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Journal of Education & Teaching in... Jan 2020This curriculum was developed for emergency medicine (EM) residents at the post-graduate year (PGY) 1-4 level, and attending EM physicians. It may be adapted for...
AUDIENCE
This curriculum was developed for emergency medicine (EM) residents at the post-graduate year (PGY) 1-4 level, and attending EM physicians. It may be adapted for training of any healthcare provider or learner who might be required to perform an emergency cricothyrotomy, including emergency medical technicians, senior medical students, and advanced practice providers (ie, nurse practitioners and physician assistants); however, we did not specifically validate it for these providers.
INTRODUCTION
Emergency cricothyrotomy (EC) is a lifesaving surgical procedure, often the option of last resort, used to secure the airway when other methods of airway control have failed or are not feasible. It is a high-risk procedure since it is infrequently performed, but it is time-sensitive and critical for survival when needed.1,2 Time-sensitive procedural skills such as EC are subject to relatively rapid decay,3,4 and unlike other high-risk procedures, in which just-in-time training (JITT) may improve real time procedural performance, the extreme time sensitivity of cricothryotomy precludes JITT as a feasible educational intervention to improve EC performance.5 As such, clinicians must periodically review the essential concepts and practice the physical actions of the procedure in order to build and maintain familiarity with the steps involved and to develop and maintain the muscle memory necessary to perform it quickly and confidently. Previous studies have shown that simulation-based training improves both confidence and competence in the performance of the simulated procedures,6,7 and that small group learning situations are effective for procedural learning.8,9Commercially produced mannequins are available to simulate cricothyrotomy. However, being made of plastic materials, they suffer from unrealistic "tissue" feel that is radically different from that of biologic tissue.10,11 Additionally, because they are mass-produced, they tend to be fairly homogeneous in their anatomic representations, lacking the variability encountered in the human population.We developed an inexpensive procedure simulator using commercially available porcine byproduct that more closely mimics the feel of cricothyrotomy in real life, and a comprehensive curriculum for instruction in, or review of, EC, intended for implementation in a small-group format. This publication is intended to provide interested educators with a comprehensive suite of materials for teaching EC at their own institution. Included are instructions for how to construct the simulator, an EC case scenario with discussion points, a PowerPoint didactic module covering the fundamental concepts of EC, and sample course evaluation forms that may be implemented directly or adapted to meet institutional requirements.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
After completing this activity, the learner will be able to:correctly describe the indications for and contraindications to emergency cricothyrotomycorrectly describe and identify on the simulator the anatomic landmarks involved in emergency cricothyrotomycorrectly list the required equipment and the sequence of the steps for the "standard" and "minimalist" variations of the proceduredemonstrate proper technique when performing a cricothyrotomy on the simulator without prompts or pauses.
EDUCATIONAL METHODS
Small group activity combining didactic learning, case-based learning, and procedural simulation. The didactic component may be delivered in an asynchronous learning or "flipped classroom" format.
RESEARCH METHODS
The cricothyrotomy simulator was initially pilot-tested on a group of emergency medicine attending faculty, who were asked to evaluate the simulator, with results demonstrating that it was felt to be superior to typical plastic mannequin simulators. This simulator was then subsequently integrated into our airway workshops teaching EC, which include hands-on practice, didactic, and discussion components. The content and delivery of these workshops were assessed by the learners via standardized evaluation forms after completion of each workshop, and the overall clinical relevance, appropriateness of content, and satisfaction with the workshop format were highly rated (mean score 4.87 on a 5-point scale, with 5 denoted as "Excellent").
DISCUSSION
The real-tissue model to simulate the procedure was well liked by course participants, and the learning environment was felt to be conducive to asking questions and discussion. Overall, the instructors and the learners felt that the workshops were effective in improving understanding of the procedure and increasing the comfort level and skill of the emergency physician learners in performing the procedure.
TOPICS
Cricothyrotomy, cricothyroidotomy, emergency airway, surgical airway, failed airway, rescue airway, can't intubate can't ventilate, small group activity, simulation.
