737 Supporting Surgeons in Their Return to Training

Aim

t any one time, approximately 10% of the junior doctor workforce (∼5000 doctors) take time out of training. Following the Bawa Gaba case, and with trainees shielding during the COVID pandemic, there is greater scrutiny and demand to support trainees returning to the frontline. Supported Return to Training (SuppoRTT) is a Health Education England Program designed to improve the Return-To-Training (RTT) experience. For surgical specialties there are additional challenges of reintroducing trainees to practical skills.

Method

e designed and facilitated the first regional SuppoRTT course for Orthopaedic Specialist Registrars, which consisted of peer and consultant-led clinical updates, forum discussions and externally commissioned professional coaching. A pre-course survey established participants’ concerns and expectations about RTT and formed the basis of discussions. A post-course survey assessed value of the course and impact on participants.

Results

Eight participants (6 female) attended. Grade of training on return ranged from ST3 to ST8. Main areas of concern related to colleague perception, reduced confidence with decision-making, operative skill fade, and frustrations with organisational elements of managing work-life balance. There was an overwhelmingly positive response to the support offered on our course, particularly to the discussions around RTT concerns and returning to on-calls. All respondents strongly agreed that sharing their concerns and hearing about peer experience was valuable.

Conclusions

High numbers of trainees take approved time out of training. RTT is associated with anxiety around performance and safety. Surgical trainees can be supported with a targeted course that offers clinical update, peer support and professional coaching.

Minimally invasive management versus open surgery in the treatment of penetrating bladder injuries: a retrospective cohort study

Background

While blunt extra-peritoneal bladder injury is typically treated non-operatively or with minimally invasive management, the treatment for penetrating bladder injury is generally open surgery. We identify a group of patients with penetrating bladder injury who were treated with minimally invasive management and compare the results with those who underwent traditional open surgical treatment.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study analyzes penetrating bladder injuries from a single trauma center from 2012 through 2019, and from the National Trauma Data Bank for 2016 and 2017. Mortality, complications, and length of stay were compared for minimally invasive management versus open surgery. We used Chi square to test significance for categorical variables, Mann–Whitney U test for ordinal variables, and T-test for continuous variables. Multivariate analysis was performed with multiple logistic, ordinal, and linear regression.

Results

Local: 117 (0.63%) had a bladder injury; 30 (25.6%) were penetrating. 6 (20.0%) were successfully treated with minimally invasive management with no complication versus 24 complications in 11 patients (45.8%) for open surgery (p = 0.047). Open surgical management was not a significant independent predictor of mortality or hospital length of stay. National Trauma Data Bank: 5330 (0.27%) had a bladder injury; 963 (19.5%) were penetrating. 97 (10.1%) were treated with minimally invasive management. The minimally invasive management group had 12 complications in 5 patients (4.9%) versus 280 complications in 169 patients (19.7%) for open surgery (p =  < 0.001). Open surgery was a significant independent predictor of complications (OR 1.57, p = 0.003) and longer hospital length of stay (B = 5.31, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Most penetrating bladder injury requires open surgery, however a small proportion can safely be managed with minimally invasive management. Minimally invasive management is associated with lower total complications and shorter hospital length of stay in select patients.

Short-term outcomes of anterior approach sacrospinous ligament fixation for apical vaginal prolapse - A retrospective study

Introduction

Vaginal sacrospinous fixation and sacrospinous hysteropexy (SSF/SSHP) are highly effective procedures for apical compartment prolapse. The established technique is the posterior vaginal approach. The alternative anterior approach through an anterior vaginal incision, although occasionally mentioned in the literature, is less well established. However, this approach is a more appropriate route if posterior vaginal surgery is not indicated. The aim of this paper is to review surgical outcomes of anterior approach in our centre and to compare outcomes of SSF vs SSHP.

Methods

Retrospective case note review of 60 patients who underwent anterior SSF for prolapse between 2009-2017 was performed. Preoperative and postoperative symptoms and findings were recorded. Anterior SSF involved an anterior vaginal incision and paravaginal access to the ligament for dissection and fixation to either the cervix or vault.

