Publications by authors named "Willer B"

Objective: Sport-related concussion (SRC) affects cognitive and oculomotor function. We evaluated recovery from SRC in athletes with cognitive symptoms and/or oculomotor impairments who were prescribed early aerobic exercise treatment.

Design: Secondary exploratory analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

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Introduction: Identification and reporting of severe adverse events (SAEs) during anesthesia care remains critical in identifying areas of improvement in perioperative patient care. Although many healthcare organizations rely on the self-reporting of SAEs, under-reporting may limit the identification of the true incidence of these events. To circumvent these barriers, many healthcare systems leverage the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) by incorporating an Anesthesia Information Management System (AIMS).

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Introduction: COVID-19 increases anesthetic risk in children, but understanding of complication differences by symptom presence and severity is limited. We hypothesized that symptomatic COVID-19+ children, especially with lower respiratory symptoms, would have higher perioperative complications than asymptomatic patients and that complications would be higher in all patients diagnosed < 6 days before anesthesia.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective cohort study reviewed records of children < 18 years old undergoing surgery with general anesthesia from March 1, 2020, to March 1, 2022, who tested COVID-19+.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study investigated the impact of aerobic exercise on reducing musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries in adolescent athletes recovering from sport-related concussions (SRC) within 10 days post-injury.
  • Results showed that only 5.3% of those who did aerobic exercise experienced MSK injuries, compared to 24% of those who did stretching exercises.
  • The findings suggest that aerobic exercise may aid recovery and reduce the risk of injury, potentially by enhancing various physiological functions post-concussion.
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Background: The risk of respiratory complications is highest in the first 72 h post-surgery. Postoperative respiratory events can exacerbate pre-existing respiratory compromise and lead to reintubation of the trachea, particularly in patients with neurologic disorders. This study examined the association between neurologic comorbidities and unanticipated early postoperative reintubation in children.

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Objective: Approximately 20% of students with sport-related concussion (SRC) report new symptoms of anxiety and depression which may be associated with delayed recovery and increased risk for developing a mood disorder. Early prescribed aerobic exercise facilitates recovery in athletes with concussion-related exercise intolerance. We studied the effect of aerobic exercise treatment on new mood symptoms early after SRC.

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Background And Objectives: We determined inter-modality (in-person vs telemedicine examination) and inter-rater agreement for telemedicine assessments (2 different examiners) using the Telemedicine Buffalo Concussion Physical Examination (Tele-BCPE), a standardized concussion examination designed for remote use.

Methods: Patients referred for an initial evaluation for concussion were invited to participate. Participants had a brief initial assessment by the treating neurologist.

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Background: Day-of-surgery cancellations impede healthcare access and contribute to inequities in pediatric healthcare. Socially disadvantaged families have many risk factors for surgical cancellation, including low health literacy, transportation barriers, and childcare constraints. These social determinants of health are captured by the Child Opportunity Index 2.

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Background: Increasing legalization and widespread misinformation about the dangers of cannabis use have contributed to the rising prevalence of cannabis use disorder (CUD) among adolescents. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of CUD in adolescent surgical patients and evaluate its association with postoperative complications.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, 1:1 propensity-matched cohort study of adolescents (aged 10-17 years) with and without CUD who underwent inpatient operations at US hospitals participating in the Pediatric Health Information System from 2009 to 2022.

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Objective: Pediatric athletes with concussion present with a variety of impairments on clinical assessment and require individualized treatment. The Buffalo Concussion Physical Examination is a brief, pertinent clinical assessment for individuals with concussion. The purpose of this study was to identify physical examination subtypes in pediatric athletes with concussion within 2 weeks of injury that are relevant to diagnosis and treatment.

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Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of an exercise tolerance assessment and intervention added to the Progressive Return to Activity Clinical Recommendations (PRA-CR) in acutely concussed service members (SMs).

Methods: This non-randomized, pilot trial was performed at one center. SMs in the experimental group (ERG) performed the Buffalo Concussion March-in-place Test (BCMT) at every clinic visit and were prescribed at least 20 minutes/day of targeted exercise in addition to PRA-CR.

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Introduction: Racial disparities in measures of health and healthcare processes are well described. Limited work exists on disparities in failure to rescue - hospital mortality following a major adverse event. Postoperative pneumonia is a serious, potentially preventable adverse event that often leads to death, i.

