Tim Brandys

Nurse clinic versus home delivery of evidence-based community leg ulcer care: A randomized health services trial

BackgroundInternational studies report that nurse clinics improve healing rates for the leg ulcer population. However, these studies did not necessarily deliver similar standards of care based on evidence in the treatment venues (home and clinic). A rigorous evaluation of home versus clinic care is required to determine healing rates with equivalent care and establish the acceptability of clinic-delivered care.MethodsHealth Services RCT was conducted where mobile individuals were allocated to either home or nurse clinic for leg ulcer management. In both arms, care was delivered by specially trained nurses, following an evidence protocol. Primary outcome: 3-month healing rates. Secondary outcomes: durability of healing (recurrence), time free of ulcers, HRQL, satisfaction, resource use. Data were collected at base-line, every 3 months until healing occurred, with 1 year follow-up. Analysis was by intention to treat.Results126 participants, 65 randomized to receive care in their homes, 61 to nurse-run clinics. No differences found between groups at baseline on socio-demographic, HRQL or clinical characteristics. mean age 69 years, 68% females, 84% English-speaking, half with previous episode of ulceration, 60% ulcers at inclusion < 5 cm2 for < 6 months. No differences in 3-month healing rates: clinic 58.3% compared to home care at 56.7% (p = 0.5) or in secondary outcomes.ConclusionOur findings indicate that organization of care not the setting where care is delivered influences healing rates. Key factors are a system that supports delivery of evidence-based recommendations with care being provided by a trained nursing team resulting in equivalent healing rates, HRQL whether care is delivered in the home or in a community nurse-led clinic.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration System: NCT00656383

Mycobacterium bovis abdominal aortic and femoral artery aneurysms following intravesical bacillus Calmette–Guérin therapy for bladder cancer

BACKGROUND Infectious complications of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy are rare, but these have included a handful of cases of mycotic aneurysm. METHODS AND RESULTS We present the case of a patient with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm and a femoral artery aneurysm who had previously received intravesical BCG therapy for bladder carcinoma. Histopathologic examination of resected tissue revealed numerous acid-fast bacilli, and subsequent mycobacterial culture of blood and resected tissue revealed BCG strain Mycobacterium bovis. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians should be aware of the possible extravesical complications, albeit rare, of BCG therapy. Therapy should consist of combined medical and surgical management.

Wait times among patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis requiring carotid endarterectomy for stroke prevention

BACKGROUND Current Canadian and international guidelines suggest patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or nondisabling stroke and ipsilateral internal carotid artery stenosis of 50% to 99% should be offered carotid endarterectomy (CEA) ≤ 2 weeks of the incident TIA or stroke. The objective of the study was to identify whether these goals are being met and the factors that most influence wait times. METHODS Patients who underwent CEA at the Ottawa Hospital for symptomatic carotid artery stenosis from 2008 to 2010 were identified. Time intervals based on the dates of initial symptoms, referral to and visit with a vascular surgeon, the decision to operate, and the date of surgery were recorded for each patient. The influence of various factors on wait times was explored, including age, sex, type of index event, referring physician, distance from the surgical center, degree of stenosis, and surgeon assigned. RESULTS Of the 117 patients who underwent CEA, 92 (78.6%) were symptomatic. The median time from onset of symptoms to surgery for all patients was 79 days (interquartile range [IQR], 34-161). The shortest wait times were observed in stroke patients (49 [IQR, 27-81] days) and inpatient referrals (66 [IQR, 25-103] days). Only 7 of the 92 symptomatic patients (8%) received care within the recommended 2 weeks. The median surgical wait time for all patients was 14 days (IQR, 8-25 days). In the multivariable analysis, significant predictors of longer wait times included retinal TIA (P = .003), outpatient referrals (P = .004), and distance from the center (P = .008). Patients who presented to the emergency department had the shortest delays in seeing a vascular surgeon and subsequently undergoing CEA (P < .0001). There was no difference between surgeons for wait times to be seen in the clinic; however, there were significant differences among surgeons once the decision was made to proceed with CEA. CONCLUSIONS Our wait times for CEA currently do not fall within the recommended 2-week guideline nor does it appear feasible within the current system. Important factors contributing to delays include outpatient referrals, living farther from the hospital, and presenting with a retinal TIA (amaurosis fugax). Our findings also suggest better scheduling practices once a decision is made to operate can modestly improve overall and surgical wait times for CEA.

