Search

BackgroundResistant hypertension is common in patients with primary aldosteronism and in those with obstructive sleep apnea. Primary aldosteronism treatment improves sleep apnea. Despite Endocrine Society guidelines' inclusion of sleep apnea and hypertension co-diagnosis as a primary aldosteronism screening indication, the state of screening implementation is unknown.MethodsAll hypertensive adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea (n=4751) at one institution between 2012 and 2020 were compared with a control cohort without sleep apnea (n=117,815). We compared the association of primary aldosteronism diagnoses, risk factors, and screening between both groups. Patients were considered to have screening if they had a primary aldosteronism diagnosis or serum aldosterone or plasma renin activity evaluation.ResultsObstructive sleep apnea patients were predominantly men and had higher body mass index. On multivariable analysis, hypertensive sleep apnea patients had higher odds of drug-resistant hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 2.70; P < .001) and hypokalemia (OR 1.26; P < .001) independent of body mass index, sex, and number of antihypertensive medications. Overall, sleep apnea patients were more likely to be screened for primary aldosteronism (OR 1.45; P < .001); however, few patients underwent screening whether they had sleep apnea or not (pre-guideline publication 7.8% vs 4.6%; post-guidelines 3.6% vs 4.6%; P < .01). Screening among eligible sleep apnea patients remained low prior to and after guideline publication (4.4% vs 3.4%).ConclusionsObstructive sleep apnea is associated with primary aldosteronism risk factors without formal diagnosis, suggesting screening underutilization and underdiagnosis. Strategies are needed to increase screening adherence, as patients may benefit from treatment of concomitant primary aldosteronism to reduce sleep apnea severity and its associated cardiopulmonary morbidity.

Introduction The impact of COVID-19 on surgical education has been profound, and clinical learning experiences transitioned to virtual formats. This study investigated the impact of virtual experiences created to facilitate learning during the pandemic for medical students. Methods We performed a cohort study to determine the perceived clinical preparedness for medical students enrolled in the preclinical surgery pilot course, surgical Extended Mastery Learning Rotation (EMLR), and longitudinal surgical clerkship (LC). The preclinical surgery pilot course took place before COVID-19 disruptions, and the EMLR and LC experiences took place virtually. Specialty choice was examined in the EMLR and LC cohorts. Performance on the NBME surgical assessments was analyzed among students enrolled in the traditional clerkship and pandemic-disrupted courses and compared to national data using a two-sample t-test. Results Compared to preclinical students, EMLR and LC students demonstrated improvements in their perceived surgical clerkship readiness. After the 3-week EMLR course, in the setting of completing only one-third of the clerkship year, students had an average NBME Surgical Self-Assessment Exam score of 72 (SD 12), comparable to the national average of 71 (SD 9) p = 0.33. The average shelf exam score for students (N = 24) enrolled in the traditional clerkship (block 1), prior to COVID-19, disruptions was 66 (SD 9) compared to an average score of 69 (SD 9) for the longitudinal clerkship students (N = 20) that took the shelf exam later in the year (p = 0.36). COVID-19 disruptions did not affect specialty choice. All LC students have decided on a specialty; 50% nonsurgical and 50% surgical. From the EMLR cohort, 36% and 38% plan to pursue surgical and nonsurgical specialties, respectively, with 26% still undecided. Conclusions Courses were well-liked and will be implemented in future clerkships. Surgical educators demonstrated flexibility and creativity in the development of the EMLR. Despite COVID-19 disruptions, medical students made progress in their clinical skills and foundational science knowledge. COVID-19 disruptions did not appear to impact specialty choice.

