Medical Specialties Commons^™

Financial Implications Of Vascular Surgery Conference Fees, Alexandra Kats, Gerard M. Martin, Sanath Patil, Joshua R. Chen, Paul J. Dimuzio, Dawn Salvatore, Michael Nooromid, Babak Abai

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Conferences are an important venue for trainees and students to engage in scholarly activities and networking. However, cost presents a significant consideration for students looking to attend conferences as institutional funding varies. In this study, we analyze the attendance costs of vascular conferences.

METHODS: Thirty-one vascular surgery conferences were identified with 12 regional and 6 national, and 13 international. Invitation-only conferences were excluded from the analysis. Cost of attendance was stratified by early and regular registration timing and attending, trainee, and student status. Additionally, conference websites were queried individually for scholarship opportunities. Data was presented descriptively and compared using …

Persistent Retinal Tenting In Myopic Traction Maculopathy, Taku Wakabayashi, Bita Momenaei, Allen Chiang

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

No abstract provided.

Identifying Social Determinants Of Health Subgroups And Their Associations With Health Outcomes In A Prospective Us Adult Covid-19 Cohort: An Analysis Of The Inspire Registry, Yohali Burrola-Mendez, Eugene Lin, Canada Parrish, Chialing Hsu, Mandy J. Hill, Michael Gottlieb, Kristin L. Rising, Lauren E. Wisk, Nicole L. Gentile, Rachel E. Geyer, Robert A. Weinstein, Michelle Santangelo, Kristyn Gatling, Jonathan W. Dyal, Joann G. Elmore, Robert M. Rodriguez, Phillip Watts, Ji Chen, Zihan Diao, Erica S. Spatz, Kwun Cg Chan, K A. Stephens, Kelli N. O'Laughlin, Inspire Group

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To identify subgroups with similar social determinants of health (SDOH) characteristics using latent class analysis (LCA) and examine their associations with physical and mental health, cognitive function and missed workdays at 3 and 6 months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. We hypothesised that intersecting SDOH factors would differentially influence COVID-19-related health outcomes across subgroups.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study from the Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry (INSPIRE), with longitudinal data collection and cross-sectional analyses at baseline, 3-month and 6-month follow-ups.

SETTING: Multicentre registry across eight US academic medical centres (Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New Haven, Philadelphia, San Francisco and …

Targeting Inequities: Addressing Lung Cancer Care Challenges In Africa Through Drug Access, Radiotherapy, And Surgical Innovations, Elvis Obomanu, Chidiebube Ugwu, Muluken Megiso, Tarfa Verinumbe, Colton Jones, Verna Vanderpuye, Nazik Hammad

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

Lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality in Africa, with survival rates starkly lagging behind global benchmarks because of systemic inequities in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment access. Despite representing only 6% of global smokers, the continent faces a disproportionate burden driven by environmental and occupational carcinogens, aggressive tobacco marketing, and fragmented health care infrastructure. Key challenges include prohibitive delays in accessing targeted therapies like epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors and immunotherapies, a dire shortage of radiotherapy infrastructure-0.12 megavoltage units per million people versus the International Atomic Energy Agency's recommended five megavoltage units per million, and a …

Long Term Evaluation Of The Safety And Efficacy Of Local Cooling Anesthesia During Intravitreal Injections: The Cool-2 Trial, Arshad M. Khanani, Samir N. Patel, Charles C. Wykoff, Gun-Ho Kim, Ajay E. Kuriyan

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a medical device providing cooling anesthesia to the eye as local anesthesia for intravitreal (IVT) injections.

SUBJECTS/METHODS: As a multicenter, open label, dose escalation clinical trial, subjects receiving at least 3 IVT injections in the study eye were recruited to participate. All patients received subconjunctival lidocaine as their anesthesia for previous IVT injections. Subjects receiving IVT injections were assigned (non-randomized) to four groups in which the cooling device was applied to the conjunctiva at the location of the intravitreal injection: Group 1: -10˚C for 20 seconds; Group 2: -15˚C for 10 seconds; …

Impact Of Maternal Covid-19 Infection Versus Vaccination On Mucosal Immunity In Breastmilk, Mymy Nguyen, Rupsa C. Boelig, Julie Jones, Wathsala Wijayalath, Gregory D. Gromowski, Zubair H. Aghai, Elke S. Bergmann-Leitner

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

Background/Objectives: In the first months of their life, infants rely on maternal antibodies for immune protection. Breastmilk is a major source of these defenses, supplying secretory IgA, IgG, and IgM that help guard mucosal surfaces against pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. Most studies on breastmilk immunity in the context of COVID-19 have emphasized circulating monomeric IgA, rather than the multimeric secretory IgA (sIgA) that is active at mucosal barriers. This study assessed in-depth the contribution of breastmilk antibody subtypes to SARS-CoV-2 neutralization capacity and how these profiles differ following maternal COVID-19 infection versus vaccination during pregnancy or postpartum.

