Medical Specialties Commons^™

Incidence Of Symptomatic Upper Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis In Respect To Subcutaneous Port Venous Access Site In Adults: A Retrospective Review, Catherine Bark, Alexsandra Biel, Corinne G. Bowditch, Paul Bove, Jimmi Mangla

Posters

Subcutaneous ports are an essential component of care in patients who require long-term central venous access and are commonly indicated for patients that require chemotherapy, infusions, intravenous (IV) antibiotics or frequent blood draws.1,2 The catheter of the subcutaneous port is commonly inserted through the subclavian vein and internal jugular vein via percutaneous insertion, or the external jugular vein and cephalic vein via surgical cutdown of the vein.

One of the most common port-related complications is venous thromboembolic (VTE) events with rates of symptomatic VTE as high as 13.6%.4,6–11 Patients with symptomatic upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can present with …

Breast Irradiation Is Well Tolerated In Carriers Of A Pathogenic Atm Variant, Leah R. Rotenbakh, Andrew H. Zureick, Dana Zakalik, Thomas J. Quinn, Vincent P. Grzywacz, Peter Y. Chen, Joshua T. Dilworth

Posters

• The ataxia telangiectasia mutant (ATM) gene is implicated in DNA damage repair.
• A pathogenic germline variant of the ATM gene is present in approximately 1% of the population.
• ATM gene variant increases radiation sensitivity and elevates the life-time risk of developing breast cancer by two- to four-fold.
• Potential for increased radiosensitivity poses concern for the utilization of radiation therapy (RT) for oncologic treatment in patients with the ATM gene variant.
• Current data regarding RT tolerance are limited and conflicting in this patient population.
• Current guidelines for hereditary breast cancer management issued jointly by the American Society for Radiation Oncology, American …

A Multimodal Approach To Decreasing Hesitancy Of The Influenza Vaccine In The Family Care Setting, Carley J. Ellenberger

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

The uptake of the influenza vaccine is the most effective and proactive action an individual can take to defend themselves against the influenza outbreak each season; therefore, it is recommended that everyone at least six months of age and older should receive the annual flu vaccine (CDC, 2022; WHO, 2023). Unfortunately, influenza vaccine hesitancy is demonstrated on a global level affecting the uptake compliance annually each influenza season despite the millions of people that experience influenza symptoms annually (CDC, 2022, WHO, n.d.; Healthy People 2030, n.d.). The PICOT question for this project was in adults, over the age of 18, …

Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (Cvst): A Retrospective Study, Nia Acharya

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This retrospective study investigates the long-term management of Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (CVST) in 51 patients over a 3-month follow-up. The analysis covers demographics, risk factors, CVST presentation, associated diseases, thrombophilia, laboratory results, and antithrombotic treatments. CVST, a rare thrombosis of dural/cerebral sinuses, poses life-threatening risks with an annual incidence aligning with literature, notably affecting young individuals. Underlying causes range from rare disorders to common triggers, complicating diagnosis, especially during pregnancy. Imaging techniques aid diagnosis, with systemic anticoagulation preferred despite bleeding risks. Noteworthy findings include a higher incidence in women, predominantly presenting with headaches. Two cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic …

A Novel Targeted-Sequencing Panel To Detect Lrp5 Gene Variants In Orphan Pediatric Retinal Diseases, Daeun Jeong, Kenneth P. Mitton, Kimberly A. Drenser

Posters

Orphan pediatric retinal diseases which encompass Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR), Norrie Disease, and Retinoschisis are associated with mutations in genes involved in the Wnt signaling network, including FZD4, LRP5, TSPAN12, and NDP. See figure-1. FEVR is a retinal disease that lacks normal vascularization and angiogenesis to the peripheral retina. LRP5 variants account for 10-25% of cases of autosomal dominant FEVR. However, not all cases have been linked to these existing variants. Next generation sequencing was used to sequence 76 subjects for novel variants to expand the spectrum of LRP5 variants and better understand the mechanism of pathogenicity.

Demographics And Pain: An Observational Study Of Men Attending An Urban Health Event, Steven A. Kessler, Michael D. Lutz

Posters

• Chronic pain has been estimated to be present in 11.4 to 24 percent of the population.
• Of the 369 measured diseases, the World Health Organization’s Global Burden of Disease Study has 3 conditions associated with chronic pain in the top.
• The economic burden associated with chronic pain is high, with one study suggesting higher annual costs than heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
• Studies have shown that race and socioeconomic status are factors associated with higher prevalence of chronic pain.

