Patient advocates' role in clinical trials: perspectives from Cancer and Leukemia Group B investigators and advocates.

Background: Patient advocates are increasingly involved in cooperative group trials, single-institution cancer programs, and peer-review of research applications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role and value of patient advocates from the perspective of Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) advocates and investigators.

Methods: An online survey was sent to current and past (within 5 years) patient advocates and investigators.

Perioperative outcomes among patients with end-stage renal disease following coronary artery bypass surgery in the USA.

Background: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring chronic haemodialysis who undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) are at significant risk for perioperative mortality. However, the impact of changes in ESRD patient volume and characteristics over time on operative outcomes is unclear.

Methods: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database (1988-03), we evaluated rates of CABG surgery with and without concurrent valve surgery among ESRD patients and outcomes including in-hospital mortality, and length of hospital stay.

Increasing healthcare resource utilization after coronary artery bypass graft surgery in the United States.

Background: Despite declining lengths of stay, postdischarge healthcare resource utilization may be increasing because of shifts to nonacute care settings. Although changes in hospital stay after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery have been described, patterns of discharge remain unclear. Our objective was to determine patterns of discharge disposition after CABG surgery in the United States.

Trends in cardiac surgery-associated acute renal failure in the United States: a disproportionate increase after heart transplantation.

Acute renal failure (ARF) is common after cardiac surgery and more frequent after complex cardiac surgery. While the incidence of ARF is increasing after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, trends in other forms of cardiac surgery remain unclear. We investigated the trend of ARF in various cardiac procedures and compared patterns using CABG surgery as a reference group.

Reproducibility of random periareolar fine needle aspiration in a multi-institutional Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) cross-sectional study.

Background: Random periareolar fine needle aspiration (RPFNA) is a research technique developed to assess short-term breast cancer risk in women at increased risk of breast cancer. Although there is increasing acceptance of RPFNA, neither the reproducibility nor the inter-institutional compatibility of RPFNA has been established. To address these key limitations, the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) Prevention Group tested the reproducibility of RPFNA in a multi-institutional cross-sectional study.

Trends in acute renal failure associated with coronary artery bypass graft surgery in the United States.

Objective: Acute renal failure remains a major complication of coronary artery bypass graft surgery that is strongly associated with in-hospital mortality. Based on similar observations in other clinical settings, we tested the hypothesis that the diagnosis of acute renal failure associated with coronary artery bypass graft surgery is increasing in the United States.

Design: Observational cohort study.