Olivia A Morin1, Michael G Carr2, Jenny M Holcombe2, Syamal D Bhattacharya2. 1. College of Medicine Chattanooga, Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Electronic address: oliviaannmorin@gmail.com. 2. College of Medicine Chattanooga, Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: We hypothesize that in testicular torsion, the duration of symptoms (DoS) better correlates with predicting testicular viability than minimizing the "time-to-treat" (TtT) after presentation to a medical facility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of male pediatric patients treated for suspected diagnosis of testicular torsion in the emergency department (ED) from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018, were retrospectively evaluated. Forty-one patients met inclusion criteria. Statistical analysis compared testicular viability based on TtT, DoS, and site of initial presentation. RESULTS: Testicular salvage rates for patients presenting directly to our ED was 56.3% with an average TtT of 2.5 h versus 77.8% and 1.96 h, respectively, for transferred patients. Overall testicular survival was not statistically impacted by the difference in TtT. Comparing DoS, an 84% testicular salvage rate (DoS < 24 h) versus a 15.4% salvage rate (DoS > 24 h) was shown in patients presenting directly to our ED (P ≤ 0.0001). Within the total population (n = 41), a significant difference was also shown (P ≤ 0.0001) when comparing overall testicular salvage rates in patients presenting with <24 h versus >24 h total DoS (84% versus 25%). CONCLUSIONS: These data reveal that an alternative predictor of testicular salvage rates is a DoS < 24 h. This is a meaningful metric when providing accurate preoperating counseling to parents and may be a better focus of quality improvement efforts surrounding this topic.
BACKGROUND: We hypothesize that in testicular torsion, the duration of symptoms (DoS) better correlates with predicting testicular viability than minimizing the "time-to-treat" (TtT) after presentation to a medical facility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of male pediatric patients treated for suspected diagnosis of testicular torsion in the emergency department (ED) from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018, were retrospectively evaluated. Forty-one patients met inclusion criteria. Statistical analysis compared testicular viability based on TtT, DoS, and site of initial presentation. RESULTS: Testicular salvage rates for patients presenting directly to our ED was 56.3% with an average TtT of 2.5 h versus 77.8% and 1.96 h, respectively, for transferred patients. Overall testicular survival was not statistically impacted by the difference in TtT. Comparing DoS, an 84% testicular salvage rate (DoS < 24 h) versus a 15.4% salvage rate (DoS > 24 h) was shown in patients presenting directly to our ED (P ≤ 0.0001). Within the total population (n = 41), a significant difference was also shown (P ≤ 0.0001) when comparing overall testicular salvage rates in patients presenting with <24 h versus >24 h total DoS (84% versus 25%). CONCLUSIONS: These data reveal that an alternative predictor of testicular salvage rates is a DoS < 24 h. This is a meaningful metric when providing accurate preoperating counseling to parents and may be a better focus of quality improvement efforts surrounding this topic.
Authors: Annalise R Littman; Karmon M Janssen; Li Tong; Hang Wu; May D Wang; Emily Blum; Andrew J Kirsch Journal: Pediatr Emerg Care Date: 2021-02-01 Impact factor: 1.602