Aditya Mantha

Incidence of Myocardial Infarction After High-Risk Vascular Operations in Adults

Importance Advances in perioperative cardiac management and an increase in the number of endovascular procedures have made significant contributions to patients and postoperative myocardial infarction (POMI) risk following high-risk vascular procedures. Whether these changes have translated into real-world improvements in POMI incidence remain unknown. Objective To examine the temporal trends of myocardial infarction (MI) following high-risk vascular procedures. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort study was performed using data collected from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2013, in the American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program database, to which participating hospitals across the United States report their preoperative, operative, and 30-day outcome data. A total of 90 303 adults who underwent a high-risk vascular procedure—open aortic surgery or infrainguinal bypass—during the study period were identified. Patients were divided into cohorts based on their year of operation, and their baseline cardiac risk factors and incidence of POMI were compared. Cases from 2005 to 2014 in the database were eligible for inclusion if one of their Current Procedural Terminology codes matched any of the operations identified as a high-risk vascular procedure. Data analysis took place from August 1, 2016, to November 15, 2016. Exposures The main exposure was the year of the operation. Other variables of interest included demographics, comorbidities, and other risk factors for MI. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcome of interest was the incidence of POMI. Results Of the 90 303 patients included in the study, 22 836 (25.3%) had undergone open aortic surgery and 67 467 (74.7%) had had infrainguinal bypass. The open aortic cohort comprised 16 391 men (71.9%), had a mean (SD) age of 69.1 (11.5) years, and was predominantly white (18 440 patients [80.8%] self-identified as white race/ethnicity). The infrainguinal bypass cohort included 41 845 men (62.1%), had a mean (SD) age of 66.7 (11.7) years, and had 51 043 patients (75.7%) who self-identified as white race/ethnicity. During the study period, patients who underwent open aortic procedures were more likely to be classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists class IV (7426 patients [32.6%] vs 15 683 [23.3%] for the infrainguinal bypass cohort) or class V (1131 [5.0%] vs 206 [0.3%]; P < .001) and to undergo emergency procedures (4852 [21.3%] vs 4954 [7.3%]; P < .001). The open aortic procedure cohort also experienced significantly higher actual incidence of POMI (464 [3.0%] vs 1270 [1.9%]; P < .001). From 2009 to 2014, the incidence of POMI demonstrated no substantial temporal change (2.7% in 2009 to 3.1% in 2014; P = .64 for trend). Postoperative MI was consistently associated with poor prognosis, with a 3.62-fold (95% CI, 2.25-5.82) to 11.77-fold (95% CI, 6.10-22.72) increased odds of cardiac arrest and a 3.01-fold (95% CI, 2.08-4.36) to 6.66-fold (95% CI, 4.66-9.52) increased odds of mortality. Conclusions and Relevance The incidence of MI did not significantly decrease in the past decade and has been consistently associated with worse clinical outcomes. Further inquiry into why advanced perioperative care did not reduce cardiac complications is important to quality improvement efforts.

Efficacy of Distal Perfusion Cannulae in Preventing Limb Ischemia During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

To date, no consensus exists regarding indication, technique, or efficacy of distal perfusion cannulae (DPC) in preventing limb ischemia among patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). We aim to examine the available literature and report association between DPC and risk of limb ischemia. PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Google Scholar, and bibliographies of included studies were searched from database inception until August 2016. Original studies describing the DPC placement technique and incidence of limb ischemia following DPC placement among VA-ECMO patients were included for systematic review. Studies with a comparison group of patients without DPC were included for meta-analysis. Two authors independently screened title/abstracts, reviewed full texts, and extracted data from the eligible studies. Meta-analysis was performed using the Mantel-Haenszel method under a random-effects model. Statistical heterogeneity was examined with the I2 statistic (RevMan Version 5.3). Of 542 title/abstracts screened, 62 full text articles were selected for review, yielding 22 retrospective observational studies, for a total of 779 patients with 132 limb ischemia events. There was significant variation in DPC indication, cannula type, and placement technique among the studies. Compared to no DPC, the presence of a DPC was associated with at least a 15.7% absolute reduction in the incidence of limb ischemia (9.74 vs. 25.42%; risk ratio 0.41; 95% confidence interval 0.26-0.65, P < 0.01; heterogeneity statistic I2 = 28%). There was no statistically significant difference in mortality in the pooled dataset comparing DPC versus no DPC. In adults treated with VA-ECMO, DPC placement was associated with a lower incidence of limb ischemia. Currently no consensus guidelines exist regarding indication for DPC placement. Given the association described in this analysis, future prospective trials are warranted to establish a causal relationship and optimal technique for the use of DPC in patients treated with VA-ECMO.

Diffusion of robotic-assisted laparoscopic technology across specialties: a national study from 2008 to 2013