Growing the 'SEAD': Expansion of the Surgical Exploration and Discovery Program

BACKGROUND The declining popularity of surgical specialties among North American medical students has been attributed partially to limited early exposure and minimal involvement of surgeons in preclerkship education; in response, the Surgical Exploration and Discovery (SEAD) program was developed at the University of Toronto in 2012. SEAD is a 2-week curriculum that provides first-year medical students comprehensive exposure to surgical specialties through operating room observerships, simulation workshops, and career discussions. This study is the first to examine implementation of the SEAD program at another site. METHODS This prospective cohort study evaluated the effectiveness of the SEAD program in improving surgical knowledge and facilitating career decision making when compared with a control group. In all, 18 students participated in the SEAD program, and 18 students from the same class read only the programs instructional manual; both the groups completed multiple-choice tests and questionnaires at baseline and at completion to assess knowledge acquisition and career-related learning. RESULTS Both the groups significantly improved their surgical knowledge, but there was no difference between groups. SEAD participants made significantly greater progress in refining their career decisions when compared with the control group; all but one SEAD participant either gained interest in or ruled out a surgical specialty as a potential career choice compared with only 10 of the participants reading the manual only. CONCLUSIONS The SEAD program provides a meaningful opportunity for medical students to explore surgical careers during preclerkship and to make better-informed career decisions. This expansion demonstrates that the program can be successfully reproduced at another institution.

Internal iliac coverage during endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms is a safe option: A preliminary study

Endovascular aneurysm repairs lacking suitable common iliac artery landing zones occasionally require graft limb extension into the external iliac artery, covering the internal iliac artery origin. The purpose of this study was to assess incidence of type II endoleak following simple coverage of internal iliac artery without embolization during endovascular aneurysm repair. Three hundred eighty-nine endovascular aneurysm repairs performed by a single surgeon (2004–2015) were reviewed. Twenty-seven patients underwent simple internal iliac artery coverage. Type II endoleak was assessed from operative reports and follow-up computed tomography imaging. No patient suffered type II endoleak from a covered internal iliac artery in post-operative computed tomography scans. Follow-up ranged from 0.5 to 9 years. No severe pelvic ischemic complications were observed. In conclusion, for selected cases internal iliac artery coverage without embolization is a safe alternative to embolization in endovascular aneurysm repairs, where the graft must be extended into the external iliac artery.

Impact of visualization on simulation training for vascular anastomosis

Objective: There is mounting evidence supporting the benefit of surgical simulation on the learning of skills independently and in a patient‐safe environment. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of visualization of surgical steps via instructional media on performance of an end‐to‐side microvascular anastomosis. Methods: Thirty‐two first‐ and second‐year surgical trainees from the University of Ottawa received an expert‐guided, didactic lecture on vascular anastomosis and performed an end‐to‐side anastomosis on a procedural model to assess baseline skills. Assessments were performed by 2 blinded, expert observers using validated measurements of skill. Subjects were then proctored to perform anastomoses using the model. Subjects were then randomized to watch an instructional video on performance of vascular anastomosis using visualization as the education strategy. One week later, subjects were again assessed for technical skill on the model. The primary outcome was the score achieved on the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) scale. Secondary outcomes included an anastomosis‐specific End‐Product Rating Score and time to completion. Results: Compared with residents who received expert‐guided simulator training alone, those who used the supplementary multimedia scored significantly greater on OSATS (17.4 ± 2.9 vs 14.2 ± 3.2, P = .0013) and on End‐Product Rating Score (11.24 ± 3.0 vs 7.4 ± 4.1, P = .011). However, performance time did not differ between groups (15.7 vs 14.3 minutes, P = .79). Conclusions: Residents with supplemental instructional media performed an end‐to‐side anastomosis more proficiently as assessed by OSATS and with a greater quality end‐product. This suggests that both didactic simulation training as well as use of visualization multimedia improves learning and performance of vascular anastomosis and should be incorporated into surgical curricula.

