Outcomes in patients with renal hyperparathyroidism requiring cinacalcet pre-operatively followed by parathyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND: Cinacalcet is an effective treatment for renal hyperthyroidism when traditional medical therapy has failed. We studied the impact of pre-operative cinacalcet administration on post-surgical outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of patients from 2002 to 2017 diagnosed with renal hyperparathyroidism requiring parathyroidectomy to evaluate the need for post-operative supplementation and outcomes. RESULTS: 102 patients were identified; 34 patients were treated with cinacalcet prior to undergoing parathyroidectomy. The cinacalcet treatment cohort (CT) demonstrated a greater duration of renal replacement therapy (p = 0.03) relative to the untreated cohort (NC). NC had greater proportion receiving peritoneal dialysis (p=<0.0001) compared to other forms of renal replacement, greater pre-operative PTH levels (p = 0.001) and greater decrease in PTH after resection (p = 0.0086). Post-operative vitamin D supplementation was more frequent in the CT group (p = 0.02). After propensity matching for pre-operative PTH and duration of renal replacement therapy, there were no differences in post-operative supplementation or outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Cinacalcet patients may have advanced disease. These patients have longer duration of renal failure and higher PTH levels. After propensity matching, no significant differences were noted in terms of need for supplementation or outcomes.

Accelerating the pace of surgical quality improvement: the power of hospital collaboration.

HYPOTHESIS: A regional collaborative approach is an efficient platform for surgical quality improvement. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic research. PATIENTS: Patients undergoing general and vascular surgical procedures in 16 hospitals of the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC) were evaluated quarterly to discuss surgical quality, to identify best practices, and to assess problems with process implementation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Results among MSQC patients were compared with those among 126 non-Michigan hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) over the same interval. RESULTS: A total of 315 699 patients were included in the analysis. To assess improvement, patients were stratified into 2 periods (T1 and T2). The 35 422 MSQC patients (10.7% morbidity in T1 vs 9.7% in T2 [9.0% reduction], P = .002) showed improvement, while 280 277 non-Michigan ACS NSQIP patients did not (12.4% morbidity in T1 and T2, P = .49). No improvements in mortality rates were noted in either group. Overall, the odds of experiencing a complication in T2 compared with T1 were significantly less in the MSQC group (odds ratio, 0.898) than in the non-Michigan ACS NSQIP group (odds ratio, 1.000) (P=.004). CONCLUSION: A statewide surgical quality improvement collaborative supported by a third-party payer showed significant improvement in quality and high levels of participant satisfaction.

Benefits of mock oral examinations in a multi-institutional consortium for board certification in general surgery training.

The Southeast Michigan Center for Medical Education (SEMCME) is a consortium of teaching hospitals in the Greater Detroit metropolitan area. SEMCME pools its resources for several educational means, including mock oral board examinations. The educational and cost benefits to mock oral examinations on a multi-institutional basis in preparation for the American Board of Surgery (ABS) certifying examination were analyzed. Ten-year multi-institution data from the mock oral examinations were correlated with ABS certifying examination pass rates. Mock oral examination scores were available for 107 of 147 graduates, which included 12 candidates who failed their certifying examination on the first attempt (pass rate = 89%). Four of 31 examinees who had a low score (4.9 or less) in their mock oral exams failed their certifying examination in their first attempt. The cost of running the mock examination was low (approximately $35/resident for 50 residents). When graduates from the last 10 years were surveyed, the majority of respondents believed that the mock oral examination helped in their success and with their preparation for the certifying examination. Thus, the many benefits of administering the examination with the resources of a consortium of hospitals result in the accurate reproduction of real-life testing conditions with reasonable overall costs per resident.

Defining the role of fine-needle aspiration of thyroid nodules in male patients: is it necessary?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this investigation was to show that fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid nodules in male patients may not be necessary in diagnosing thyroid cancer. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 130 adult male patients who underwent total thyroidectomy from January 2000 to January 2006 at a single institution. The preoperative FNA data for these subjects were reviewed and compared with the surgical pathology reports. RESULTS: During the study period, 70 of 130 (54%) had FNA, whereas 60 of 130 (46%) did not have FNA. Among all patients, 66 of 130 (51%) had a final pathology diagnosis of thyroid cancer and FNA was performed in 41 of 66 (62%) of these patients. The FNA pathology then was compared with the final pathology. CONCLUSIONS: In our study there was a high false-negative rate for FNA biopsy in the detection of thyroid malignancy in males. An alternative to FNA biopsy in male patients with thyroid nodules may be to go directly to surgery.

Detection of parathyroid adenoma in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism: the use of office-based ultrasound in preoperative localization.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this investigation is to show that preoperative localization of the parathyroid gland using office-based ultrasound (US) and Tc-99m sestamibi scan is superior to all other approaches in detecting a parathyroid adenoma. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 43 patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. All patients underwent office-based US and sestamibi scintigraphy. Upon completion of the localization studies, a plan for focused or full operation was determined. RESULTS: In 42 of 43 patients, office-based US performed by a surgeon and sestamibi scintigraphy successfully detected the location of a parathyroid abnormality (42/43 cases, sensitivity = 98%, P < .05 =.0001). Office-based US localized the abnormal gland to the specific side (right/left) in 36 of 43 cases (84%). Sestamibi alone localized to the specific side in 29 of 43 cases (67%) for a statistically significant difference (P = .03). US localized the abnormal gland to the specific quadrant (34/43 cases [79%] sensitivity versus 23/43 cases [53%] sensitivity using sestamibi scan alone to localize to the specific quadrant, P = .03). CONCLUSION: It is clear that the combined modalities of office-based US and sestamibi scintigraphy in preoperative localization have a high success rate and should be considered in parathyroid surgery.

