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Development and evaluation of a societal core robotic surgery accreditation curriculum for the UK
No full textStandardised proficiency-based progression is the cornerstone of safe robotic skills acquisition, however, is currently lacking within surgical training curricula. Expert consensuses have defined a modular pathway to accredit surgeons. This study aimed to address the lack of a formal, pre-clinical core robotic skills, proficiency-based accreditation curriculum in the UK. Novice robotic participants underwent a four-day pre-clinical core robotic skills curriculum incorporating multimodal assessment. Modifiable-Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (M-GEARS), VR-automated performance metrics (APMs) and Objective Clinical Human Reliability Analysis (OCHRA) error methodology assessed performance at the beginning and end of training. Messick's validity concept and a curriculum evaluation model were utilised. Feedback was collated. Proficiency-based progression, benchmarking, tool validity and reliability was assessed through comparative and correlational statistical methods. Forty-seven participants were recruited. Objective assessment of VR and dry models across M-GEARS, APMs and OCHRA demonstrated significant improvements in technical skill (p < 0.001). Concurrent validity between assessment tools demonstrated strong correlation in dry and VR tasks (r = 0.64-0.92, p < 0.001). OCHRA Inter-rater reliability was excellent (r = 0.93, p < 0.001 and 81% matched error events). A benchmark was established with M-GEARS and for the curriculum at 80%. Thirty (63.82%) participants passed. Feedback was 5/5 stars on average, with 100% recommendation. Curriculum evaluation fulfilled all five domains of Messick's validity. Core robotic surgical skills training can be objectively evaluated and benchmarked to provide accreditation in basic robotic skills. A strategy is necessary to enrol standardised curricula into national surgical training at an early stage to ensure patient safety.UnknownNot hel
What is the medical requirement for a quick release system in a body armour vest?
No full textA quick release system is a method by which personal armour can be rapidly doffed by the disconnection of structural components using little force. There are slight variations in the design of quick release systems available in different personal armour systems worldwide, including the position of the activation device, how many points on the vest are released at one time and how many constituent parts the vest dismantles into. Limited evidence exists, however, to justify each of these differences. We believe the medical requirements for a quickrelease system include reducing mass and bulk for rapid escape in confined areas or when transporting casualties, optimising rapid medical assessment and fully enabling medical assessment and treatment. The aim of this paper is to provide multidisciplinary evidence to support the medical requirements for this component and thereby facilitate innovation and the optimisation of future body armour design.6 month embargo from time of publicatio
Type 1 diabetes genetic risk contributes to phenotypic presentation in monogenic autoimmune diabetes
No full textDisease-causing variants in key immune homeostasis genes can lead to monogenic autoimmune diabetes. Some individuals carrying disease-causing variants do not develop autoimmune diabetes, even though they develop other autoimmune disease. We aimed to determine whether type 1 diabetes polygenic risk contributes to phenotypic presentation in monogenic autoimmune diabetes. We used a 67 SNP type 1 diabetes genetic risk score (T1D-GRS) to determine polygenic risk in 62 individuals with monogenic autoimmune diabetes and 180 non-autoimmune neonatal diabetes (NDM) controls. We used population-based controls (n=10,405) and individuals with type 1 diabetes (n=285) as a comparator. Individuals with monogenic autoimmune diabetes had higher T1D-GRSs compared to non-autoimmune NDM (mean 11.3 vs. 9.8; P=1.7×10-5) and controls (mean 10.3; P=7.5×10-6) but were markedly lower than type 1 diabetes (14.9; P= 3.3 × 10-21). These differences were explained by monogenic autoimmune diabetes cases having higher Class II HLA genetic risk, specifically from the DRB1*03:01-DQA1*05:01-DQB1*02:01 haplotype (DR3-DQ2) (P<0.01). In the presence of monogenic autoimmunity, the polygenic class II HLA susceptibility contributes to development of autoimmune diabetes. This suggests a role of class II HLA in targeting the dysregulated immune response towards the beta-cell.Journal content freely available via Open Access. Some content may be unavailable due to publisher embargo. Click on the 'Additional link' above to access the full-text
Pathogenic PDE12 variants impair mitochondrial RNA processing causing neonatal mitochondrial disease