Results

SSF was performed in 39 patients, out of which 8 underwent vaginal hysterectomy concomitantly. SSHP for uterine prolapse was performed in 21 patients. There were no cases of recurrent apical prolapse in the cohort at mean follow-up of 1 year. No intra-operative visceral injuries were observed. Recurrence of anterior wall prolapse and postoperative voiding dysfunction was observed in 8.3% and short-term buttock pain in 6.6% of patients.

Conclusion

Anterior approach SSF and SSHP is a safe and effective technique for apical prolapse and is the recommended route when posterior vaginal surgery is not required.

Should COVID-19 patients >75 years be Ventilated? An Outcome Study

BACKGROUND

Elderly patients with COVID-19 disease are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. Current data regarding disease characteristics and outcomes in this population are limited.

AIM

To delineate the adverse factors associated with outcomes of COVID-19 patients ≥75 years of age.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

Patients were classified into mild/moderate, severe/very severe and critical disease (intubated) based on oxygen requirements. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 355 patients aged ≥75 years hospitalized with COVID-19 between 19 March and 25 April 2020 were included.Mean age was 84.3 years. One-third of the patients developed critical disease. Mean length of stay was 7.10 days. Vasopressors were required in 27%, with the highest frequency in the critical disease group (74.1%). Overall mortality was 57.2%, with a significant difference between severity groups (mild/moderate disease: 17.4%, severe/very severe disease: 71.3%, critical disease: 94.9%, P < 0.001).Increased age, dementia, and severe/very severe and critical disease groups were independently associated with increased odds for mortality while diarrhea was associated with decreased odds for mortality (OR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.02-0.60, P < 0.05). None of the cardiovascular comorbidities were significantly associated with mortality.

CONCLUSION

Age and dementia are associated with increased odds for mortality in patients ≥75 years of age hospitalized with COVID-19. Those who require intubation have the greatest odds for mortality. Diarrhea as a presenting symptom was associated with lower odds for mortality.

147 A Meta-Analysis Comparing the Diagnostic Accuracy of Initial RT-PCR And CT Scan in Suspected COVID-19 Patients

Introduction

Reverse transcriptase Polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) is considered as the gold standard diagnostic test for COVID-19 infection. It’s accuracy has been doubted and subsequently had effects on planning, performing operations causing. Research has suggested the use of Computed Tomography Scan instead. In this study we performed a meta-analysis comparing the diagnostic accuracy of CT compared to RTPCR.

Method

Our systematic review and meta-analysis were undertaken as per PRISMA guidelines. The methodological quality of each included study was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool on RevMan 5.3. We performed data analyses using Stata version 12.

Results

Sensitivity estimates for CT scan ranged from 0.69 to 1.00 and for RT-PCR varied ranging from 0.47 to 1.00. The pooled estimate of sensitivity for CT was 0.95 (95% CI – 0.88-0.98) and specificity was 0.31 (95% CI – 0.035-0.84). It was found that specificity of initial RT-PCR(100%) was higher than CT(31%). With respect to sensitivity, CT(95%) was superior to RT-PCR(91%) p (0.000)

Conclusions

Sensitivity of CT is significantly higher than RT-PCR for detecting COVID-19 infection, however as CT findings are not specific. Since CT scans are readily available, protocols can be developed to utilise it to minimalize delay in planning surgery.

Fluorescein diacetate and rapid molecular testing for the early identification of rifampicin resistance in Mali

BACKGROUND: Non-conversion on auramine smear microscopy indicates a lack of treatment response, possibly associated with initial rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB). However, dead bacteria still stain positive and may be detected. Fluorescein diacetate smear microscopy (FDA) shows live mycobacteria only. Therefore, we studied the potential of 2-month (2M) FDA for the identification of initial RR-TB.METHODS: Between 2015 and 2018, we enrolled new smear-positive pulmonary TB patients from five local centres in Bamako, Mali. After baseline screening, sputum samples were collected at 1M, 2M, 5M and 18M. We used rpoB sequencing to identify initial RR-TB.RESULTS: Of 1359 patients enrolled, 1019 (75%) had rpoB sequencing results. Twenty-six (2.6%, 95%CI: 1.7-3.7) had mutations conferring rifampicin resistance. Most frequent rpoB mutations were located at the codons Asp435Val (42.4%) and Ser450Leu (34.7%). Among patients with initial RR-TB, 72.2% were FDA-negative at 2M (P = 0.2). The positive and negative predictive value of 5M FDA for culture-based failure was respectively 20.0% and 94.7%.CONCLUSION: FDA did not identify the majority of patients with initial RR-TB or culture-based failure. As the full spectrum of mutations identified on sequencing was identified using Xpert, our data support its rapid universal implementation in Mali.

