Best Practices and a Business Case for Surgical Site Infection Prevention.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) can be costly and result in prolonged hospital stays; readmissions; and additional diagnostic tests, therapeutic antibiotic treatments, and surgical procedures. Evidence-based practices for preventing SSIs include environmental cleaning; instrument cleaning, decontamination, and sterilization; preoperative bathing; preoperative Staphylococcus aureus decolonization; intraoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis; hand hygiene; and surgical hand antisepsis. Strong partnerships among infection prevention personnel, perioperative nurses, surgeons, and anesthesia professionals may enhance perioperative infection prevention.

Using telemedicine on an acute care surgery service: improving clinic efficiency and access to care.

Background: Telemedicine has been shown to improve patient access to medical care while potentially improving overall healthcare efficiency. It has not been consistently explored on an acute care surgery service as a method of increasing clinic availability and efficiency within a safety-net hospital system. Socioeconomic hardships associated with an in-person clinic visit can deter patients with limited resources.

Phosphoprotein-based biomarkers as predictors for cancer therapy.

Disparities in cancer patient responses have prompted widespread searches to identify differences in sensitive vs. nonsensitive populations and form the basis of personalized medicine. This customized approach is dependent upon the development of pathway-specific therapeutics in conjunction with biomarkers that predict patient responses.

Evaluation of an Adrenal Incidentaloma.

Given the frequent use of cross-sectional imaging in medicine, adrenal masses are discovered at an increasing rate. Once detected, it is critical to ensure the patient undergoes the appropriate biochemical/hormonal workup to rule out any aberrant activity and ensure imaging features do not raise suspicion for a malignant neoplasm. Patients with hormonal overactivity, concerning size, and/or imaging characteristics must be referred for surgical consideration.

Preclinical characterization of tyrosine kinase inhibitor-based targeted therapies for neuroendocrine thyroid cancer.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a slow growing neuroendocrine (NE) tumor for which few treatment options are available. Its incidence is rising and mortality rates have remained unchanged for decades. Increasing the repertoire of available treatments is thus crucial to manage MTC progression.

Rapid Relief: Thyroidectomy is a Quicker Cure than Radioactive Iodine Ablation (RAI) in Patients with Hyperthyroidism.

Background: Time to hormonal control after definitive management of hyperthyroidism is unknown but may influence patient and physician decision making when choosing between treatment options. The hypothesis is that the euthyroid state is achieved faster after thyroidectomy than RAI ablation.

Methods: A retrospective review of all patients undergoing definitive therapy for hyperthyroidism was performed.

Access to Paid Parental Leave for Academic Surgeons.

Background: Parental leave is linked to health benefits for both child and parent. It is unclear whether surgeons at academic centers have access to paid parental leave. The aim of this study was to determine parental leave policies at the top academic medical centers in the United States to identify trends among institutions.

Is Outpatient Thyroid Surgery for Everyone?

Thyroidectomy is a common surgical procedure. Traditionally, surgeons have performed thyroidectomy on an inpatient basis. However, consistent with current trends in surgery, some practices are transitioning thyroidectomy to an outpatient setting.

Early endocrine attending surgeon presence increases operating room efficiency.

Background: Preincision operating room (OR) preparation varies greatly. Cases requiring exacting preoperative setup may be more sensitive to inconsistent team members and trainees. Leadership and oversight by the surgeon may facilitate a timely start.

Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Medications Significantly Increase the Risk of Postoperative Hematoma: Review of over 4500 Thyroid and Parathyroid Procedures.

Purpose: Antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant medication use is common. Abstinence a week before surgery may still result in altered hemostasis. The study aim was to report on perioperative antiplatelet and anticoagulant use in thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy patients, and to determine the association with postoperative hematoma (POH) rates.

Contralateral adrenal abnormalities in Conn's syndrome.

Background: During the course of evaluation for primary hyperaldosteronism, cross-sectional imaging is obtained in efforts to identify patients with an aldosterone producing adenoma (APA). A subset of these patients will have a synchronous, contralateral adrenal abnormality. Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) further guides clinical decision making by identifying unilateral (APA) versus bilateral hypersecretion.

Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes guidelines and parathyroidectomy for renal hyperparathyroidism.

Background: Patients with end-stage renal disease develop hypocalcemia, resulting in secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). No clear criterions exist to aid in surgical decision making for SHPT. The 2009 Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines provide target ranges for serum calcium, phosphate, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in patients with end-stage renal disease.