PubMed: 37465596
DOI: 10.21980/J8JS9W -
Statistical Methods in Medical Research Jan 2021We construct robust designs for nonlinear quantile regression, in the presence of both a possibly misspecified nonlinear quantile function and heteroscedasticity of an...
We construct robust designs for nonlinear quantile regression, in the presence of both a possibly misspecified nonlinear quantile function and heteroscedasticity of an unknown form. The asymptotic mean-squared error of the quantile estimate is evaluated and maximized over a neighbourhood of the fitted quantile regression model. This maximum depends on the scale function and on the design. We entertain two methods to find designs that minimize the maximum loss. The first is local - we minimize for given values of the parameters and the scale function, using a sequential approach, whereby each new design point minimizes the subsequent loss, given the current design. The second is adaptive - at each stage, the maximized loss is evaluated at quantile estimates of the parameters, and a kernel estimate of scale, and then the next design point is obtained as in the sequential method. In the context of a Michaelis-Menten response model for an estrogen/hormone study, and a variety of scale functions, we demonstrate that the adaptive approach performs as well, in large study sizes, as if the parameter values and scale function were known beforehand and the sequential method applied. When the sequential method uses an incorrectly specified scale function, the adaptive method yields an, often substantial, improvement. The performance of the adaptive designs for smaller study sizes is assessed and seen to still be very favourable, especially so since the prior information required to design sequentially is rarely available.
Topics: Research Design
PubMed: 32812499
DOI: 10.1177/0962280220948159 -
Cardiology Clinics May 2021In most patients, minimally invasive approaches to mitral valve surgery are technically possible. However, in practice, patient selection is critical to mitigate safety... (Review)
Review
In most patients, minimally invasive approaches to mitral valve surgery are technically possible. However, in practice, patient selection is critical to mitigate safety concerns when performing the procedure. In this article, we describe our approach to preoperative assessment for minimally invasive mitral valve surgery candidacy, as well as discussing the technical aspects of procedure execution.
Topics: Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Humans; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; Mitral Valve; Patient Selection; Thoracotomy; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33894935
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccl.2021.01.003 -
JAMA Network Open Feb 2022Limited data exist regarding the characteristics of hospitals that do and do not participate in voluntary public reporting programs.
IMPORTANCE
Limited data exist regarding the characteristics of hospitals that do and do not participate in voluntary public reporting programs.
OBJECTIVE
To describe hospital characteristics and trends associated with early participation in the American College of Cardiology (ACC) voluntary reporting program for cardiac catheterization-percutaneous coronary intervention (CathPCI) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) registries.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This cross-sectional study analyzed enrollment trends and characteristics of hospitals that did and did not participate in the ACC voluntary public reporting program. All hospitals reporting procedure data to the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) CathPCI or ICD registries that were eligible for the public reporting program from July 2014 (ie, program launch date) to May 2017 were included. Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify hospital characteristics associated with voluntary participation. Enrollment trends were evaluated considering the date US News & World Report (USNWR) announced that it would credit participating hospitals. Data analysis was performed from March 2017 to January 2018.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Hospital characteristics and participation in the public reporting program.