Capture rates of comorbidity measures at inpatient rehabilitation facilities after a stroke or brain injury

BACKGROUND

Comorbidity indices have been used to represent the overall medical complexity of patient populations in clinical research; however, it is not known how well they capture the comorbidities of patients with a stroke or brain injury admitted to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs).

OBJECTIVE

To determine how well commonly used comorbidity indices capture the comorbidities of patients admitted to IRFs after a stroke or brain injury.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, retrospective study.

SETTING

IRFs nationwide.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults from four impairment groups: (1) hemorrhagic stroke, (2) ischemic stroke, (3) nontraumatic brain injury (NTBI), and (4) traumatic brain injury (TBI).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes were extracted from the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSMR) for IRF discharges from October 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017. The percentage of discharges captured by Deyo-Charlson, Elixhauser, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) tiers was determined, as was the percentage of comorbidities captured. These measures were also compared with respect to their ability to capture chronic medical complexity by examining the percentage of codes captured after removal of codes deemed to represent hospital complications or sequela of the admission diagnosis.

RESULTS

The percentage of discharges without at least one ICD-10-CM code captured by any index ranged from 0.3%-3.8%. The percentage of comorbidities with a prevalence exceeding 1% captured by at least one index ranged from 37.1%-43.6%. Chronic comorbidities were most likely to be captured by Elixhauser (40.7%-44.4%), followed by Deyo-Charlson (7.8%-9.6%), then CMS tiers (4.5%-6.9%). Existing comorbidity measures capture most IRF discharges related to a brain injury or stroke, whereas most medical comorbidities escape representation. Several common, functionally relevant diagnoses were not captured.

CONCLUSION

The use of comorbidity indices in the IRF neurologic injury population should account for the fact that these measures miss several common, important comorbidities.

Contemporary analysis of epididymal tumors using a national database

Introduction

Epididymal tumors are rare malignancies with sparse research available to guide recommendations. We sought to characterize malignant epididymal tumors in the United States using population level data.

Material and methods

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results database was queried for patients diagnosed with malignant epididymal tumors between 1975–2016. International classification of disease for oncology code C63.0 was used to identify population with disease of interest. Primary objective was to characterize patient demographics, disease characteristics, and management. Secondary objectives included overall and cancer-specific survival (CSS) utilizing Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis.

Results

A total of 66 cases of malignant epididymal tumors were identified during the study period. The cohort was largely white (84.8%), with a mean age of diagnosis of 46.9 years old. The predominant histology consisted of rhabdomyosarcoma 26%, leiomyosarcoma 23%, liposarcoma 17%, adenocarcinoma 9%, and malignant fibrous histiocytoma 5%. During histopathological assessment, 21.1% of tumors were classified as high-grade while 71.2% exhibited sarcomatoid elements. Majority of patients presented with localized disease (68.2%), whereas regional (18.2%) and distant (13.2%) disease was less frequently discovered. All patients were diagnosed by surgical therapy consisting of radical epididymectomy (39.4%), partial epididymectomy (27.3%) or ‘unknown surgery’ (33.3%). Meanwhile, 15.2% and 34.8% received radiation and chemotherapy, respectively. KM analysis revealed an 84.9% CSS at 5-years. Over 60% of documented cases have arisen since 2000, with 3.0% of the cohort diagnosed in 2016, increased from 1.5% of the diagnoses in 1975.

Conclusions

Malignant epididymal tumors are exceedingly rare and typically present with localized disease. Surgical excision is associated with an estimated 85% CSS at 5-years.

Developing a decision support tool to prevent community-acquired pressure injuries in spinal cord injury in ambulatory care: A nurse-led protocol for mix methods research

BACKGROUND

There is a lack of formal guidelines and decision support tools to prevent community-acquired pressure injuries (CAPrIs) in Veterans with spinal cord injury (SCI).

PURPOSE

In this article we present our research protocol that describes our plans to create and test a decision support tool to prevent CAPrIs in SCI.