IntroductionRobotic-assisted procedures were frequently found to have similar outcomes and indications to their laparoscopic counterparts, yet significant variation existed in the acceptance of robotic-assisted technology between surgical specialties and procedures. We performed a retrospective cohort study investigating factors associated with the adoption of robotic assistance across the United States from 2008 to 2013.MethodsUsing the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, patient- and hospital-level variables were examined for differential distribution between robotic-assisted and conventional laparoscopic procedures. Multilevel logistic regression models were constructed to identify independent factors associated with robotic adoption. Furthermore, cases were stratified by procedure and specialty before being ranked according to proportion of robotic-assistance adoption. Correlation was examined between robotic-assistance adoption and relative outcome in comparison with conventional laparoscopic procedures.ResultsThe national robotic case volume doubled over the five-year period while a gradual decline in laparoscopic case volume was observed, resulting in an increase in the proportion of procedures performed with robotic assistance from 6.8 to 17%. Patients receiving robotic procedures were more likely to be younger, males, white, privately insured, more affluent, and with less comorbidities. These differences have been decreasing over the study period. The three specialties with the highest proportion of robotic-assisted laparoscopic procedures were urology (34.1%), gynecology (11.0%), and endocrine surgery (9.4%). However, no significant association existed between the frequency of robotic-assistance usage and relative outcome statistics such as mortality, charge, or length of stay.ConclusionThe variation in robotic-assistance adoption between specialties and procedures could not be attributable to clinical outcomes alone. Cultural readiness toward adopting new technology within specialty and target anatomic areas appear to be major determining factors influencing its adoption.

Increased risk for complications following diagnostic cerebral angiography in older patients: Trends from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1999–2009)

The full utility of diagnostic cerebral angiography, an invasive cerebrovascular imaging technique, is currently debated. Our goal was to determine trends in diagnostic cerebral angiography utilization and associated complications from 1999 through 2009. The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was used to identify patients who received primary cerebral angiography from 1999-2009 in the United States. We observed trends in discharge volume, total mean charge, and post-procedural complications for this population. Data was based on sample projections and analyzed using univariate and multivariate regression. There were a total of 424,105 discharges indicating primary cerebral angiography nationwide from 1999-2009. The majority of these cases (65%) were in patients older than 55years. Embolic stroke was the most frequent complication, particularly in the oldest age bracket, occurring in 16,304 patients. The risk for complications increased with age (p<0.0001) and with other underlying health conditions. Pulmonary, deep vein thrombosis, and renal associated comorbidities resulted in the greatest risk for developing post-procedural complications. Throughout the study period case volume for cerebral angiography remained constant while total charge per patient increased from

Evolution of Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in the Era of Transcatheter Valve Technology

17,365 in 1999 to

Complications Following Transradial Cerebral Angiography : An Ultrasound Follow-Up Study

45,339 in 2009 (p<0.001). While the overall complication rate for this invasive procedure is relatively low, the potential risk for embolic stroke in older patients is significant. It is worth considering less invasive diagnostic techniques for an older and at risk patient population.

Comparison of online and classroom-based formats for teaching emergency medicine to medical students in Uganda

Author(s): Mantha, Aditya; Juo, Yen-Yi; Morchi, Ravi; Ebrahimi, Ramin; Ziaeian, Boback; Shemin, Richard J; Benharash, Peyman

Comparing Teaching Methods in Resource-Limited Countries

Objective The feasibility and usefulness of transradial catheterization for coronary and neuro-intervention are well known. However, the anatomical change in the catheterized radial artery (RA) is not well understood. Herein, we present the results of ultrasonographic observation of the RA after routine transradial cerebral angiography (TRCA). Methods Patients who underwent routine TRCA with pre- and post-procedure Doppler ultrasonography (DUS) of the catheterized RA were enrolled. We then recorded and retrospectively reviewed the diameter and any complicated features of the RA observed on DUS, and the factors associated with the diameter and complications were analyzed. Results A total of 223 TRCAs across 181 patients were enrolled in the current study. The mean RA diameter was 2.48 mm and was positively correlated with male gender (p<0.001) and hypertension (p<0.002). The median change in diameter after TRCA was less than 0.1 mm (range, -1.3 to 1.2 mm) and 90% of changes were between -0.8 and +0.7 mm. Across 228 procedures, there were 12 cases (5.3%) of intimal hyperplasia and 22 cases (9.6%) of asymptomatic local vascular complications found on DUS. Patients with abnormal findings on the first procedure had a smaller pre-procedural RA diameter than that of patients without findings (2.26 vs. 2.53 mm, p=0.0028). There was no significant difference in the incidence of abnormal findings for the first versus subsequent procedures (p=0.68). Conclusion DUS identified the pre- and post-procedural diameter and local complications of RA. Routine TRCA seems to be acceptable with regard to identifying local complications and changes in RA diameter.

E-012 National Trends for the Utilization of Cerebral Angiography in Patients with Unruptured Aneurysms: 1999–2009

Severe global shortages in the health care workforce sector have made improving access to essential emergency care challenging. The paucity of trained specialists in low‐ and middle‐income countries translates to large swathes of the population receiving inadequate care. Efforts to expand emergency medicine (EM) education are similarly impeded by a lack of available and appropriate teaching faculty. The development of comprehensive, online medical education courses offers a potentially economical, scalable, and lasting solution for universities experiencing professional shortages.

Adaptive leadership curriculum for Indian paramedic trainees

In Reply: As Dr. Al-Musawi states, hands-on clinical experience is an invaluable component of medical education. Our intention was not to suggest that online education can wholly replace hands-on learning, but rather should be seen as a viable method of augmenting and sustaining emergency care education worldwide. Our study conclusively demonstrated that classroom-based learning and online learning were equivalent in terms of knowledge acquisition by participating students. These results suggest that effective, online, core curriculum can serve as a scaffolding for an adjunct applied clinical curriculum, thus enabling countries with severely limited numbers of trained faculty to concentrate those human resources on leading hands-on workshops, simulation exercises, and emergency care drills, as well as engaging students in clinical bedside instruction. By designing a locally adaptable, online program, we can jumpstart knowledge acquisition, build partnerships, and enhance the pace of emergency care development in resource-limited settings.