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The pathophysiology of nephrolithiasis is multifactorial. Obesity, diabetes mellitus and hypertension are implicated in its formation. Dyslipidemia (DLD) recently has received attention as well. Congruent with a vascular etiology in stone formation, DLD theoretically would predispose patients to nephrolithiasis. We investigated a possible association of DLD with nephrolithiasis. A random cohort of 60,000 patients was established by collecting the first 5,000 patient charts per month in the year 2000. After excluding pediatric patients, a retrospective study was performed by reviewing age, sex, comorbidities, and last patient follow-up. Median lipid laboratory levels also were reviewed. Descriptive statistics were performed as well as Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis, and univariate and multivariate analyses. 52,184 (22,717 women/29,467 men) patient charts were reviewed. The average age was 31.0 ± 15.2 years. On univariate analysis, DLD was associated with nephrolithiasis with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.2 [Confidence Interval (CI), 1.9-2.5; p

BackgroundAge at diagnosis is incorporated into all relevant staging systems for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). There is growing evidence that a specific age cutoff may not be ideal for accurate risk stratification. We sought to evaluate the interplay between age and oncologic variables in patients with DTC using the largest cohort to date.MethodsThe Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End RESULTS (SEER) database was queried to identify patients with DTC as their only malignancy for the period 1973 to 2009. Multivariate analyses using a range of age cutoffs and age subgroupings were utilized in order to search for an optimal age that would provide the most significant risk stratification between young and old patients. The primary outcome was disease-specific survival (DSS) and covariates included: age, race, sex, tumor/nodal/metastasis (TNM) stage, decade of diagnosis, and radioactive iodine therapy.ResultsA total of 85,740 patients were identified. Seventy-six percent of patients were American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I, 8% were stage II, 7% were stage III, and 8% were stage IV. Age over 45 years (hazard ratio [HR] 19.2, p

BackgroundThis study aimed to determine whether hospitals with higher historical mortality rates are independently associated with worse patient outcomes.MethodsObservational study of in-hospital mortality in open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve replacement, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery in a California in-patient database was conducted. Hospitals' annual historical mortality rates between 1998 and 2010 were calculated based on 3 years of data before each year. Results were adjusted for race, sex, age, hospital teaching status, admission year, insurance status, and Charlson comorbidity index.ResultsHospitals were divided into quartiles based on historical mortality rates. For abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, the odds ratio (OR) of in-hospital mortality for hospitals within the highest quartile of prior mortality was 1.30 compared with the lowest quartile (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03 to 1.63). For aortic valve replacement, the OR was 1.41 for the 3rd quartile (95% CI 1.15 to 1.73) and 1.54 for the highest quartile (95% CI 1.27 to 1.87). For coronary artery bypass graft surgery, the OR was 1.33 for the 3rd (95% CI 1.2 to 1.49) and 1.58 for the highest (95% CI 1.41 to 1.76) quartiles.ConclusionPatients presenting to hospitals with high historical mortality rates have a 30% to 60% increased mortality risk compared with patients presenting to hospitals with low historical mortality rates.

BackgroundMost studies on learning curves for pancreaticoduodenectomy have been based on single-surgeon series at tertiary academic centers or are inferred indirectly from volume-outcome relationships. Our aim is to describe mortality rates associated with cumulative surgical experience among non-teaching hospitals.Study designObservational study of a statewide inpatient database. Analysis included hospitals that began performing pancreaticoduodenectomy between 1996 and 2010, as captured by the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development database. Cases were numbered sequentially within each hospital. The same sequential series (e.g., first 10 cases, 11th through 20th cases) were identified across hospitals. The outcome measure was in-hospital mortality.ResultsA total of 1210 cases from 143 non-teaching hospitals were analyzed. The average age was 63 years old, and the majority of patients were non-Hispanic white. The median overall mortality rate was 9.75 %. The mortality rate for the first 10 aggregated cases was 11.3 %. This improved for subsequent cases, reaching 7.1 % for the 21st-30th cases. However, the mortality rate then increased, reaching 16.7 % by the 41st-50th cases before falling to 0.0 % by the 61st-70th cases.ConclusionsInitial improvement in surgical outcomes relative to cumulative surgical experience is not sustained. It is likely that factors other than surgical experience affect outcomes, such as less rigorous assessment of comorbidities or changes in support services. Vigilance regarding outcomes should be maintained even after initial improvements.