No full textPathogenic variants in either the mitochondrial or nuclear genomes are associated with a diverse group of human disorders characterized by impaired mitochondrial function. Within this group, an increasing number of families have been identified, where Mendelian genetic disorders implicate defective mitochondrial RNA biology. The PDE12 gene encodes the poly(A)-specific exoribonuclease, involved in the quality control of mitochondrial non-coding RNAs. Here, we report that disease-causing PDE12 variants in three unrelated families are associated with mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiencies and wide-ranging clinical presentations in utero and within the neonatal period, with muscle and brain involvement leading to marked cytochrome c oxidase (COX) deficiency in muscle and severe lactic acidosis. Whole exome sequencing of affected probands revealed novel, segregating bi-allelic missense PDE12 variants affecting conserved residues. Patient-derived primary fibroblasts demonstrate diminished steady-state levels of PDE12 protein, whilst mitochondrial poly(A)-tail RNA sequencing (MPAT-Seq) revealed an accumulation of spuriously polyadenylated mitochondrial RNA, consistent with perturbed function of PDE12 protein. Our data suggest that PDE12 regulates mitochondrial RNA processing and its loss results in neurological and muscular phenotypes.RDUH staff can access the full-text of this article by clicking on the 'Additional Link' above and logging in with NHS OpenAthens if prompted
Patient Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU): how can rheumatology departments start to reap the benefits? A consensus document
No full textPatient Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU) is gaining momentum in the NHS, aiming to optimize outpatient care amidst rising service demands. PIFU is valuable in rheumatology, where the increasing demand for ongoing management exacerbates the patient backlog. Importantly, PIFU has demonstrated comparable safety and outcomes to traditional care in numerous studies. PIFU empowers patients, drives personalized care, increases efficiency, and has the potential to reduce waiting lists by allowing services to focus on new and acute cases. Effective PIFU implementation includes careful selection of patients, educating patients and healthcare staff, well defined operational guidelines, and robust remote monitoring. Digital solutions can enhance PIFU through patient education, active remote monitoring and streamlined escalation. Electronic Patient Reported Outcome Measures (ePROMs) provide a suitable and safe metric to monitor patients remotely. Given the potential benefits, outpatient departments should consider investing in PIFU as a solution to current healthcare delivery challenges and as a means for future proofing clinical systems against increasing service demands.Journal content freely available via Open Access. Some content may be unavailable due to publisher embargo. Click on the 'Additional link' above to access the full-text
Pulsed-field ablation of atrial fibrillation with a pentaspline catheter across National Health Service England centres
No full textINTRODUCTION: Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is a novel modality for pulmonary vein isolation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We describe the initial uptake and experience of PFA using a pentaspline catheter across selected National Health Service England (NHSE) centres. METHODS: Data collected by NHSE Specialised Services Development Programme regarding AF ablation procedures using a single-shot, pentaspline, multielectrode PFA catheter (FARAWAVE, Boston Scientific) between June 2022 and August 2024 were aggregated and analysed to examine procedural metrics, acute efficacy and safety outcomes over 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: 1034 procedures were submitted. The patients were 32.1% female, mean age 63.8±10.7 years, 53.1% paroxysmal AF and 89.7% first-time AF ablation. Procedures were performed by 48 consultant operators at nine NHSE centres, with a mean of 115 procedures per centre (range 25-264). 93.7% of procedures were performed under general anaesthesia. Median skin-to-skin procedure time was 74 min (IQR 55-96 min) and fluoroscopy time 20 min (IQR 15-27 min). Electroanatomical mapping was used in 15.3%. In first-time ablation cases, acute isolation of all pulmonary veins was achieved in 99.5% of patients. Left atrial (LA) posterior wall ablation using the PFA catheter was performed in 11.0% of cases; additional LA radiofrequency ablation was performed in 0.6%. The major and minor acute procedural complication rates were, respectively, 1.3% and 3.1%, with no reports of periprocedural death or atrio-oesophageal fistula. 63.8% of patients were discharged on the day of procedure. Follow-up data were available for 870 procedures (84.1%). In the 3 months following ablation, hospitalisation for arrhythmia occurred in 3.2%, with 0.9% rehospitalised for procedural-related complications. CONCLUSION: In this real-world, nationwide registry of a pentaspline PFA catheter, efficacy, safety and efficiency outcomes were comparable to those from previous PFA studies in patients with AF.Journal content freely available via Open Access. Some content may be unavailable due to publisher embargo. Click on the 'Additional link' above to access the full-text
