GERD-screening before bariatric surgery: the predictive value of the GERD-HRQL questionnaire score compared with preoperative EGD findings.

Background: There is an ongoing debate on how to best identify patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) before bariatric surgery. The value of routine preoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is questioned, and patient reported symptoms are commonly used for screening. The goal of this study is to determine if patient reported symptoms using a validated questionnaire correlate with preoperative EGD findings.

Feasibility and Outcomes of Simultaneous Gastric Bypass with Paraesophageal Hernia Repair in Elderly Patients.

Background: Paraesophageal hernias (PEH) have a higher incidence in patients with obesity. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) with concomitant PEH repair is established as a valid surgical option for PEH management in patients with obesity. The safety and feasibility of this approach in the elderly population are not well elucidated.

A 5-year propensity-matched analysis of perioperative outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing bariatric surgery.

Background: Bariatric surgery can improve renal function in patients with comorbid chronic kidney disease (CKD) and obesity. Additionally, bariatric surgery can enhance outcomes following renal transplantation. The safety of bariatric surgery in patients with CKD has been debated in the literature.

Battle of the buttress: 5-year propensity-matched analysis of staple-line reinforcement techniques from the MBSAQIP database.

Background: Vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) has demonstrated to be safe; however, controversy remains on how to decrease major complications, particularly bleeding and leaks. There are variations in staple-line reinforcement techniques, including no reinforcement, oversewing, and buttressing. We sought to evaluate the effect of those methods on post-operative complications using the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation Quality Initiative Program (MBSAQIP) database.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome: A Potential Etiology of Multisystem Organ Failure in a Burn Patient.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is described in the medical literature but rarely seen among acutely ill trauma patients. A 44-year-old man with burns to the hands and back after a chemical explosion was transported to an outside facility where he received treatment for presumed acute coronary syndrome after developing ventricular tachycardia and elevated serum troponins after the exposure. His cardiac catheterization was unremarkable, but an echocardiogram revealed severe cardiomyopathy, and he was also in multisystem organ failure.

Benign metachronous bilateral ovarian and mediastinal teratomas with an elevated alpha-fetoprotein.

Teratomas are a common form of non-seminomatous germ cell tumor histologically composed of tissues derived from multiple cell lines of the primary embryonic germ cell layers. There are few cases reported in the literature that describe multiple locations with recurrence of benign teratomas, none of which describe an elevated AFP. We describe a case of metachronous bilateral recurrent ovarian and mediastinal teratomas with a curiously elevated α-fetoprotein.

Elimination of socioeconomic and racial disparities related to lung cancer: closing the gap at a high volume community cancer center.

Background: Healthcare disparities have afflicted the healthcare industry for decades and there have been many campaigns in recent years to identify and eliminate disparities. The purpose of this study was to identify disparities in the lung cancer population of a single community cancer center and to report the results in accordance with industry goals.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of data on non-small cell lung cancer patients recorded in the Christiana Care Tumor Registry (CCTR) in Delaware.