Time Of Telephone Interview Research Articles

Vasectomy Regret Among Childless Men

To address historical concerns surrounding vasectomy in childless men, we sought to evaluate for the level of regret in this unique cohort. The records of patients who underwent vasectomy via single surgeon between 2006 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed and those who had not fathered children in any capacity at time of vasectomy were selected. We devised a 6-question survey inquiring about regret and thoughts on vasectomy reversal and assisted reproductive technology (ART). The questions are listed in Table 1. Patients were queried via a telephone call to rate their level of regret, both immediately after vasectomy and present day. The cohort was analyzed via age at time of vasectomy, time since vasectomy and marital status. There were 4812 overall patients who underwent vasectomy in this interval, with 205 (4.3%) who were childless. The response rate was 33.2% (68/205). Average age was 36.6 years with average time since vasectomy at time of phone call was 5.51 years. Regret rate was 4.4% immediately following vasectomy and 7.4% at time of telephone interview. A confirmatory, second consultation before vasectomy was present in 6.8% (14/205). The majority of patients 150/205 (73.1%) were married. When patients were stratified by marital status, there was no significant difference in any of the questions. The majority of patients were satisfied with their decision, with few contemplating or pursuing reversal or ART (Table 1). Regret in childless patients who undergo vasectomy is very rare, with the majority of patients feeling that their life was improved.

634 Discordance between prenatal inclination and delivery decision among women with a history of cesarean delivery

To determine factors associated with discordance between prenatal inclination regarding delivery approach and decision at the time of admission among women with a history of CD. This was a secondary analysis of data from the PROCEED trial, a multi-centered randomized controlled trial studying the impact of a patient centered decision app on rates of TOLAC. Women participated in a phone interview at 34-37 weeks at which time they stated their inclination regarding delivery approach and completed measures of decision quality. 1357 of the 1470 PROCEED participants had complete telephone interview and delivery data. At 34-37 weeks, 692 (51%) were inclined to undergo TOLAC, 595 (44%) were inclined to undergo ERCD, and 70 (5%) were undecided. 187 (13.8%) underwent a delivery approach different than their stated inclination. Among the women who were inclined to undergo TOLAC, 142 (20.5%) had an ERCD at the time of admission. Conversely, among women who reported an inclination to have an ERCD, 45 (7.6%) underwent TOLAC. Among women who were undecided at the time of telephone interview, 26 (37%) underwent TOLAC and 44 (63%) underwent ERCD. Compared to women whose approach to delivery was concordant with their inclination at 34-37 weeks, women with discordance between their inclination and delivery approach were more likely to be publicly insured, speak Spanish, have an income <$100k, have less than a college education, and be less likely to be married/living with a partner. They also had more decisional uncertainty and decisional conflict, and reported less support and less effective decision-making (Table 1). A substantial minority of women with a prior CD change their intended delivery approach in the last weeks of pregnancy. While these changes may reflect incorporation of new clinical information (i.e., labor status), lower decision quality measured prior to delivery and the association with demographic factors indicates opportunities for continued discussion to optimize patient-centered care, particularly in vulnerable populations.

20 years later: laparoscopic fundoplication durability.

Laparoscopic surgery for gastrointestinal reflux disease was introduced in 1991. Early safety, efficacy, and 5-10-year durability have been amply documented, but long-term patient outcomes have been criticized. This study presents 20-year outcomes after laparoscopic fundoplication (LF) in a consecutive patient cohort. Patients who underwent primary LF procedures for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were identified from a prospectively collected IRB-approved database (1991-1995). A phone symptom questionnaire was administered using a 5-point validated GERD scoring system (heartburn, regurgitation, and dysphagia). Symptomatic success was defined by a lack of surgical re-intervention and a low symptom score. One-hundred and ninety-three patients were identified during the time period. Fifty-one patients completed the survey (100 lost to follow-up, 40 deceased, 2 declined to answer). Respondents had a median follow-up of 19.7 years. Overall, 38/51 (74.5%) of patients reported complete control of heartburn and regurgitation. Ten patients reported only occasional heartburn. Eight of fifty-one (16%) reported daily dysphagia, and 22/51 (43%) of respondents were using proton pump inhibitors at the time of telephone interview. Nine of fifty-one (18%) underwent revision of the original surgery which did not negatively impact the satisfaction rating, with 8/9 (89%) of these patients reporting the highest satisfaction rating. Overall, 46/51 (90%) were satisfied with their choice of surgery. Long-term results from the early experience with LF are excellent with 94% of patients reporting only occasional or fewer reflux symptoms at 20-year follow-up. However, 18% required surgical revision surgery to maintain their results. There is a relatively high rate of daily dysphagia but 90% of patients are happy to have had LF.

