Publications by authors named "Nithya Rajeev"
Background: Surgical (sBiVADs) are well established in end-stage heart failure, whereas newer and less invasive percutaneous biventricular assist devices (pBiVADs) are understudied. These 2 approaches are reported in a large series of patients with pBiVADs.
Methods: All consecutive biventricular assist device (BiVAD)-supported patients at a single institution (Keck Hospital of USC, Los Angeles, CA) from 2014 to 2023 were retrospectively reviewed (n = 46).
Objective: Operative timing remains controversial for patients with left-sided infective endocarditis (LSIE) with preoperative stroke (PREOS). Operative guidelines are determined on the basis of postoperative radiologically confirmed strokes (RCS). We evaluated the impact of PREOS on surgical outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Generative pre-trained transformer-4 (GPT-4) is a large language model (LLM) trained on a vast corpus of data, including the medical literature. Nutrition plays an important role in managing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with an unmet need for nutrition-related patient education resources. This study examines the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and reproducibility of responses by GPT-4 to patient nutrition questions related to IBD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Traditional total arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk requires 2 separate grafts in the descending thoracic aorta and arch, and frequently requires a graft-to-graft anastomosis, which is prone to bleeding. The Thoraflex (Terumo Aortic) device treats the arch and descending thoracic aorta in a single device but has not been compared directly to traditional total arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk and has not been studied in a real-world context in the United States.
Methods: A consecutive sample of total arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk patients across 5 different institutions between January 2018 and January 2024, identified 438 patients of which 83 out of 438 (18.
Evaluation of hemolysis in patients supported with Impella 5.5: a single center experience.
J Cardiothorac Surg
March 2025
Background: Hemolysis, variably defined in mechanical circulatory support (MCS), is understudied in percutaneous left ventricular assist devices. We characterize hemolytic sequelae of Impella 5.5-supported patients in the largest series to date.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The readability of online patient education materials (PEMs) for bariatric surgery is often too advanced, exceeding the recommended 6th-grade level, prompting a study on using large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT to improve it.
- The study analyzed 66 FAQ responses from top medical institutions and compared them with responses generated by LLMs, finding that both initial institutional and LLM responses typically ranged from 9th grade to college-level readability.
- After LLMs simplified their initial responses, readability significantly improved, particularly with GPT-4, which produced responses suitable for 6th to 9th-grade reading levels, while Bard's simplified responses were less consistent in comprehensiveness.
Article Synopsis
- There is a lack of studies comparing the opinions of surgical and non-surgical program directors (PDs) on the recent change of the Step 1 exam scoring from a numerical score to a pass/fail system.
- A systematic review conducted in May 2023 found that surgical PDs expressed higher levels of disagreement with the score change and believed it would complicate the comparison of applicants more than non-surgical PDs.
- The review highlighted significant differences in perspectives between the two groups, particularly regarding the emphasis on Step 2 scores in evaluations, indicating a need for further research to create improved guidelines for the residency application process.
Providers' Knowledge and Perceptions of Bariatric Surgery: a Systematic Review.
Obes Surg
November 2023
Bariatric surgery remains underutilized despite its proven efficacy in the management of obesity. Provider perceptions of bariatric surgery are important to consider when discussing utilization rates. PubMed, SCOPUS, and OVID databases were searched in April 2023, and 40 published studies discussing providers' knowledge and perceptions of bariatric surgery were included.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: ChatGPT is a large language model trained on a large dataset covering a broad range of topics, including the medical literature. We aim to examine its accuracy and reproducibility in answering patient questions regarding bariatric surgery.
Materials And Methods: Questions were gathered from nationally regarded professional societies and health institutions as well as Facebook support groups.
Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the types of academic and health-related accommodations provided to adolescents and emerging adults with spina bifida aged 9-20 years.
Methods: Data were extracted from the paper and electronic records of transition-age youth enrolled in the study. Four open ended items involved content analysis.
Introduction: Bariatric surgery is an effective therapeutic modality for obesity and related comorbidities, yet it remains significantly underutilized. Patient perceptions and expectations may influence the decisions of eligible patients in pursuing surgery.
Methods: PubMed, SCOPUS, and OVID databases were searched in July 2022 to identify published studies discussing patient and the public's perceptions of bariatric surgery.