• Higher in minority populations, and those of lower socioeconomic status.
• One study showed that after correcting for income, employment and adverse …

Nocturia In Men And Associated Comorbidities; A Southeast Michigan Study, Daniel Fortney, Alexander Geisenhoff, Bernadette Zwaans, Michael Lutz

Posters

• Nocturia, defined as waking up during the night to void, is a prevalent condition affecting a considerable proportion of the population.
• Many studies have demonstrated that nocturia is associated with poor quality of life and numerous adverse health outcomes 1,2,3,4.
• Patients with nocturia are estimated to have 60% greater hospitalization rates and 19% higher rates of outpatient visits, equating to an annual economic cost of $3,491 per patient 5.
• Although pre-existing studies have not consistently aligned on the association between nocturia and specific comorbidities, the overall agreement on the negative health outcomes and economic strain caused by untreated nocturia remains …

Risky Business: Creating A Process To Review Accuracy Of American Society Of Anesthesia (Asa) Classification And To Improve Overall Quality Risk Adjustment Of Surgical Patients, Jane Kinney, Sonja Orff, Robyn Begin, Nicholas Flavin, Eira Hyrkas, Christopher Adams, Ian Neilson

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Through interdisciplinary education and the creation of an audit process, we have observed a 30.6% reduction in the number of ASA assignment misclassifications.

Reproducibility Of Maine Ongoing Outreach Simulation Education (Moose) Program In Level I Rural Delivery Hospitals, Allison Zanno, Jeffrey Holmes, Micheline Chipman, Anya K. Cutler, Leah M. Seften, Mary Ottolini, Alexa Craig, Leah Mallory, Misty Melendi

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Introduction

• Simulation provides an opportunity to practice neonatal resuscitation program (NRP®) guidelines with high acuity, low occurrence events

• Rural hospitals with low birth volumes have infrequent opportunities to maintain skills needed to adequately perform neonatal resuscitation

• With limited clinical opportunities, it is essential to provide ongoing training and education that allow teams to practice these skills

• Training environment includes a facilitated debrief allowing for feedback on performance and areas of improvement

Improving Adherence To The American Academy Of Pediatrics (Aap) Clinical Practice Guideline (Cpg) For The Evaluation And Management Of Well Appearing Febrile Infants At Maine Medical Center: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Gabriela Deoliveira Md, Meredith Jackson Md, Laura J. Faherty Md, Mph, Mshp, Sarah M. Gabrielson Mph, Bsn, Anya K. Cutler Ms

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Educational interventions aid in adherence to MaineHealth febrile infant guidelines with a positive shift seen in the evaluation of infants 29-60 days of age.

Statewide Needs Assessment Of Neonatal Readiness At Delivery Hospitals In Maine, Allison Zanno, Jay Kerecman, Ann Boomer, Leah M. Seften, Anya K. Cutler, Alexa Craig, Misty Melendi

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Background

• Neonatal mortality is higher in hospitals with low birth rates

• More than two-thirds of hospitals deliver less than one neonate per day in Maine

• Identification of neonatal preparedness is lacking and will assist in prioritization of education and outreach initiatives to delivery hospitals

• Our objective was to engage stakeholders to understand current neonatal readiness at delivery hospitals across the state and identify barriers to and helpful resources for improving neonatal care delivery

Variations Exist In Hospital And Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Total Hip Arthroplasty According To Biological Sex, Catherine Call, Andrew Lachance, Thomas Zink, Henry Stoddard, Callahan Sturgeon, George Babikian, Adam Rana, Brian J. Mcgrory

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Introduction

• The effect of biological sex on the outcomes of THA remains unclear.

• Average combined data may mask sex-related variation and obscure clinically relevant differences in outcomes.

Increasing Equitable Access To Pediatric Specialty Care In Maine Through Implementation Of Econsults, David Ireland, Rachel Rockers, Sarah M. Gabrielson, Anya K. Cutler, Laura J. Faherty, Genevieve Whiting

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Introduction

•Barriers to accessing pediatric specialty care exist for many and are not experienced equally by all.