Methods: …

Cure Sickle Cell Initiative Recommendations On Common Data Elements For Sickle Cell Disease Gene Therapy Trials, Sophie Lanzkron, Victoria H. Coleman-Cowger, Alexis A. Thompson, C. Patrick Carroll, Traci Clemons, Michael Debaun, Julie Kanter, Punam Malik, Deepa Manwani, Francis John Pierciey, Mark C. Walters, Sherita Alai

Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research

The Cure Sickle Cell Initiative (CureSCi), created by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, has developed data standards to increase interoperability and meta-analysis of studies specifically investigating gene therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD). The aims of the CureSCi Common Data Elements (CDE) initiative are to facilitate the development of safe, effective, and accessible gene therapies. Five working groups (WGs) comprising people living with SCD, stakeholders, clinicians, and researchers reviewed current definitions used for SCD clinical studies, including those from the American Society of Hematology, US Food and Drug Administration, PhenX catalog of consensus measures for phenotypes and exposures, …

Evaluation Of Corneal Infections Using A Smartphone Macro Lens For Synchronous Telemedicine, Joseph A. Anaya, Julia Yu, Marisa A. Schoen, Dilru C. Amarasekera, Cherie A. Fathy, Sophia Lam, Christopher J. Rapuano, Zeba A. Syed

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of synchronous telemedicine consultation with a corneal specialist using a macro lens attachment to a smartphone to evaluate corneal infections.

METHODS: Patients aged 18 years or older who presented to the Cornea Clinic at Wills Eye Hospital between June 2020 and March 2021 with a corneal infection were examined by two fellowship-trained cornea specialists. One examiner (CJR) performed face-to-face (FTF) slit-lamp evaluations, whereas another examiner (ZAS) performed synchronous telemedicine visit (STV) evaluations via a smartphone with a macro lens of 7× magnification (Olloclip; Foothill Ranch, CA, USA) held by trained study coordinators. Agreement between examinations …

Text Messaging Support For Patients Diagnosed With Impaired Glucose Tolerance During Pregnancy: Nonrandomized Pre-Post Implementation Study Assessing Impact On Postpartum Transitions Of Care, Natasha R. Kumar, Whitney Bender, Celeste Durnwald

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) identified during pregnancy who do not develop gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) often do not receive additional interventions for their long-term metabolic risks.

OBJECTIVE: This nonrandomized pre-post implementation study reports the design process and initial program evaluation for Better Follow-up of Impaired Glucose Tolerance (BRIDGE), a 12-week text-based postpartum support program promoting hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) completion and primary care provider (PCP) visit scheduling for patients diagnosed with IGT during pregnancy, assessing improvement in desired postpartum transition milestones. The 19-month program was divided into 2 arms lasting 9.5 months each, BRIDGE- (SMS text messaging support …

Recent Antibiotic Exposure And Response To Treatment Of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Daniel Horton, Charu Verma, Sanika Rege, Stephen Crystal, Tobias Gerhard, Alicia Iizuka, Matthew Iozzio, Dawn Koffman, Lauren Parlett, Julianne Varga, Carlos Rose, Brian Strom

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) has been tied to microbiome disruption and antibiotic exposure. Gut microbiota may affect how adults with rheumatoid arthritis respond to methotrexate. We tested if exposure to antibiotics was associated with response to methotrexate for JIA.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using national US public and private insurance claims data (2001-2023). We included children ages 1-17 continuously enrolled for ≥ 10 months and diagnosed with JIA who initiated methotrexate monotherapy or, for comparison, tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) monotherapy without prior disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) exposure. Antibiotic exposure during the 10-month baseline period was …

Heat Stroke Encephalopathy Without The Presence Of Distinct Imaging Findings: Case Report And Review Of Literature, Ryan Sholes, David J. Walz, Julia S. Evans, Tessa Connelly, Joseph Rigotti

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Heat stroke is a life-threatening emergency characterized by severe hyperthermia and acute central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. We describe a 72-year-old man who was found unresponsive in his vehicle on a day with ambient temperatures exceeding 90°F. On arrival, his core temperature was 105.8°F, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score was 5. Despite prompt initiation of active cooling and supportive care with normalization of body temperature, the patient developed persistent and fluctuating encephalopathy. Extensive metabolic, infectious, and toxicologic evaluations were unrevealing. Thyroid-stimulating hormone was normal, arterial blood gases showed no acid-base derangements, ammonia and liver function tests were within normal …

