Empiric flap coverage for the pneumonectomy stump: How protective is it? A single-institution cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of empiric tissue flaps on bronchopleural fistula (BPF) rates after pneumonectomy.

Methods: Patients who underwent pneumonectomy between January 2001 and December 2019 were included. Primary end point was development of BPF.

The association between thoracic sarcopenia and survival is gender specific in early-stage lung cancer.

Background: Sarcopenia, as measured at the 3rd lumbar (L3) level, has been shown to prognosticate survival in cancer patients. However, many patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) do not undergo abdominal imaging. We hypothesized that preoperative thoracic sarcopenia is associated with survival in patients undergoing lung resection for early-stage NSCLC.

"Are We Gonna Talk About It or Not?" Thoracic Oncology Provider Perspectives on Smoking Cessation.

Background: Tobacco use is the greatest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Preventive Task Force, and major professional societies that all health-care providers provide smoking-cessation counseling, smoking-cessation interventions are not consistently delivered in clinical practice. We sought to identify important barriers and facilitators to the utilization of smoking-cessation interventions in a thoracic oncology program.

Trends in Antibiotic Duration for Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections : Adaptation to Current Guidelines.

Introduction: The 2017 surgical infection society (SIS) guidelines recommend 4 days of antibiotic therapy after source control for complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs). Inappropriate exposure to antibiotics has a negative impact on outcomes in individual patients and populations. The goal of this study was to evaluate our institution's practice patterns and adherence to current antibiotic guidelines.

Surgical Management of Bronchobiliary Fistula After Thoracoabdominal Trauma.

Bronchobiliary fistulas are exceedingly rare pathological connections between the biliary and the bronchial systems, which result from hepatobiliary neoplasms, abscesses, or thoracoabdominal trauma. Prompt recognition, diagnosis, and intervention is essential in order to prevent the high morbidity and mortality associated with this disease process. Multiple management strategies have been described in the literature; however, the optimal course has not been well defined.

Preoperative patient education and patient preparedness are associated with less postoperative use of opioids.

Background: Because many patients are first exposed to opioids after general surgery procedures, surgical stewardship for the use of opioids is critical in addressing the opioid crisis. We developed a multi-component opioid reduction program to minimize the use of opioids after surgery. Our objectives were to assess patient exposure to the intervention and to investigate the association with postoperative use and disposal of opioids.

Survival after adjuvant radiation therapy in localized small cell lung cancer treated with complete resection.

Objectives: To determine whether there is an overall survival (OS) benefit to the addition of thoracic radiation therapy (RT) following R0 resection of pathologic (p) T1 or pT2 N0 M0 small cell lung cancer.

Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, we performed a retrospective cohort analysis. Patients who underwent R0 resection for pT1 or p2 N0 M0 small cell lung cancer, stratified by receipt of adjuvant thoracic RT, were compared on the basis of OS using hierarchical Cox Proportional hazards models.

Minimizing Opioid Prescribing in Surgery (MOPiS) Initiative: An Analysis of Implementation Barriers.

Background: The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic. In response, our institution developed the Minimizing Opioid Prescribing in Surgery (MOPiS) initiative. MOPiS is a multicomponent intervention including: (1) patient education on opioid safety and pain management expectations; (2) clinician education on safe opioid prescribing; (3) prescribing data feedback; (4) patient risk screening to assess for addictive behavior; and (5) optimizations to the electronic health record (EHR).