Surgery Commons^™

Male Breast Cancer: The Three Decades' Experience Of A Tertiary Care Hospital In A Lower-Middle Income Country, Sana Zeeshan, Muhammad Tayyab, Fatima Shaukat, Muhammad Usman Tariq, Nargis Khan, Lubna Vohra

Section of General Surgery

Introduction Male breast cancer is uncommon and managed on the guidelines of female breast cancer due to tumor rarity. We sought to identify the incidence, clinicopathological features, and survival of all male breast cancer patients managed in our hospital. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan, from January 1986 to December 2018. Demographic data, treatment records, and follow-up data of all male breast cancer patients who were treated at AKUH was reviewed. Results Thirty-eight out of 42 patients who presented over a period of 32 years were included. The mean age was …

Does Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Reduce Surgical Site Infection Rates In The Trauma Patient? A Southeast Asian Experience., Chenghan Wu, Kelvin Kah Ho Lor, Eugene Weiren Yang, Allan Shao Hui Ng

BioMedicine

Abstract

Introduction:

The trauma patient has an increased susceptibility to postoperative surgical site infection (SSI). There is a lack of studies in the literature investigating the rates of SSI in minimally invasive spine (MIS) surgery for trauma patients with thoracolumbar fractures with other concomitant injuries. We aim to investigate if MIS surgery for trauma patients reduces the incidence of SSI through a less invasive approach and smaller surgical incision.

Methods:

A case series of 30 trauma patients who underwent MIS surgery for thoracolumbar spine fractures at our center were followed up for a year. The primary outcome measured was the …

Surgical Stabilization Versus Nonoperative Treatment For Flail And Non-Flail Rib Fracture Patterns In Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury, Jonne T. H. Prins, Esther M. M. Van Lieshout, Francis Ali-Osman, Zachary M. Bauman, Eva-Corina Caragounis, Jeff Choi, D. Benjamin Christie Iii, Peter A. Cole, William B. Devoe, Julie Whitis

School of Medicine Publications

Purpose

Literature on outcomes after SSRF, stratified for rib fracture pattern is scarce in patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI; Glasgow Coma Scale ≤ 12). We hypothesized that SSRF is associated with improved outcomes as compared to nonoperative management without hampering neurological recovery in these patients.

Methods

A post hoc subgroup analysis of the multicenter, retrospective CWIS-TBI study was performed in patients with TBI and stratified by having sustained a non-flail fracture pattern or flail chest between January 1, 2012 and July 31, 2019. The primary outcome was mechanical ventilation-free days and secondary outcomes were in-hospital outcomes. …

Challenges And Opportunities For Immunotherapeutic Intervention Against Myeloid Immunosuppression In Glioblastoma, Mark A Exley, Samantha Garcia, Amelia Zellander, Jenny Zilberberg, David W. Andrews

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and deadly brain cancer, exemplifies the paradigm that cancers grow with help from an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). In general, TME includes a large contribution from various myeloid lineage-derived cell types, including (in the brain) altered pathogenic microglia as well as monocyte-macrophages (Macs), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and dendritic cell (DC) populations. Each can have protective roles, but has, by definition, been coopted by the tumor in patients with progressive disease. However, evidence demonstrates that myeloid immunosuppressive activities can be reversed in different ways, leading to enthusiasm for this therapeutic approach, both alone and …

Clinical Symptoms Contributing To Zenker's Diverticulum Repair: A Retrospective Review, Jhon F. Martinez Paredes, Razan Al Fakir, Amy L. Rutt

School of Medicine Publications

Objective: Zenker's diverticulum (ZD) is usually associated with dysphagia and other symptoms due to the interrelated functions of several systems. Surgical management of ZD is effective for all sizes of diverticula, but not all patients decide to undergo surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between clinical presentation and patients' decision to undergo surgical repair.

Subjects and methods: This is a retrospective study including 165 patients with ZD treated over the last 11 years. Data collection includes patients' chief complaints and symptoms, medical history, findings on radiologic swallow evaluations, and patients' decision to undergo surgery. Pearson …

Perceptions And Behaviors Of Learner Engagement With Virtual Educational Platforms., K J Dickinson, K E Caldwell, E A Graviss, D T Nguyen, M M Awad, J Olasky, S Tan, J H Winer, Kevin Y. Pei Md, Mhsed, Facs

Other Specialties

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased utilization of educational technology for surgical education. Our aim was to determine attitudes and behaviors of surgical education champions towards virtual educational platforms and learner engagement.