Virtual Patient-Specific 3-Dimensional Specimen Maps For Adjuvant Radiation Therapy Planning In Mucosal Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Whitney Jin, Michael C. Topf, Marina Aweeda, Kavita Prasad, Olivia Prosak, Sindhura Sridhar, Zachary Kohutek, Sean All, D. W. Nathan Kim, Anthony Cmelak, Ryan Whitaker, Alexander Langerman, Kyle Mannion, Melanie Hicks, Sarah Rohde, Robert Sinard, Eben Rosenthal, Natalie A. Lockney

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: Adjuvant radiation therapy planning for mucosal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is challenging due to postoperative anatomic changes, contributing to variability in clinical target volume (CTV) delineation and risk of geographic miss or unnecessary dose expansion. Patient-specific 3-dimensional (3D) specimen maps may offer a novel approach to improve the localization of high-risk margins and facilitate multidisciplinary communication.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: In this prospective, noninterventional feasibility study, 3D scanning and virtual pathologic mapping of surgical specimens were performed as part of routine pathologic processing. Annotated 3D maps were integrated into the radiation therapy planning workflow and reviewed by the …

Disease-Causing Mfn2 Mutants Impair Mitochondrial Fission Dynamics By Distinct Drp1 Dysregulation, Daniel Lagos, Pamela R. De Santiago, Nicolás Pérez-Bravo, Benjamín Cartes-Saavedra, Josefa Vial-Brizzi, Diego Troncoso-Chandía, Oliver Podmanicky, Rita Horvath, Verónica Eisner

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Mitochondria undergo fusion and fission. While DRP1 regulates fission, fusion is controlled by OPA1, MFN1, and MFN2. The balance between these processes and the crosstalk between machineries remains poorly understood. MFN2 mutations cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 A (CMT2A), affecting mitochondrial fusion and morphology. However, their role in fission is unclear. Using skin fibroblasts from CMT2A patients (L248H and M376V MFN2 mutations) and wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblasts expressing these variants, we studied how MFN2 mutations impact mitochondrial dynamics beyond fusion. We analyzed mitochondrial morphology and dynamics by live-cell confocal microscopy and tested fusion/fission protein levels, oxygen consumption rate (OCR), extracellular …

Continuous Glucose Monitoring Use In The Management Of Type 2 Diabetes In Primary Care: Cross-Sectional Survey Of Provider Comfort, Ryley Harris, Catherine Guariglia, Amy Cunningham

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

This study assessed primary care providers’ comfort with prescribing and using continuous glucose monitoring technology for type 2 diabetes management, identifying key barriers and educational needs.

Young Man With Neck Pain, Sejal Patel, Steven Graver, Megan Daniels, Kelly Goodsell, Arthur K. Au

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Intrathecal Antibody Synthesis - Reiber Method Revisited, John J. Halperin, Dane Granger

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: CSF immunoglobulin (IgG) often informs diagnosis in CNS inflammatory disease- qualitatively (oligoclonal bands; OCBs), or quantitatively (CSF: serum IgG: albumin, e.g. IgG index). Most US laboratories estimate excess CSF IgG using linear models, most in Europe, Reiber's hyperbolic model - the latter often also incorporated into CSF pathogen-specific immunoreactivity calculations. We compared Reiber hyperbolic and linear approaches.

METHODS: Required data were available for 1,872 samples, Lyme-specific data for 1,365. We compared linear and Reiber's hyperbolic models to determine which better describes normal CSF: serum IgG/albumin, assessed correlations with OCBs using ROC analysis and compared Lyme-specific antibody indices (AI) by …

Screen-Based Simulation Assessment For Emergency Medicine Learners: A Rapid Review, Patrick Zeniecki, Rebecca Kamens, Jared Kilpatrick, Dimitrios Papanagnou, Xiao C. Zhang

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Simulation has played a vital role in training medical professionals. The COVID-19 Pandemic has highlighted the need for physically distant educational assessment methods. Screen-based simulation (SBS) demonstrates one alternative to traditional in-person simulation methods to assess learners clinical reasoning and communication skills. This study aims to compare in-person simulation to SBS as assessment methods in Emergency Medicine (EM).

