Author Interviews, JAMA, OBGYNE, Surgical Research, Weight Research / 15.11.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Brodie Parent, MD MS General Surgery R4 University of Washington MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: We already knew that women with a history of bariatric surgery are a high risk group when it comes to childbirth. Our study has confirmed prior data which show that infants from these women are at a higher risk for being premature, low birth-weight, or requiring ICU admission. However, this is some of the first data which looks at their risk over time after recovery from the operation. Data from this study show that risks to the infant are highest in the first 3 years after an operation, and diminish over time. This suggests that women should wait a minimum of three years after an operation before attempting conception.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JACC, Surgical Research / 28.10.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Anna Franzone, MD and Prof.Thomas Pilgrim, MD Department of Cardiology Bern University Hospital INSELSPITAL Bern, Switzerland MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Surgical aortic valve replacement is the therapeutic standard for patients with pure native aortic regurgitation (AR). However, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is emerging as a novel treatment option for patients deemed inoperable or at high-risk for surgery because of advanced age and multiple comorbidities. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis including 237 patients with pure native AR undergoing TAVI across 13 studies. The primary study endpoint, all-cause mortality at 30-day, ranged from 0% up to 30% with a summary estimate rate of 7% . The occurrence of complications such as the need for a second valve implantation was relatively low as well as the rates of other endpoints (cerebrovascular events, major bleeding and vascular complications).
Author Interviews, Hip Fractures, Orthopedics, Surgical Research / 27.10.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Tom Withers Research Student, School of Health Sciences University East Anglia Norwich, UK MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: There is a lot of subjective evidence to suggest that physical activity does not improve following hip replacement we wanted to therefore synthesise the current evidence to come to a more objective conclusion. The main finding from this study is that physical activity does not significantly change pre-operatively compared to up to one year post-operatively.
Author Interviews, JAMA, Surgical Research / 21.10.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Thue Bisgaard, M.D., D.M.Sc Professor of Surgery, Hvidovre Hospital Hvidovre Denmark MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The complete spectrum for the benefits and risks of mesh used to reinforce hernia repair is not known because there are very few clinical trial data reporting hernia outcomes as they pertain to mesh utilization. Generally, there is evidence that mesh is beneficial in terms of less risk of reoperation for recurrence after incisional hernia repair compared with sutured repair. The present study confirmed this for the first time in nationwide analysis with a long-term follow-up of 5 years up. From earlier studies from our group (Ann Surg 2012) it is known that reoperation rate for recurrence severely underestimates overall (clinical) risk of recurrence making differences between mesh vs. sutured repair even much bigger. Although rare (5%) the incidence of mesh-related complications was progressively increasing throughout the study period suggesting that mesh-related complications rate may continue to accrue with even longer follow-up.
Anesthesiology, Author Interviews, Opiods, Pain Research, Surgical Research / 18.10.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Bryan Sakamoto MD, PhD Department of Anesthesia Richard L. Roudebush, Veterans Affairs Medical Center Department of Anesthesia Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, Indiana MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Liposomal bupivacaine is a novel extended-duration anesthetic that has recently become a popular option in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for post-operative pain management. Although liposomal bupivacaine is widely used, it is unknown if the benefits justify the cost in the veteran population at our institution. The main purpose of this medication use study was to evaluate the cost verses benefit of using this agent in our veteran patient population.
Author Interviews, Outcomes & Safety, Surgical Research / 18.10.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Vishal Sarwahi, MD, senior author Associate Surgeon-in-Chief Chief, Spinal Deformity and Pediatric Orthopaedics Billie and George Ross center for Advanced Pediatric Orthopaedics and Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery Cohen's Children Medical Center Northwell Hofstra School of Medicine and [caption id="attachment_28960" align="alignleft" width="125"]Stephen F. Wendolowski Research Assistant Pediatric Orthopaedics Cohen Children’s Medical Center New Hyde Park, NY, 11040 Stephen F. Wendolowski[/caption] Stephen F. Wendolowski Research Assistant Pediatric Orthopaedics Cohen Children’s Medical Center New Hyde Park, NY, 11040 MedicalResearch.com: What is LEAN? Response: LEAN is a management principle that supports the concept of continuous improvement through small incremental changes to not only improve efficiency, but also quality. Particularly, we took interest in the 5S’s – Sort, Simplify, Sweep, Standardize, and Self-Discipline. We felt that Sort, Simplify, and Standardize were the most relevant to surgery.
