Financial Well-Being for Thoracic Surgeons.

The authors provide a brief overview for thoracic surgeons in topics essential to achieving financial well-being as a student, trainee, practicing surgeon, and beyond. While broad in nature, the authors' article is comprehensive, and they cover topics including student loans, asset and wealth management, investment opportunities, financial and estate planning, and insurances. It is hoped that the information provided will allow thoracic surgeons to become more familiar with the financial topics that pertain to thoracic surgeons and provide an introduction to explore financial wellness and literacy more thoroughly.

The Safety and Efficacy of Tracheostomy in Patients Diagnosed With COVID-19: An Analysis of 143 Patients at a Major NYC Medical Center.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the optimal surgical strategy for performing tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients. BACKGROUND: Many ventilated COVID-19 patients require prolonged ventilation. We do not know if tracheostomy will improve their care. Given the paucity of data on this topic, the optimal surgical approach has yet to be elucidated. METHODS: This is a cohort study of 143 ventilator dependent COVID-19 patients undergoing tracheostomy at an academic medical center from April 15th to May 15th, 2020, with follow up until June 1, 2020. We included adult patients admitted to a NYC medical center with COVID-19 who required invasive mechanical ventilation for greater than 2 weeks who were unable to be extubated and determined to have reasonable chance of recovery and fit defined tracheostomy candidate criteria. Patients underwent either a percutaneous tracheostomy (PT) or open surgical tracheostomy (ST) performed by 1 of 3 surgical services. RESULTS: One hundred forty-three patients underwent tracheostomy, 58 (41%) via a ST, and 85 (59%) via a PT. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics between the 2 groups, except that more patients who had a history of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation underwent PT (11% vs 2%, P = 0.049). There were no statistical differences observed between the PT and ST groups with regard to bleeding complications (3.5%vs 10.3%, P = 0.099), tracheostomy related complications (5.9% vs 8.6%, P = 0.528), inpatient death (12% vs 5%, P = 0.178), discharge from hospital (39% vs 36%, P = 0.751) or surgeon illness (0% vs 0%, P = 1). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: The rapid formation of a multi-disciplinary team allows for the efficient evaluation and performance of a large volume of tracheostomies in a resource-limited setting. Bedside tracheostomy in COVID-19 does not cause additional harm to patients if performed after 2 weeks from intubation. It also seems to be safe for proceduralists to perform in this timeframe. The manner of tracheostomy does not change outcomes significantly if it is performed safely and efficiently.

Technical Aspects of Lung Volume Reduction Surgery Including Anesthetic Management and Surgical Approaches.

As palliative treatment, lung volume reduction surgery can be offered to a selected subset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Careful adherence to established inclusion and exclusion criteria is critical to achieve good outcomes. The evolution of surgical techniques toward minimally invasive approaches has improved outcomes. The fully extrathoracic access combining a subxiphoid incision with subcostal port placement allowed a further decrease in perioperative pain, which favors spontaneous respiratory drive and early postoperative mobilization. Less aggressive resections and better match for size of the hemithorax have contributed to a short-term reduction in morbidity and continued improvements in cardiopulmonary function.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Coronavirus Disease 2019: Crisis Standards of Care.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed extraordinary strain on global healthcare systems. Use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for patients with severe respiratory or cardiac failure attributed to COVID-19 has been debated due to uncertain survival benefit and the resources required to safely deliver ECMO support. We retrospectively investigated adult patients supported with ECMO for COVID-19 at our institution during the first 80 days following New York City's declaration of a state of emergency. The primary objective was to evaluate survival outcomes in patients supported with ECMO for COVID-19 and describe the programmatic adaptations made in response to pandemic-related crisis conditions. Twenty-two patients with COVID-19 were placed on ECMO during the study period. Median age was 52 years and 18 (81.8%) were male. Twenty-one patients (95.4%) had severe ARDS and seven (31.8%) had cardiac failure. Fifteen patients (68.1%) were managed with venovenous ECMO while 7 (31.8%) required arterial support. Twelve patients (54.5%) were transported on ECMO from external institutions. Twelve patients were discharged alive from the hospital (54.5%). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was used successfully in patients with respiratory and cardiac failure due to COVID-19. The continued use of ECMO, including ECMO transport, during crisis conditions was possible even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gossypiboma Mimicking Fluorodeoxyglucose-avid Lung Nodule.

We present the case of a 55-year-old woman with a fluorodeoxyglucose-avid lung nodule 8 months after a coronary artery bypass graft procedure. This mass was later discovered to be a gossypiboma caused by retained surgical sponge material. There have been prior reports of intrathoracic gossypiboma presenting with various imaging findings; however, none that have presented as a positron emission tomography-avid lung nodule mimicking a malignancy.

Short-Term Outcomes of Tracheal Resection in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database.

BACKGROUND: Tracheal surgery is uncommon, and most of the published literature consists of single-center series over large periods. Our goal was to perform a national, contemporary analysis to identify predictors of major morbidity and mortality based on indication and surgical approach. METHODS: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database (STS GTSD) was queried for all patients undergoing tracheal resection between 2002 and 2016. We identified 1,617 cases and compared outcomes by indication and approach. We created a multivariable model for a combined end point of mortality or major morbidity. The relationship between volume and outcome was analyzed. RESULTS: The cervical approach was used 81% of the time, and benign disease was the indication in 75% of cases. Overall 30-day mortality was 1%, and no significant difference was found between the cervical and thoracic approach (1.1% versus 1.6%, p = 0.57) or between benign and malignant indications (1.1% versus 1.5%, p = 0.61). Independent factors associated with morbidity or mortality included thoracic approach, diabetes, and functional status. Centers were divided into those averaging fewer than four resections per year and those performing at least four per year. The low volume (<4) group had a combined morbidity and mortality of 27%, significantly higher than 17% observed among centers with more than four per year (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: STS GTSD participants perform tracheal resection for benign and malignant disease with low early morbidity and mortality. Higher operative volume is associated with improved outcome. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm airway stability and rate of reoperation.