Does knowing pre-operative penile length influence patient satisfaction post penile prosthesis implantation?

Patients who undergo penile prosthesis implantation as treatment for erectile dysfunction commonly complain of penile shortening after implantation. We conducted a study to determine whether knowledge of pre-operative stretched penile length measurement influences patient satisfaction. This prospective study consisted of 149 patients undergoing inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) implantation from August 2017 to December 2019. Study group participants underwent pre-operative stretched penile length measurement in clinic while the control group did not. Six months post-operatively, patients completed a modified 14-item Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS) questionnaire to assess overall satisfaction and penile length satisfaction. A total of 102 patients were eligible for final analysis (49 in study group, 53 in control). Mean scores for overall treatment satisfaction were 3.57 and 3.53 (scale from 0 to 4) in the study versus control group, respectively (p = 0.483). Mean scores for satisfaction with penile length were 4.08 and 4.11 (scale from 1 to 5) in the study vs. control group (p = 0.645). The study suggests that knowledge of pre-operative stretched penile length does not influence post-operative satisfaction after penile prosthesis implantation. Therefore, performing pre-operative measurements in clinic solely for informing the patient may be unnecessary. Current interventions aimed at conserving penile length may be effective at maintaining satisfaction with penile length.Trial Registration- This trial is registered and approved by the IRB committee at our institution, ID: HSC-MS-19-0320.

Direct Assessment of Health Utilities Using the Standard Gamble Among Patients With Primary Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Standard gamble (SG) directly measures patients' valuation of their health state. We compare in-hospital and day-90 SG utilities (SGU) among intracerebral hemorrhage patients and report a 3-way association between SGU, EuroQoL-5 dimension, and modified Rankin Scale at day 90. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage underwent in-hospital and day-90 assessments for the modified Rankin Scale, EuroQoL-5 dimension, and SG. SG provides patients a choice between their current health state and a hypothetical treatment with varying chances of either perfect health or a painless death. Higher SGU (scale, 0-1) indicates lower risk tolerance and thus higher valuation of the current health state. Logistic regression was used to estimate the likelihood of low SGU (≤0.6), and Wilcoxon paired signed-rank test compared in-hospital and day-90 SGU. In-hospital and day-90 SG was obtained from 381 and 280 patients, respectively, including 236 paired observations. Median (interquartile range) in-hospital and day-90 SGUs were 0.85 (0.40-0.98) and 0.98 (0.75-1.00; P<0.001). In-hospital SGUs were lower with advancing age (P=0.007), higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and intracerebral hemorrhage scores (P<0.001). Proxy-based assessments resulted in lower SGUs; median difference (95% CI), -0.2 (-0.33 to -0.07). After adjustment, higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and proxy assessments were independently associated with lower SGU, along with an effect modification of age by race. Day-90 SGU and modified Rankin Scale were significantly correlated; however, SGUs were higher than the EuroQoL-5 dimension utilities at higher modified Rankin Scale levels. CONCLUSIONS: Divergence between directly (SGU) and indirectly (EuroQoL-5 dimension) assessed utilities at high levels of functional disability warrant careful prognostication of intracerebral hemorrhage outcomes and should be considered in designing early end-of-life care discussions with families and patients.

High in-hospital blood pressure variability and severe disability or death in primary intracerebral hemorrhage patients.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify in-hospital systolic blood pressure variability among patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, determine the association between high systolic blood pressure variability (HSBPV) and 90-day severe disability or death, and examine the association between pre-hospital factors and HSBPV. METHODS: Adult, radiologically confirmed, intracerebral hemorrhage patients enrolled in a multi-site cohort were included. Using a semi-automated algorithm, systolic blood pressure values recorded from routine non-invasive systolic blood pressure monitoring in critical and acute care settings were extracted for the duration of hospitalization. Inter and intra-patient systolic blood pressure variability was quantified using generalized estimating equation methods. Modified Poisson and logistic regression models were fit to determine the association between HSBPV and 90-day severe disability or death and between pre-hospital characteristics and HSBPV, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 566 patients managed at four certified stroke centers were included. Over 120,000 systolic blood pressure readings were analyzed, and a standard deviation (SD) of 13.0 was parameterized as a cut-off point to categorize HSBPV. Patients with HSBPV had a greater risk of 90-day severe disability or death (relative risk: 1.20, 95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.39), after controlling for age, pre-morbid functional status, and other disease severity measures. Greater likelihood of in-hospital HSBPV was independently observed in elderly, female patients, and in patients with high admission systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION: Quantification of HSBPV is feasible utilizing routinely collected systolic blood pressure readings, and a singular cut-off parameter for systolic blood pressure variability demonstrated association with 90-day severe disability or death. Elderly, female, and patients with high admission systolic blood pressure may be more likely to demonstrate HSBPV during hospitalization.