Twelve tips for developing and implementing a medical education Twitter chat

Abstract

Live discussions on the social media site Twitter or Twitter chats are gaining popularity as powerful tools for engaging a broad audience in an interactive discussion. Medical education, in particular, is experiencing an increase in the use of this modality to support informal learning, as a means to encourage collaboration and share best practices, and as a platform for large-scale mentorship. Despite this growth in popularity, there are limited data to guide medical educators on the fundamentals of organizing a Twitter chat. In this Twelve Tips article, we discuss strategies relevant to potential Twitter chat organizers. We have arranged the tips chronologically, beginning with a discussion of initial considerations when planning and formulating a chat topic and publicizing the chat to potentially interested people and groups, followed by practical considerations while hosting the chat, and finally strategies for evaluating and extending a Twitter chat’s impact.     

Does ablation of atrial fibrillation at the time of septal myectomy improve survival of patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

ObjectiveTo evaluate the outcomes after septal myectomy in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy according to atrial fibrillation and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.MethodsWe reviewed patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who underwent septal myectomy at the Mayo Clinic from 2001 to 2016. History of atrial fibrillation was obtained from patient histories and electrocardiograms. All-cause mortality was the primary end point.ResultsA total of 2023 patients underwent septal myectomy, of whom 394 (19.5%) had at least 1 episode of atrial fibrillation preoperatively. Among patients with atrial fibrillation, 76 (19.3%) had only 1 known episode, 278 (70.6%) had recurrent paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and 40 (10.2%) had persistent atrial fibrillation. Surgical ablation was performed in 190 patients at the time of septal myectomy, including 148 with pulmonary vein isolation and 42 with the classic maze procedure. Among all patients, operative mortality was 0.4%, and there were no early deaths in patients undergoing surgical ablation. Over a median follow-up of 5.6 years, patients with preoperative atrial fibrillation had increased mortality (hazard ratio, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.97-1.91; P = .070) after multivariable adjustment for comorbidities. When considering the impact of atrial fibrillation with or without surgical treatment, the adjusted hazard ratio for mortality in patients undergoing ablation compared with no ablation was 0.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.52-1.69; P = .824).ConclusionsAtrial fibrillation is present preoperatively in one-fifth of patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy undergoing myectomy and showed a trend toward higher all-cause mortality. Survival of patients undergoing septal myectomy with preoperative atrial fibrillation was similar between those who did and did not receive concomitant surgical ablation.     

The Impact of Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Bundled Payment Program on Care Delivery

Background

Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) is a Medicare initiative to test the impact of holding a hospital accountable for services provided during an episode of care for a lower extremity joint arthroplasty on costs and quality. This study examines whether hospital participation in CJR is associated with having programs focused on improving posthospitalization care or reducing costs using a survey of orthopedic surgeons.

Mortality Rate and Mid-Term Outcomes of Total Hip Arthroplasty Using Dual Mobility Cups for the Treatment of Femoral Neck Fractures in a Middle Eastern Population

Background

The dual mobility cups (DMCs) were shown to reduce dislocation rate following total hip arthroplasty for any etiology, including femoral neck fractures. No reported studies evaluating DMC results for femoral neck fracture in a Middle Eastern population were found in the literature.

Role of Anatomical Patella Replacement on Anterior Knee Pain

Background

Anterior knee pain (AKP) remains a complex issue affecting patient satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty. Several radiographic parameters have been shown to be causative factors with various designs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the known radiographic parameters of AKP and clinical outcomes (ie, AKP) in the setting of a modern prosthesis with an anatomic patella button.

Clinical and subclinical cardiovascular disease in female SLE patients: Interplay between body mass index and bone mineral density

Background and aims

Since accelerated atherosclerosis has been reported in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), predictive biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are needed. Among non-traditional risk factors, bone mineral density (BMD) has been related to CVD. However, its role in SLE remains controversial. This study aims to analyze the associations of subclinical atherosclerosis with traditional and non-traditional CV risk factors.