•eConsults are an asynchronous provider-provider referral modality to obtain low-barrier specialist input in place of some face-to-face (F2F) visits.

•We evaluated sociodemographic factors associated with referral to and receipt of specialist input before and after eConsult implementation at MaineHealth to examine equity implications.

A Continuous Objective Shivering Monitor During Targeted Temperature Management After Cardiac Arrest, Richard R. Riker, Erica Schlichting, David Seder, Mary Weatherbee, David J Gagnon, Teresa May

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Background:

• Shivering during targeted temperature management (TTM) after cardiac arrest is stressful and linked to cerebral metabolic crisis.

• Few publications report shivering incidence, timing, or severity during TTM, and shivering treatment recommendations conflict.

• To evaluate multimodal shivering assessments, we studied patients during TTM managed with surface cooling, moderate analgosedation, surface counterwarming, and intermittent neuromuscular blockade (NMB) and evaluated surface electromyographic (EMG) power in decibels using the Medtronic bispectral index (BIS) monitor.

Improving And Standardizing Pediatric Asthma Care Across Mainehealth Using The Validated Hospital Asthma Severity Scoring (Hass) Tool, Sean Patterson, Leah Marie Seften, Anya Cutler, Alexa Craig, Anne Coates, Noah Diminick

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Objective: To assess if an inter-professional educational intervention can improve the accuracy and inter-rater reliability of the HASS.

Healthcare Enabled By Artificial Intelligence In Real-Time, Felistas Mazhude, Robert S. Kramer, Qingchu Jin, Paul Terwilliger, Alan Hicks, Tyler Kelting, Douglas Sawyer, Jaime Rabb

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

INTRODUCTION: The HEART (Healthcare Enabled by Artificial Intelligence in Real-Time) Project pioneers developing real-time machine learning (ML) predictive analytics to address the need to improve outcomes during recovery from open heart surgery. Our broad objective is to enhance patient outcomes by developing, validating and deploying predictive algorithms into the hands of clinical teams as an early warning and guidance system, allowing care teams an opportunity to be proactive.

An Assessment Of The Needs Of Maine Primary Care Providers Relating To Tobacco Prevention, Assessment, And Treatment Of Lgbtqia+ Youth And Young Adults, Logan Gerchman, Sarah M. Gabrielson, Toni Eimicke, Brandy Brown

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Most primary care providers in Maine ask youth about tobacco use but don’t adjust strategies for LGBTQIA+ youth.

Most want LGBTQIA+ specific resources for smoking prevention and cessation.

Understanding Inpatient Diagnostic Imaging Use In Children’S Hospitals To Prioritize Stewardship Efforts, Megan Collins, Matt Hall, John R. Stephens, Jessica Markham

Posters

Background: Healthcare waste, including overuse of treatments or testing such as unnecessary diagnostic imaging, has estimated annual costs of over $760 billion in the United States. The most prevalent and costly imaging studies among hospitalized children are not known. Objective: To describe diagnostic imaging studies among hospitalized children with the highest prevalence, cost, rates of repetition, and hospital variation to help inform de-implementation efforts. Design/Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of children <18 years of age hospitalized from 1/1/2021 to 12/31/2022 across 45 hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System. We identified all radiologic imaging for inpatient and observation encounters using billing codes. We grouped images by modality and body location, and excluded images classified as other/unspecified body location. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to measure variation across hospitals in imaging use after adjusting for age and severity. Higher numbers indicate a higher degree of variation. Results: We identified 1,523,343 encounters; 59.1% had diagnostic imaging (Table 1). The most prevalent diagnostic imaging studies were chest x-ray (XR), abdominal XR, and echocardiogram. The images most frequently repeated were chest XR, echocardiogram, and abdominal XR. The costliest individual diagnostic imaging studies were echocardiogram, chest XR, and head/brain MRI (Table 2). Although chest XR was among the least expensive imaging modalities per unit cost, given the high prevalence of use and repeat use it was one of the costliest tests overall. Head US, interventional XR, and abdominal US had the highest variability of use between hospitals (Table 2, Figure). Conclusion(s): Chest XR and echocardiograms were among the most prevalent, costly, and frequently repeated imaging studies. Abdominal XR, abdominal ultrasound, bone/joint XR, head/brain CT, and head/brain MRI were high in both prevalence and cost among hospitalized children. Five of the 10 most commonly used imaging techniques and four of the 10 most commonly repeated imaging techniques expose children to ionizing radiation. These results could help identify areas that should be targeted to reduce radiation exposure, improve care, and decrease costs for hospitalized children.