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Profound racial and ethnic disparities have been documented in health and health care outcomes in recent decades. Some researchers have erroneously ascribed these inequities to biological variations, prompting debate as to how, or even if, race and ethnicity should be included as an outcome variable. Color blindness is a racial ideology with roots in constitutional law that posits that equality is best achieved by disregarding the racial and ethnic characteristics of the individual.

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Article Synopsis
  • The review talks about different types of problems people can have after a concussion, focusing on something called physiologic post-concussion disorder (PCD).
  • Headaches are very common after a concussion, and those with physiologic PCD may have headaches due to issues in how their brain and body are working.
  • The review suggests that understanding physiologic PCD better could help find ways to prevent long-lasting headaches after a concussion.
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Background: Postoperative bleeding and transfusion are correlated with mortality risk. Furthermore, postoperative bleeding may often initiate the cascade of complications that leads to death. Given that minority children have increased risk of surgical complications, this study aimed to investigate the association of race with pediatric surgical mortality following postoperative transfusion.

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Article Synopsis
  • Affective symptoms like anxiety are often ignored after sports-related concussions (SRC), which can lead to longer recovery times.
  • The study investigated how anxiety affects recovery in adolescents (ages 13-18) participating in a trial of aerobic exercise versus stretching post-SRC.
  • Results showed that while initial anxiety levels didn't delay symptom resolution significantly, higher anxiety over time was linked to increased concussion symptom severity, independent of the type of exercise.
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Background: The number of adolescents and adults identifying as trans or gender-diverse is increasing. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and "other" (LGBTQ+) population is recognized as a marginalized health care population. This retrospective study sought to investigate demographic trends in transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth accessing surgical care in the United States.

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Objective: Previous research, including high-quality systematic reviews, has found that cervical injury, which often accompanies concussive head injury, can delay recovery from concussion. One pilot randomized controlled trial found that focused cervical assessment and appropriate intervention in children and young adults with persisting postconcussive symptoms (PPCS) improved recovery outcomes. Our sports medicine clinics adopted this approach early (within 2 weeks) in children (aged 10-18 years) after concussion.

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Objective: To synthesise the evidence regarding the risks and benefits of physical activity (PA), prescribed aerobic exercise treatment, rest, cognitive activity and sleep during the first 14 days after sport-related concussion (SRC).

Design: Meta-analysis was performed for PA/prescribed exercise interventions and a narrative synthesis for rest, cognitive activity and sleep. Risk of bias (ROB) was determined using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and quality assessed using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations.

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Background: Approximately 2% of ambulatory pediatric surgeries require unanticipated postoperative admission, causing parental dissatisfaction and suboptimal use of hospital resources. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs in nearly 8% of children and is known to increase the risk of perioperative adverse events in children undergoing otolaryngologic procedures (eg, tonsillectomy). However, whether OSA is also a risk for unanticipated admission after nonotolaryngologic surgery is unknown.

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Purpose Of Review: Minority health disparities have received renewed attention in the USA following several highly publicized racial injustices in 2020. Though the focus has been largely on adults, children are not immune to these inequities. By reviewing racial disparities in pediatric perioperative care, we aim to engage the anesthesia community in the fight against systemic racism.

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Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if exercise-induced vision dysfunction [reduced performance and/or symptom exacerbation on a post-exercise King-Devick (KD) test] in adolescents early after sport-related concussion was associated with increased risk of persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS, recovery >28 days). We used exercise as a provocative maneuver before the KD test, hypothesizing that concussed adolescents with exercise-induced vision dysfunction would be more likely to develop PPCS.

Design: Secondary analysis of data from a multi-center, randomized clinical trial comparing KD test performance before and after the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test in adolescents within 10 days of sport-related concussion who were randomized to aerobic exercise or placebo stretching program.

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There is no single gold standard test to diagnose sport-related concussion (SRC). Concussion-related exercise intolerance, that is, inability to exercise to the individual's appropriate level due to exacerbation of concussion-like symptoms, is a frequent finding in athletes early after SRC that has not been systematically evaluated as a diagnostic test of SRC. We performed a systematic review and proportional meta-analysis of studies that evaluated graded exertion testing in athletes after SRC.

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Early targeted heart rate (HR) aerobic exercise has been shown to reduce the duration of recovery from sport-related concussion (SRC) as well as the incidence of persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS). It is not known, however, if more severe oculomotor and vestibular presentations of SRC benefit from a prescription of aerobic exercise. The current study is an exploratory analysis of two published randomized controlled trials that compared aerobic exercise within 10 days of injury with a placebo-like stretching intervention.

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