PDZK1 prevents neointima formation via suppression of breakpoint cluster region kinase in vascular smooth muscle.

Scavenger receptor class B, type I (SR-BI) and its adaptor protein PDZK1 mediate responses to HDL cholesterol in endothelium. Whether the receptor-adaptor protein tandem serves functions in other vascular cell types is unknown. The current work determined the roles of SR-BI and PDZK1 in vascular smooth muscle (VSM).

Is intraoperative parathyroid hormone testing in patients with renal insufficiency undergoing parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism accurate?

Background: Our aim was to determine whether chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) impacted intraoperative parathyroid hormone (ioPTH) monitoring during parathyroidectomy. We hypothesized that ioPTH monitoring in patients with CRI would show slower decline, but would still accurately predict cure.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism who underwent curative single adenoma parathyroidectomy.

Outcomes after subtotal parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism due to hyperplasia: significance of whole vs. partial gland remnant.

Introduction: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) due to multigland hyperplasia is managed by subtotal parathyroidectomy (sPTX), with a partial gland left in situ. However, smaller, hyperplastic glands may be encountered intraoperatively, and it is unclear if leaving an intact gland is an equivalent alternative. This study evaluates the rates of permanent hypoparathyroidism and cure of PHPT patients with four-gland hyperplasia that were left with either a whole gland remnant (WGR) or a partial gland remnant (PGR) after sPTX.

Is intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring necessary with ipsilateral parathyroid gland visualization during anticipated unilateral exploration for primary hyperparathyroidism: a two-institution analysis of more than 2,000 patients.

Introduction: Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (ioPTH) monitoring during focused parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is used commonly, but some argue that ioPTH adds little if a normal ipsilateral parathyroid gland (IPG) is visualized. This hypothesis was tested for validity.

Methods: The prospective databases of consecutive patients with PHPT undergoing initial parathyroidectomy with ioPTH at two academic institutions were queried.

All thyroid ultrasound evaluations are not equal: sonographers specialized in thyroid cancer correctly label clinical N0 disease in well differentiated thyroid cancer.

Background: Ultrasound (US) is a standard preoperative study in thyroid cancer. Accurate identification of lymph node (LN) disease in the central neck by US is debated, leading some surgeons to perform prophylactic central dissection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if US performed by a surgeon with specialization in thyroid sonography correctly determined clinical N0 status.

Preventing postoperative hypocalcemia in patients with Graves disease: a prospective study.

Background: Hypocalcemia occurs after total thyroidectomy (TT) for Graves disease via parathyroid injury and/or from increased bone turnover. Current management is to supplement calcium after surgery. This study evaluates the impact of preoperative calcium supplementation on hypocalcemia after Graves TT.

Justified follow-up: a final intraoperative parathyroid hormone (ioPTH) Over 40 pg/mL is associated with an increased risk of persistence and recurrence in primary hyperparathyroidism.

Introduction: After parathyroidectomy for sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), overall rates of persistence/recurrence are extremely low. A marker of increased risk for persistence/recurrence is needed. We hypothesized that final intraoperative parathyroid hormone (FioPTH) ≥40 pg/mL is indicative of increased risk for disease persistence/recurrence, and can be used to selectively determine the degree of follow-up.

Preoperative impairment is associated with a higher postdischarge level of care.

Background: Although preoperative risk factors have been shown to lead to postdischarge institutionalization, an association between preoperative risk factors, preoperative level of required care, and discharge to higher levels of care has not previously been demonstrated.

Materials And Methods: Using an institutional American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, a retrospective review of elderly patients undergoing nonemergent inpatient general surgery procedures was performed with the goal of identifying preoperative risk factors that indicated the need for a higher level of care on hospital discharge. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed on the patient population.

Surgeon and staff radiation exposure during radioguided parathyroidectomy at a high-volume institution.

Introduction: Radioguided parathyroidectomy (RGP) uses technetium-99 m sestamibi causing gamma ray emission during RGP to aid dissection and confirm parathyroid excision. Source (the patient) proximity and exposure duration determine degree of exposure. The purpose of this study was to quantify surgeon and staff radiation exposure during RGP.

Primary hyperparathyroidism across the ages: presentation and outcomes.

Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a disease process traditionally thought to present during middle age, but can occur at any age. The purpose of this study was to compare PHPT patient characteristics based on patient age at the time of surgical referral.

Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively managed database of adult patients undergoing parathyroid surgery for PHPT was conducted.