Surgery Commons^™

Evaluating Normothermic Machine Perfusion For Dcd Liver Transplants: Outcomes, Costs, And Value Implications, Meet S. Patel, Alisha Williams, Kyrillos Ayoub, Noor Kamaladin, Charles S. Day

Medical Student Research Symposium

Background: As liver transplantation expands to include marginal donor organs, technologies such as the TransMedics Organ Care System (OCS) offer the potential to improve graft viability and clinical outcomes. However, limited institution-level evidence exists evaluating the cost-outcomes balance of OCS use in Donation-After-Circulatory-Death (DCD) liver transplantation. This study assesses the clinical, operational, and economic value of OCS implementation within a high-volume transplant center.

Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted of all DCD liver transplants performed at Henry Ford Hospital from January 2021 to April 2024. Outcomes were compared between traditional cold storage (2021; n=23) and OCS perfusion (2023–2024; n=82). …

Real-World Clinical Outcomes Of Robotic-Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Propensity-Matched Comparative Study, Hassan Yassine, Amir Ghafarian, Jawad Saad, Abdel Kareem Hilo, Muaaz Wajahath, Khaled Saleh

Medical Student Research Symposium

Background:

Robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RA-TKA) is increasingly utilized to improve component alignment and soft-tissue balance, yet its impact on clinically meaningful outcomes in large real-world populations remains uncertain. Although prior studies demonstrate improved radiographic accuracy, whether robotic assistance reduces postoperative complications, opioid utilization, or midterm mechanical failure has not been established at scale.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective, propensity-matched cohort study using the TriNetX US Collaborative Network to identify adults undergoing primary TKA from 2018–2023. Robotic-assisted procedures were defined by CPT 27447 with concurrent robotic navigation codes. Propensity score matching (1:1) was performed to balance demographics and comorbidities, yielding …

The Use Of Large Language Models In Enhancing Patient Education Materials For Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors, Brendan Dolan, Aniela Crayton, Emerson Woodbury, Miguel Tzita, Eliza Beal Md, Gregory Dyson Phd

Medical Student Research Symposium

Background:

Incidence and prevalence of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (PNETs) has increased in recent years. More than half of American adults endorse utilizing the internet within the past year to search for medical information. This study aims to investigate the use of Large Language Models (LLMs), a popular type of artificial intelligence, to improve the efficacy of online patient education materials (oPEMs) in providing accurate and digestible information to patients with a PNET diagnosis.

Methods: Content from 36 web pages related to PNET was transferred to two popular LLMs, Chat GPT and Google Gemini, with the prompt “rewrite the following text …

Canary In The Carpal Tunnel: A Pilot Study Of The Value Of The Screening For Amyloidosis In Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Trevor Ruesch, Nevil Khurana, Logan Hansen Md, Katiya Barkho, Julia Malewicz, Charles Day Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction/Purpose:

Transthyretin amyloidosis occurs in two forms, hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR), and wild-type ATTR (wtATTR)². Amyloidosis can result in restrictive cardiomyopathy presenting as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)⁴. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that amyloidosis may be underdiagnosed and can be caught earlier in the disease course⁵. The proteins causing amyloidosis can also deposit into various tissues including the carpal tunnel leading to carpal tunnel syndrome ².

In this pilot study, we propose that early detection of amyloid via a biopsy of the transverse carpal ligament or tenosynovium in the …

Operative Versus Nonoperative Management For Diverticulitis Complicated By Abscess, Alix Bernholtz, Abbie R. Bauer

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A clinical decision report using:

You K, Bendl R, Taut C, et al. Randomized clinical trial of elective resection versus observation in diverticulitis with extraluminal air or abscess initially managed conservatively. Br J Surg. 2018;105(8):971-979. https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.10868

for a patient with a recurrent diverticulitis complicated by abscess formation.