ImportanceInterest in minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy (MIDP) has grown in recent years, but currently available data are limited. Greater insight into application patterns and outcomes may be gained from a national database inquiry.ObjectivesTo study trends in the use of MIDP and compare the short-term outcomes of MIDP with those of open distal pancreatectomy.Design, setting, and participantsPopulation-based retrospective cohort study evaluating perioperative outcomes and hospital charge measures for distal pancreatectomy, comparing the surgical approaches and adjusting for patient- and hospital-level factors, among patients undergoing elective distal pancreatectomy from 1998 to 2009 in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample in a 20% stratified sample of all US hospitals.Main outcomes and measuresIn-hospital mortality, rates of perioperative complications and splenectomy, total charges, and length of stay.ResultsA total of 8957 distal pancreatectomies were included in this analysis, of which 382 (4.3%) were MIDPs. On a national level, this projected to 42,320 open distal pancreatectomies and 1908 MIDPs. The proportion of distal pancreatectomies performed via minimally invasive approaches tripled between 1998 and 2009, from 2.4% to 7.3%. The groups were comparable for sex and comorbidity profiles, while patients who underwent MIDP were 1.5 years older. On multivariate analysis, MIDP was associated with lower rates of overall predischarge complications, including lower incidences of postoperative infections and bleeding complications, as well as a shorter length of stay by 1.22 days. There were no differences in rates of in-hospital mortality, concomitant splenectomy, or total charges.Conclusions and relevanceThis population-based study of MIDP reveals that the application of this approach has tripled in practice and provides strong evidence that MIDP has evolved into a safe option in the treatment of benign and malignant pancreatic diseases.

Background: Communication between caregivers and clinical team members is critical for transitional care, but its quality and potential impact on outcomes are not well understood. This study reports on caregiver‐reported quality of communication with clinical team members in the postpancreatectomy period and examines associations of these reports with patient and caregiver outcomes. Methods: Caregivers of patients with pancreatic and periampullary malignancies who had undergone pancreatectomy were surveyed. Instrument measures assessed care experiences using the Caregiver Perceptions About Communication with Clinical Team Members (CAPACITY) instrument. The instrument has two main subscales: communication, assessing the extent to which providers helped caregivers comprehend details of clinical visits, and capacity, defined as the extent to which providers assessed whether caregivers were able to care for patients. Results: Of 265 caregivers who were approached, 240 (90.6%) enrolled in the study. The mean communication and capacity subscale scores were 2.7 ± 0.6 and 1.5 ± 0.6, respectively (range, 0–4 [higher = better]). Communication subscale scores were lower among caregivers of patients who experienced (vs. those who did not experience) a 30‐day readmission (2.6 ± 0.5 vs. 2.8 ± 0.6, respectively; p =.047). Capacity subscale scores were inversely associated with restriction in patient daily activities (a 0.04 decrement in the capacity score for every 1 point in daily activity restriction; p =.008). Conclusions: After pancreatectomy, patients with pancreatic and periampullary cancer whose caregivers reported worse communication with care providers were more likely to experience readmission. Caregivers of patients with greater daily activity restrictions were less likely to report being asked about the caregiver's skill and capacity by clinicians. Plain Language Summary: This prospective study used a validated survey instrument and reports on the quality of communication between health care providers and caregivers as reported by caregivers of patients with pancreatic and periampullary cancer after pancreatectomy.In an analysis of 240 caregivers enrolled in the study, lower communication scores (the extent to which providers helped caregivers understand clinical details) were associated with higher odds of 30‐day patient readmission to the hospital.In addition, lower capacity scores (the extent to which providers assessed caregivers' ability to care for patients) were associated with greater impairment in caregivers.The strikingly low communication quality and capacity assessment scores suggest substantial room for improvement, with the potential to improve both caregiver and patient outcomes. After pancreatectomy, patients with pancreatic and periampullary cancer whose caregivers reported worse communication with care providers were more likely to experience readmission. Caregivers of patients with greater daily activity restrictions were less likely to report being asked about the caregiver's skill and capacity by clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]