Background Although death from drug overdose is a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, its incidence after traumatic incident is unknown. Moreover, little is known about related risk factors. We sought to determine the incidence and characteristics of and risk factors for trauma patients suffering death by acute drug poisoning (“overdose”) after hospitalization for a traumatic incident. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of all admitted trauma patients ≥ 18 y of age at the only level-1 trauma center in our region from 2012 to 2019, matched with unintentional overdose decedents from the California death registry. We assessed associations between demographic and clinical characteristics with risk of overdose death, using cumulative incidence functions and Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard models. Results Of 9,860 patients residing in San Francisco, CA, USA, at the time of their trauma activation or admission during the study period, 1,418 died (4.3 per 100 person-years), 107 from unintentional overdose (0.3 per 100 person-years). Overdose decedents were 84% male, 50% white, with a mean age of 48 years at the time of presentation; 20% of deaths occurred within 3 months of hospitalization, and 40% were attributed to a prescription opioid. In multivariate analysis, younger age, male sex, white race, and having undergone a urine drug screening were all associated with subsequent death from overdose. Conclusion During a mean 3.4-year follow-up, the mortality rate from overdose among adult patients with traumatic incidents was 0.3/100 person-years. Trauma hospitalization may serve as an opportunity to screen and initiate prevention, harm reduction, and treatment interventions.

Highlights • The COVID-19 pandemic has suspended the surgery clinical clerkship for third-year medical students at numerous institutions across the world. • In response to the pandemic, surgical educators at the University of California, San Francisco rapidly developed a virtual surgically focused curriculum to keep students connected and solidify their foundational science knowledge before their return to clinical medicine., Problem The COVID-19 pandemic has suspended the surgery clinical clerkship for third-year medical students at numerous institutions across the world. As a result, educators and students have adapted rapidly. There is a paucity of precedents regarding urgent and brusque formal curricular changes for medical students enrolled in surgical clinical rotations. Approach The University of California, San Francisco Department of Surgery created a surgically focused extended mastery learning rotation (EMLR). The surgery clerkship leadership designed a curriculum consisting of multiple learning strategies compatible with virtual learning environments. The primary aims of the newly developed EMLR were to help students consolidate their foundational science knowledge before their return to clinical medicine in an altered learning environment. The EMLR is currently underway, and further studies are necessary to evaluate its effectiveness.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Pancreatic cysts are comprised of both precancerous mucinous lesions and non-mucinous lesions with minimal malignant potential. Our goal is to improve our ability to classify the type of cyst using a combination of novel radiomic features and cyst fluid proteolytic activity. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Preoperative pancreatic protocol CT images from 30 patients with proteolytic assay characterization, followed by surgical resection with a pathologically confirmed pancreatic cyst diagnosis between 2016-2019 will be used in this study. We will contour images using the widely available software 3D Slicer, and extract radiomic features using IBEX software. We will analyze area under the ROC curves to identify the radiomic features that best differentiate mucinous from non-mucinous cysts, and identify features to be cross validated. The predictive ability of identified radiomic features combined with proteolytic assay will be determined by performing multiple logistic regression analysis and comparing AUROC analysis. We will determine sensitivity and specificity for individual, as well as combinations of, analytes to determine the optimal classifier. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We anticipate that the predictive ability, sensitivity, and specificity of utilizing radiomic features combined with proteolytic assay data will exceed the performance of any individual test. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: This work is designed to provide a predictive radiomic model that will enable us to better identify mucinous cysts that require further evaluation, and potentially prevent unnecessary surgery in other patients. Ultimately, we would like to improve the accuracy of noninvasive radiographic evaluation using radiomic markers. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DESCRIPTION: Dr. Charles Craik is a co-founder of Alaunus Biosciences, Inc.

Background: Asian Americans have the highest prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the US. The San Francisco Hep B Free (SFHBF) campaign aimed to increase awareness and access to HBV education and services among Asian Americans in San Francisco. Purpose: We sought to examine attitudes and knowledge among Asian Americans regarding HBV at baseline (2009) and benefits of the SFHBF outreach campaign four years later (2013). Methods: Four focus groups were conducted (n=45) in 2009, followed by in-depth interviews (n=40) in 2013. Results: In 2009, many participants were misinformed about HBV symptoms and transmission. They also reported stigma associated with HBV, which hindered Asian Americans from discussing the disease and seeking services. The 2013 interviews revealed that SFHBF had contributed towards awareness of HBV screenings and vaccinations, and also instilled acute seriousness that HBV could affect them directly. Conclusion: The in-depth interviews conducted in 2013 illustrated that there was less concern about “saving face,” but a shift to a level of seriousness associated with HBV. Future efforts among Asian Americans should continue to focus on self-efficacy regarding HBV prevention, including screening and vaccination.