Endovascular Repair of a Chronic AV Fistula Presenting as Post-Partum High Output Heart Failure

Introduction Acute injury to the large vessels is the most feared of diagnoses for a spinal surgeon, but far more common is the delayed presentation of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) formation. The mean time to diagnosis of an AV fistula in this scenario is just over 1 month. Treatment can include both open and endovascular repair. Report This study presents a case of an otherwise healthy 39-year-old woman who initially presented with orthopnea, leg edema, and a presumptive diagnosis of post-partum cardiomyopathy. Cardiac investigations revealed high output cardiac failure and an abdominal CT scan confirmed an arterial venous fistula from the left common iliac artery to left common iliac vein. The patient maintained a cardiac output three times normal prior to her definitive treatment. This high flow physiology caused unique challenges for the endovascular procedure as the stent graft collapsed and distorted toward the iliac side wall. The AV fistula was eventually covered successfully and post-operative studies show no further fistula and normal cardiac function. This case demonstrates an unanticipated effect of very high flows of stent graft deployment. Discussion Extreme high flow AV fistulas can present as unexpected challenges to endovascular repair. These issues may be ameliorated by techniques such as controlled hypotension, adenosine, ventricular pacing, or proximal balloon occlusion.

Quality Improvement in Timing and Delivery of Carotid Endarterectomies at The Ottawa Hospital: Is the Pendulum Swinging Too Far?

ICH, Intracranial hemorrhage; MI, myocardial infarction; N/A, not applicable. ICH and MI were significantly increased among patients who underwent CEA within 2 days of symptom onset (Fisher exact test, P 1⁄4 .05). Stroke rate was nonsignificantly increased in patients who received CEA within 2 days of symptoms (Fisher exact test, P 1⁄4 .32). Values are reported as number (%). Sean A. Crawford, MD, Matthew G. Doyle, PhD, Cristina H. Amon, ScD, MS, P Eng, Thomas L. Forbes, MD, FRCSC. Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Vascular Surgery, University Health Network, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Break out of the Classroom: The Use of Escape Rooms as an Alternative Teaching Strategy in Surgical Education

OBJECTIVE To implement and assess the impact of a Vascular Surgery-themed Escape Room on medical student motivation, satisfaction, and engagement in CanMEDS roles. DESIGN The authors designed an Escape Room combining Vascular Surgery objectives, knowledge-based problems and technical skills into Vascular Surgery-themed stations. Groups of 3 to 4 medical students participated in the activity. Data collected included time to escape, CanMEDS roles covered during the activity, debriefing interview session, and satisfaction survey. SETTING The Escape Room was installed at the University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre at the Ottawa Hospital, a tertiary care center. PARTICIPANTS Medical students in their preclerkship years of study were invited to participate in the Escape Room. In total, 13 medical students completed the experience, divided into 4 groups. RESULTS Thirteen medical students divided into 4 groups participated in the Escape Room. Two teams used a collaborative strategy to complete the activity and successfully escaped with an average time of 53.6 minutes, whereas only 1 of the 2 teams completing the experience employing an individualistic strategy successfully escaped. Following the experience, 83% of participants stated that the experience motivated them to prepare beforehand and believed that the experience consolidated the knowledge that they had read. All the participants also reported that the experience encouraged the use of the CanMEDS communicator and collaborator roles. As well, 76.9% of students mentioned that they enjoyed the practical exercises incorporated into the experience and 53.8% stated that they would like to see the Escape Room format included in the medical curriculum. CONCLUSIONS By combining knowledge-based problems, key learning objectives, technical skills, and CanMEDS themes into the Escape Room, the authors have developed a learning platform that may be more enjoyable and provide an adjunct to traditional didactic lectures.