Publications by authors named "D Ruffin"

Introduction: Evidence indicates that desire for fellowship training is most influenced by personal interest, enhancement of career options, and a specific interest in an academic medicine career. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate anesthesiology fellowship interest and its potential impact on military retention and other outcomes. We hypothesized that current fellowship training accessibility is outpaced by the interest for fellowship training and that additional factors will be associated with the desire for fellowship training.

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Changes in heart transplantation (HT) donor and recipient demographics may influence the incidence of primary graft dysfunction (PGD). We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate PGD incidence, trends, and associated risk factors by analyzing consecutive adult patients who underwent HT between January 2009 and December 2014 at our institution. Patients were categorized as having PGD using the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation (ISHLT)-defined criteria.

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Patients with translocation-positive alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS), an aggressive childhood tumor primarily characterized by the PAX3-FOXO1 oncogenic fusion protein, have a poor prognosis because of lack of therapies that specifically target ARMS tumors. This fact highlights the need for novel pharmaceutical interventions. Posttranslational modifications such as phosphorylation are becoming attractive biological targets for the development of such interventions.

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The success of the initial closure of the complex bladder-exstrophy remains a challenge in pediatric surgery. This study describes a personal experience of the causes of failure of the initial closure and operative morbidity during the surgical treatment of bladder-exstrophy complex. From April 2000 to March 2014, four patients aged 16 days to 7 years and 5 months underwent complex exstrophy-epispadias repair with pelvic osteotomies.

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Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is an alarming yet benign condition that may present postoperatively for the first time in otherwise healthy patients. Although VVS is associated anecdotally with nasal manipulation, no data have been found to quantify this incidence with otolaryngology surgeries. We present a case of profound, recurrent syncope and documented asystole with an initial diagnosis of glossopharyngeal neuralgia.

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