Residents' working hours in a consortium-wide surgical education program.

Traditional work schedules of surgical residents have been cited as a factor that negatively influences education and the quality of patient care. Demands by federal and state legislators as well as the general public have forced a re-evaluation of the issue. Long working hours and resulting sleep deprivation affect the lives of residents profoundly, but the question remains does it lower the quality of medical care? The justification for the long hours is that they are vital to medical education, but residents are so drained by their schedules that they are rarely in the best state of mind to learn from their experiences. Under the scrutiny of the Resident Review Committee (RRC), many programs and institutions have been cited in the recent past in violation of resident working hour requirements. As a result, many institutions have implemented reforms, thereby reducing the number of citations they received. In spite of having the highest number of citations, the field of general surgery has failed to show any improvement. The Oakland Health Education Programme Center for Medical Education (OHEP), a consortium of 16 teaching hospitals in the State of Michigan, set out to review the components of general surgery residency training in order to be able to make recommendations that might assist program directors in making appropriate changes where necessary to enhance resident education and the quality of patient care as well as to meet the personal demands of residents. Questionnaires on residents' attitudes concerning their working hours and possible reforms were sent to all general surgery residency programs in the OHEP consortium. The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions divided into three major sections: the first section encompassed demographic information including current work hours and on-call schedules. The second section consisted of questions relating to attitudes toward work hours and the options for change. The third section consisted of questions that viewed the perceived effects of limited work hours. From the seven participating hospitals with surgery residency programs in OHEP, 92 residents responded to our survey. The majority of residents were in the first 3 years of postgraduate training. The mean age of residents was 30 years old. Sixty-four per cent of respondents were male, and 18 per cent were female. Residents reported an average of 56 with a range of 0 to 110 hours on call. Variations in the number of hours had to do with the various rotations residents were on, in that during certain elective rotations, residents were not assigned to any call. The on-call schedule varied; alternate nights were reported by 11 per cent, every third night by 33 per cent, and every fourth night or more by 53 per cent. The majority of surgical residents did express the need for reform and did not feel that reforms would affect the quality of resident education. However, residents did not want to lengthen residency training beyond the 5 years. The results of our study indicates that the majority of residents in general surgery programs in Michigan perceive a need for reform of work schedules. Surgical educators may have underestimated this need in the past. Most residents thought that long hours impaired their educational experience and at times compromised their clinical care.

Inguinal hernia recurrence following preperitoneal Kugel patch repair.

Three hundred eighty-six preperitoneal inguinal herniorrhaphies using a polypropylene Kugel patch (Davol) were performed in 355 consecutive patients by six surgeons. Variables for recurrence evaluated included age, gender, hernia type, whether the Kugel patch was placed for a primary or recurrent hernia, and the experience of the surgeon. Of 336 patients with long-term follow-up available (18 months to 63 months, median 42 months) 28 recurrences developed 1 to 48 months (mean 16 months) after 366 Kugel patch repairs (7.7%). Recurrence was highest (27.8%) in the subset of patients who had a Kugel patch placed for recurrent inguinal hernias (P < 0.05). Patients with direct primary hernias involving the entire floor had a recurrence rate of 22.7 per cent (P < 0.05). Patient age and gender had no bearing on recurrence. Surgeon experience did play a role, as the recurrence rate was 18.2 per cent during each surgeon's first 36 cases and 2.9 per cent thereafter (P < 0.0005). Surgeons using a preperitoneal Kugel patch for inguinal herniorraphy had a recurrence rate that was unacceptably high. The technique may not be suitable for repair of recurrent inguinal hernias or primary large direct inguinal hernias. Surgeons in this study saw a learning curve of 36 cases.

An analysis of filtration and volume of radionucleotide in sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer patients.

Controversy has occurred regarding whether to filter or not to filter the radionucleotide and what the optimal volume is when performing sentinel lymph node biopsies. To try and resolve this question we retrospectively looked at sentinel-node biopsies for breast cancer performed at our institution over an 18-month period. One hundred seven patients underwent sentinel node biopsy. Ninety-four patients had an axillary-node dissection. Twelve patients did not have a nodal dissection based on National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project protocol, and one patient refused dissection. Patients fell into three groups: Group I, filtered 8 cm3; Group II, unfiltered 8 cm3; and Group III, unfiltered 16 cm3 (NSABP protocol). Sentinel nodes were identified in 96.3 per cent of Group I, 84.9 per cent of Group II, and 96.3 per cent of Group III. These groups were not statistically different. With the addition of blue dye the ability to identify the sentinel lymph node was for Group I 96.3 per cent, for Group II 96.2 per cent, and for Group III 100 per cent. The false negative biopsy result was 0 per cent for all groups. The patients receiving 16-cm3 volume complained about a greater level of discomfort compared with the lower-volume patients. In conclusion neither the volume nor the filtration process affected the surgeon's ability to find the sentinel lymph node or the false negative rate. The higher injection volumes resulted in more pain. The costs and radiation exposure of the filtration process are not warranted.