METHODS: An electronic survey was distributed to all Association of Surgical Education members addressing i) methods of engagement in virtual learning ii) ways to improve engagement and iii) what influences engagement. Stratified analysis was used to evaluate differences in responses by age, gender, level of training and specialty.

RESULTS: 154 ASE members completed the survey (13% response rate). 88% respondents accessed virtual learning events at home. Most (87%) …

Treatment Of Nonsurgical Refractory Back Pain With High-Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation At 10 Khz: 12-Month Results Of A Pragmatic, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial., Leonardo Kapural, Jessica Jameson, Curtis Johnson, Daniel Kloster, Aaron Calodney, Peter Kosek, Julie Pilitsis, Markus Bendel, Erika Petersen, Chengyuan Wu, Taissa Cherry, Shivanand P Lad, Cong Yu, Dawood Sayed, Johnathan Goree, Mark K Lyons, Andrew Sack, Diana Bruce, Frances Rubenstein, Rose Province-Azalde, David Caraway, Naresh P Patel

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Objective: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) at 10 kHz (10-kHz SCS) is a safe and effective therapy for treatment of chronic low-back pain. However, it is unclear from existing evidence whether these findings can be generalized to patients with chronic back pain that is refractory to conventional medical management (CMM) and who have no history of spine surgery and are not acceptable candidates for spine surgery. The authors have termed this condition "nonsurgical refractory back pain" (NSRBP) and conducted a multicenter, randomized controlled trial to compare CMM with and without 10-kHz SCS in this population.

Methods: Patients with NSRBP, as defined …

P118. Colonic Stent Presenting With Stent Impaction And Erosion Through The Colonic Wall, Benjamin Randall Hart, Jon Hain

Conference Presentation Abstracts

Background: Colonic stenting has been shown to be effective as a palliative measure in colorectal cancer when

patients present with obstructing symptoms. However, its efficacy when used for complications of colonic anastomoses are less well-studied. We present a case report of an elderly gentleman with a colonic stent placed for anastomotic stricture, which led to stent migration stent impaction with erosion in the sigmoid colon.

A 92-year-old gentleman presented to the ED with several days worth of nausea and vomiting. He had recently undergone a partial colectomy with an ileocolonic anastomosis approximately one year prior and then had a covered …

Angiotensin Blockade Therapy And Survival In Pancreatic Cancer: A Population Study, Scott W Keith, Vittorio Maio, Hwyda A Arafat, Matthew Alcusky, Thomas Karagiannis, Carol Rabinowitz, Harish Lavu, Daniel Z. Louis

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most aggressive and challenging cancer types to effectively treat, ranking as the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. We investigated if exposures to angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) or angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors after PC diagnosis are associated with survival.

Methods: PC patients were identified by ICD-9 diagnosis and procedure codes among the 3.7 million adults living in the Emilia-Romagna Region from their administrative health care database containing patient data on demographics, hospital discharges, all-cause mortality, and outpatient pharmacy prescriptions. Cox modeling estimated covariate-adjusted mortality hazard ratios …

Abcc6 Null Mice-A Model For Mineralization Disorder Pxe Shows Vertebral Osteopenia Without Enhanced Intervertebral Disc Calcification With Aging, Paige K Boneski, Vedavathi Madhu, Ryan Tomlinson, Irving Shapiro, Koen Van De Wetering, Makarand V Risbud

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Chronic low back pain is a highly prevalent health condition intricately linked to intervertebral disc degeneration. One of the prominent features of disc degeneration that is commonly observed with aging is dystrophic calcification. ATP-binding cassette sub-family C member 6 (ABCC6), a presumed ATP efflux transporter, is a key regulator of systemic levels of the mineralization inhibitor pyrophosphate (PPi). Mutations in ABCC6 result in pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), a progressive human metabolic disorder characterized by mineralization of the skin and elastic tissues. The implications of ABCC6 loss-of-function on pathological mineralization of structures in the spine, however, are unknown. Using the Abcc6 -/- …

Early Postoperative Arrhythmias After Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease Surgery: A 5-Year Audit From A Lower- To Middle-Income Country, Sidra Ishaque, Saleem Akhtar, Asma Akbar Ladak, Russell Seth Martins, Muhammad Kamran Younis Memon, Alisha Raza Kazmi, Fatima Mahmood, Anwar Ul Haque

