Publications by authors named "Brian Im"

Introduction: Bowel regimens (BR) before radical cystectomy (RC) are currently not recommended by Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, as prior studies have shown BRs lead to worsened outcomes. However, many of those studies have used historic literature before recent surgical advancements such as minimally invasive RC and have not investigated the impact BRs have by type of urinary diversion. Our goal is to determine the outcomes of preoperative BR in patients undergoing RC based on diversion type using a modern patient cohort.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explores the suitability of the TriNetX database for researching the real-world management of Von Hippel-Lindau (vHL), a rare hereditary disease characterized by various tumors.
  • The researchers analyzed data from 1,232 patients diagnosed with vHL within the TriNetX database to identify the prevalence of several vHL-related conditions, finding that certain conditions like renal cell carcinoma and pheochromocytomas were more common than others.
  • Despite the robust patient data available, the findings suggest that vHL and its associated conditions may be underdiagnosed within the TriNetX database, casting doubt on its effectiveness for comprehensive vHL studies compared to existing literature.
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Objective: To analyze antibiotic prescribing trends, particularly the decline in fluoroquinolone use for various genitourinary infection (GUI) and procedures and the growing preference for alternative treatments.

Methods: The TriNetX database was queried for antibiotic utilization rates from 2016 to 2022. We analyzed cases of cystitis, pyelonephritis, prostatitis, and other GUIs, as well as periprocedure utilization for benign prostatic hyperplasia, urethral stricture disease, pelvic organ prolapse/stress urinary incontinence, and overactive bladder/interstitial cystitis (OAB/IC).

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Introduction: Placing ureteral stents at the ureteroileal anastomosis for radical cystectomy with ileal conduit (RCIC) has long been common practice. Recently, some providers have begun omitting stents. We sought to investigate differences in perioperative and 30-day outcomes between patients who underwent RCIC with and without stents placed at the ureteroileal anastomosis.

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Background: 0.05% Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG; Irrisept [IrriMax]) is a commercial wound irrigation solution approved by the Food and Drug Administration that has seen recent adoption in the field of prosthetic urology; however, no study has evaluated whether 0.05% CHG is compatible with the minocycline-rifampin-impregnated surface (InhibiZone) of the AMS 700 penile prosthesis (Boston Scientific).

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Ionic imbalances and sodium channel dysfunction, well-known sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI), promote functional impairment in affected subjects. Therefore, non-invasive measurement of sodium concentrations using Na MRI has the potential to detect clinically relevant injury and predict persistent symptoms. Recently, we reported diffusely lower apparent total sodium concentrations (aTSC) in mild TBI patients compared to controls, as well as correlations between lower aTSC and worse clinical outcomes.

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Background: Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) (0.05%) has recently been suggested as both a dip for the hydrophilic surface and an irrigation solution in the setting of penile prosthesis (PP) surgery.

Aim: The study sought to compare the antimicrobial efficacy of 0.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to create an opioid reduction toolkit to decrease narcotic prescriptions and increase awareness of safe disposal among patients who underwent pancreatectomy surgery.
  • - Data from 159 patients showed a significant reduction in both the amount of opioids prescribed (from 225 MMEs to 75 MMEs) and consumed (from 109 MMEs to 15 MMEs) post-toolkit implementation, with no change in refill request rates.
  • - Patient awareness of safe disposal practices for unused opioids significantly improved, rising from 25% before the toolkit to 62% after its introduction.
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Purpose: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H MRS) offers biomarkers of metabolic damage after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but a lack of replicability studies hampers clinical translation. In a conceptual replication study design, the results reported in four previous publications were used as the hypotheses (H1-H7), specifically: abnormalities in patients are diffuse (H1), confined to white matter (WM) (H2), comprise low N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) levels and normal choline (Cho), creatine (Cr) and myo-inositol (mI) (H3), and correlate with clinical outcome (H4); additionally, a lack of findings in regional subcortical WM (H5) and deep gray matter (GM) structures (H6), except for higher mI in patients' putamen (H7).

Methods: 26 mTBI patients (20 female, age 36.

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Objective: To determine the incidence of cognitive dependence in adults who are physically independent at discharge from acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation.

Design: Analysis of historical clinical and demographic data obtained from inpatient stay.

Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation unit in a large, metropolitan university hospital.

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Background: Early neurorehabilitation improves outcomes in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) after brain injury, but its applicability in COVID-19 is unknown. We describe our experience implementing an early neurorehabilitation protocol for patients with COVID-19-associated DoC in the intensive care unit (ICU) and evaluate factors associated with recovery.

Methods: During the initial COVID-19 surge in New York City between March 10 and May 20, 2020, faced with a disproportionately high number of ICU patients with prolonged unresponsiveness, we developed and implemented an early neurorehabilitation protocol, applying standard practices from brain injury rehabilitation care to the ICU setting.

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Objectives: To assess whether MR fingerprinting (MRF)-based relaxation properties exhibit cross-sectional and prospective correlations with patient outcome and compare the results with those from DTI.

Methods: Clinical imaging, MRF, and DTI were acquired in patients (24 ± 10 days after injury (timepoint 1) and 90 ± 17 days after injury (timepoint 2)) and once in controls. Patient outcome was assessed with global functioning, symptom profile, and neuropsychological testing.

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The pathological cascade of tissue damage in mild traumatic brain injury is set forth by a perturbation in ionic homeostasis. However, whether this class of injury can be detected and serve as a surrogate marker of clinical outcome is unknown. We employ sodium MRI to test the hypotheses that regional and global total sodium concentrations: (i) are higher in patients than in controls and (ii) correlate with clinical presentation and neuropsychological function.

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Background: While the cognitive sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are well known, emotional impairments after TBI are suboptimally characterized. Lack of awareness of emotional difficulties can make self-report unreliable. However, individuals with TBI demonstrate involuntary changes in heart rate variability which may enable objective quantification of emotional dysfunction.

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Objective: To examine the prevalence of self-reported head injury among treatment-seeking refugee survivors of torture, a population at high risk for such injuries.

Participants: A total of 488 survivors of torture accepted at a torture treatment clinic between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2011.

Main Measures: Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, incidence of head injury and resulting loss of consciousness (LOC), chief physical complaints, general health scale, indicators of torture severity (length of detention, sexual assault, and number of different persecution types).

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