecialties Improve Clerkship Outcomes?

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective is to determine if participation in subspecialty rotations during Ob/Gyn core clerkships improves student performance as measured by National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Ob/Gyn clinical science subject exam scores, clinical evaluations, and final clerkship summative grades when compared to students without focused subspecialty time. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of third-year Alpert Medical School of Brown University (AMS) Ob/Gyn core clerkship students at a single institution (Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, RI) from 2012 to 2017. Participation in Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) and/or Gynecologic oncology (Gyn Onc) subspecialty track (a one-week focused experience), NBME Ob/Gyn clinical science subject exam raw score, clinical evaluation score, final clerkship summative grade, and decision to pursue Ob/Gyn as a career were analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in NBME scores or final clerkship summative grade when comparing general track students to the subspecialty track. There was a significant difference in the clinical evaluation scores between general track and sub-specialty track students (p < 0.002). Of the students who pursued an Ob/Gyn residency, 75% participated in a subspecialty track. CONCLUSION: Exposure to subspecialty fields is not uniform during core clerkships. Our study indicates that using core clerkship time for early subspecialty exposure does not negatively impact student outcomes, and potentially improves clinical evaluations.

Can I Get a Suggestion? Medical Improv as a Tool for Empathy Training in Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents.

BACKGROUND: Physician empathy is associated with improved patient outcomes. No studies have examined the outcomes of medical improvisational (improv) training on empathy. OBJECTIVE: Our aims were to determine whether an improv workshop is an effective tool to deliver empathy training for obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) residents, and whether that effect is sustained over time. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of OB-GYN residents undergoing empathy training through 4 improv games in a 1-hour session. Empathy surveys (score range 20-140) with validity evidence were administered 2 weeks prior to empathy training, immediately after, and 1, 3, and 6 months later. Fisher's exact test, Student's t test, and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to compare statistical differences at each post-intervention assessment. RESULTS: All 22 invited residents participated in empathy training. Empathy scores improved immediately after (120.0 ± 9.8 versus 113.1 ± 10.6, P = .026), though they regressed toward baseline through 6 months (116.3 ± 11.0 versus 113.1 ± 10.6, P = .43). When asked on a scale of 1-5 how much the workshop would impact their work, there was an increase in scores both immediately after (mean 3.5 versus 4.6, P < .001) and 1 month later (mean 3.5 versus 4.1, P = .039), but this difference disappeared at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Using improv comedy to deliver empathy training is associated with a minor improvement in empathy scores in OB-GYN residents, which decreased at 6 months. Residents found the activity to be acceptable and reported the training would impact their clinical practice.

An Exploratory Analysis of Public Awareness and Perception of Ionizing Radiation and Guide to Public Health Practice in Vermont.

Exposure to ionizing radiation has potential for acute and chronic health effects. Within the general public of the United States, there may be a discrepancy between perceived and actual health risks. In conjunction with the Vermont Department of Health, a survey designed to assess public perception and knowledge of ionizing radiation was administered at 6 Vermont locations (n = 169). Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted. Eighty percent of respondents underestimated the contribution of medical imaging tests to total ionizing radiation exposure. Although only thirty-nine percent of participants were confident in their healthcare professional's knowledge of ionizing radiation, most would prefer to receive information from their healthcare professional. Only one-third of individuals who received a medical imaging test in the past year were educated by their healthcare professional about the risks of these tests. Those who tested their home for radon were twice as likely to choose radon as the greatest ionizing radiation risk to self. Although respondents had an above-average education level, there were many misperceptions of actual risks of exposure to ionizing radiation, particularly of medical imaging tests. Educating healthcare professionals would therefore have a profound and positive impact on public understanding of ionizing radiation.