Abuse, Bullying, Harassment, Discrimination, and Allyship in Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Abuse, bullying, harassment, and discrimination are prominent workplace occurrences within cardiothoracic (CT) surgery that cause burnout and threaten the well-being of surgeons. Under-represented and marginalized groups experience higher incidences of these negative events, and CT surgery is one of the least diverse specialties. The CT surgery workforce and institutional leadership must prioritize mentorship, sponsorship, and allyship to promote a diverse and healthy specialty for surgeon recruitment, growth, and job satisfaction.

A rare case of combined black esophagus and stomach: a case report.

Background: Black esophagus is a relatively rare phenomenon that seems to occur in a morbid patient population, however, this entity may be more common than we currently know. Additionally, black esophagus may even be reversible in some cases. There are far fewer cases of black stomach described.

Endoscopic tissue approximation in clinical practice and the OverStitch device: a narrative review.

Objective: The current article describes modern endoscopic technologies that allow for advanced endoscopic tissue approximation and suturing. These technologies include such devices as through the scope and over the scope clips, endoscopic suturing OverStitch device and through the scope suturing X-Tack device.

Background: Since the original introduction of the diagnostic endoscopy, progress in the field has been astonishing.

Feasibility of Single - Encounter Telemedicine Lung Cancer Screening: A Retrospective Cohort Study in an Underserved Population.

Background: COVID-19 forced a delay of non-essential health services, including lung cancer screening. Our institution developed a single-encounter, telemedicine (SET) lung cancer screening whereby patients receive low-dose CT in-person, but counseling regarding results, coordination of follow-up care and smoking cessation is delivered using telemedicine. This study compares outcomes of SET lung cancer screening to our pre-COVID, single-visit, in-person (SIP) lung cancer screening.

Challenging Case of Marantic Tricuspid Endocarditis Treated With Percutaneous Vegetation Debulking.

Marantic endocarditis is a rare entity often diagnosed in the setting of advanced malignant disease. We present the case of a 66-year-old man with stage IVb non-small cell lung cancer, with large tricuspid and small aortic valve vegetations. A multidisciplinary team determined the patient to be a poor surgical candidate, but given the likelihood of pulmonary and systemic embolization, an intervention was required.

Tracheobronchoplasty for tracheobronchomalacia.

Tracheobronchoplasty (TBP) consists of splinting of the posterior membranous wall of the central airways with the goal of restoring a normal configuration and preventing excessive collapse in patients with tracheobronchomalacia (TBM). Despite some variation in technique, it consists of sewing a mesh on the posterior membranous wall of the trachea and both main stem bronchi. Traditionally performed through a right posterolateral thoracotomy, it should be reserved for cases of severe TBM.

A History of Health Policy and Health Disparity.

Civil Rights legislation and court decisions influenced health care policy, which attempted to provide health care to elderly and low-income populations. Passing Medicaid and Medicare was monumental in increasing access to health insurance. The Affordable Care Act aimed to increase access to and affordability of health care to alleviate some disparities in health care.

Lung Cancer Screening in a Safety-Net Hospital: Rare Harms Inform Decision Making.

Background: Lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) decreases lung cancer mortality; however, screening benefits and harms are poorly described in minority populations. Our purpose is to report benefits and harms of LCS implemented in a safety-net institution. Because harms are rare, there is a paucity of clinical experience guiding shared decision making (SDM) with diverse populations.