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Cost of Health Care, Surgical Research / 06.10.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Diego Lopez Harvard medical student and Dr. Andrew Loehrer MD former surgical resident at MGH senior author: David C. Chang, PhD, MPH, MBA Associate Professor of Surgery Director of Healthcare Research and Policy Development Department of Surgery Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Income inequality in the United States has been increasing in recent decades, and has become an important in this election cycle. Although income inequality is often framed in terms of its effects on politics and the economy, little attention has been paid to its effect on the healthcare system. In our study, we set out to evaluate the way in which counties with differing levels of income inequality made use of the healthcare system while controlling for the overall income (as well as other demographic variables). We found that areas with higher income inequality were associated with higher Medicare expenditures.  And these effects are independent of – meaning they are in addition to – the known effect of poverty on healthcare utilization.
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Clots - Coagulation, JAMA, Surgical Research, Thromboembolism / 03.10.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Charles A. Karcutskie IV, MD, MA Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Department of Surgery Divisions of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and Burns MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Our research group at the Ryder Trauma Center have recently done several studies showing various differences in outcomes and risk based on mechanism of injury. Additionally, venous thromboembolism (VTE) is another topic that our group has focused on in the past several years. Because trauma patients are inherently at a higher risk for VTE due to the nature of their injury, we questioned whether the most important risk factors for VTE were different after blunt or penetrating trauma. At our institution, we assess VTE risk with the Greenfield Risk Assessment Profile, which is a list of several risk factors that each have weight toward an overall risk score. We took these risk factors and analyzed them individually based on mechanism of injury. We found that the factors that contribute to the VTE risk are different based on injury mechanism: After blunt trauma, transfusion status, neurologic status, and pelvic fracture contributed most. After penetrating trauma, vascular injury, severe abdominal injury, and age 40-59 years contributed most. This tells us that mechanism of injury may need to be incorporated into the risk assessment in order to discover the highest risk patients.
Author Interviews, Journal Clinical Oncology, Prostate Cancer, Surgical Research, Urology / 30.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28482" align="alignleft" width="134"]Eric Jacobs, PHD | Strategic Director, Pharmacoepidemiology American Cancer Society, Inc. 250 Williams St. Atlanta, GA 30303 Dr. Eric Jacobs[/caption] Eric Jacobs, PHD Strategic Director, Pharmacoepidemiology American Cancer Society, Inc. 250 Williams St. Atlanta, GA 30303 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Vasectomy is a common, inexpensive, and very effective method of long-term birth control. However, in 2014, an analysis from a large epidemiologic cohort study, the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, found that vasectomy was associated with about 10% higher overall risk of prostate cancer and about 20% higher risk of fatal prostate cancer. Together with other researchers at the American Cancer Society, I analyzed the association between vasectomy and fatal prostate cancer among more than 363,000 men in the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) cohort, age 40 and older, who were followed for up to 30 years. This is the largest prospective analysis of vasectomy and fatal prostate cancer to date. We also examined vasectomy and prostate cancer in a subset of about 66,000 CPS-II study participants who were followed for new diagnoses of prostate cancer. We found no link between having had a vasectomy and risk of either developing or dying from prostate cancer.
