Objective We sought to determine the reliability of surgeon-specific postoperative complication rates after colectomy. Background Conventional measures of surgeon-specific performance fail to acknowledge variation attributed to statistical noise, risking unreliable assessment of quality. Methods We examined all patients who underwent segmental colectomy with anastomosis from 2008 through 2010 participating in the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC) Colectomy Project. Surgeon-specific complication rates were risk-adjusted according to patient characteristics with multiple logistic regression. Hierarchical modeling techniques were used to determine the reliability of surgeon-specific risk-adjusted complication rates. We then adjusted these rates for reliability. To evaluate the extent to which surgeon-level variation was reduced, surgeons were placed into quartiles based on performance and complication rates were compared before and after reliability adjustment Results A total of 5,033 patients (n=345 surgeons) undergoing partial colectomy reported a risk-adjusted complication rate of 24.5%. Approximately 86% of the variability of complication rates across surgeons was explained by measurement noise, while the remaining 14% represented true signal. Risk-adjusted complication rates varied from 0% to 55.1% across quartiles prior to adjusting for reliability. Reliability adjustment greatly diminished this variation, generating a 1.2 fold difference (21.4%-25.6%). A caseload of 168 colectomies across three years was required to achieve a reliability of >0.7, which is considered a proficient level. Only one surgeon surpassed this volume threshold. Conclusions The vast majority of surgeons do not perform enough colectomies to generate a reliable surgeon-specific complication rate. Risk-adjusted complication rates should be viewed with caution when evaluating surgeons with low operative volume, as statistical noise is a large determinant in estimating their surgeon-specific complication rates.

In this ED-based study, patient preferences for diagnostic testing differed significantly across levels of risk, benefit, and cost of diagnostic testing. Cost was the strongest and most consistent factor associated with decreased desire for testing.

BackgroundImplementation of evidence-based treatment for pre-hospital status epilepticus can improve outcomes. We hypothesized that publication of a pivotal pre-hospital clinical trial (RAMPART), demonstrating superiority of intramuscular midazolam over intravenous lorazepam, altered the national utilization rates of midazolam for pre-hospital benzodiazepine-treated seizures, while upholding its safety and efficacy outside the trial setting.Methods and findingsThis is a retrospective, observational cohort study of pre-hospital patient encounters throughout the United States in the National Emergency Medicine Services Information System database, from January 2010 through December 2014. We compared the rates and odds of midazolam use as first-line treatment among all adult and pediatric benzodiazepine-treated seizures before and after RAMPART publication (February 2012). Secondary analyses were conducted for rates of airway interventions and rescue therapy, as proxies for safety and efficacy of seizure termination. 156,539 benzodiazepine-treated seizures were identified. Midazolam use increased from 26.1% in January 2010 to 61.7% in December 2014 (difference +35.6%, 95% CI, 32.7%-38.4%). The annual rate of midazolam adoption increased significantly from 5.9% per year to 8.9% per year after the publication of RAMPART (difference +3.0% per year; 95%CI, 1.6%-4.5% per year; adjusted OR 1.24; 95%CI, 1.17–1.32). Overall frequency of rescue therapy and airway interventions changed little after the publication of RAMPART.ConclusionsThese data are consistent with effective, ongoing, but incomplete clinical translation of the RAMPART results. The effects of the trial, however, cannot be isolated. The study was limited by broad inclusion of all benzodiazepine-treated seizures as well as a lack of information on route of drug of administration. The safety and effectiveness of midazolam for benzodiazepine-treated seizures in prehospital clinical practice appear consistent with trial data, which should encourage continuing increases in utilization.

Introduction: Wound botulism is a rare and potentially fatal infectious disease, often seen in patients who abuse injection drugs. It classically presents with dysfunction of bilateral cranial nerves followed by proximal and distal motor weakness, which can progress to respiratory failure. Case Report: We report a case of a 31-year-old female who presented to the emergency department for the fifth time with an eight-day history of isolated dysphagia without any other neurologic symptoms. She reported a history of injection drug abuse via “skin popping,” was admitted to the hospital, and ultimately diagnosed with wound botulism. Conclusion: This case exemplifies the diagnostic pitfalls of rare diseases such as wound botulism and provides insight regarding the diagnosis and treatment of this entity. This case also highlights the unique medical and social challenges emergency physicians face while trying to reliably evaluate patients who abuse controlled substances.