Safety attitudes culture remain stable in a transplant center: evidence from the coronavirus pandemic

BackgroundWe sought to understand how safety culture may evolve during disruption, by using the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, to identify vulnerabilities in the system that could impact patient outcomes.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis of transplant personnel at a high-volume transplant center was conducted using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). Survey responses were scaled and evaluated pre- and post-COVID-19 (2019 and 2021).ResultsTwo-hundred and thirty-eight responses were collected (134 pre-pandemic and 104 post-pandemic). Represented organ groups included: kidney (N = 89;38%), heart (N = 18;8%), liver (N = 54;23%), multiple (N = 66;28%), and other (N = 10;4%). Responders primarily included nurses (N = 75;34%), administration (N = 50;23%), and physicians (N = 24;11%). Workers had high safety, job satisfaction, stress recognition, and working conditions satisfaction (score >75) both before and after the pandemic with overlapping responses across both timepoints. Stress recognition, safety, and working conditions improved post-COVID-19, but teamwork, job satisfaction, and perceptions of management were somewhat negatively impacted (all p > 0.05).ConclusionsDespite the serious health care disruptions induced by the pandemic, high domain ratings were notable and largely maintained in a high-volume transplant center. The SAQ is a valuable tool for healthcare units and can be used in longitudinal assessments of transplant culture of safety as a component of quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives

Triphenylene-­Based and Tetra-­Substituted Indigo Discotic Liquid Crystals

Boron substituted, triphenylene-based discotic liquid crystals (DLCs) were synthesized and assessed for potential usage in organic photovoltaic cells (OPVC). One 3,5 disubstituted discotic was found to have an ideal mesophase ranging from below 30 to almost 200 C. Despite this promise, the triphenylene DLCs' narrow homo-lumo gap of 4.1eV limits OPVC potential. In 3, 3', 4, 4' and 3, 3', 5, 5' tetraalkyloxy-substituted indigos was carried out: only the 3, 3', 5, 5' tetramethoxyindigo was successfully synthesized. The synthetic method and characterization of these compounds are provided herein

Giant Liver Hemangiomas: A Plea for Early Surgical Referral and Resection

Hepatic hemangiomas are the most common benign hepatic tumor. Current guidelines recommend surveillance imaging and reserving surgical intervention for symptomatic patients with giant liver hemangiomas (>5 cm). We present the case of a patient with a rapidly enlarging giant hepatic hemangioma initially managed by surveillance. During her observation period, she developed weight loss, constipation, and pancytopenia concerning for Kasabach-Merritt Syndrome. Resection of the hemangioma was complicated by its large size (28.0×18.0×11.4 cm). Patients with rapidly growing giant liver hemangiomas, even when asymptomatic, should be promptly referred to specialized surgical centers for evaluation and management

Delayed, recurrent bile leak from isolated right posterior sectoral duct injury after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: An unusual presentation

Abstract Bile leak after cholecystectomy is associated with significant comorbidity. Biliary duct variant anatomy can complicate identification and management. We report a very rare presentation of recurrent delayed bile leaks years after laparoscopic cholecystectomy secondary to missed right posterior sectoral bile duct injury. Surgical intervention was required after the failure of conservative management

Right versus left fully robotic live donor nephrectomy and open kidney transplantation: Does the laterality of the donor kidney really matter?

Objective: Robotic-assisted live donor nephrectomy (LDN) is being gradually adopted across transplant centers. The left donor kidney is preferred over right due to anatomical factors and ease of procurement. We aimed to study donor and recipient outcomes after robotic procurement and subsequent open implantation of right and left kidneys. Methods: All fully robotic LDNs and their corresponding open kidney transplants performed at our center between February 2016 and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Out of 196 robotic LDN (49 [right] vs. 147 [left]), 10 (5.1%) donors had intra-operative events (6.1% [right] vs. 4.8% [left], p=0.71). None of the LDN required conversion to open surgery. The operative times were comparable for the two groups. Nausea (13.3%) was the most common post-operative complication. There was no mortality in either LDN group. Herein, we report our outcomes on 156 recipients (39 right and 117 left allografts) excluding robotic implants, exports, and pediatric recipients. There were no significant differences between right and left kidney recipients with respect to 1-year post-transplant patient survival (100.0% vs. 98.1%, p=0.45) or graft survival (93.9% vs. 97.1%, p=0.11), or delayed graft function (7.7% vs. 5.1%, p=0.55). Conclusion: Non-hand-assisted robotic live donor nephrectomies can be safely performed with excellent outcomes. Right LDN was not associated with higher incidence of complications compared to left LDN. Open implantation of robotically procured right renal allografts was not associated with higher risk of recipient complications

Datasheet1_Safety attitudes culture remain stable in a transplant center: evidence from the coronavirus pandemic.docx

BackgroundWe sought to understand how safety culture may evolve during disruption, by using the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, to identify vulnerabilities in the system that could impact patient outcomes.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis of transplant personnel at a high-volume transplant center was conducted using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). Survey responses were scaled and evaluated pre- and post-COVID-19 (2019 and 2021).ResultsTwo-hundred and thirty-eight responses were collected (134 pre-pandemic and 104 post-pandemic). Represented organ groups included: kidney (N = 89;38%), heart (N = 18;8%), liver (N = 54;23%), multiple (N = 66;28%), and other (N = 10;4%). Responders primarily included nurses (N = 75;34%), administration (N = 50;23%), and physicians (N = 24;11%). Workers had high safety, job satisfaction, stress recognition, and working conditions satisfaction (score >75) both before and after the pandemic with overlapping responses across both timepoints. Stress recognition, safety, and working conditions improved post-COVID-19, but teamwork, job satisfaction, and perceptions of management were somewhat negatively impacted (all p > 0.05).ConclusionsDespite the serious health care disruptions induced by the pandemic, high domain ratings were notable and largely maintained in a high-volume transplant center. The SAQ is a valuable tool for healthcare units and can be used in longitudinal assessments of transplant culture of safety as a component of quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives.</p