RESULTS
By May 2017, 561 of 1747 eligible hospitals (32.1%) had opted to participate in the program. Enrollment increased from 240 to 376 hospitals (56.7%) 1 month after the USNWR announcement that program participation would be considered as a component of national hospital rankings. Compared with hospitals that did not enroll, program participants had increased median (IQR) procedural volumes for PCI (481 [280-764] procedures vs 332 [186-569] procedures; P < .001) and ICD (114 [56-220] procedures vs 62 [25-124] procedures; P < .001). Compared with nonparticipating hospitals, an increased mean (SD) proportion of participating hospitals adhered to composite discharge medications after PCI (0.96 [0.03] vs 0.92 [0.07]; P < .001) and ICD (0.88 [0.10] vs 0.81 [0.12]; P < .001). Hospital factors associated with enrollment included participation in 5 or more NCDR registries (odds ratio [OR],1.98; 95% CI, 1.24-3.19; P = .005), membership in a larger hospital system (ie, 3-20 hospitals vs ≤2 hospitals in the system: OR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.65-3.17; P = .001), participation in an NCDR pilot public reporting program of PCI 30-day readmissions (OR, 2.93; 95% CI, 2.19-3.91; P < .001), university affiliation (vs government affiliation: OR, 3.85, 95% CI, 1.03-14.29; P = .045; vs private affiliation: OR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.35-3.57; P < .001), Midwest location (vs South: OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.06-2.08; P = .02), and increased comprehensive quality ranking (4 vs 1-2 performance stars in CathPCI: OR, 8.08; 95% CI, 5.07-12.87; P < .001; 4 vs 1 performance star in ICD: OR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.48-3.44; P < .001) (C statistic = 0.829).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
This study found that one-third of eligible hospitals participated in the ACC voluntary public reporting program and that enrollment increased after the announcement that program participation would be considered by USNWR for hospital rankings. Several hospital characteristics, experience with public reporting, and quality of care were associated with increased odds of participation.
Topics: Cardiac Catheterization; Cardiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Defibrillators, Implantable; Female; Forecasting; Hospitals; Humans; Male; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; Research Design; United States
PubMed: 35142829
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.47903 -
Annals of Surgery Jun 2017To review the methodology employed in surgical mortality studies to control for potential confounders. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To review the methodology employed in surgical mortality studies to control for potential confounders.
SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA
Nationwide hospital data are increasingly used to investigate surgical outcomes. However, poor data granularity and coding inaccuracies may lead to flawed findings.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review in accordance with the PRISMA statement in 6 major journals (NEJM, Lancet, BMJ, JAMA, Medical Care, Annals of Surgery) using PubMed from its inception until December 31, 2014. Two reviewers independently reviewed citations. Using a predesigned data collection form, we extracted information about study aim and design, data source, selected population, outcome definition, patient and hospital adjustment, statistics, and sensitivity analyses. The methodological quality of studies was assessed based on 5 criteria and explored over time.
RESULTS
Among 89 included studies from 1987 to 2014, 54 explored surgical mortality determinants, 13 compared surgical procedure effectiveness, 13 evaluated the impact of healthcare policy, and 9 described outcome trends for specific procedures. A total of 89% (n = 79) of studies did not describe population selection criteria at patient and hospital level, 64% (n = 57) did not consider secular trends, 52% (n = 46) neglected hospital clustering or characteristics, 21% (n = 19) did not perform sensitivity analyses, and 4% did not adjust outcomes for patient risk (n = 4). The percentage of studies satisfying at least 3 of these criteria increased significantly from 44% before 1999 to 52% between 2000 and 2009 and 78% after 2010 (P = 0.008).
CONCLUSIONS
Although methodological quality of studies has improved over time, confounder control could be improved through better study design, homogeneous population selection, the consideration of hospital factors and secular trends influencing surgical mortality, and the systematic performance of sensitivity analyses.
Topics: Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Databases, Factual; Hospital Mortality; Humans; Research Design; Surgical Procedures, Operative
PubMed: 28027060
DOI: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000002119 -
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Oct 2018Prepectoral prosthetic breast reconstruction has become an acceptable option for women following mastectomy. Benefits include no animation deformity, absence of...
Prepectoral prosthetic breast reconstruction has become an acceptable option for women following mastectomy. Benefits include no animation deformity, absence of pectoralis major muscle spasm, and less pain and discomfort. Important aspects of prepectoral reconstruction include working with breast surgeons that are adept at performing an optimal mastectomy. Tissue perfusion and reasonable thickness of the mastectomy are critical components of success. Tissue necrosis, infection, and delayed healing can lead to reconstructive failure. Given the risks and benefits of this procedure, questions regarding indications, patient selection, and specific details related to technique remain because there is no consensus. Whether it is safe to perform prepectoral reconstruction in obese or previously irradiated patients is controversial. The use of acellular dermal matrix is common but not universal. The amount of acellular dermal matrix used is variable, with success being demonstrated with the partial and total wrap techniques. Device selection can vary but is critical in the prepectoral setting. Postoperative care and the management of adverse events are important to understand and can impact surgical and aesthetic outcomes. This article provides current approaches, recommendations, and an algorithm for prepectoral breast reconstruction with an emphasis on patient selection, immediate versus delayed prepectoral reconstruction, specific technical details, and postoperative management.
