Using machine learning to identify risk factors for short-term complications following thumb carpometacarpal arthroplasty.

Background: Thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint osteoarthritis is among the most common degenerative hand diseases. Thumb CMC arthroplasty, or trapeziectomy with or without tendon augmentation, is the most frequently performed surgical treatment and has a strong safety profile. Though adverse outcomes are infrequent, the ability to predict risk for complications has substantial clinical benefits.

Extent of resection and progression-free survival in vestibular schwannoma: a volumetric analysis.

Objective: To preserve facial nerve function in vestibular schwannoma (VS) microsurgery, some have advocated subtotal resection (STR) if the tumor is densely adherent to a thinned facial nerve. The objective of this study was to determine if residual volume is associated with progression and whether there is a threshold residual volume that should be pursued during STR to prevent recurrence. A secondary objective of this study was to determine whether facial nerve function at last follow-up was associated with extent of resection (EOR).

Spatial Accessibility and Uptake of Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccinations by Social Vulnerability.

Background And Objectives: Geographic accessibility predicts pediatric preventive care utilization, including vaccine uptake. However, spatial inequities in the pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination rollout remain underexplored. We assessed the spatial accessibility of vaccination sites and analyzed predictors of vaccine uptake.

Performance of ChatGPT and Google Translate for Pediatric Discharge Instruction Translation.

Background And Objectives: Patients who speak languages other than English face barriers to equitable healthcare delivery. Machine translation systems, including emerging large language models, have the potential to expand access to translation services, but their merits and limitations in clinical practice remain poorly defined. We aimed to assess the performance of Google Translate and ChatGPT for multilingual translation of pediatric discharge instructions.

Identifying Independent Predictors of Short-Term Postoperative Morbidity in Patients Undergoing Cranioplasty.

Background: The present study intends to identify independent predictors of short-term postoperative complications and health utilization in patients undergoing cranioplasty.

Methods: Demographic, clinical, and intraoperative characteristics were collected for each patient undergoing cranioplasty in the National Surgery Quality Improvement Program database from 2011 to 2020. The 30-day outcomes analyzed were medical complications, wound complications, return to the operating room, extended hospital stay, and non-home discharge.

Novel Asymmetric Y Design of Fascial Sling for Restoration of Oral Competence and Adequate Mouth Opening in Oral Commissure Defects Post-Malignancy Resection.

Reconstruction of through-and-through defects of cheek and commissure resulting from cancer resection are challenging. The specialized function of oral competence that the oral commissure and lip play is difficult to replicate with flap only reconstruction. Static slings play an important role in improving the functional and aesthetic outcome.

Implications of Race Adjustment in Lung-Function Equations.

Background: Adjustment for race is discouraged in lung-function testing, but the implications of adopting race-neutral equations have not been comprehensively quantified.

Methods: We obtained longitudinal data from 369,077 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, U.K.

Health Care Access and Use Among U.S. Children Exposed to Neighborhood Violence.

Introduction: Neighborhood violence is an adverse childhood experience which impacts millions of U.S. children and is associated with poor health outcomes across the life course.

Using Critical Pedagogy to Advance Antiracism in Health Professions Education.

This article draws on Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed to model how health professions education can advance health equity. It first introduces 3 well-known frameworks that can be meaningfully applied as critical pedagogy: structural competency, critical race theory, and participatory action research. It then highlights applications of these frameworks that can prepare trainees for reflection and action that motivate health equity.

Early Prediction of Poststroke Rehabilitation Outcomes Using Wearable Sensors.

Objective: Inpatient rehabilitation represents a critical setting for stroke treatment, providing intensive, targeted therapy and task-specific practice to minimize a patient's functional deficits and facilitate their reintegration into the community. However, impairment and recovery vary greatly after stroke, making it difficult to predict a patient's future outcomes or response to treatment. In this study, the authors examined the value of early-stage wearable sensor data to predict 3 functional outcomes (ambulation, independence, and risk of falling) at rehabilitation discharge.

Dermal Template for Superficial Defects Related to Intra Oral Malignancy.

Flaps are the workhorse reconstructive options for management of defects for oral malignancy. Superficial defects are traditionally managed with skin grafting or healing by secondary intention, each of which have its own problems. We would like to share our experience of use of dermal template for superficial intra oral defects related to oral malignancy.

Can Preoperative Laboratory Values Predict Short-term Postoperative Complications and Health Utilization in Patients Undergoing Cranioplasty?

Background: Low hematocrit, low albumin, and high creatinine levels have been associated with postoperative morbidity. The present study intends to analyze the effects of preoperative laboratories on medical complications and postoperative health resource utilization in patients undergoing cranioplasty.

Methods: Using data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, demographic, clinical, and intraoperative characteristics were collected for each patient who had recorded albumin, hematocrit, or creatinine laboratory values within 90 days of the index cranioplasty.

Repeat Surgery for Vestibular Schwannomas: An Institutional Case Series.

 Vestibular schwannomas (VSs) are treated with microsurgery and/or radiosurgery. Repeat resection is rare, and few studies have reported postoperative outcomes. The objective of this study was to describe clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients undergoing repeat surgery for VS.

Non-COVID-19 Cutaneous Mucormycosis from a Plastic Surgical Perspective.

 Cutaneous mucormycosis is a rare and fulminant infection associated with high mortality. Plastic surgeons come across this infection in the settings of road traffic accidents, surgical site infections, and as a secondary infection with underlying bacterial soft tissue infections. Due to this infection's rarity and aggressive course, it is essential to initiate prompt multidisciplinary management at the first presentation.

Applying machine learning to consumer wearable data for the early detection of complications after pediatric appendectomy.

When children are discharged from the hospital after surgery, their caregivers often rely on subjective assessments (e.g., appetite, fatigue) to monitor postoperative recovery as objective assessment tools are scarce at home.

Racial Disparities Following Reconstructive Flap Procedures.

Background: Prior reports have highlighted disparities in healthcare access, environmental conditions, and food insecurity between Black and White populations in the United States. However, limited studies have explored racial disparities in postoperative complications, particularly reconstructive flap surgeries.

Methods: Cases of flap reconstruction based on named vascular pedicles were identified in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database and grouped into 3 time periods: 2005 to 2009, 2010 to 2014, and 2015 to 2019.

Validating the VS-5 Score for Predicting Outcomes After Vestibular Schwannoma Resection in an Institutional Cohort.

Background: The VS-5 index was recently proposed to predict complications, nonroutine discharge, length of stay (LOS), and cost after vestibular schwannoma (VS) resection. The VS-5 ranges from 0-17.86, and a score ≥2 was proposed as being predictive of postoperative adverse events.