Author Interviews, Infections, Lancet, Pediatrics, Surgical Research / 30.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Marjo Renko MD PEDEGO Research Unit University of Oulu Oulu, Finland MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: For over a decade there has been suture materials containing antiseptic agent in the market. Trials in adults have shown some possible benefits from these sutures as in some studies they have reduced occurrence of surgical site infections. Only one small study had so far been published in children and thus we decided to carry out a large trial comparing sutures containing triclosan with ordinary ones. Our trial included over 1500 children who came to Oulu University Hospital for surgery. Surgical site infections were carefully monitored. Surgical site infections occurred in 2.6 % of the children who received absorbing sutures containing triclosan while that occurred in 5,4 % of the children who received ordinary sutures.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Kidney Disease, Surgical Research / 25.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Pablo Codner, MD; Amos Levi, MD (firsts authors) and Prof. Ran Kornowski, MD, FACC, FESC (senior author) Rabin Medical Center Derech Ze`ev Israel. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a well-established treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who are deemed inoperable by the “heart team”, for those at high risk for surgery and also for patients at intermediate surgical risk. Currently this therapeutic alternative is being compared with surgical aortic valve replacement in patients at low risk for surgery. Patients with chronic kidney disease were excluded from most randomized trials. We evaluated outcomes within a large multicenter cohort of patients undergoing TAVR distinguished by renal function, from 11 high volume centers in 8 different countries across Europe and Asia. In our experience patients with renal dysfunction were associated with poor clinical outcomes. All-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates during the follow-up period increased with declining renal function. A glomerular filtration rate ≤30 mL/min was identified on multivariate analysis as an independent predictor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. We also found higher rates of severe bleeding and vascular complications among patient with advanced or end stage renal failure.
Author Interviews, ENT, Surgical Research / 22.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28267" align="alignleft" width="160"]Eric E Smouha, MD Professor, Otolaryngology The Mount Sinai Hospital New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Dr. Eric E Smouha[/caption] Eric E Smouha, MD Professor, Otolaryngology The Mount Sinai Hospital New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai MedicalResearch.com: Would you tell us a little about yourself? How did you become interested in ENT and specifically middle ear problems? Response: I am a neurotologist, i.e. , ENT physician specialized in disorders of the ear and skull base. Neurotologists treat problems of the middle ear and inner ear. Middle ear problems are interesting because they are prevalent, and surgery frequently results in restoration of function.
Author Interviews, ENT, Surgical Research / 21.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with electrolube-surgicalTim Reese, president of Eagle Surgical Products, LLC, Sales and distribution company for Electro Lube® MedicalResearch.com: What is the background of Electro Lube®? Response: Developed in 2004, Electro Lube® is an anti-stick solution for electrosurgery designed to keep instruments clean. The product is a mixture of natural, non-synthetic, non-flammable, non-allergenic biocompatible phospholipids without any known side effects associated with patient use.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA, Surgical Research / 19.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Nish Patel, MD and Nileshkumar J. Patel, MD University of Miami Miller School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is estimated to affect approximately 300,000 people in the United States annually. Pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) contributes 23-54% of OHCA patients, with the median values at the lower end of this range. Coronary artery disease is thought to be responsible for up to 70% of these OHCA cases. It has been suggested that urgent coronary intervention in unconscious patients after cardiac arrest may improve survival. In the 2015 American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, coronary angiography is recommended in patients with OHCA patients with a suspected cardiac etiology and ST elevations (STE) on ECG (Class of recommendation I, Level of evidence B), and it should be considered in patients after cardiac arrest presenting without STE but with suspected cardiac etiology of cardiac arrest (Class of recommendation II a, Level of evidence B). However, there is paucity of information about the use of coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and its potential benefit for the VT/VF OHCA patient population. Therefore, we reviewed the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), to examine temporal trends of coronary angiography and PCI in VT/VF OHCA in the United States, for patients with and without STE. We also studied the temporal trends of survival to discharge in these patient populations.
Author Interviews, NEJM, Prostate Cancer / 15.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27922" align="alignleft" width="150"]Professor Jenny Donovan PhD OBE FMedSci NIHR-SI AcSS FFPHM Director, NIHR CLAHRC West (National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West) at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust Bristol, UK Prof. Jenny Donovan[/caption] Professor Jenny Donovan  PhD OBE FMedSci NIHR-SI AcSS FFPHM Director, NIHR CLAHRC West (National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West) at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust Bristol, UK MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: PSA testing identifies many men with prostate cancer, but they do not all benefit from treatment. Surgery, radiation therapy and various programs of active monitoring/surveillance can be given as treatments for fit men with clinically localized prostate cancer. Previous studies have not compared the most commonly used treatments in terms of mortality, disease progression and patient-reported outcomes. In the ProtecT study, we used a comprehensive set of validated measures, completed by the men at baseline (before diagnosis), at six and 12 months and then annually for six years. The main finding is that each treatment has a particular pattern of side-effects and recovery which needs to be balanced against the findings from the paper reporting the clinical outcomes (Hamdy et al).
