Risk of obstetric anal sphincter injuries at the time of admission for delivery: A clinical prediction model.

Objective: To develop and validate a model to predict obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) using only information available at the time of admission for labour.

Design: A clinical predictive model using a retrospective cohort.

Setting: A US health system containing one community and one tertiary hospital.

The Patient Acceptable Symptom State in Female Urinary Incontinence.

Objective: The objective of this study is to characterize an acceptable health state, using the patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) question, in adult women with urinary incontinence.

Methods: This is a prospective multicenter cohort study determining PASS thresholds from condition-specific measures using an electronic research platform in English-speaking women seeking nonsurgical treatment of urinary incontinence between March 2019 and May 2020. Exclusions included pregnancy, isolated overactive bladder, and pelvic organ prolapse greater than stage II.

Streamlining Postoperative Void Trials: A Study Comparing Standard Backfill Versus Backfill in the Operating Room.

Objective: The standard backfill void trial (VT) performed after urogynecologic surgery is time-consuming. We adopted a new VT protocol in which the bladder is backfilled in the operating room (OR). We hypothesized that this protocol would result in (1) shorter postoperative care unit (PACU) stay and (2) lower rates of postoperative catheterization compared with standard VT.

Diagnosis and Management of Postpartum Pelvic Floor Disorders.

Pelvic floor disorders are common in the postpartum period. These disorders can significantly affect one's quality of life during a period that is already filled with emotional and physiologic change. This review focuses on the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of the 3 major pelvic floor disorders in postpartum women, namely, urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse.

Role of β-3 adrenergic receptor polymorphism in overactive bladder.

Aims: Women with overactive bladder (OAB) have a higher frequency of a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at codon 64 of the β-3 adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB3). Since the SNP results in an amino acid substitution that could theoretically alter receptor protein function, we hypothesized that those with the SNP would display greater OAB symptom severity. Therefore we aimed to compare OAB severity between women with this SNP and women with the wild type genotype.

Improving Postoperative Efficiency: An Algorithm for Expedited Void Trials After Urogynecologic Surgery.

Objectives: To evaluate the relation between voided volume and void trial "success" to create an algorithm that minimizes the need for postvoid residual volume (PVR) assessment in backfill-assisted void trials.

Methods: This article is an ancillary analysis of deidentified data from a randomized trial evaluating prophylactic antibiotics after urogynecologic surgery. Void trials were routinely performed after surgery; voided volumes, PVR, and void trial outcomes were collected.

Comorbidity-adjusted life expectancy: a new tool to inform recommendations for optimal screening strategies.

Background: Many guidelines recommend considering health status and life expectancy when making cancer screening decisions for elderly persons.

Objective: To estimate life expectancy for elderly persons without a history of cancer, taking into account comorbid conditions.

Design: Population-based cohort study.

Effect of chloride ion concentration on the galvanic corrosion of α phase brass by eccrine sweat.

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry measurement of the relative concentration of sodium, chloride, calcium, and potassium ions in eccrine sweat deposits from 40 donors revealed positive correlations between chloride and sodium (ρ = 0.684, p < 0.01) and chloride and calcium ions (ρ = 0.

Comparison of approaches for estimating prevalence costs of care for cancer patients: what is the impact of data source?

Background: National prevalence costs of medical care can be key inputs in health policy decisions. Cost estimates vary across data sources, patient populations, and methods, however, the objective of this study was to compare 3 approaches for estimating the prevalence costs of colorectal cancer (CRC) care using different data sources, but similar patient populations and methods.

Methods: We identified prevalent CRC patients aged 65 and older from: (1) linked Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry-Medicare data, (2) Medicare claims only, and (3) the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).

Comparison of approaches for estimating incidence costs of care for colorectal cancer patients.

Background: Estimates of the costs of medical care vary across patient populations, data sources, and methods. The objective of this study was to compare 3 approaches for estimating the incidence costs of colorectal cancer (CRC) care using similar patient populations, but different data sources and methods.

Methods: We used 2 data sources, linked SEER-Medicare and Medicare claims alone, to identify newly diagnosed CRC patients aged 65 and older and estimated their healthcare costs during the observation period, 1998 to 2002.

Adverse events after outpatient colonoscopy in the Medicare population.

Background: Although use of colonoscopy has increased substantially among elderly Medicare beneficiaries, no one has described colonoscopy-related adverse events in a representative sample of Medicare patients.

Objective: To determine risk for adverse events after outpatient colonoscopy in elderly patients.

Design: Population-based, matched cohort study.

Current and future utilization of services from medical oncologists.

Purpose: There is limited information on the current use of oncologists and projections of future need. This analysis assesses current utilization patterns and projects the number of people with cancer and their use of oncologists' services through 2020.

Methods: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registries and Medicare physician claims were used to estimate oncologists' services from 1998 to 2003.

Evaluation of trends in the cost of initial cancer treatment.

Background: Despite reports of increases in the cost of cancer treatment, little is known about how costs of cancer treatment have changed over time and what services have contributed to the increases.

Methods: We used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database for 306,709 persons aged 65 and older and diagnosed with breast, lung, colorectal, or prostate cancer between 1991 and 2002 to assess the number of patients assigned to initial cancer care, from 2 months before diagnosis to 12 months after diagnosis, and mean annual Medicare payments for this care according to cancer type and type of treatment. Mutually exclusive treatment categories were cancer-related surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other hospitalizations during the period of initial cancer care.

Cost of care for elderly cancer patients in the United States.

Background: Timely estimates of the costs of care for cancer patients are an important element in the formulation of national cancer programs and policies. We estimated net costs of care for elderly cancer patients in the United States for the 18 most prevalent cancers and for all other tumor sites combined.

Methods: We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare files to identify 718,907 cancer patients and 1,623,651 noncancer control subjects.

Comparison of oxygen reservoir tube length and imposed work of breathing with the universal portable anesthesia complete.

The Universal Portable Anesthesia Complete is supplied with a 12-inch oxygen reservoir. Previous work suggested that using a longer (greater-volume) reservoir results in a greater inspired oxygen concentration. This study assessed the work of breathing imposed by lengths of reservoir tubing (18, 30, and 48 inches) during simulated spontaneous breathing of an adult anesthetized with isoflurane.