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Michael A Goldfarb

Publications and source records attributed to Michael A Goldfarb.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

An eight-year analysis of surgical morbidity and mortality: data and solutions.

In this article, a reproducible process for presenting, analyzing, and reducing early and late surgical morbidity and mortality (M and M) is detailed. All M and M cases presented from 1998 through 2005 at Monmouth Medical Center were categorized. Residents and nurses were empowered to report the complications. The five major categories were overwhelming disease on admission, delays in treatment, diagnostic or judgment complications, treatment complications, and technical complications. From the 53,541 operations performed over 8 years, 714 patients were presented, which included 147 deaths and 1,132 category entries. The most common problems were technical complications in 474 (66.4%) patients. The data have generated actionable solutions, many with low barriers to adoption, resulting in safer, less expensive surgical management. Surgical outcome benchmarks have been established and are used for credentialing surgeons. The "Hostile Abdomen Index" has been developed to assess the safest choice for abdominal operative access, pre- and intraoperatively. We explained the real-time process that generated solutions for the entire department as well as changes relevant to residency training and individual operative techniques.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed2004

Reducing medication errors in a surgical residency training program.

Medication errors contribute to in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Teaching hospitals and the surgical residency training programs they support should take proactive steps to reduce error frequency. In order to accomplish meaningful error reduction, we must first define the scope and nature of the problem. Pharmacists at the Monmouth Medical Center prospectively recorded medication prescribing errors made by surgical residents during 2 years. These data were reviewed to determine the types of medication errors made most frequently by surgical house officers. Seventy-five medication-prescribing errors were made by surgical house staff in the years 2001 and 2002. Thirty-three of these errors involved orders for antibiotic therapy. Errors that could not be directly attributed to knowledge deficits were responsible for 36 of the 75 errors (48%), whereas specific knowledge deficits were responsible for 39 of the 75 errors (52%). Twentyeight of the 36 errors not directly attributable to knowledge deficits (78%) were made at the postgraduate year one level, whereas only 15 of the 39 knowledge deficit errors (38%) were made at the postgraduate year one level. Though targeted education to address specific knowledge deficits may substantially reduce the occurrence of "knowledge deficit" medication errors within surgical residency training programs, more costly measures such as the implementation of physician computerized order entry will likely be needed to reduce maximally the frequency of medication ordering errors. Many prescribing errors cannot be attributed to specific knowledge deficits.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Oncologic and aesthetic results following breast-conserving therapy with 0.5 cm margins in 100 consecutive patients.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the oncologic and aesthetic results of patients undergoing breast-conserving therapy with 0.5 cm surgical margins and determine the factors that influence the need for reconstruction. One hundred consecutive patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery with 0.5 cm surgical margins followed by radiotherapy for invasive cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) were followed prospectively and evaluated for recurrence and aesthetic result. Thirteen patients underwent reexcision to achieve a 0.5 cm margin. Factors including breast size, location of the tumor, specimen size and volume, tumor size and volume, and TNM stage, if axillary dissection or reexcision were required, were included in the analysis. Aesthetic evaluation consisted of both patient rating and an independent observer rating on a 10-point scale that assessed volume, shape, symmetry, areola/nipple, and scar. Of the 100 patients that underwent breast-conserving therapy, the overall aesthetic results revealed that 8% of the patients scored themselves seven or less, another 8% were scored seven or less by the independent observer, and another 7% were scored seven or less by both the patient and the observer. Of these patients, only one proceeded to have a reconstructive procedure. Analysis of variance revealed a significant correlation between tumor size (cm(2)) and an aesthetic score of seven or less (p = 0.023), and specimen volume (cm(3)) and an aesthetic score of seven or less (p = 0.039). Chi-squared analysis revealed a significant difference (chi(2) = 4.39, p < 0.5) in the aesthetic result in patients with stage IIA disease. Other independent factors such as age, breast size, location of the tumor, axillary dissection, and reexcision did not influence the overall aesthetic result. A Pearson correlation of patient and independent observer ratings showed a positive correlation (r = 0.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.19-0.57) between the two groups. There were zero local recurrences of breast cancer during the study period. Our results demonstrate that following breast-conserving therapy with a minimum of 0.5 cm resection margins, it is possible to achieve excellent oncologic and aesthetic results. Patients with large tumors that require a large volume of resection or with stage IIA disease should be considered for reconstructive evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inadvertent enterotomy in minimally invasive abdominal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Inadvertent enterotomy (IE) in laparoscopic abdominal surgery is underreported. Patients with a prior history of laparotomy are at significantly increased risk of enterotomy if another operation is needed. The incidence of enterotomy in laparoscopic surgery may even be greater than that during an open procedure and may go unrecognized due to the limited field of vision. The purpose of this study was to report the incidence of inadvertent enterotomy in a variety of laparoscopic abdominal procedures at our institution and discuss ways to minimize the risk of this complication. METHODS: Using the data from morbidity and mortality conferences, we retrospectively reviewed all complications from 3,613 consecutive patients who had laparoscopic abdominal surgery from November 1998 through November 2004. Patients with inadvertent enterotomy were divided into 4 groups according to the type of laparoscopic procedure. Inadvertent enterotomy was defined as any transmural penetration of any part of the intestine. All inadvertent enterotomies that occurred during laparoscopic abdominal surgery were analyzed for mechanism of injury and method of repair, whether diagnosis was made intraoperatively or postoperatively, clinical presentation, conversion rate, and whether a second procedure was necessary. RESULTS: Laparoscopic operations were performed in 3,613 persons. Patients diagnosed with IE were divided into 4 groups: Group #1: cholecystectomy; Group #2: all patients requiring intestinal resection with or without primary anastomosis; Group #3: patients with any type of hernia repair; Group #4: all patients that had adhesiolysis as a primary indication for the operation. The incidence of IE according to each group was 0.39% (8/2,016), 0.8% (3/375), 1.9% (6/312), 100% (4/4), respectively. Twenty patients had 21 inadvertent enterotomies (4 men, 16 women; mean age, 60.9 years). One patient had 2 operations and had an enterotomy both times. Four patients (4/21, 19%) with unrecognized IE were diagnosed postoperatively. The overall incidence of IE was 0.58%. No deaths occurred. CONCLUSION: Inadvertent enterotomy in laparoscopic abdominal surgery is especially dangerous if unrecognized during the primary operation. The incidence of IE can be significantly reduced with careful individualized risk assessment. Only surgeons who are trained in advanced laparoscopy should attempt complicated cases and must always be wary of possible bowel injury. Any patient with signs of peritonitis, sepsis, or increased abdominal pain after laparoscopic surgery must promptly be investigated. The department culture of intraoperative cooperation helped improve outcomes.

Adult↗