Rapid (Reducing The Anxiety Of Patients In Interventional And Diagnostic) Radiologic Procedures: A Review Of The Literature, Unie Háng, Nathan Sim, Harika K. Bollineni, Arif Musa Md, Foaz Kayali Md, Roger Kakos Md, Monte Harvill Md, Ali Harb Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

Abstract Title: RAPID (Reducing the Anxiety of Patients in Interventional and Diagnostic) Radiologic Procedures: A Review of the Literature

Background: Pre-procedural anxiety is a prevalent concern that can be associated with negative effects for patients including perceived pain. Most interventional radiologic procedures are performed under local anesthesia with minimal sedation if any, which may not be sufficient in relaxing the patient. Effective patient education with appropriate pain management and anxiety control can improve comfort and can yield optimal post-procedural outcomes.

Methods: A search was done with the PubMed database for studies concerning patient anxiety in radiologic procedures. Search terms included, …

The Long-Term Economic Implications Of Burn Injury For Burn Survivors, Jacob M. Dougherty Bs, Hannan A. Maqsood Mbbs, Zhaohui Fan Md Mph, Stewart C. Wang Md Phd, Mark R. Hemmila Md, Naveen F. Sangji Md Mph

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: The long-term economic implications of burn injury on patients and payors has not been well described. Burn injury can be costly due to prolonged intensive care, wound care, rehabilitation, psychological care, and reconstructive surgery that may be required well after the initial injury. We investigated index and post-acute payor and out-of-pocket (OOP) costs related to burn injury for in-patient care at 30 days, and up to 36 months post-discharge to understand the long-term economic implications for burn survivors.

Methods: An observational cohort study was conducted using a commercial claims database from IBM Watson Health® Marketscan. Patients age ≤ …

Exploring The Effects Of Amniotic Bladder Therapy On Female Sexual Dysfunction In Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome Patients, Jonathan D. Lutchka, Jack Vercnocke Md, David Pearlman Md, Aron Liaw Md, Nivedita Dhar Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction and Objectives: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is commonly associated with Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS). FSD manifests as abnormalities in sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, pain, distress, and satisfaction. Our primary objective was to assess the impact of micronized amniotic membrane injections (AM) on FSD and lower urinary tract symptoms using comprehensive measures, including the multi-domain Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index (ICSI) and Interstitial Cystitis Problem Index (ICPI).

Methods: Study participants included patients diagnosed with IC/BPS and FSD refractory to traditional therapies. Under general anesthesia, these …

Slow Surgical Correction Affects More Than Just The Bowels, Emilia M. Clementi

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

Reflection on how delayed colostomy reversal affects a patient's mental and physical well-being.

Worse Postoperative Outcomes And Higher Reoperation In Smokers Compared To Nonsmokers For Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair, Susan G. Wager, Spencer Brown, Michael Gaudiani, Joshua P. Castle, Eric Jiang, Vasilios Moutzouros, Eric Makhni, Stephanie J. Muh

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Smoking impairs healing potential and is a significant risk factor for complications following orthopaedic surgeries. The purpose of this study was to determine if a cohort of former or current smokers at time of surgery met the minimally clinical important difference (MCID) for Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Upper Extremity (PROMIS-UE), Depression (PROMIS-D), and Pain Interference (PROMIS-PI) scores in comparison to nonsmokers.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent rotator cuff repair was performed. Patients who completed preoperative and 6-month postoperative PROMIS scores were included. The MCID was calculated using a distribution technique with a threshold of 0.5 …

Effects Of Marijuana Use In Patients Undergoing Abdominal Free Flap Breast Reconstruction, Tala Al-Saghir, Kinan Sawar, Alexander Vraa, Dunya Atisha

Medical Student Research Symposium

PURPOSE: Marijuana use is associated with incidence of vascular inflammation and clotting, resulting in endothelial damage and arteritis. As marijuana use rises, few studies have evaluated its impact on surgical outcomes, wound healing, and vascular anastomoses in free flap breast reconstruction.

METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing abdominal free flap breast reconstruction between 2016 and 2022 at a large metropolitan healthcare system was performed. Patient demographics, comorbidities, procedural details, and complications were analyzed. Minor complications were defined as skin necrosis, any wound requiring management in the clinic, hematoma, seroma, or fat necrosis that did not require intervention. Major …

Do Lower Extremity Injuries Of Nfl Players Affect Their Yearly Income?, Abdullah Sahyouni, Robert De La Torre, Gautham Pavar, Kinan Sawar, Yasmeen Alcodray, Bohdan Matsko, Justin Bennie, Nicole Xu, Harika Bollineni

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Injuries are arguably the most daunting career setbacks professional sports players have to face. To better understand the drawbacks of sports injuries, we decided to examine players’ annual income before and after sports injuries. Income is arguably the most important metric of success for professional athletes. To make the study more relevant for the US, we collected data on one of the most viewed professional sports leagues in the country: the National Football League (NFL).

