Publications by authors named "Zachary Ballinger"
Article Synopsis
- Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (MBS) for adolescents has been made more accessible due to recent policy changes, but challenges remain, particularly for diverse populations.
- A study from 2017-2022 revealed that about 15%-20% of MBS cases in the U.S. involved adolescents, predominantly females and white patients with an average age of 16.1 years.
- Despite a decline in cases during COVID-19, the volume rebounded, with an increase in sleeve gastrectomy and robotic-assisted surgeries, while overall complication rates remained low at 2.9%.
Introduction: Traumatic duodenal injuries can be difficult to diagnose and manage due to their severity, rarity, and complexity. This study aimed to analyze demographic and clinical characteristics of children with duodenal injuries using a weighted, national database.
Methods: Cases of duodenal injury in patients <18 y of age were identified in a cross-sectional analysis of the 2016 Kids' Inpatient Database using International Classification of Diseases, 10 Revision Clinical Modification codes.
Adolescents aged 15 to 19 years have the second highest fatal drowning rate of any age group, second only to toddlers aged 12 to 36 months. This risk is amplified in black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and those of low socioeconomic status. Worcester, MA is a diverse city with over 40% of residents identifying as BIPOC and 20% living below the poverty line.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The spine surgery complexity score (SSCS), previously reported by us, is a simple grading system to predict postoperative complications and hospital length of stay (LOS). This scale is based on the technical difficulty of the spinal procedures being performed.
Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review to validate SSCS in 671 consecutive patients undergoing spine procedures at a quaternary academic hospital.
BACKGROUND Sclerosing mesenteritis is an inflammatory and fibrotic disease that affects the mesentery of the small intestine. This condition is non-neoplastic, although it is frequently associated with underlying malignancies. The overall etiology is unclear because of the limited number of cases available for review, yet a number of possible mechanisms have been described, including ischemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Interhospital patient transfer (IHT) of patients is common and accounts for a significant portion of health care costs, yet the variables driving neurosurgical IHT have not been systematically described. We analyzed variables that distinguished spine surgery patients who underwent IHT from patients who did not undergo IHT to report on the effect of frailty on IHT.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed to collect data on consecutive patients undergoing spinal procedures during 2015-2017.