Author Interviews, Gender Differences, Heart Disease, Surgical Research / 11.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27680" align="alignleft" width="152"]Michael A. Gaglia Jr., MD, MSc, FACC, FSCAI Scientific Lead, Population Research Medstar Cardiovascular Research Network Interventional Cardiology Medstar Heart and Vascular Institute Washington, DC 20010 Dr. Michael Gaglia[/caption] Michael A. Gaglia Jr., MD, MSc, FACC, FSCAI Scientific Lead, Population Research Medstar Cardiovascular Research Network Interventional Cardiology Medstar Heart and Vascular Institute Washington, DC 20010 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Cardiovascular outcomes vary according to gender in a variety of disease states. For example, short-term mortality is higher among women presenting with an acute coronary syndrome in comparison to men. There is a similar trend for higher short-term mortality of women undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, although this is in part due to a relatively higher burden of comorbidities. Female gender is also a well-established risk factor for bleeding complications after percutaneous coronary intervention. In regards to women undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis (AS), however, the data is equivocal; some studies suggest higher mortality for women, whereas others suggest improved survival for women. The emergence of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as the preferred therapeutic option for patients with severe AS at high or extreme risk for surgery offered another opportunity to examine gender disparities in outcomes. The evidence base for the impact of gender upon TAVR, however, is still evolving. A recent meta-analysis suggested improved long-term survival among women after TAVR. And in general, previous studies also suggest more vascular and bleeding complications in women when compared to men. The goal of this study was relatively simple: to compare outcomes between women and men undergoing TAVR at a single center.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Hospital Readmissions, Surgical Research / 04.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27659" align="alignleft" width="125"]Christian A. McNeely, M.D. Resident Physician - Internal Medicine Barnes-Jewish Hospital Washington University Medical Center Dr. Christian McNeely[/caption] Christian A. McNeely, M.D. Resident Physician - Internal Medicine Barnes-Jewish Hospital Washington University Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Prior research has demonstrated that readmission in the first 30 days after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is common, reported around one in six or seven Medicare beneficiaries, and that many are potentially preventable. Since 2000, there have been significant changes in the management of coronary artery disease and the use of PCI. Additionally, in the last decade, readmission rates have become a major focus of research, quality improvement and a public health issue, with multiple resulting national initiatives/programs which may be affecting care. Therefore, in this study, we sought to examine contemporary trends in readmission characteristics and associated outcomes of patients who underwent PCI using the Medicare database from 2000-2012.
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Heart Disease, JACC, Outcomes & Safety, Surgical Research / 04.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Senthil Selvaraj, MD, MA and Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart & Vascular Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: There has been significant controversy in the effect of off-hours presentation in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Off-hours presentation has been associated with longer treatment time, an independent predictor of worse outcomes in STEMI, though a number of other studies have shown no difference as well. Moreover, little data has been generated from clinical trials, which has the advantage of comprehensive and adjudicated outcomes. In our analysis of nearly 2,000 STEMI patients from the CHAMPION PHOENIX study (a randomized, controlled trial of cangrelor in percutaneous coronary intervention), we found that off-hours presentation was not associated with worse efficacy or safety outcomes at 48 hours or 30 days. More specifically, outcomes not typically reported in registry data, such as ischemia-driven revascularization and stent thrombosis, were not significantly different between the groups. Interestingly, treatment times were actually faster in the “off-hours” group as well.
Author Interviews, BMJ, Education, Surgical Research / 03.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Miss Hui-Ling Kerr SpR Trauma and Orthopaedics Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, UK MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Gender inequality at consultant level in surgery has not improved despite greater opportunities for women and only a small proportion of women apply to become surgical trainees. We wanted to find out if the lack of female surgical role models acted as a deterrent to first year female junior doctors and final year medical students towards a career in surgery.
