2022 VCOM Research Retreat Program

Abstracts

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Boot Camp: A Preparatory Course for Intern Year Presenter: Hannah Sahhar, MD Co-Authors: Vivian Louviere*; Lauren Dunn*; Nicholas Gavin*

Introduction: Medical schools today have an emphasis on adult care within their educational program. Although the third year of medical school incorporates a pediatric rotation, there is minimal training to prepare students for the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). In response to this deficit within the curriculum, a preparatory PICU boot camp was developed. The boot camp was made up of a variety of learning experiences including case-based interactive lectures in electrolyte and fluid balance, status epilepticus, status asthmaticus, and diabetic ketoacidosis. Students also participated in workshops for procedural skills in mechanical ventilation and lumbar puncture. Lastly, students engaged in high fidelity simulations managing hypovolemic, cardiogenic, adrenal, and septic shock. Objective: The goal of this project was to establish the effectiveness and benefit of completing the boot camp prior to intern year. Methods: A total of 50 osteopathic medical students during their 4th year rotation in PICU participated in the course and the study. The students’ knowledge was assessed using a pre-test and post-test from the day of the boot camp. Students' feedback was also utilized to evaluate the boot camp’s quality. A survey will be administered mid way through intern year to evaluate if the graduated students believe the boot camp prepared them for residency. Available results of the study were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software. Paired-Samples T-Test was used to assess the differences between mean scores for pre and post-tests. One-Sample T-Test was used to assess Likert scale satisfaction survey mean scores for individual course modules. A significance level of α = 0.05 was used to demonstrate a difference between the mean scores. Results: Data collected on the day of the camp showed there was a significant difference between mean scores of pre and post-tests; 8.86 versus 9.43 respectively (p-value= 0.002 and 95% Confidence interval (CI) of the difference 0.22-0.92); this demonstrates a statistically significant improvement of knowledge following the camp. Students were then asked to rate each learning experience using a Likert-scale survey of scale 1-10. The mean score of course satisfaction for individual modules and sessions ranged from 9.2 (95% CI: 8.83-9.57) to 9.66 (95% CI: 9.45-9.87) with all p-values Local and systemic inflammatory response in open-abdomen surgeries using vacuum-assisted closure with or without continuous irrigation direct peritoneal resuscitation. Presenter: Luciana Schwab, PhD Co-Authors: Jon Hagar, PhD; Patrick Fisher, PhD; TJ Mack, MSN; Caleb Mentzer, DO Sepsis accounts for 1 in 5 deaths worldwide. Abdominal sepsis in particular has an alarmingly high mortality rate, exceeding 30% in certain settings. Patients with abdominal sepsis often require multiple laparoscopic operations; to facilitate these repeat procedures, patient abdomens can be sealed temporarily between operating room visits with a vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) apparatus. At the operating surgeon’s discretion, continuous flushing with fluids (lavage) of the peritoneal cavity can be used in conjunction with VAC with the aim to improve local blood flow and help wash out inflammatory contents. Whether adjunctive lavage in fact improves patient outcomes or modulates immune parameters remains to be formally examined. Herein, we propose to examine clinical parameters, outcomes, and local and systemic immune activation over time in patients receiving VAC with or without continuous lavage. Our results will critically inform current treatment practices and the design of future large scale efficacy studies necessary to optimize patient care.

*VCOM Student