Topics: Acellular Dermis; Algorithms; Breast Implants; Drainage; Female; Humans; Mammaplasty; Mastectomy; Patient Selection; Postoperative Care; Postoperative Complications; Surgical Flaps; Tissue Expansion Devices
PubMed: 30252807
DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000004802 -
Statistics in Medicine Oct 2021Meta-analysis of rare event data has recently received increasing attention due to the challenging issues rare events pose to traditional meta-analytic methods. One... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Meta-analysis of rare event data has recently received increasing attention due to the challenging issues rare events pose to traditional meta-analytic methods. One specific way to combine information and analyze rare event meta-analysis data utilizes confidence distributions (CDs). While several CD methods exist, no comparisons have been made to determine which method is best suited for homogeneous or heterogeneous meta-analyses with rare events. In this article, we review several CD methods: Fisher's classic P-value combination method, one that combines P-value functions, another that combines confidence intervals, and one that combines confidence log-likelihood functions. We compare these CD approaches, and we propose and compare variations of these methods to determine which method produces reliable results for homogeneous or heterogeneous rare event meta-analyses. We find that for homogeneous rare event data, most CD methods perform very well. On the other hand, for heterogeneous rare event data, there is a clear split in performance between some CD methods, with some performing very poorly and others performing reasonably well.
Topics: Humans; Likelihood Functions; Research Design
PubMed: 34219258
DOI: 10.1002/sim.9125 -
Lung Jun 2019Several different tracheostomy techniques (percutaneous and surgical) have been studied extensively in previous direct pairwise meta-analyses. However, a network... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis Review
A Network Comparative Meta-analysis of Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomies Using Anatomic Landmarks, Bronchoscopic, and Ultrasound Guidance Versus Open Surgical Tracheostomy.
BACKGROUND
Several different tracheostomy techniques (percutaneous and surgical) have been studied extensively in previous direct pairwise meta-analyses. However, a network comparative meta-analysis comparing all has not been conducted before.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to compare three percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy techniques with open surgical tracheostomy technique (performed in the operating room or in the intensive care unit by bedside) in terms of their association with procedure-related major complications and procedure time.
DATA SOURCES
We searched PubMed and Cochrane register of randomized active comparator trials.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
A network comparative meta-analysis was performed in Stata using frequentist methodology. Major complications were defined as a composite of a priori-selected procedure-related complications. Tracheostomy techniques that did not require any direct bronchoscopic or ultrasonographic visualization of the entire procedure were grouped under the heading-anatomic landmark-based dilatational tracheostomy (ALDT). This along with bronchoscopic-guided dilatational tracheostomy (BDT), ultrasound-guided (UDT), and surgical tracheostomy (SGT) were compared with each other using network meta-analysis in Stata after all major assumptions (similarity, transitivity, and consistency) for performing a network were met. Log odds ratio (and standard errors) of the comparison of major complications between any two tracheostomy techniques (using indirect estimates) was statistically insignificant. Pairwise meta-analysis showed significant differences in procedure times between SGT and ALDT [mean difference: 9.96 min (SE 3.18)] and between SGT and BDT [15.67 min (SE 3.85)]. The indirect network meta-analysis comparing one versus the other also showed a statistically significant time difference between surgical tracheostomy when compared with every other technique.
CONCLUSIONS
The results of our network meta-analysis show that all tracheostomy techniques are comparable with respect to associated procedure-related complications, but all three percutaneous techniques take far less procedure time compared to the surgical tracheostomy.
Topics: Anatomic Landmarks; Bronchoscopy; Dilatation; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Network Meta-Analysis; Operative Time; Postoperative Complications; Surgery, Computer-Assisted; Tracheostomy; Ultrasonography
PubMed: 31020401
DOI: 10.1007/s00408-019-00230-7 -
Hospital Practice (1995) Dec 2021: Mounting literature describes increased procedure volume and improvement in procedural skills following implementation of procedural curricula and standardized...