Methods: We examined the NFL’s weekly injury reports for seasons from 2016 to 2020, and recorded players with lower extremity injuries (LEI) (Hamstring, Calves, …

Evaluating The Role Of Lvi As An Indicator For Adverse Outcomes In Patients With Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma And Its Histological Subtypes, Ivan Rakic, Matthew Davis, Nicholas Corsi, Alexander Stephens, Chase Morrison, Sohrab Arora, Taylor Malchow, Akshay Sood, Craig Rogers, Firas Abdollah

Medical Student Research Symposium

Lymphvascular invasion (LVI) is recognized as an adverse prognostic factor in many cancers. Our aim is to assess the prognostic ability of LVI in UTUC urothelial carcinoma (UC) and micropapillary urothelial carcinoma (MPUC) subtypes as a predictor of overall survival (OS) using a large North American cohort.

Our cohort included 9750 cM0 UTUC patients who underwent a radical nephroureterectomy (RNU), between 2004 and 2015, within the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The main variable of interest was LVI status, and its interaction with pathological nodal (pN) status. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the OS. Cox regression analysis tested the impact …

The Importance Of Stigma Theory For Clinical Decisions Related To Diabetic Foot Amputations, Rachael Garcia, Callie Bartkowiak, Alison Nesbitt Do

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

The authors examine the unconsidered impact of social stigma theory on the shared clinical decision-making process for a patient with foot osteomyelitis and MRSA bacteremia facing the prospect of an amputation.

Radiation Therapy For Older Women With Early Breast Cancer: An Unnecessary Hardship, Lauren E. Shawver

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A clinical decision report appraising:

Kunkler IH, Williams LJ, Jack WJ, Cameron DA, Dixon JM; PRIME II investigators. Breast-conserving surgery with or without irradiation in women aged 65 years or older with early breast cancer (PRIME II): a randomised controlled trial [published correction appears in Lancet Oncol. 2015 Mar;16(3):e105]. Lancet Oncol. 2015;16(3):266-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(14)71221-5

for an older patient seeking treatment for Stage 1 Ductal Breast Carcinoma

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (Eras) Protocols Decrease Length Of Hospital Stay And Maintain Functional Independence In Elderly Patients Undergoing Colorectal Surgery, Kristen Hawes

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A clinical decision report using

Ostermann S, Morel P, Chalé JJ, et al. Randomized controlled trial of enhanced recovery program dedicated to elderly patients after colorectal surgery. Dis Colon Rectum. 2019;62(9):1105-1116. https://doi.org/10.1097/DCR.0000000000001442

for an elderly patient undergoing colorectal surgery.

Predictive Factors For Length Of Hospital Stay In Pediatric Dog Bite Patients, Dominic Alessio-Bilowus, Nishant Kumar, Elika Ridelman Ph.D, Christina Shanti Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

Title: Predictive Factors for Length of Hospital Stay in Pediatric Dog Bite Patients

Authors: Alessio-Bilowus D¹, Kumar N², Ridelman E¹, Shanti C^2
1Wayne State University, Detroit, MI; ²Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI

Introduction: Dog bite injuries are a source of significant morbidity in the United States, with children being at increased risk compared to adults, yet there is a lack of published data on factors affecting hospital length of stay (LOS) in pediatric patients.

Methods: A full-text retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients presenting to our urban, academic …

Limb Salvage Therapy In Septic Diabetic Foot Ulcer In Patients Unwilling To Undergo Amputation, Luke Hong

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A clinical decision report appraising

Shojaiefard A, Khorgami Z, Larijani B. Septic diabetic foot is not necessarily an indication for amputation. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2008;47(5):419-423. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.jfas.2008.05.005

for a patient with a septic diabetic foot.

