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Background: In January 2023, significant changes were implemented to ventral hernia repair Current Procedural Terminology codes, with new codes replacing previous codes. The new codes were assigned a 0-day global period. The impact of these changes on clinical productivity remains unclear. Our objective was to forecast the impact of Current Procedural Terminology changes on ventral hernia-related work relative value units using historical data., Methods: Ventral hernia repairs performed between March 2021 and December 2022 on adults by a single surgeon with available 90-day follow-up were retrospectively retrieved from the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative. Demographic, hernia, and operative and postoperative data were collected. The ventral hernia repairs were coded twice using the previous and new Current Procedural Terminology codes, and work relative value units were calculated using both systems. The median work relative value units per case were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test., Results: A total of 143 ventral hernia repairs were included. The median age was 59 years, and 50% of patients were male. Median hernia width and length were 3.5 and 5.0 cm, respectively. The most common ventral hernia types were incisional 57% and umbilical 33%. Twenty percent of hernias were recurrent, and 99% were elective repairs. 49% of the procedures were open, 30% robotic, and 21% laparoscopic. Component separation was performed in 16%. The median length of stay was 0.0, and the median number of 90-day outpatient postoperative visits was 1.0. The new Current Procedural Terminology coding system was associated with a higher median 90-day work relative value units per case (14.1) than the previous system (13.8) (P = .002). Subset analysis identified statistically higher median 90-day work relative value units per case using the new versus previous Current Procedural Terminology codes for hernias with the largest defect dimension >10 cm (23.3 vs 18.8), umbilical/epigastric/Spigelian hernias (9.2 vs 7.1), recurrent hernias (20.1 vs 17.3) and open ventral hernia repairs (9.8 vs 7.1), all P < .05. Median 90-day work relative value units per case were statistically lower using the new versus previous codes for non-recurrent (11.6 vs 13.8) and incarcerated/strangulated (14.8 vs 14.9) hernias, all P < .05. In the new coding system, postoperative care within 90-days contributed to a median of 1.3 work relative value units per case (9% of total 90-day work relative value units)., Conclusion: We forecast that in our practice, the 2023 ventral hernia repair Current Procedural Terminology changes will result in a modest impact on clinical productivity. The impact of these changes on a particular practice depends on surgical practice patterns and ventral hernia case mix., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Thoracoabdominal hernias remain a rare and poorly understood entity. Data remain sparse as terminology varies in the literature and case reports demonstrate wide variability in technique. We present a novel approach for repair of thoracoabdominal hernias using the robotic platform., Methods: Two patients underwent a robotic thoracoabdominal hernia repair in June 2022. They were followed for 1 year with CT scans every 6 months to exclude recurrence. Patient demographics and peri-operative details including defect size, closure technique, mesh size, length of stay, and complications were reported., Results: Both patients successfully underwent a robotic repair of a thoracoabdominal hernia, addressing the intercostal hernia, diaphragmatic disruption, and flank hernia discretely during the operation. One patient had an uneventful recovery and discharged on post-operative day 3; the other developed a small bowel obstruction due to an early port site hernia which required surgical intervention. He eventually discharged on post-operative day 9. At one year, there is no clinical or radiographic evidence of recurrence for either patient., Conclusion: Robotic thoracoabdominal hernia repair is feasible and offers a minimally invasive repair option for these extremely complex hernias., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is used to treat a variety of esophageal motility disorders and is associated with relatively few complications. However, complications in patients on antithrombotic therapy (AT) is not well-studied. We hypothesize AT patients have a higher risk of post-operative bleeding and 30-day complication rate compared to all other patients, even when these medications are held peri-operatively., Methods: A single-institution retrospective review of a prospectively collected database of patients who underwent POEM procedures January 2011-July 2019 was performed. All 30-day complications were recorded, as well as management of AT medications peri-operatively. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared using t test, Chi-Square, and Fisher's exact test as appropriate. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine factors associated with post-operative complications., Results: A total of 219 POEM procedures were performed. 50.2% of patients were male, and AT patients tended to be older (66.9 vs. 55.4, p = 0.01). The major complication rate was higher among AT patients (36.8% vs. 9.0%, p = 0.01), as was the rate of post-operative bleeding (10.5% vs. 1.0%, p = 0.04). After adjusting for gender and age, the use of antithrombotic therapy was significantly associated with 30-day complications (OR 6.03, p = 0.001)., Conclusions: Patients on AT who undergo POEM are significantly more likely to experience complications, including bleeding, within 30 days of surgery. Safe timing of post-operative resumption of antithrombotic medications remains a difficult decision that must be carefully considered by the endoscopist., (© 2020. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Achalasia is a neurodegenerative disorder of the lower esophagus characterized by high lower esophageal pressures and aperistalsis of the esophageal body. It remains a difficult to treat disease with significant burden on patients due to difficulty swallowing leading to malnutrition. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a newer endoscopic treatment of achalasia. It involves dividing the muscular layer of the esophagus through a submucosal tunnel. Ten-year data show POEM is a safe and effective treatment of achalasia. However, postoperative gastroesophageal reflux disease remains an important consideration., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Residents serve as both trainees and employees and can be considered potentially vulnerable research participants. This can lead to variation in the institutional review board (IRB) review. We studied sites participating in the Assessment of Professional Behaviors Study sponsored by the National Board of Medical Examiners (2009-2011). Of the 19 sites, all but one were university affiliated. IRB review varied; 2/19 did not submit to a local IRB, 4/17 (23%) were exempt, 11/17 (65%) were expedited, and 2/17 (12%) required full Board review; 12/17 (71%) required written informed consent. The interval from submission to approval was 1 to 2 months (8/17); the range was 1 to 7 months. Although most stated there were no major barriers to approval, the most common concern was resident coercion and loss of confidentiality. Local IRB review of this educational research study varied.

Trauma is the leading cause of pediatric mortality and abdominal injury is a significant contributor to morbidity. The assessment of abdominal trauma in children must be conducted expeditiously and thoroughly. Physical examination, laboratory testing, and imaging are central to trauma evaluation. In children with minor injury, protocols may help to limit the use of ionizing radiation. Children with significant abdominal injury who are unstable should be resuscitated with blood products and undergo emergent surgical intervention., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)