: Mounting literature describes increased procedure volume and improvement in procedural skills following implementation of procedural curricula and standardized rotations, generally requiring at least two weeks and incorporating dedicated lecture and didactic efforts. It is unknown whether shorter rotations that feature self-directed curricula can achieve similar outcomes.: House staff participated in a one-week procedure rotation that coincided with preexisting non-clinical blocks ('jeopardy'). It provided an online curriculum as well as opportunities to perform procedures under interprofessional supervision. Inpatient procedure volumes were tallied before and after implementation of the rotation. During the first year of the rotation (academic year 2013-2014), house staff completed a knowledge-based quiz and a Likert-based survey (range 1-5) addressing confidence in performing procedures and satisfaction in procedural training. : Ninety-five of 99 house staff participated in the intervention (96% response rate). The total number of procedures performed by the Division of Hospital Medicine increased from an average of 74 per year over the four years prior to the introduction of the rotation to 291 per year during the third year of the rotation. The knowledge-based quiz score improved from a pre-intervention mean value of 50% to a post-intervention mean value of 61% (P = 0.020). Confidence in performing procedures improved from a pre-intervention mean value of 2.37 to a post-intervention mean value of 2.59 (P < 0.001). Satisfaction with procedural training improved from a pre-intervention mean value of 2.48 to a post-intervention mean value of 2.69 (P < 0.001).: A one-week procedure rotation with a self-directed curriculum was introduced into the curriculum of an internal medicine residency program and was associated with increased procedure volume and sustained improvement in house staff knowledge, confidence, and satisfaction with procedural training.
Topics: Attitude of Health Personnel; Clinical Competence; Curriculum; Educational Measurement; Humans; Internal Medicine; Internship and Residency; Quality Improvement
PubMed: 34291702
DOI: 10.1080/21548331.2021.1959747 -
BMC Medical Research Methodology Nov 2021The natural indirect effect (NIE) and mediation proportion (MP) are two measures of primary interest in mediation analysis. The standard approach for mediation analysis...
BACKGROUND
The natural indirect effect (NIE) and mediation proportion (MP) are two measures of primary interest in mediation analysis. The standard approach for mediation analysis is through the product method, which involves a model for the outcome conditional on the mediator and exposure and another model describing the exposure-mediator relationship. The purpose of this article is to comprehensively develop and investigate the finite-sample performance of NIE and MP estimators via the product method.
METHODS
With four common data types with a continuous/binary outcome and a continuous/binary mediator, we propose closed-form interval estimators for NIE and MP via the theory of multivariate delta method, and evaluate its empirical performance relative to the bootstrap approach. In addition, we have observed that the rare outcome assumption is frequently invoked to approximate the NIE and MP with a binary outcome, although this approximation may lead to non-negligible bias when the outcome is common. We therefore introduce the exact expressions for NIE and MP with a binary outcome without the rare outcome assumption and compare its performance with the approximate estimators.
RESULTS
Simulation studies suggest that the proposed interval estimator provides satisfactory coverage when the sample size ≥500 for the scenarios with a continuous outcome and sample size ≥20,000 and number of cases ≥500 for the scenarios with a binary outcome. In the binary outcome scenarios, the approximate estimators based on the rare outcome assumption worked well when outcome prevalence less than 5% but could lead to substantial bias when the outcome is common; in contrast, the exact estimators always perform well under all outcome prevalences considered.
CONCLUSIONS
Under samples sizes commonly encountered in epidemiology and public health research, the proposed interval estimator is valid for constructing confidence interval. For a binary outcome, the exact estimator without the rare outcome assumption is more robust and stable to estimate NIE and MP. An R package mediateP is developed to implement the methods for point and variance estimation discussed in this paper.
Topics: Bias; Computer Simulation; Humans; Models, Statistical; Research Design; Sample Size
PubMed: 34800985
DOI: 10.1186/s12874-021-01425-4