Author Interviews, Duke, JAMA, Surgical Research, Weight Research / 02.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27481" align="alignleft" width="156"]Matthew Leonard Maciejewski, PhD Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine Department of Medicine Duke University School of Medicine Research Career Scientist and Director of the Health Economics and Policy Unit in the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care Durham VA Medical Center Dr. Matt Maciejewski[/caption] Matthew Leonard Maciejewski, PhD Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine Department of Medicine Duke University School of Medicine Research Career Scientist and Director of the Health Economics and Policy Unit in the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care Durham VA Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: No study based on a US cohort undergoing current procedures has examined weight change comparing surgical patients and nonsurgical patients for as long as we have. This is the first study to report 10-year outcomes on gastric bypass patients and compare them to matched patients who did not get surgery. At 1 year, gastric bypass patients lost 31% of their baseline weight compared controls who only lost 1.1% of their baseline weight. At 10 years, gastric bypass had lost 28% of their baseline weight. We also compared weight loss at 4 years for Veterans who received the 3 most common procedures (gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and adjustable gastric banding). At 4 years, patients undergoing gastric bypass lost more weight than patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy or gastric banding. Given that few high quality studies have examined sleeve gastrectomy to 4 years, the 4-year sleeve outcomes contribute to filling this important evidence gap as the sleeve gastrectomy is now the most commonly performed bariatric procedure worldwide.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA, Surgical Research / 02.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27459" align="alignleft" width="163"]Dr Marlous Hall PhD Senior Epidemiologist Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine Dr. Marlous Hall[/caption] Dr Marlous Hall PhD Senior Epidemiologist Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: It is well known that death rates following heart attacks have fallen considerably over recent decades. Many studies have looked at the effect of medications and invasive strategies, and their association with better clinical outcomes is clear. However, a big question remains: why have heart attack deaths fallen? Is it due to increased use of medications and treatment, is the risk of patients simply lower over time due to things like earlier diagnosis or are patients generally healthier with fewer comorbidities such as diabetes? Answering this is not straightforward - as “gold standard” studies like clinical trials on historic data cannot be done. An alternative approach is to look for patterns in data observed from routine care to look at all these factors together. This study used a large and rich dataset covering heart attack care in the UK (Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP)). This dataset was linked to outcome data from the Office for National Statistics to allow us to look at all the different factors that could influence the change in mortality over time.
Anemia, Author Interviews, Hematology, Lancet, Surgical Research / 02.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Alhossain A. Khalafallah, Clinical Professor Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Australia Consultant Haematologist Launceston General Hospital Australia MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: There are limited data regarding the effect of postoperative anemia on patient’s outcomes. The issue of postoperative anemia was noticeably to affect a large cohort of patients world-wide. This study was aiming at comparing the new approach with a single ferric carboxymaltose infusion versus standard or routine usual care for management of postoperative anemia.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Lancet, Surgical Research / 31.08.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27529" align="alignleft" width="125"]Prof Lars Wallentin, MD PHD Senior Professor Cardiology, Senior Scientist Cardiology Uppsala Clinical Research Center, Uppsala University Prof. Lars Wallentin[/caption] Prof Lars Wallentin, MD PHD Senior Professor Cardiology Uppsala Clinical Research Center, Uppsala University  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The FRISC2 study was performed 1996 – 1998 and reported 1999 for the first time a significant reduction in death and myocardial infarction by early invasive compared to non-invasive treatment strategy in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). The results at 6 months, 1, 2 and 5 years were published in The Lancet and pivotal in changing the treatment guidelines and thereby improving outcomes in patients with NSTE-ACS. These findings were within the next few years verified in the TACTICS-TIMI18 and RITA3 trials. However the later performed ICTUS trial, starting after these results were published and accordingly with a substantial early crossover to the invasive arm, showed neutral results. Recently the reduction in event rates by an early invasive strategy was again validated in patients above 80 years of age, which were less well represented in the initial trials. These benefits of an early invasive strategy have previously been shown sustained for at least five years based on results from the FRISC2, RITA3, and ICTUS trials. The FRISC2 and TACTICS-TIMI18 trials also showed that the benefits with an early invasive strategy seemed confined to patients with signs of myocardial necrosis as indicated by elevated troponin level at entry. In addition the FRISC2 trial found that the benefits were larger in patients with signs of inflammatory activity as indicated by a high level of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) at entry. These pivotal results have been the basis for the current international treatment guidelines recommending an early invasive treatment strategy in patients with NSTE-ACS and elevated troponin and/or other indicators of a raised risk.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, NEJM, Surgical Research / 31.08.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Kaare Harald Bønaa Principal investigator University of Tromsø, Norway MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The NORSTENT study was designed shortly after the “Barcelona fire storm” in 2006 that raised severe safety concerns against drug-eluting stents (DES). At that time there was evidence for increased risk of stent thrombosis with DES. How this could influence long term results compared to PCI with bare metal stents (MMS) was not known. Accordingly, we designed the NORSTENT study with the primary composite endpoint of all-cause mortality and non-fatal spontaneous myocardial infarction at a medial of 5 years of follow-up.