METHODS: A rapid review literature search methodology of an electronic database (PubMed) was performed in February 2022 with search terms such as "Computer Simulation," "Patient Simulation," "Simulation Training," "Education, Distance," "Virtual OSCE," "Academic Performance," or "Emergency Medicine." Reference lists of relevant …

Loss Of Mct1 Mediated Lactate Uptake Causes Delayed Endplate Maturation And Intervertebral Disc Degeneration, Maria Tsingas, Konstantinos Tsingas, Mei Smyers, Wujuan Zhang, Aaron R. Goldman, Eulisa Lawrence, John A. Collins, Makarand V. Risbud

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

During skeletal growth, it is thought that the lactate secreted by the glycolytic nucleus pulposus (NP) cells exits the intervertebral disc into circulation via endplates. Our current studies challenge this long-held notion. Mice with early postnatal, endplate, and annulus fibrosus-specific deletion of lactate importer, MCT1, exhibited disc degeneration characterized by NP cell loss and pronounced endplate structural changes. Using metabolic and transcriptomic approaches, we demonstrate that MCT1 loss inhibits endplate chondrocyte differentiation and that lactate serves both as a crucial TCA metabolite and promotes protein and histone lactylation and gene expression. These findings suggest that during skeletal growth, NP-derived lactate …

The Influence Of Social Media Messaging On Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Attitudes And Confidence Among Adolescent Males: Group Discussion Study, Neha Trivedi, Rachel Van Vleet, Czesia Eid, Amelia Burke-Garcia, Amy Leader

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Despite the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine being available to males for the past 12 years, adolescent males continue to lag in HPV vaccine uptake due to a variety of factors. With the ubiquitous nature of social media use among this population, further research is needed to improve HPV vaccine confidence among young adolescent males using these platforms.

OBJECTIVE: Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this study sought to better understand knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HPV and HPV vaccination among male adolescents aged 14-17 years and examine how social media messaging influences vaccine perceptions and explore the characteristics of …

Liver Injury From Medications Used For Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network Experience, Harish Gopalakrishna, Jiezhun Gu, Yi-Ju Li, Huiman Barnhart, Dina Halegoua-De Marzio, Herbert L. Bonkovsky, A. Sidney Barritt, Jean P. Molleston, Naga P. Chalasani, Marwan Ghabril

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate and characterise DILI due to approved therapies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

METHODS: Using the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) prospective study, we evaluated definite, highly likely, or probable DILI attributed to IBD therapies, including use for non-IBD indications (but excluding corticosteroids). HLA allele associations were investigated.

RESULTS: Among 1806 participants, 81 (4.5%) had IBD-agent DILI: 31 biologics (27 infliximab), 35 immunomodulators (31 azathioprine/mercaptopurine), 14 aminosalicylates (11 sulfasalazine) and 1 small molecule (tofacitinib). Median age was 45 years with 75% female and 78% White. Patients with biologic-DILI were younger, had longer latency (median 124 days), …

Evaluating Outcomes Of Alternative Pathologic Terminology In High-Grade Dysplastic Colorectal Lesions, Shaman Dalal, Aakash Desai, Nahel Tunio, Jacqueline Khalil, Devereaux Sellers, Marc Landsman

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Background Pathologists occasionally classify colorectal adenomas with dysplastic mucosal invasion as intramucosal carcinoma (IMC), or carcinoma in situ (CIS), instead of high-grade dysplasia (HGD), potentially leading to earlier surveillance colonoscopies and inappropriate surgical referrals. We aimed to analyze differences in the management of patients with these diagnoses, and examined the factors that may lead to inappropriate early interval (IEI) follow-up recommendations for surveillance.

Methods We reviewed 870 colonoscopy and pathology reports from 2015-2022, excluding cases of colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and lesions not amenable to endoscopic resection. Surveillance appropriateness was defined in accordance with the 2020 US Multi Society …

New Applications Of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Parameters Characterize Age-Related Changes In Exercise Performance During Adolescence, Katerina Kourpas, Takeshi Tsuda

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Age-related changes in exercise performance during adolescence are complex because of progressive physical and functional changes, in which multiple factors are involved.

METHODS: Peak and submaximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) parameters were studied in healthy children and adolescents.