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Postoperative arrhythmias are a known complication after surgical repair for congenital heart disease (CHD). This study aimed to identify and discuss the prevalence, diagnosis, and management of common rhythm disturbances seen in the immediate postoperative period after surgery for CHD in the pediatric population at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan between January 2014 and December 2018. All pediatric (old) patients admitted to the intensive care unit and undergoing continuous electrocardiographic monitoring after surgery for CHD were included in this study. Data pertaining to the incidence, …

Current Perspectives Of Oncoplastic Breast Surgery In Pakistan, Lubna Mushtaque Vohra, Dua Jabeen, Danish Ali, Syeda Sakina Abidi, Sana Zeeshan, Abida Khalil Sattar

Section of General Surgery

Oncoplastic breast surgery is based on the concept of tumour-specific immediate reconstruction. It combines both local and distant techniques to maintain breast texture, symmetry and cosmesis without compromising oncological outcome. The current narrative review was planned to highlight the current state and future of oncoplastic breast surgery in low- and middle-income countries where its utilisation in surgical practice remains insubstantial because majority of the surgeons who are treating breast cancer are either general surgeons or breast surgeons who do not have expertise in oncoplastic breast surgery or reconstructive surgery. Moreover, scarcity of financial resources, ignorance about oncoplastic breast surgery techniques, …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Axillary Nodal Ultrasound After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy In Node-Positive Breast Cancer Patients: A Validation Study, Syeda Sakina Abidi, Lubna Mushtaque Vohra, Asad Ali Kerawala, Imrana Masroor, Muhammad Umair Tahseen

Section of General Surgery

Objective: To determine the accuracy and false negative rate of axillary ultrasound compared to sentinel node biopsy.
Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from February 1 to March 31, 2021, and comprised data of breast cancer patients who had undergone neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by axillary lymph node dissection or axillary disease diagnosed using lymph node biopsy or sentinel lymph node biopsy between January 1, 2016, and December 30, 2020. After receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, axillary ultrasound findings were compared with histopathology of lymph nodes. Data was analysed using SPSS 22.
Results: Of the 155 …

Otorhinolaryngology Consultations In A Multidisciplinary Hospital - Their Effects On Residents Training On Floor, Ambreen Abdullah Unar, Muhammad Hammad Deewani, Mohammad Sohail Awan, Syeda Amrah Hashmi, Abdul Basit Shah Vardag, Ainulakbar Mughal

Section of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery

Objective: To determine all types and severity of Otolaryngology consultation requests at our tertiary care center and spectral records of problems related to otorhinolaryngology come across initially by residents which will help in re-shaping residency programmes and enhance patient related care.
Methodology: All otorhinolaryngology consultation received over a three-month period were recorded prospectively. Information collected for each encounter included the time, date, reason for consult at primary service and admission with final ENT diagnosis, any surgical or non-surgical intervention, and basic patient demographics.
Results: A total of 127 consults for inpatients were reviewed from April 2020 to June 2020. Out …

Rates Of Publication Of Fcps Dissertations In International And National Peer-Review Journals Among Residents At Akuh; A Cross Sectional Review Of 15 Years, Ainulakbar Mughal, Syed Akbar Abbas, Abdul Basit Shah Vardag, Muhammad Wasif, Soubia Akhtar, Ayesha Abbasi

Section of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery

Objective: To see the rate of publication of postgraduate residents' dissertation.
Methods: The single-centre retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised research publications from the residents of the departments of Surgery and Medicine who graduated between 2005 and 2020. The surgical subspecialties included Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Dentistry, General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Paediatric Surgery, Urology, Plastic Surgery and Cardiovascular Surgery. Data comprised demographics, current institution, current designation, information on dissertation/paper publication, topic of study, year of completion of dissertation, input from the research department, delay in exam due to incomplete dissertation and whether the paper got …

Surgical Training In Ophthalmology: Role Of Eyesi In The Era Of Simulation-Based Learning, Sehrish Nizar Ali Momin, Abdul Sami Memon, Muhammad Bilal Malik, Pir Salim Meher

Section of Ophthalmology

Recent advancements in surgical training methods have escalated the need for simulators. The EyeSi simulation has played a major role in Ophthalmology training by providing opportunity to the novice residents to grasp the surgical steps of the procedure and master the skill by repeated attempts. Participants were assessed on single level of cataract module and their consecutive scores were assessed with each attempt. It was found that repetitive practice on simulator can help develop proficiency in the desired steps that can ultimately prepare the surgical trainees for real life surgery.