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Hospital Readmissions, Surgical Research / 31.08.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27509" align="alignleft" width="200"]Jason H. Wasfy, MD, MPhil Assistant Medical Director, Massachusetts General Physicians Organization Director of Quality and Analytics Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center Dr. Jason Wasfy[/caption] Jason H. Wasfy, MD, MPhil Assistant Medical Director, Massachusetts General Physicians Organization Director of Quality and Analytics Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Reducing preventable readmissions after PCI is a way to both improve the quality of care for our patients and improve value for patients with coronary artery disease. Through a variety of tactics, we were able to reduce the 30 day readmission rate for patients after PCI by nearly half. Keep in mind that this is only the readmission rate to our hospital, so we will need to confirm these results with data including patients who may have been readmitted to other hospitals after a PCI at Mass General.
Author Interviews, Clots - Coagulation, Heart Disease, JACC, Surgical Research / 30.08.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27419" align="alignleft" width="160"]Gennaro Giustino MD Resident Physician - Department of Medicine The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Dr. Gennaro Giustino[/caption] Gennaro Giustino MD Resident Physician - Department of Medicine The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: A period of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is required after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES). The pathophysiological rationale for DAPT after DES-PCI is predicated on the need to prevent stent-related thrombotic complications while vascular healing and platform endothelialization are ongoing, a process that seems to last between 1 and 6 months with new-generation DES. Whether to extend DAPT after this mandatory period in order to provide a broader atherothrombotic risk protection (for stent-related and non-stent-related atherothrombotic events) is currently a matter of debate. Current guidelines recommend at least 6 months of DAPT after PCI in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and at least 12 months of DAPT in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). While, several risk scores have been developed to guide clinical decision making for DAPT intensity and duration (namely the DAPT score and the PARIS risk scores) little attention has been payed so far to PCI complexity and the extent of CAD to guide duration of DAPT. In fact irrespective of clinical presentation, patients undergoing more complex PCI procedure (likely due to greater coronary atherosclerotic burden) may remain at greater risk for ischemic events and therefore may benefit of prolonged, or more intense, DAPT.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease / 26.08.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27390" align="alignleft" width="160"]John A. Elefteriades, MD William W.L. Glenn Professor of Surgery Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery Yale New-Haven Hospital Director, Aortic Institute at Yale-New Haven Yale University School of Medicine Dr. John Elefteriades[/caption] John A. Elefteriades, MD William W.L. Glenn Professor of Surgery Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery Yale New-Haven Hospital Director, Aortic Institute at Yale-New Haven Yale University School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: In the late 1990’s, Dr. Milewicz’s group in Texas and our group at Yale recognized that thoracic aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections (internal tears of the aorta) ran in families. This paper explores for the first time the ages at which aortic dissections occur among members within a family. Interestingly, we found that once one family member has suffered an aortic dissection, other family members tend to suffer dissection at about the same age (mostly within ten years of the age of the original dissector).