Off-label antiobesity treatment in patients without diabetes with GLP-1 agonists in clinical practice.

The aim of the work was to investigate whether continuation of treatment, side effects, and effect on weight loss of GLP-1 agonists in obese patients without diabetes are equally promising in daily clinical-practice-settings compared to controlled clinical trials. Obese patients without diabetes of our interdisciplinary obesity centre were treated off-label with GLP-1-agonists for different time periods. Application was started with low-dose and increased if side effects were tolerable. Monthly costs were € 125 for daily applications of 1.2 mg liraglutide or 10 μg exenatide twice daily. Data were obtained by telephone interviews about baseline characteristics, weight loss, sensation of satiation, duration of therapy, side effects, and reasons for discontinuation. Of 43 included cases (5 males, mean age 43±11 years, mean weight 107±24 kg, mean excess weight 35±21 kg) 7 were treated with exenatide and 36 with liraglutide. Excess weight loss in linear regression models was 6.7% per month (p <0.05) under control of age, sex, initial weight, and type of GLP-1 analogue treatment and did not significantly differ between liraglutide and exenatide. Overall, 58% of patients reported side effects mostly concerning the gastrointestinal tract. Surprisingly no patient reported vomiting. One patient developed a severe pancreatitis. At time of telephone interview only 30.2% were continuing treatment. Mean treatment duration was 2.98±2.71 months. Common reasons for discontinuation of treatment were no/little effect on weight loss (27.9%), intolerable side effects (20.9%), or financial reasons (14%). GLP-1 agonist treatment in obese patients without diabetes also correlates with significant weight loss in clinical practice. However, side effects and discontinuation of treatment are common. Therefore, long-term effect on weight loss might not be as promising as suggested by data from clinical trials.

Cervicomedullary Junction Spinal Cord Stimulation for Head and Facial Pain

To review our experience with cervicomedullary junction spinal cord stimulation (SCS), to alleviate head and facial pain. There is a dearth of literature regarding the use of spinal cord stimulation for treating head and facial pain. We performed a Boolean search of the electronic medical record (1990-2009) and identified 35 patients (9 men, 26 women) for whom the senior author (J.J.M) trialed paddle lead cervicomedullary junction stimulation (CMJ-S) for intractable head or facial pain. Twenty-five patients (71.4%) had a successful trial with subsequent implantation of SCS hardware and 10 patients (28.6%) experienced a failed trial. Pain syndromes were categorized into diagnostic groups: trigeminal deafferentation pain (TDP), trigeminal neuropathic pain (TNP), occipital pain/neuralgia, post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), and post-stroke facial pain. Follow-up via structured telephone interview was obtained in 25 patients (71.4%). Among the 25 patients available for follow-up, 16 patients (64%) underwent implantation and 9 patients (36%) had a failed trial of CMJ-S. The mean patient age and length of follow-up was 47.3 years old (20-78 years old) and 53.4 months (2-120 months), respectively. On a 0-10 pain intensity scale (0 being no pain and 10 being the worst degree of pain), a mean pretrial pain level of 9.6 (range 7-10) had been reduced to a mean of 4.8 (0-10) at follow-up. Successful trial and subsequent implantation occurred in 7 patients with TDP (70%), 4 patients with TNP (80%), both patients with PHN (100%), and in the single patient with post-stroke facial pain (100%) but in only 2 patients (28.6%) with occipital neuralgia/pain. At the time of telephone interview, 4 of the implanted patents (25%) had their hardware removed because of loss of effectiveness (3) and infection (1). The other 12 implanted patients (75%) continue to use CMJ-S on a daily basis and insist that it has improved their quality of life. Six current users (50%) of CMJ-S have been able to decrease their use of oral pain medications. Complications in the implanted group included infection (1), uncomfortable paresthesias from breakdown of connecting wire insulation (1), and gradual loss of effectiveness (3). Our preliminary experience suggests that patients suffering from TDP, TNP, and PHN may respond favorably to CMJ-S whereas patients with occipital neuralgia/pain are rarely palliated by this neuromodulatory approach.