METHODS

In Aim 1, we identified mental-models of CAPrI prevention from the perspectives of Veterans (using photovoice, guided tours), and Veterans Health Administration SCI providers (using interviews), and triangulation to compare the two mental-models. This led to a decision support tool developed and validated using Delphi approaches in Aim 2 and will be followed by tool automation and system redesign for pilot implementation in Aim 3.

FINDINGS

The nurse-led research protocol provides a map to systematically explore, address and translate research into evidence-based practice.

DISCUSSION

Refinement of the protocol will guide future research and implementation.

Infectious complications associated with perioperative blood transfusion in partial or radical nephrectomy

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND

Perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion (PBT) is associated with increased infectious risk for many surgical procedures, although this has not been thoroughly explored for extirpative renal surgery. Underlying mechanisms may be related to an alteration of the patient immune response. We aimed to assess the infectious complications associated with PBT after radical or partial nephrectomy.

METHODS/MATERIALS

The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1996-2015) was queried for patients undergoing radical or partial nephrectomy. We assessed rates of infectious complications in patients who did and did not receive PBT. Infections were index complications and included sepsis, abscess, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and wound infection. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the risk of infectious complications accounting for age, gender, race, insurance, income, surgery type and approach, length of stay, comorbidity, and PBT.

RESULTS

We identified 140,183 patients undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy during the study period with 17,874 (12.7%) receiving PBT. The rate of PBT was stable throughout the study period (Cochran-Armitage, P= 0.97). Patients receiving PBT compared to those without were relatively older (proportion of age >70, 42.6% vs. 30.5%), non-white (25.4% vs. 21.1%), who underwent radical nephrectomy (84.3% vs. 77.4%), and with longer hospital stay (9.1 vs. 5.1 days; all P< 0.001). On multivariable analysis, PBT was associated with higher odds of any infectious complication (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.5-1.68, P< 0.001). During the study period, the risk of infectious complications was persistently increased in those receiving PBT.

CONCLUSION

PBT is independently associated with an increased risk of postoperative infections for patients undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy. This may be due to underlying transfusion-related immunomodulatory mechanisms. While PBT is necessary in many instances to promote patient survival, providers should remain cautious when providing PBT after extirpative renal surgery.

Robustness of the EWMA Sampling Plan to Non-Normality

The effect of non-normality on the OC function of the sampling plan under EWMA is studied by deriving the OC function for a non-normal population represented by the first four terms of an Edgeworth series.

Trends in utilization of neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer

Purpose

Previous studies have noted increased utilization of perioperative chemotherapy over time. The goal of this study was to determine trends in perioperative chemotherapy use within a contemporary population.

Materials and Methods

The National Cancer Database was queried for patients diagnosed with cT2-4N0M0 urothelial muscle invasive bladder cancer from 2011 to 2015 and underwent subsequent radical cystectomy. We retrospectively analyzed factors associated with perioperative chemotherapy and evaluated overall treatment trends in the use of neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy. Linear regression, logistic regression, Cox regression, and Kaplan–Meier analysis were performed.

Results

In total, 7,101 patients met inclusion criteria for analysis. The use of perioperative chemotherapy increased from 46.4% in 2011 to 57.2% in 2015 (p=0.003). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy use increased from 22.9% to 32.3% (p=0.007) over the time period analyzed, while adjuvant chemotherapy use experienced no significant change (23.5% to 24.9%, p=0.182). Logistic regression demonstrated that increased age and Charlson Comorbidity Index were predictors of not receiving chemotherapy (p<0.05), while those with increasing T stage, income above $48,000, and insurance other than Medicaid or Medicare were more likely to receive perioperative chemotherapy (p<0.05). Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy had the best 5-year overall survival at 48.3% compared to adjuvant chemotherapy (42.6%) or no chemotherapy (37.8%) (p<0.001).

Conclusions

The increasing use of perioperative chemotherapy noted in prior studies has continued through 2015. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy appears to drive this increase while adjuvant chemotherapy utilization remains unchanged. Clinical and socioeconomic factors affect utilization of perioperative chemotherapy.

Outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19 disease treated with tocilizumab: a case-controlled study

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 is an ongoing threat to society. Patients who develop the most severe forms of the disease have high mortality. The interleukin-6 inhibitor tocilizumab has the potential to improve outcomes in these patients by preventing the development of cytokine release storm.

