Safety of long-term esophageal stent use for multiple indications.

Background: Long-term (>30 days) esophageal stenting is controversial. Previous studies have documented complications associated with long-term esophageal stent use. This study's objective was to investigate complications associated with long-term esophageal stent use.

Clinical outcomes and staff satisfaction after adoption of digital chest drainage system for minimally invasive lung resections.

Background: Digital chest drainage systems (DCDS) provide reliable pleural drainage while quantifying fluid output and air leak. However, the benefits of DCDS in the contemporary era of minimally invasive thoracic surgery and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have not been fully investigated. Additionally, hospital and resident staff experiences after implementation of a DCDS have not been fully explored.

Preoperative risk factors for anastomotic leak after esophagectomy with gastric reconstruction: A 6-year national surgical quality improvement (NSQIP) database analysis.

Background: Anastomotic leak is a serious complication after esophagectomy that has been associated with worse outcomes. However, identifying patients at increased risk for anastomotic leak remains challenging.

Methods: Patients were included from the 2016 to 2021 National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database who underwent elective esophagectomy with gastric reconstruction for cancer.

Enhanced recovery after surgery pathway leads to decreased length of stay for patients undergoing minimally invasive lung resection.

Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols in thoracic surgery have been demonstrated to impact length of stay (LOS), complication rates, and postoperative opioid use. However, ERAS protocols for minimally invasive lung resections have not been well described. Given most lung resections are now performed minimally invasively, there is a gap in the literature regarding the efficacy of ERAS protocols in this setting.

Interpectoral nerve blocks may lower postoperative narcotic use after mastectomy.

Background: Pain management following mastectomy is a significant challenge often requiring opioids. Nonopioid pain management utilizing nerve blocks has been shown in other fields to reduce postoperative opioid use and may be effective for postoperative pain in mastectomy patients. The primary purpose of this study was to compare postoperative opioid use, measured in morphine milligram equivalents (MME), between mastectomy patients who underwent interpectoral nerve block (IPNB) and a historical control group.

A pilot study of robotic surgery case videos for first-year medical student anatomy.

There has been a recent shift in medical student anatomy education with greater incorporation of virtual resources. Multiple approaches to virtual anatomy resources have been described, but few involve video or images from surgical procedures. In this pilot study, a series of surgical case videos was created using robotic surgery video footage for a first-year medical student anatomy course.

Extra-axial Chordoma of the Sternoclavicular Joint.

Chordomas are rare, slowly growing, aggressive primary bone tumors that originate from notochord remnants and occur almost exclusively in the axial skeleton. Here, we describe a patient with an enlarging right-sided neck mass that was later diagnosed as a sternoclavicular joint chondroid chordoma. En bloc surgical resection was accomplished with negative margins.

Thymectomy for treatment of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.

In this case report, we present a 25-year-old woman who was diagnosed with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis and subsequently was found to have thymic hyperplasia. She underwent robotic bilateral access thymectomy for treatment of her anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and has remained asymptomatic after her operation without any medication. This is only the second reported case of thymectomy for treatment of this condition.

COVID-19 Tracheostomy: Experience in a University Hospital With Intermediate Follow-up.

The benefits of percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT) placement have been well documented in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. However, the data regarding the benefit of PDT in coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) patients are scarce. The objective of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of a cohort of 37 patients who underwent tracheostomy as part of their COVID-19 care.

Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Adherence to Referrals From the Pediatric Emergency Department.

Background: Outpatient referrals constitute a critical component of emergency medical care. However, barriers to care after emergency department (ED) visits have not been investigated thoroughly.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of sociodemographic variables on referral attendance after ED visits.