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, Cost of Health Care, Sloan Kettering, Surgical Research / 18.08.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27055" align="alignleft" width="275"]Monica Morrow, MD, FACS Chief, Breast Service, Department of Surgery Anne Burnett Windfohr Chair of Clinical Oncology Dr. Monica Morrow[/caption] Monica Morrow, MD, FACS Chief, Breast Service Department of Surgery Anne Burnett Windfohr Chair of Clinical Oncology Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: DCIS, ductal carcinoma in situ, intraductal cancer or Stage 0 cancer refers to what some people call the earliest form of cancer we can find and others term “precancerous”. This difference in terms is due to the fact that DCIS lacks the ability to spread to other parts of the body, a fundamental characteristic of cancer. The goal of treatment in DCIS is to prevent progression to invasive cancer which has the ability to spread. DCIS accounted for only 2-3 % of breast cancers seen in the pre-screening mammography era, but it comprises 25-30% of the malignancies detected in screening mammography programs. For this reason it is uncommon in women under age 40, and more commonly seen in women over 50 years of age. Approximately 70% of the women in the US diagnosed with DCIS are treated with lumpectomy (removal of the DCIS and a margin of surrounding normal breast tissue), and additional surgeries to obtain clear, or more widely clear, margins are done in approximately 30% of women. For this reason, the Society of Surgical Oncology, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology undertook the development of an evidence based guideline to determine the optimal clear margin for women with DCIS treated with lumpectomy and whole breast radiotherapy.
Author Interviews, PAD, Surgical Research / 18.08.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27111" align="alignleft" width="200"]George Adams, M.D., M.H.S., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I. Director of Cardiovascular and Peripheral Vascular Research Rex Hospital Raleigh,North Carolina Dr. George Adams[/caption] George Adams, M.D., M.H.S., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I. Director of Cardiovascular and Peripheral Vascular Research Rex Hospital Raleigh, North Carolina Summary: The early findings of a novel all-comers PAD study (LIBERTY 360°) suggest that ‘watchful waiting’ in Rutherford class 2-3 and ‘primary amputation’ in Rutherford class 6 may not be necessary. Peripheral vascular intervention can be successful in these patient populations as well. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?  Response: Approximately 18 million Americans have peripheral artery disease (PAD), and 2 million of these patients suffer from critical limb ischemia (CLI)1,2, the end stage of PAD3. CLI is highly prevalent in older patients with diabetes and/or end-stage renal disease4, and is associated with high risk of amputation and mortality5. Briefly, the LIBERTY 360° study6 is a prospective, observational, multi-center study with liberal inclusion criteria and few exclusions, meant to evaluate procedural and long-term clinical and economic outcomes of endovascular device interventions in patients with symptomatic lower extremity PAD, including CLI. The study included any FDA-approved technology to treat claudication and CLI. Four core laboratories were utilized for independent analysis.
Author Interviews, NEJM, Neurological Disorders, Surgical Research / 12.08.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_26807" align="alignleft" width="133"]Photograph: Douglas Levere Dr. Gil Wolfe[/caption] Gil I. Wolfe, MD, FAAN Irvin and Rosemary Smith Professor and Chair Dept. of Neurology/Jacobs Neurological Institute Univ. at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences/SUNY Buffalo General Medical Center Buffalo, NY 14203-1126 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Thymectomy has been used in myasthenia gravis (MG), in particular those patients who do not have a tumor of the thymus gland, known as a thymoma, for over 75 years without randomized data to support its use. A practice parameter in 2000 on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology stated that the benefits of thymectomy in this population of non-thymomatou smyasthenia gravis patients remained uncertain, classified thymectomy as a treatment option in this group, and called for rigorous, randomized studies. What we found is that compared to an identical prednisone protocol alone, that extended transsternal thymectomy confers significant benefits to non-thymomatous MG patients over a period of three years after the procedure. The benefits include better disease status, reduced prednisone requirements, fewer hospitalizations to manage  myasthenia gravis worsenings, and a lower symptom profile related to side effects from medications used to control the disease state.
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