AIMS

To evaluate the outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 disease treated with the interleukin-6 inhibitor tocilizumab.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective, case-control, single-center study in patients with severe to critical COVID-19 disease treated with tocilizumab. Disease severity was defined based on the amount of oxygen supplementation required. The primary endpoint was the overall mortality. Secondary endpoints were mortality in non-intubated patients and mortality in intubated patients.

RESULTS

A total of 193 patients were included in the study. Ninety-six patients received tocilizumab, while 97 served as the control group. The mean age was 60 years. Patients over 65 years represented 43% of the population. More patients in the tocilizumab group reported fever, cough and shortness of breath (83%, 80% and 96% vs. 73%, 69% and 71%, respectively). There was a non-statistically significant lower mortality in the treatment group (52% vs. 62.1%, P = 0.09). When excluding intubated patients, there was statistically significant lower mortality in patients treated with tocilizumab (6% vs. 27%, P = 0.024). Bacteremia was more common in the control group (24% vs. 13%, P = 0.43), while fungemia was similar for both (3% vs. 4%, P = 0.72).

CONCLUSION

Our study showed a non-statistically significant lower mortality in patients with severe to critical COVID-19 disease who received tocilizumab. When intubated patients were excluded, the use of tocilizumab was associated with lower mortality.

Assessing the Ability of Comorbidity Indexes to Capture Comorbid Disease in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Spinal Cord Injury Population

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether commonly used comorbidity indexes (Deyo-Charlson comorbidity index, Elixhauser comorbidity index, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS] comorbidity tiers) capture comorbidities in the acute traumatic and nontraumatic SCI inpatient rehabilitation population.

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS

Data were obtained from the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation from October 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017 for adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) (Medicare-established Impairment Group Codes 04.110-04.230, 14.1, 14.3). This study included SCI discharges (N=66,235) from 833 inpatient rehabilitation facilities.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision-Clinical Modifications (ICD-10-CM) codes were used to assess 3 comorbidity indexes (Deyo-Charlson comorbidity index, Elixhauser comorbidity index, CMS comorbidity tiers). The comorbidity codes that occurred with >1% frequency were reported. The percentages of discharges for which no comorbidities were captured by each comorbidity index were calculated.

RESULTS

Of the total study population, 39,285 (59.3%) were men and 11,476 (17.3%) were tetraplegic. The mean number of comorbidities was 14.7. There were 13,939 distinct ICD-10-CM comorbidity codes. There were 237 comorbidities that occurred with >1% frequency. The Deyo-Charlson comorbidity index, Elixhauser comorbidity index, and the CMS tiers did not capture comorbidities of 58.4% (95% confidence interval, 58.08%-58.84%), 29.4% (29.07%-29.76%), and 66.1% (65.73%-66.46%) of the discharges in our study, respectively, and 28.8% (28.42%-29.11%) of the discharges did not have any comorbidities captured by any of the comorbidity indexes.

CONCLUSION

Commonly used comorbidity indexes do not reflect the extent of comorbid disease in the SCI rehabilitation population. This work suggests that alternative measures may be needed to capture the complexity of this population.

Trends in treatment of cT1 penile cancer: Analysis of the National Cancer Database

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the treatment trends and outcomes in clinical stage T1 penile cancer using the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

METHODS

The National Cancer Database was queried for all men with cT1 penile cancer from 2004 to 2015. Patients were categorized as cT1a or cT1b. Treatment was categorized as no treatment, local therapy (including penile sparing therapies), partial penectomy, or radical penectomy. Trends in treatment were analyzed over time and in correlation with stage and demographic variables. Stage and treatment type were evaluated in respect to pathological outcomes and survival.

RESULTS

A total of 2,484 men were identified with cT1 penile cancer, 90.1% of which had cT1a disease. The most common treatments were local therapy for cT1a and partial penectomy for cT1b. Over the time period studied, use of local therapy decreased while use of partial or radical penectomy increased. Patients treated at low volume facilities were more likely to undergo no treatment (8.0% vs. 6.5% in high volume) or local therapy (49.9% vs. 41.5% in high volume, P < 0.001). Local therapy was associated with increased risk of positive margin (odds ratio 4.7, P < 0.001) and positive margin was associated with a trend toward decreased overall survival (P = 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

In the past decade, there has been decreased use of local therapy and increased use of partial or radical penectomy in cT1 penile cancer. Men treated at low volume facilities are more likely to be treated with local therapy which is associated with increased rates of positive margins and may also be associated with a trend toward decreased overall survival. Centralization of care in T1 penile cancer may lead to improved outcomes.