National recommendations for the management of children and young people with IgA vasculitis: a best available evidence, group agreement-based approach
No full textOBJECTIVE: IgA vasculitis (IgAV) is the most frequently experienced subtype of vasculitis seen in children. Most children fully recover, however, complications including chronic kidney disease are recognised. The aim of this project was to use a best available evidence, group agreement, based approach to develop national recommendations for the initial management of IgAV and its associated complications. METHODS: A fully representative multiprofessional guideline development group (GDG), consisting of 28 members, was formed and met monthly. Graded recommendations were generated using nationally accredited methods, which included a predefined scope, open consultation, systematic literature review, evidence appraisal, review of national or international guidelines and a period of open consultation. Audit measures and research priorities were incorporated. RESULTS: The IgAV GDG met over a 14-month period. A total of 82 papers were relevant for evidence synthesis. For the initial management, four topic areas were identified with five key questions generating six graded recommendations related to classification, specialist referral and musculoskeletal involvement. For the associated complications, five topic areas with 12 key questions generated 15 graded recommendations covering nephritis, gastrointestinal and testicular involvement, atypical disease and follow-up. Open consultation feedback was incorporated. The guidelines were endorsed by the UK Kidney Association and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and are available online. CONCLUSION: Despite IgAV being a rare disease with limited evidence, a national standardised approach to the clinical management for children and young people has been achieved. This should unite approaches to care and act as a foundation for improvement.RDUH staff can access the full-text of this article by clicking on the 'Additional Link' above and logging in with NHS OpenAthens if prompted
Evaluation of the management of nasal septal haematoma and abscess - a systematic review
No full textRDUH staff can access the full-text of this article by clicking on the 'Additional Link' above and logging in with NHS OpenAthens if prompted
Rapid genome sequencing for infantile-onset epilepsy within a national health-care setting
No full textunknownThe article is available via Open Access. Click on the 'Additional link' above to access the full-text
Factors associated with poorer outcomes for posterior lumbar decompression and or/or discectomy: an exploratory analysis of administrative data
No full textPURPOSE: This study aimed to identify factors associated with poorer patient outcomes for lumbar decompression and/or discectomy (PLDD). METHODS: We extracted data from the Hospital Episodes Statistics database for the 5 years from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2019. Patients undergoing an elective one- or two-level PLDD aged = 17 years and without evidence of revision surgery during the index stay were included. The primary patient outcome measure was readmission within 90 days post-discharge. RESULTS: Data for 93,813 PLDDs across 111 hospital trusts were analysed. For the primary outcome, greater age [< 40 years vs 70-79 years odds ratio (OR) 1.28 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14 to 1.42), < 40 years vs = 80 years OR 2.01 (95% CI 1.76-2.30)], female sex [OR 1.09 (95% CI 1.02-1.16)], surgery over two spinal levels [OR 1.16 (95% CI 1.06-1.26)] and the comorbidities chronic pulmonary disease, connective tissue disease, liver disease, diabetes, hemi/paraplegia, renal disease and cancer were all associated with emergency readmission within 90 days. Other outcomes studied had a similar pattern of associations. CONCLUSIONS: A high-throughput PLDD pathway will not be suitable for all patients. Extra care should be taken for patients aged = 70 years, females, patients undergoing surgery over two spinal levels and those with specific comorbidities or generalised frailty.published version, accepted version (12 month embargo)Full Text unavailable for 1 year from time of publicatio