The use of a hybrid dynamic stabilization and fusion system in the lumbar spine: preliminary experience

The authors report the use and preliminary results of a novel hybrid dynamic stabilization and fusion construct for the surgical treatment of degenerative lumbar spine pathology. The authors performed a retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent posterior lumbar instrumentation with the Dynesys-to-Optima (DTO) hybrid dynamic stabilization and fusion system. Preoperative symptoms, visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, perioperative complications, and the need for subsequent revision surgery were recorded. Each patient was then contacted via telephone to determine current symptoms and VAS score. Follow-up was available for 22 of 24 patients, and the follow-up period ranged from 1 to 22 months. Clinical outcome was gauged by comparing VAS scores prior to surgery and at the time of telephone interview. A total of 24 consecutive patients underwent lumbar arthrodesis surgery in which the hybrid system was used for adjacent-level dynamic stabilization. The mean preoperative VAS score was 8.8, whereas the mean postoperative VAS score was 5.3. There were five perioperative complications that included 2 durotomies and 2 wound infections. In addition, 1 patient had a symptomatic medially placed pedicle screw that required revision. These complications were not thought to be specific to the DTO system itself. In 3 patients treatment failed, with treatment failure being defined as persistent preoperative symptoms requiring reoperation. The DTO system represents a novel hybrid dynamic stabilization and fusion construct. The technique holds promise as an alternative to multilevel lumbar arthrodesis while potentially decreasing the risk of adjacent-segment disease following lumbar arthrodesis. The technology is still in its infancy and therefore follow-up, when available, remains short. The authors report their preliminary experience using a hybrid system in 24 patients, along with short-interval clinical and radiographic follow-up.

Effects of Aging on the Functional Outcome of Coloanal Anastomosis with Colonic J-Pouch

Background: Many low rectal cancers can be treated radically by proctectomy with total mesorectal excision followed by colonic J-pouch anal anastomosis (CPAA). In elderly patients, the fear of poor function might reduce indications for CPAA in favor of abdomino-perineal excision with end stoma. Methods: Among 198 patients with CPAA operated on for low rectal cancer between 1984 and 1992, 20 patients over 75 years old were alive without recurrence at the time of telephone interview (July 1995). Minimal follow-up was 3 years (mean 8) for all patients. Their functional results were compared with those of 37 younger patients operated consecutively during the last 5 years of the study period. Results: The two groups were well matched for gender, tumor distance from the anal verge, histologic staging, and use of adjuvant radiotherapy. Follow-up was longer in the elderly group than in the young group (96 versus 63 months, respectively). The elderly group had a median of 1 bowel movement per day and the young group a median of 1.5 ( P = 0.13). The presence of irregular intestinal transit was reported in 48% of the aged and in 35% of the young group ( P = 0.6), but fragmented defecation was less frequent (25% versus 47%, respectively; P = 0.15). Urgency was noted, respectively, in 15% and 22% of elderly and young patients ( P = 0.7) and constipation in 40% and 22% ( P = 0.2). Incontinence for feces (15%) and for flatus (40%) in elderly were not significantly different from the younger group (14% and 46%, P = 1.0 and P = 0.8, respectively). Laxatives were used in 32% of elderly and 17% of young patients ( P = 0.3). Conclusion: Functional outcome may be good to excellent in elderly patients after CPAA and compares well with that obtained in younger patients. Constipation, however, may be more frequent in the elderly. Age is not a contraindication for CPAA if the sphincter tone is clinically normal.