Diabetes Mellitus among new tuberculosis patients in Bamako, Mali

Introduction

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) increases worldwide, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. In Mali, the prevalence in the adult population is estimated at 1.8%, but tuberculosis (TB) patients are not systematically screened. The goal of our study was to determine the prevalence of DM among newly diagnosed TB patients.

Methods

We conducted a cross sectional study and a pilot prospective cohort study in four health centers in Bamako. All patients underwent fasting capillary-blood glucose (FCBG) test at Day 0, and repeated after one-week of TB treatment. Venous FBG test was performed for discrepancies between the two FCBG results. Thereafter, FCBG was performed for pilot study at month-2 (M2) and M5 of TB treatment.

Results

Two hundred and one patients were enrolled in this study. Impaired fasting blood glucose was identified in 17 (8.5%), of whom 11 (5.5%) had DM (VFBG >7 mmol/L). Among patients with DM, seven (63.6%) had successful TB treatment outcome, versus 142 (74.7%) of those without DM (p = 0.64), and (OR: 1.69, 95%CI 0.47–6.02).

Conclusion

The prevalence of DM among TB patients in Bamako exceeds that of the general population and screening at TB diagnosis suffices to identify those with DM. Systematic screening of both diseases will allow better treatment.

Chemotherapy increases survival and downstaging of upper tract urothelial cancer

INTRODUCTION

To evaluate the overall survival and pathologic downstaging effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for upper tract urothelial cell carcinoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for patients with stage II-IV upper tract urothelial cell carcinoma undergoing definitive surgical resection (nephroureterectomy) from 2004-2015. Patients with metastatic disease were excluded. Cohorts were stratified by receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression were used to evaluate overall survival. Logistic regression was used to predict the odds of pathologic downstaging to non-invasive disease (< pT2). Propensity score matched analysis was performed between groups.

RESULTS

A total of 3634 patients were identified with non-metastatic stage II-IV disease undergoing surgical resection; 3364 received no chemotherapy and 270 received NAC. Patients undergoing NAC had a 10.9% rate of downstaging to non-invasive disease (OR 6.35, p < 0.001). Moreover, on Kaplan-Meier analysis, median survival was 27.3 months and 44.8 months for no chemotherapy versus NAC, respectively (log-rank, p = 0.001). Cox regression for death also revealed benefits for receiving NAC (HR 0.67, p < 0.001). Findings were confirmed on propensity score matching (532 matched patients). After matching, Cox regression for death noted improvement with neoadjuvant as compared to no chemotherapy (HR 0.61, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy increases likelihood of downstaging to non-invasive disease in patients with upper tract urothelial cell carcinoma. Chemotherapy also provides an overall survival benefit in patients undergoing nephroureterectomy.

Improving childhood tuberculosis detection and treatment through facility-based screening in rural Pakistan

SETTING

Many children with tuberculosis (TB) remain undiagnosed due to the absence of services, lack of child-friendly diagnostics and underappreciation of TB as a common cause of childhood illness.

OBJECTIVE

To show the impact of systematic verbal screening and contact tracing with appropriate management services on TB case finding in pediatric populations.

DESIGN

Between October 2014 and March 2016, children were verbally screened at the pediatric out-patient departments of four public hospitals in Jamshoro District, Pakistan. Children with symptoms or risk of TB were referred for clinical evaluation and free chest X-ray and bacteriological tests. Children with TB were started on treatment and their care givers asked to bring household members to the hospital for screening.

RESULTS

Over 105 000 children were verbally screened and 5880 presumptive childhood TB patients were identified; 1417 children (prevalence 1.3%) were diagnosed with TB; 43% were female. The median age was 5 years; 82% had pulmonary TB. An additional 390 children with TB were diagnosed through contact tracing. These activities resulted in a three-fold increase in pediatric TB case notifications.

CONCLUSION

Systematic verbal screening with clinical evaluation and free diagnostics can identify children with TB who may otherwise be missed in rural health settings.