The Association Of Season Of Surgery And Patient Reported Outcomes Following Total Hip Arthroplasty, Catherine M. Call, Andrew Lachance, Zachary Radford, Henry Stoddard, Callahan Sturgeon, George Babikian, Adam Rana, Brian J. Mcgrory

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Introduction

• Understanding the impact of situational variables on surgical recovery can improve outcomes in total hip arthroplasty (THA).

• Literature examining hospital outcomes by season remains inconclusive, with limited focus on patient experience.

• The aim of this study was to investigate if there were differences in hospital and patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMS) after THA depending on the season in an area with 4 distinct seasons.

Machine Learning Approaches For Neurological Risk Stratification Within 6 Hours Of Cardiac Arrest, Richard R. Riker, Qingchu Jin, Hunter Williams, Teresa May, David Seder, Raimond L. Winslow

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Background:

• Prognostication of neurological outcome should be delayed at least 72 hours after cardiac arrest. Early stratification of risk severity provides important information enabling improved medical decision making, research enrollment, and precision medicine approaches.

• We propose that electroencephalography (EEG)-derived indices are valid biomarkers of severity of neurological injury very early after cardiac arrest.

• This study was designed to assess the relative impact of early clinical data and processed EEG indices in the first 6 hours after recovery of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after cardiac arrest.

The Impact Of Birth Volume On Neonatal Resuscitation Practices In Neonates Treated With Therapeutic Hypothermia, Allison Zanno, Matthew Ryzewski, Leah M. Seften, Anya K. Cutler, Whittney Barkhuff, Deirdre O Reilly, Jay Kerecman, Alexa Craig, Misty Melendi

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2024

Background

• Neonatal resuscitation is a high acuity, low-occurrence (HALO) event

• Clinicians in hospitals with low birth volumes lack regular opportunities to maintain Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP®) skills due to low birth volumes

• Data used for this analysis was provided through the Northeast Regional Hypothermia Consortium of neonates who received therapeutic hypothermia at four northern New England tertiary care centers

• We investigated differences in resuscitative practices in hospitals with varied birth volumes.

A Retrospective Review Of Cosmetic Surgery Medical Tourism Complications During Covid-19 Pandemic, Rachel Blaisdell, Claire Mcnary, Catherine Barkach, Emanuela Peshel, Elizabeth Boudiab, Lauren Oliver, Samuel Mucci

Posters

• Cosmetic surgery medical tourism refers to traveling outside one’s geographic region for the purpose of a cosmetic procedure
• Benefits include reduced cost, shorter wait times, and newer “trendy” procedures
• Potential problems include a lack of continuity of care for patients, travel after surgery, and exposure to foreign pathogens

Heart Rate Metrics In Surgical Residents Performing An Educational Task Under Stress, Harkirat Jawanda, Kathryn K. Howard, Rose E. Callahan

Posters

Although a moderate amount of stress can be beneficial for performance, excess stress can lead to a decrease in fine motor skills, focus, decision-making skills, and communication.1-3.

• These effects can be especially detrimental in the operating room, where a stress-induced lapse in performance can lead to catastrophic outcomes for patients.
• One unique stressor experienced by surgical residents is observation by an attending surgeon during procedures, which has been shown to lead to an increase in stress related behaviors.4
• Mimicking the stress of the operating room in simulation environments presents the opportunity for residents to improve their ability to recognize and …

Comparing Plastic Surgeon Operative Time For Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (Diep) Flap Breast Reconstruction, Christopher J. Issa, Elizabeth M. Boudiab, Jeffrey Desano, Neil S. Sachanandani, Jeremy Powers, Kongkrit Chaiyasate

Posters

The deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap has remained the gold standard for perforator flap reconstruction due to its consistent anatomy and low morbidity. Despite higher longterm patient satisfaction in autologous breast reconstruction compared to breast implants,1–3 implant-based reconstruction remains more common due to shorter operative time.