External Beam Radiation Therapy Carries Lower Risk Of Sexual Dysfunction As Compared To Radical Prostatectomy In Treatment Of Patients With Localized Prostate Cancer, Aamod S. Dekhne

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A clinical decision report appraising:

Donovan JL, Hamdy FC, Lane JA, et al. Patient-Reported Outcomes after Monitoring, Surgery, or Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(15):1425-1437. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1606221

for a patient with localized prostate cancer and concerns regarding future sexual dysfunction.

Can Opioids Be Eliminated After Arthroscopic Meniscus Surgery? A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial, Muhammad J. Abbas Bs, Toufic R. Jildeh Md, Kelechi R. Okoroha Md, Noah Kuhlmann Bs, Austin Cross Bs, Vasilios Moutzouros Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

Purpose: To compare a multimodal nonopioid pain protocol to traditional opioid medication in controlling postoperative pain following arthroscopic meniscal surgery.

Methods: Ninety-nine patients undergoing primary meniscectomy or meniscal repair were assessed for participation. A prospective randomized control trial was performed in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials 2010 (CONSORT) statement. The two arms of the study included a multimodal non-opioid analgesic protocol and a standard opioid regimen with a primary outcome of postoperative pain level (visual analog scale) for 10 days. Secondary outcomes included patient reported outcomes, complications and patient satisfaction. Randomization was achieved using a random number …

Assessment And Management Of Adult Preoperative Anxiety: A Survey Of The Anesthesiologist Perspective, Arif Musa, Jeffrey C. Wang, Rana Movahedi, David Safani, Christopher Cooke, Syed F. Hussain, Jahan Tajran, Shafi Hamid, Gligor Gucev

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Preoperative anxiety often goes unaccounted for in the surgical setting. Given that anesthesiologists are routinely involved in perioperative care, this study was performed to assess anesthesiologists’ views of adult preoperative anxiety assessment and management. Methods: Active members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) were sent an online questionnaire. Survey items included demographic information in addition to questions about measurement of preoperative anxiety, management of anxiety, and which entities were allocated responsibility to reduce patient anxiety. Data were collected from February to March 2019. Results: Of 3,661 respondents, most asked their patients about preoperative anxiety (n=2332, …

Launching Virtual Care In A Benign Breast Surgery Clinic, Louisa Antonelli Bs, Hassan Nasser Md, Jessica Bensenhaver Md, Lindsay Petersen Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

The aim of this study is to assess the success of implementation of a telemedicine clinic in a benign breast surgery practice, and the hypothesis was that some women may feel uncomfortable virtually discussing breast complaints and problems. Twelve women seen as new patients in the benign breast surgery clinic and scheduled for surgery were asked if they were interested in having their post-operative visit performed virtually. Demographic information was also collected. Ages ranged from 24 to 77 years, and distance from the hospital ranged from 4.3 miles to 14.3 miles. Of the 12 women surveyed, 8 women were interested …

The Use Of Urine Drug Testing For Risk Stratification And Efficacious Drug Monitoring In Pain Management Settings, Ahmad I. Hasan, Kareem Elhage, Brendan Farley, Khaled J. Saleh

Medical Student Research Symposium

Objective: To understand the current landscape of urine drug testing (UDT) guidelines as part of risk assessment for opioid abuse, and to offer recommendations towards adopting universal screening guidelines.

Background: There has been an opioid epidemic within the United States, and the role of prescription opioids has been well established. Despite proposed recommendations, there has yet to be a published universal screening guideline on the use of UDT in the setting of opioid abuse risk stratification as well as postoperative drug monitoring.

Methods: We explored current guidelines for UDT on two levels. First, we explore general indications for UDT within …

Heparin Bridging Therapy Is Not Necessary For Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Temporary Interruption Of Warfarin Therapy For Elective Invasive Procedures Or Surgery, Shannon Paquette

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Douketis JD, Spyropoulos AC, Kaatz S, et al. Perioperative bridging anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation. New Engl J Med. Aug 2015;373(9):823-833. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1501035

Diagnosis And Management Of Hyponatremia In Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Neena I. Marupudi, Sandeep Mittal

Neurosurgery Faculty Publications

Hyponatremia is the most common, clinically-significant electrolyte abnormality seen in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Controversy continues to exist regarding both the cause and treatment of hyponatremia in this patient population. Lack of timely diagnosis and/or providing inadequate or inappropriate treatment can increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. We review recent literature on hyponatremia in subarachnoid hemorrhage and present currently recommended protocols for diagnosis and management.

Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor-1 As A Novel Target For The Antiangiogenic Treatment Of Breast Cancer, Cecilia L. Speyer, Ali H. Hachem, Ali A. Assi, Jennifer S. Johnson, John Austin Devries, David H. Gorski

Department of Surgery

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are normally expressed in the central nervous system, where they mediate neuronal excitability and neurotransmitter release. Certain cancers, including melanoma and gliomas, express various mGluR subtypes that have been implicated as playing a role in disease progression. Recently, we detected metabotropic glutamate receptor-1 (gene: GRM1; protein: mGluR1) in breast cancer and found that it plays a role in the regulation of cell proliferation and tumor growth. In addition to cancer cells, brain endothelial cells express mGluR1. In light of these studies, and because angiogenesis is both a prognostic indicator in cancer correlating with a poorer …

Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor-1 Contributes To Progression In Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Malathi Banda, Cecilia L. Speyer, Sara N. Semma, Kingsley O. Osuala, Nicole Kounalakis, Keila E. Torres Torres, Nicola J. Barnard, Hyunjin J. Kim, Bonnie F. Sloane, Fred R. Miller, James S. Goydos, David H. Gorski

Department of Surgery

TNBC is an aggressive breast cancer subtype that does not express hormone receptors (estrogen and progesterone receptors, ER and PR) or amplified human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2), and there currently exist no targeted therapies effective against it. Consequently, finding new molecular targets in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is critical to improving patient outcomes. Previously, we have detected the expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor-1 (gene: GRM1; protein: mGluR1) in TNBC and observed that targeting glutamatergic signaling inhibits TNBC growth both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we explored how mGluR1 contributes to TNBC …

Multi-Modality Assessment Of Language Function, Erik Carmen Brown

Wayne State University Dissertations

The work presented as part of this dissertation represents a multi-modality study of language structure and function. The primary functional modality employed is task-related electrocorticography (ECoG). This is complemented by discussion and evaluation of previously published functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Language-related structure is explored using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in conjunction with ECoG data. The scientific questions pursued are broad and include reevaluation of previously proposed theories.

We start by taking the first steps in validating our naming-related ECoG approach by comparing our results from a small cohort of patients to the clinical gold-standard technique of electrical brain …

Targeting And Killing Of Glioblastoma With Activated T Cells Armed With Bispecific Antibodies, Ian M. Zitron, Archana Thakur, Oxana Norkina, Geoffrey R. Barger, Lawrence G. Lum, Sandeep Mittal

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Since most glioblastomas express both wild-type EGFR and EGFRvIII as well as HER2/neu, they are excellent targets for activated T cells (ATC) armed with bispecific antibodies (BiAbs) that target EGFR and HER2.

Methods

ATC were generated from PBMC activated for 14 days with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody in the presence of interleukin-2 and armed with chemically heteroconjugated anti-CD3×anti-HER2/neu (HER2Bi) and/or anti-CD3×anti-EGFR (EGFRBi). HER2Bi- and/or EGFRBi-armed ATC were examined for in vitro cytotoxicity using MTT and ⁵¹Cr-release assays against malignant glioma lines (U87MG, U118MG, and U251MG) and primary glioblastoma lines.

Results

EGFRBi-armed ATC killed up to 85% of U87, …

Advanced Augmented Reality Telestration Techniques With Applications In Laparoscopic And Robotic Surgery, Stephen Dworzecki

Wayne State University Dissertations

The art of teaching laparoscopic or robotic surgery currently has a primary reliance on an expert surgeon tutoring a student during a live surgery. During these operations, surgeons are viewing the inside of the body through a manipulatable camera. Due to the viewpoint translation and narrow field of view, these techniques have a substantial learning curve in order to gain the mastery necessary to operate safely. In addition to moving and rotating the camera, the surgeon must also manipulate tools inserted into the body. These tools are only visible on camera, and pass through a pivot point on the body …