Needs, Challenges and Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Education Curriculum (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED Artificial intelligence (AI) is on course to become a mainstay in the patient's room, physicians office and the surgical suite. Current advancements in healthcare technology put future physicians in an insufficiently equipped position and even possible inferiority to machines. Physicians will be regularly tasked with clinical decision making with the assistance of AI driven predictions. Present-day physicians are not trained to incorporate the suggestions of statistical predictions on a regular basis nor are they knowledgeable in an ethical approach to incorporating AI in their distribution of care. Medical schools do not currently incorporate AI in the curriculum due to the lack of faculty expertise or knowledge on the matter, the lack of evidence in students desire to learn about AI, complacency with an already rigorous curriculum or lack of guidance on AI in medical education from medical education governing bodies. Medical schools should incorporate AI in the curriculum as a longitudinal thread in current subjects. Current students should have an understanding in the breadth of AI tools, the framework of engineering and designing AI solutions to clinical issues and acquiring knowledge about data appropriate to AI innovations. Study cases in the curriculum should include an AI recommendation that may present critical decision making challenges. Finally, the ethical implications of AI in medicine must be at the forefront of any comprehensive medical education.

620 Outbreak of Carbapenem-Polymyxin-Quat-Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Associated with Mafenide Acetate shortages: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Eradication

Introduction In the wake of Hurricane Maria, many US hospitals experienced massive drug shortages requiring substitution with alternative therapies. Our regional center experienced an increased incidence of Carbapenem-Polymyxin-Quat-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CPQRA) infections, compared to a previous year of no infections. Here we describe a successful interdisciplinary approach to its eradication. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of CPQRA outbreaks for November and December 2018 in the burn ICU. De-identified data was collected and analyzed. In collaboration with the state’s department of health and epidemiology section, whole-genome sequencing was carried out on bacterial isolates. In addition, we instituted adenosine triphosphate (ATP) monitoring on all surfaces, a process of rapidly measuring actively growing microorganisms. Results Resistant Acinetobacter was isolated from five ICU patients, two of whom died with CPQRA bacteremia, producing a case-fatality rate of 40%. The two cases that died both suffered traumatic injuries with multiple fractures in addition to an average TBSA of 58%. Non-fatal cases suffered no other traumatic injuries and had an average TBSA of 51%.During this period, genitourinary irrigant (neomycin-Polymyxin B) and polymyxin ointment were the primary topical agents for wound care. Whole genome sequencing revealed a qacEdelta1 positive strain and identified the primary source as a patient that returned from a long-term care facility carrying the converted A. Baumannii infection. ATP testing also showed increased levels in patient rooms and surgical suite. Conclusions As a result of these findings, we achieved eradication by developing new and reinforcing traditional practices of infection control. This included UV light therapy to all ICU rooms and surgical suite, oversight of environmental services procedures, rigorous enforcement of hospital infection control procedures, auditing hand hygiene, increased efforts in antibiotic stewardship and discontinuing Polymyxin containing topicals. By January 2019 there were no new cases of CPQRA in the ICU. This study shows that the resistance and rapid spread of CPQRA can be controlled with the cooperation of hospital staff, environmental services, infection control, pharmacy, and the state’s department of health. With the coordinated efforts of all parties, we were able to successfully eradicate a virulent and fatal resistant A. baumannii strain.

Application of 3D Printing in Preoperative Planning

Preoperative planning is critical for success in the surgical suite. Current techniques for surgical planning are limited; clinicians often rely on prior experience and medical imaging to guide the decision-making process. Furthermore, two-dimensional (2D) presentations of anatomical structures may not accurately portray their three-dimensional (3D) complexity, often leaving physicians ill-equipped for the procedure. Although 3D postprocessed images are an improvement on traditional 2D image sets, they are often inadequate for surgical simulation. Medical 3D printing is a rapidly expanding field and could provide an innovative solution to current constraints of preoperative planning. As 3D printing becomes more prevalent in medical settings, it is important that clinicians develop an understanding of the technologies, as well as its uses. Here, we review the fundamentals of 3D printing and key aspects of its workflow. The many applications of 3D printing for preoperative planning are discussed, along with their challenges.

An operative barrier system for skull base and mastoid surgery: creating a safe operative theatre in the era of COVID-19

Within Neurotology, special draping systems have been devised for mastoid surgery recognizing that drilling of middle ear mucosa is an aerosol generating medical procedure (AGMP) which can place surgical teams at risk of COVID-19 infection. We provide a thorough description of a barrier system utilized in our practice, along with work completed by our group to better quantify its effectiveness. Utilization of a barrier system can provide near complete bone dust and droplet containment within the surgical field and prevent contamination of other healthcare workers. As this is an early system, further adaptations and national collaborations are required to ultimately arrive at a system that seamlessly integrates into the surgical suite. While these barrier systems are new, they are timely as we face a pandemic, and can play a crucial role in safely resuming surgery.