RESULTS: TTotal 303 subjects were divided into six groups by ages and sex: ≤11 years old (yo) (28/22 for males/females), 12–15 yo (61/98), and ≥16 yo (52/42). Rest and peak heart rate (HR) were comparable in all groups. Absolute peak values of oxygen consumption (˙ VO2), work rate (WR), and oxygen pulse (OP) were higher in older age groups in both …

Response To Kodali Et Al., “Hailey-Hailey Disease: A Review And An Approach To Management”, Christina Tolete, Teresa Duong, Adam Friedman, Leonardo Tjahjono

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Clinical Presentations Of Pemphigus Vulgaris In Patients With Skin Of Color: A Systematic Literature Review, Haya Alkiswani, Simona Alomary, Jared Boetes, Nicole J. Baker, Susan C. Taylor

SKMC Student Presentations and Publications

Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a rare, often severe autoimmune disease affecting skin and mucous membranes. Despite the scarce literature on PV in skin of color (SOC) populations (Fitzpatrick III-VI), existing studies suggest that there are misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, and recurrence of symptoms in SOC patients with PV. Objective: This review explores the clinical presentations of PV reported in patients with SOC, diagnostic challenges and delays, treatments, and patient outcomes to allow for an improved understanding of how PV manifests clinically in darker skin. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using articles found in PubMed and Embase. Two independent …

Robotic-Assisted Pedicle Screw Placement Achieves High Accuracy And Narrows The Experience Gap: A Preclinical Evaluation, Anna T. Reza, Matthias Walper, Mitchell K. Ng, Paul G. Mastrokostas, Andrew S. Lee, Rafael G. Rafael, Kornelis A. Poelstra, Ratliff K. John, Rajiv K. Sethi, Michael A. Mont

Rothman Institute Papers

To assess a robotic-assisted system versus open manual techniques to: (1) compare pedicle screw accuracy between fellows and attendings with and without robotic assistance, and (2) evaluate executed versus planned trajectory fidelity relative to prior reports. Robotic-assisted spine systems aim to improve the accuracy, reproducibility, and safety of pedicle screw placement. Limited evidence compares outcomes across differing surgeon experience levels. A total of 255 thoracolumbar pedicle screws were placed in synthetic torsos simulating adult degenerative anatomy. Four surgeons (two fellows, two attendings) each placed half their screws using open fluoroscopy-guided techniques and half using a minimally invasive percutaneous approach with …

The Dermatologic Effects Of Climate Change On Skin Of Color Populations: A Comprehensive Review, Grace Ugwueke, Simona A. Alomary, Nicole J. Baker, Susan C. Taylor Md, Nada Elbuluk Md

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Background: Climate change contributes to rising temperatures, worsening air pollution, increasing UV exposure, and more frequent extreme weather events with downstream consequences for dermatologic conditions. However, limited research has examined how these climate-related effects can impact skin of color (SOC) populations, who often face disproportionate environmental exposures and structural inequities. Objective: To summarize the dermatologic implications of climate and environmental stressors on SOC populations. Methods: A literature search of PubMed and Embase (2000-2025) identified studies assessing dermatologic outcomes related to climate change or environmental exposures. Of 1254 records screened, 133 duplicates were removed, leaving 1121 studies for evaluation. Twenty-three studies …

A Decade Of Leadership And Impact: Celebrating 10 Years Of The Ors Spine Section, Makarand V. Risbud

College of Life Sciences Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Genetic Ancestry-Concordant Ceramide Metabolism And Response To Androgen Receptor Pathway Inhibition In Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, Sean Piwarski, Lauren Howard, Morgan Paul, Nick Bachelder, Bonnie Lacroix, Angela Clayton, Donna Allen, Julie Kephart, Andrew Armstrong, Steven Patierno, Daniel George, Terry Hyslop, Jennifer Freedman

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The authors observed differences in response between Black and White patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who were treated prospectively with androgen receptor pathway inhibition (ARPI) in the Abi Race and PANTHER studies. In addition, genetic ancestry-related single nucleotide variants in ceramide metabolism genes were associated with the time to prostate-specific antigen progression in the Abi Race study. For this report, the authors analyzed ceramide metabolites and their association with response to ARPI treatment in the Abi Race and PANTHER studies.

METHODS: Fasting serum levels were obtained from 22 Black patients and 22 White patients in the Abi …

Oculocardiac Reflex Elicited From An Exenterated Orbit, Joseph Desimone, Edward H. Bedrossian

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

No abstract provided.

Sex-Based Disparities In Health Care Access And Utilization Among Patients With Atrial Fibrillation, Ji Mei May Wong, Peter R. Kowey

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

IMPORTANCE: Females with atrial fibrillation (AF) experience a higher risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, and mortality than males with AF. Theories suggest that sex-based differences in hormonal, structural, and electrophysiologic factors are associated with this imbalance; we hypothesized that sex-based differences in health care access and utilization (HCAU) are also underlying factors.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether sex-based disparities in HCAU barriers exist among individuals with AF.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study used data on patients with AF in the All of Us Research Program Registered Tier dataset (version 8), which contains integrated data from the electronic health record …