Several studies have examined the issue of optimizing efficiency of autologous breast reconstruction but were typically performed in the context of immediate reconstruction. In our institution and others, however, two-stage delayed reconstruction is the norm — a tissue expander is placed at the first stage for preservation of the skin envelope; after expansion …

Perioperative Antibiotic Use In Neonatal General Surgery: A Survey Of Apsa Membership, Samuel K. Osei, Ashley Williams, Diane Studzinski, Patrick Karabon, Begum Akay, Pavan Brahmamdam

Posters

• Guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical site infection (SSI) are widely used for adult patients.
• There is limited data on prophylaxis in pediatrics, and there are no standardized guidelines for neonates.
• Perioperative antibiotic use in neonates based on the surgeon’s preference.

Emergency Department Treatment Of Elevated Blood Pressure In The Headache Patient, Lauren Eberhardt, Michelle Jankowski, Brett Todd

Posters

• Headache is an extremely common emergency department (ED) chief complaint, accounting for 1-3% of emergency department (ED) visits per year globally.
• Headache is often associated with elevated blood pressure and the most frequent clinical manifestation of hypertensive urgency, occurring in 35.9% of patients.5
• First line treatments used for acute headache management in the ED include intravenous fluid (IVF), anti-dopaminergic agents, aspirin, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and ketorolac.6
• Rescue analgesia is needed for pain management in 16% to 18.1% of patients.8,9.
• Rescue analgesia includes: additional doses of first line analgesia or initiation of a second line medication1,6,10,11 such as magnesium sulfate, …

Characterizing The Effectiveness Of Prehospital Pediatric Pain Management In Children With Long Bone Fractures, Revelle Gappy, Ashima Goyal, John Frawley, Sariely Sandoval, Nai-Wei Chen, Remle Crowe, Robert Swor

Posters

Prehospital pediatric pain management has been poorly understood and sub-optimally treated.1-3 Pain scales for children differ from adult pain scales and it is unclear if pain assessments are well documented, particularly in infants and toddlers.4-6 Surveys of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel identify barriers to pain management including discomfort with emergency care of injured children, concern for allergic reactions, additional pain from intravenous catheter insertion, parental influence, as well as lack of knowledge and experience secondary to the relatively infrequent treatment of acutely injured children.7-9

The effectiveness of prehospital pain medication administration for children is unknown, as is the efficacy …

Vesicant Infusates Are Not Associated With Ultrasound-Guided Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Failure: A Secondary Analysis Of Existing Data, Mahmoud Hijazi, Amit Bahl, Nai-Wei Chen

Posters

With over 300 million used annually in the United States, peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVC) are the most commonly used invasive device in the acute care setting1,2. Unfortunately, PIVCs have high failure rates with up to 63% failing prematurely3,4.

Certain intravenous medications categorized as vesicants and irritants are known to cause vein and local tissue injury. The Infusion Nursing Society (INS) created this list based on infusate osmolarity thresholds that increase the likelihood of these complications5.

It is perceived the impact of these medications on larger proximal veins with higher flow rates and improved hemodilution diminishes the likelihood of these complications. …

Quantifying The Importance Of Orthopaedic Surgeon Attributes By The Public, Rasheed Abdullah, James E. Feng, Phillip Vartanyan, Hassan Alosh, Drew Moore, Leonardo M. Cavinatto, Betina Hinckel

Posters

Evaluate what surgeon attributes are currently important to our patients, and what modalities may be most effective in finding orthopaedic surgeons, using online crowdsourcing.

Operative Versus Non-Operative Treatment Of Z-Type Clavicle Shaft Fracture In Adolescents: A Retrospective Study, Sami Azeroual, Colin Van Wagoner, Jeffrey Leider, Ehab Saleh

Posters

• The clavicle is one of the most fractured bones in the human body.
• Traditional treatment involves conservative management with a sling or immobilization but recently the effectiveness of the approach has been questioned.
• Studies done on the adult population have found higher rates of mal or non-union than previously noted, especially in those with displaced or comminuted fractures.
• The noted malunion or non-union was noted to have effects on shoulder mechanics, pain with overhead activity, and loss of strength and endurance.
• Due to differences in physiology the findings in the adult studies do not necessarily translate to the pediatric population. …