Establishment of a quality control circle to reduce biofilm formation in flexible endoscopes by improvement of qualified cleaning rate

Objective In recent years, the Emergency Care Research Institute has advised that endoscope cleaning is of considerable importance. In the present study, a quality control circle (QCC) was used to reduce the formation of biofilms in flexible endoscopes within one hospital in Guangdong Province, China. Methods During reprocessing of 235 flexible endoscopes in the urology surgical suite, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) detection was used to monitor the efficacy of biofilm removal. The internal and external parts of flexible endoscopes were used as sampling sites by means of the flushing and smudge methods, respectively. When the two results reached the standard of less than 500 relative light units/piece at the same time, endoscopic biofilm clearance was considered to be qualified. A QCC was established to implement a 10-step plan-do-check-act model. Results The baseline qualified rate (i.e., ATP monitoring pass rate) during reprocessing of 235 flexible endoscopes was 50%. During the study, the qualified rate increased to 85.29% after establishment of the QCC. During reprocessing of 150 flexible endoscopes in the following 6 months, the qualified rate remained at 90%. Conclusion Establishment of the QCC improved the removal of biofilm from flexible endoscopes in the urology surgical suite.

Assessing the Energy Demand Reduction in a Surgical Suite by Optimizing the HVAC Operation During Off-Use Periods

Hospital surgical suites are high consumers of energy due to the strict indoor air quality (IAQ) conditions. However, by varying the ventilation strategies, the potential for energy savings is great, particularly during periods without activity. In addition, there is no international consensus on the ventilation and hygrothermal requirements for surgical areas. In this work, a dynamic energy model of a surgical suite of a Spanish hospital is developed. This energy model is calibrated and validated with experimental data collected during real operation. The model is used to simulate the yearly energy performance of the surgical suite under different ventilation scenarios. The common issue in the studied ventilation strategies is that the hygrothermal conditions ranges are extended during off-use hours. The maximum savings obtained are around 70% of the energy demand without compromising the safety and health of patients and medical staff, as the study complies with current heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) regulations.

69 Outbreak of Carbapenem-polymyxin-quat-resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Associated with Mafenide Acetate Shortages: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Eradication

Introduction In the wake of Hurricane Maria, many US hospitals experienced massive drug shortages requiring substitution with alternative therapies. Our regional center experienced an increased incidence of Carbapenem-Polymyxin-Quat-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CPQRA) infections, compared to a previous year of no infections. Here we describe a successful interdisciplinary approach to its eradication. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of CPQRA outbreaks for November and December 2018 in the burn ICU. De-identified data was collected and analyzed. In collaboration with the state’s department of health and epidemiology section, whole-genome sequencing was carried out on bacterial isolates. In addition, we instituted adenosine triphosphate (ATP) monitoring on all surfaces, a process of rapidly measuring actively growing microorganisms. Results Resistant Acinetobacter was isolated from five ICU patients, two of whom died with CPQRA bacteremia, producing a case-fatality rate of 40%. The two cases that died both suffered traumatic injuries with multiple fractures in addition to an average TBSA of 58%.Non-fatal cases suffered no other traumatic injuries and had an average TBSA of 51%.During this period, genitourinary irrigant (neomycin-Polymyxin B) and polymyxin ointment were the primary topical agents for wound care. Whole genome sequencing revealed a qacEdelta1 positive strain and identified the primary source as a patient that returned from a long-term care facility carrying the converted A. Baumannii infection. ATP testing also showed increased levels in patient rooms and surgical suite. Conclusions As a result of these findings, we achieved eradication by developing new and reinforcing traditional practices of infection control. This included UV light therapy to all ICU rooms and surgical suite, oversight of environmental services procedures, rigorous enforcement of hospital infection control procedures, auditing hand hygiene, increased efforts in antibiotic stewardshipand discontinuing Polymyxin containing topicals. By January 2019 there were no new cases of CPQRA in the ICU. This study shows that the resistance and rapid spread of CPQRA can be controlled with the cooperation of hospital staff, environmental services, infection control, pharmacy and the state’s department of health. With the coordinated efforts of all parties, we were able to successfully eradicate a virulent and fatal resistant A. baumannii strain. Applicability of Research to Practice Describe an approach to eradicating resistant organisms and provide a roadmap to characterize the source, implement control measures to terminate an outbreak, and institute preventive measures.