Improving Awareness Could Transform Outcomes In Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy [Ao Spine Recode-Dcm Research Priority Number 1], Benjamin M Davies, Oliver Mowforth, Helen Wood, Zahabiya Karimi, Iwan Sadler, Lindsay Tetreault, Jamie Milligan, Jamie R F Wilson, Sukhvinder Kalsi-Ryan, Julio C Furlan, Yoshiharu Kawaguchi, Manabu Ito, Carl Moritz Zipser, Timothy F Boerger, Alex R. Vaccaro, Rory K J Murphy, Mike Hutton, Ricardo Rodrigues-Pinto, Paul A Koljonen, James Harrop, Bizhan Aarabi, Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar, Shekar N Kurpad, James D Guest, Jefferson R Wilson, Brian K Kwon, Mark R N Kotter, Michael G Fehlings

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Study design: Literature Review (Narrative).

Objective: To introduce the number one research priority for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM): Raising Awareness.

Methods: Raising awareness has been recognized by AO Spine RECODE-DCM as the number one research priority. This article reviews the evidence that awareness is low, the potential drivers, and why this must be addressed. Case studies of success from other diseases are also reviewed, drawing potential parallels and opportunities for DCM.

Results: DCM may affect as many as 1 in 50 adults, yet few will receive a diagnosis and those that do will wait many years for it. This leads …

Establishing The Socio-Economic Impact Of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Is Fundamental To Improving Outcomes [Ao Spine Recode-Dcm Research Priority Number 8], Benjamin M Davies, Richard Phillips, David Clarke, Julio C Furlan, Andreas K Demetriades, Jamie Milligan, Christopher D Witiw, James Harrop, Bizhan Aarabi, Shekar N Kurpad, James D Guest, Jefferson R Wilson, Brian K Kwon, Alex R. Vaccaro, Michael G Fehlings, Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar, Mark R N Kotter

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Study design: Literature Review (Narrative).

Objective: To contextualize AO Spine RECODE-DCM research priority number 5: What is the socio-economic impact of DCM? (The financial impact of living with DCM to the individual, their supporters, and society as a whole).

Methods: In this review, we introduce the methodology of health-economic investigation, including potential techniques and approaches. We summarize the current health-economic evidence within DCM, so far focused on surgical treatment. We also cover the first national estimate, in partnership with Myelopathy.org from the United Kingdom, of the cost of DCM to society. We then demonstrate the significance of this question to …

Conceptual Framework For A Cardiac Surgery Simulation Laboratory And Competency-Based Curriculum In Pakistan - A Short Innovation Report, Ali Aahil Noorali, Asma A H. Merchant, Sardar Shahmir Babar Chauhan, Mustafa Ali Khan, Anam Noor Ehsan, Mohammad Bin Pervez, Muhammad Tariq, Saulat Fatimi

Medical College Documents

Simulation is a commonly utilized technique in healthcare education as it provides trainees a realistic, but safe, environment to learn a variety of skills. Trainees belonging to fields known for high stakes with low margins for error, such as cardiac surgery, can greatly benefit from simulation-based education. We propose the establishment of the first multi-tier high fidelity cardiac surgery simulation lab with a structured curriculum that will eventually provide multidisciplinary training to promising cardiac surgeons across Pakistan. The simulation lab may also be used for research, grant acquisition and patent development. Our setup will include the following levels of simulation: …

Perioperative Registries In Resource-Limited Settings: The Way Forward For Pakistan, Usama Waqar, Shaheer Ahmed, Ayesha Nasir Hameed, Namrah Aziz, Hina Inam

Medical College Documents

Capable of improving surgical quality, perioperative registries can allow performance benchmarking, reliable reporting and the development of risk-prediction models. Well established in high-income countries, perioperative registries remain limited in lower- and middle-income countries due to several challenges. First, ensuring comprehensive data entry forums to power the registries is difficult because of limited electronic medical records requiring sustained efforts to develop and integrate these into practice. Second, lack of adequate expertise and resources to develop and maintain registry software necessitates the involvement of software developers and information technology personnel. Third, case ascertainment and item completion are challenging secondary to poor-quality medical …