Translational Medical Research Commons^™

Otologic Opioid Usage And Pain Control In The Postoperative Period, Matthew Stewart, Eric Mastrolonardo, Joann Butkus, Raphael Banoub, Md, Tingting Zhan, Phd, Sophia Dang, Md, David Cognetti, Md, Rebecca Chiffer, Md, Thomas Wilcox, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Patients’ unused prescription opioids can be diverted and increase the overall opioid burden on society. Therefore, otolaryngologists can reduce opioid influx by minimizing excess tablets in opioid prescriptions. We hypothesize that otology patients at TJUH receive more opioid tablets than needed to effectively manage postoperative pain.

Methods: Patients ages ≥18 years old who received otologic surgery at TJUH were included in this prospective observational study between November 2019 and August 2020. Patients were provided a survey for recording pain on postoperative days 0, 1, 3, and 7 and the amount of remaining opioids from their prescription. Opioid amounts were …

Retrospective Review Of Fluoroscopic Swallowing Studies And Outcomes At An Academic Health Center, Rachel Strock, Priyha Mahesh, Baskaran Sundaram, Md, Gregory C. Kane, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Aspiration is often associated with underlying medical conditions and can cause pneumonia or death. Aspiration risk can be assessed via video fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) or barium swallow (BaSw). We aimed to assess the diagnoses and clinical course of patients who were evaluated for potential aspiration through VFSS or BaSw to determine if there is a degree of aspiration that increases the risk of developing pneumonia and/or death.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 374 patients in TJUH who were evaluated via VFSS or BaSw from January 1 to June 30, 2017. We recorded the degree and …

Late Complications Of Free Flaps In Head And Neck Microvascular Reconstruction, Swapna Vasudevan, Cory Bovenzi, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Late free flap complications (LFFC) in head and neck reconstructive surgery occur over 72 hours postoperatively and result in flap loss in 97% of cases. Due to the rarity of LFFC, there is minimal research regarding risk factors for their development. Identifying risk factors for LFFC will result in improved monitoring of patients to prevent flap loss. This study aims to identify risk factors for the development of LFFC.

Methods: The target population of this retrospective cohort study was 116 patients who had undergone an Orbital Exenteration at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH) and had LFFC. Data was …

Detection Of Circulating Thyroid Tumor Dna In Patients With Thyroid Nodules, Krupal Bhupendrabhai Patel

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study was conducted to determine the feasibility of detecting BRAF(V600E) circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the plasma of patients with thyroid nodules, with the goal of distinguishing between benign and malignant nodules. Plasma samples from patients undergoing thyroid surgery for thyroid nodules were obtained prospectively pre-operatively and one month post-operatively, and quantitative-PCR was used determine the presence of BRAF(V600E) ctDNA. These were compared to formalin fixed paraffin embedded samples from the index nodule. Thirty-eight pairs of preoperative and postoperative plasma samples were collected and analyzed. 6/18 (33.3%) patients with classical PTC and 0/8 (0%) patients with nodular hyperplasia had …

Tp53 As A Biomarker In Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Thomas J. Ow Md

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Currently, there are no molecular biomarkers that guide treatment decisions for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Several retrospective studies have evaluated TP53 in HNSCC, and results have suggested that specific mutations are associated with poor outcome. However, there exists heterogeneity among these studies in the site and stage of disease of the patients reviewed, the treatments rendered, and methods of evaluating TP53 mutation. Thus, it remains unclear as to which patients and in which clinical settings TP53 mutation is most useful in predicting treatment failure.

In the current study, we reviewed the records of a cohort …