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Study Design. Multicenter prospective study. Objective. Our aim was to evaluate the incidence and predictors of postoperative dysphagia in patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Summary of Background Data. Dysphagia is a common complication after ACDF that can have significant effect on patients' quality of life, but the frequency of prolonged dysphagia and risk factors are not known. Methods. A multicenter prospective study was undertaken at three academic sites to evaluate patients undergoing ACDF between September 2018 and September 2020. Included patients were aged 18 to 80 years and were undergoing primary or revision ACDF for degenerative spondylosis. Dysphagia was assessed using the validated Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) questionnaire, with dysphagia defined as EAT-10 ! 3. Results. A total of 170 patients (53.5% female; mean age at surgery 55.0 yr) were included. At preoperative baseline, 23 patients (13.5%) had dysphagia. Rates of dysphagia increased to 45.3% at 2 weeks postoperatively but gradually decreased to 15.3% at 24 weeks. On univariate analysis, patients with dysphagia at 2 weeks had longer operations (113.1 AE 58.4 vs. 89.0 AE 39.8 minutes, P ¼ 0.003) and higher baseline dysphagia rates (18.2% vs. 6.2%, P ¼ 0.018) and were more likely to be female (66.2% vs. 45.7%, P ¼ 0.009). Patients with prolonged dysphagia had more levels fused (2.1 AE 1.0 vs. 1.7 AE 0.7, P ¼ 0.020), longer operations (131.8 AE 63.1 vs. 89.3 AE 44.3 minutes, P < 0.001), and higher baseline dysphagia rates (32% vs. 7.1%, P < 0.001) and were more likely to be smokers (24% vs. 8%, P ¼ 0.021). On multivariate analysis to determine associations with prolonged dysphagia, only smoking status (OR 6.2, 95% CI 1.57-24.5, P ¼ 0.009) and baseline dysphagia (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.47-17.6, P ¼ 0.01) remained significant. Conclusion. Dysphagia is common immediately after ACDF, but rates of prolonged dysphagia are similar to preoperative baseline rates. We identified dysphagia rates over time and several patient factors associated with development of short-and long-term postoperative dysphagia.

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Neurosurgery residents spend a significant amount of their time teaching patients, families, students, residents, and other health professionals. To help ensure competence in their residents’ teaching abilities, many specialties have established formal residents-as-teachers (RAT) curricula; however, such formalized curricula are often lacking in neurosurgery programs. The authors’ goal was to develop and implement a formal RAT curriculum, designed with neurosurgery residents’ other responsibilities in mind, to improve residents’ formal and informal teaching abilities. Here, the authors report on the design of a formalized teaching curriculum tailored for the needs of neurosurgical residents, with a focus on deliberate practice and minimal time needed for preparation. The curriculum, designed using Kern’s 6 steps of curriculum design as a framework, comprises 5 lecture series spread over 3 years, repeated twice through a resident’s training, with each lecture series outlined with its respective topics and objectives. Opportunities for observed teaching as well as informal and formal evaluation will be provided to residents. The program will be evaluated on a yearly basis using direct and anonymized resident feedback on the RAT curriculum. Measures of program success will also include pre- and postprogram medical student and peer evaluation of residents. These data will be used for continual improvement of the curriculum as it is implemented. Successes and shortcomings of this program will be disseminated by publication, presentations, and placement on the authors’ department website and social media. This paper may serve as a foundation for other neurosurgical programs to develop RAT curricula for greater enhancement of resident teaching abilities.

Background Gliomas are a heterogeneous group of tumors where large multicenter clinical and genetic studies have become increasingly popular in their understanding. We reviewed and analyzed the findings from large databases in gliomas, seeking to understand clinically relevant information. Methods A systematic review was performed for gliomas studied using large administrative databases up to January 2020 (e.g., National Inpatient Sample [NIS], National Surgical Quality Improvement Program [NSQIP], and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program [SEER], National Cancer Database [NCDB], and others). Results Out of 390 screened studies, 122 were analyzed. Studies included a wide range of gliomas including low- and high-grade gliomas. The SEER database (n = 83) was the most used database followed by NCDB (n = 28). The most common pathologies included glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) (n = 67), with the next category including mixes of grades II to IV glioma (n = 31). Common study themes involved evaluation of descriptive epidemiological trends, prognostic factors, comparison of different pathologies, and evaluation of outcome trends over time. Persistent health care disparities in patient outcomes were frequently seen depending on race, marital status, insurance status, hospital volume, and location, which did not change over time. Most studies showed improvement in survival because of advances in surgical and adjuvant treatments. Conclusions This study helps summarize the use of clinical administrative databases in gliomas research, informing on socioeconomic issues, surgical outcomes, and adjuvant treatments over time on a national level. Large databases allow for some study questions that would not be possible with single institution data; however, limitations remain in data curation, analysis, and reporting methods.

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BACKGROUND: Homelessness is associated with high risk of acute neurotraumatic injury in the ∼600 000 Americans affected on any given night. OBJECTIVE: To compare care patterns and outcomes between homeless and nonhomeless individuals with acute neurotraumatic injuries. METHODS: Adults hospitalized for acute neurotraumatic injuries between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2020, were identified in this retrospective cross-sectional study at our Level 1 trauma center. We evaluated demographics, in-hospital characteristics, discharge dispositions, readmissions, and adjusted readmission risk. RESULTS: Of 1308 patients, 8.5% (n = 111) were homeless on admission to neurointensive care. Compared with nonhomeless individuals, homeless patients were younger (P = .004), predominantly male (P = .003), and less frail (P = .003) but had similar presenting Glasgow Coma Scale scores (P = .85), neurointensive care unit stay time (P = .15), neurosurgical interventions (P = .27), and in-hospital mortality (P = .17). Nevertheless, homeless patients had longer hospital stays (11.8 vs 10.0 days, P = .02), more unplanned readmissions (15.3% vs 4.8%, P < .001), and more complications while hospitalized (54.1% vs 35.8%, P = .01), particularly myocardial infarctions (9.0% vs 1.3%, P < .001). Homeless patients were mainly discharged to their previous living situation (46.8%). Readmissions were primarily for acute-on-chronic intracranial hematomas (4.5%). Homelessness was an independent predictor of 30-day unplanned readmissions (odds ratio 2.41 [95% CI 1.33-4.38, P = .004]). CONCLUSION: Homeless individuals experience longer hospital stays, more inpatient complications such as myocardial infarction, and more unplanned readmissions after discharge compared with their housed counterparts. These findings combined with limited discharge options in the homeless population indicate that better guidance is needed to improve the postoperative disposition and long-term care of this vulnerable patient population.