Scholars@Duke
Amanda Sergesketter

Amanda Sergesketter

House Staff
Surgery

Selected Publications

A Novel Staging System for De Novo Metastatic Breast Cancer Refines Prognostic Estimates.

Journal Article Ann Surg · April 1, 2022 OBJECTIVE: We aim to identify prognostic groups within a de novo metastatic cohort, incorporating both anatomic and biologic factors. BACKGROUND: Staging for breast cancer now includes anatomic and biologic factors, although the guidelines for stage IV dis ... Full text Link to item Cite

Do Histopathology and Clinical Outcomes of Breast Atypia Vary by Race/Ethnicity?

Journal Article J Surg Res · November 2020 BACKGROUND: The clinical behavior of breast cancer varies by racial and ethnic makeup (REM), but the impact of REM on the clinical outcomes of breast atypia remains understudied. We examined the impact of REM on risk of underlying or subsequent carcinoma f ... Full text Link to item Cite

Content Validity of the LIMB-Q: A Patient-Reported Outcome Instrument for Lower Extremity Trauma Patients.

Journal Article J Reconstr Microsurg · November 2020 BACKGROUND:  Limb-threatening lower extremity traumatic injuries can be devastating events with a multifaceted impact on patients. Therefore, evaluating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in addition to traditional surgical outcomes is important. However, cu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Assessing the Utility of Post-Mastectomy Imaging after Breast Reconstruction.

Journal Article Journal of the American College of Surgeons · April 2020 BackgroundFew guidelines exist regarding surveillance and diagnostic imaging after breast reconstruction. This study investigated the influence of breast reconstruction on the frequency of post-mastectomy imaging, the relative utility of imaging, ... Full text Cite

Prevalence and Cost Analysis of Chronic Pain After Hernia Repair: A Potential Alternative Approach With Neurostimulation.

Journal Article Neuromodulation · December 2019 OBJECTIVES: Chronic pain (CP) affects a significant number of patients following hernia repair, ranging from 11 to 54% in the literature. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, overall costs, and health care utilization associated with CP afte ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical and pathological stage discordance among 433,514 breast cancer patients.

Journal Article Am J Surg · October 2019 BACKGROUND: We aim to determine clinical and pathological stage discordance rates and to evaluate factors associated with discordance. METHODS: Adults with clinical stages I-III breast cancer were identified from the National Cancer Data Base. Concordance ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The Influence of Age on the Histopathology and Prognosis of Atypical Breast Lesions.

Journal Article J Surg Res · September 2019 BACKGROUND: Although several prognostic variables and risk factors for breast cancer are age-related, the association between age and risk of cancer with breast atypia is controversial. This study aimed to compare the type of breast atypia and risk of unde ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Erratum to intraoperative ketamine may increase risk of post-operative delirium after complex spinal fusion for adult deformity correction.

Journal Article J Spine Surg · September 2019 [This corrects the article DOI: 10.21037/jss.2018.12.10.]. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Volumetric Symmetry after Unilateral Autologous Breast Reconstruction: A Reasonable Goal.

Journal Article Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · September 2019 With growing concerns about the overuse of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, optimizing unilateral mastectomy reconstruction outcomes becomes a priority. However, there remains a paucity of objective data that describe volumetric symmetry between a na ... Full text Cite

Assessing the Relationship between Anxiety and Revision Surgery following Autologous Breast Reconstruction.

Journal Article Plastic and reconstructive surgery · July 2019 BackgroundRevision procedures address contour irregularities and aesthetic concerns following autologous breast reconstruction. Mental health diagnoses are known to influence patient satisfaction with reconstruction. The authors aimed to identify ... Full text Cite

Decline in Racial Disparities in Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Analysis from 1998 to 2014.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · June 2019 BACKGROUND: Despite increasing emphasis on reducing racial disparities in breast cancer care in the United States, it remains unknown whether access to breast reconstruction has improved over time. The authors characterized contemporary patterns of breast ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Influence of Marital Status on Contemporary Patterns of Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction.

Journal Article J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg · May 2019 BACKGROUND: Marital status is known to influence quality of life, survival, and treatment decision-making after breast cancer diagnosis. We aimed to determine whether relationship status impacts contemporary patterns of immediate breast reconstruction. MET ... Full text Link to item Cite

An Assessment of Bleeding Complications Necessitating Blood Transfusion across Inpatient Plastic Surgery Procedures: A Nationwide Analysis Using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · May 2019 BACKGROUND: This study described the prevalence of bleeding complications necessitating blood transfusion across plastic surgery procedures and identified those procedures that may be associated with higher rates of bleeding. METHODS: The authors retrospec ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Impact of Ergonomics on Recruitment to Surgical Fields: A Multi-Institutional Survey Study.

Journal Article J Surg Res · April 2019 BACKGROUND: Awareness of ergonomics in surgery is growing, but whether musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries in surgery influence trainee career choices remains unknown. This study aimed to characterize medical students' MSK pain during surgical rotations and det ... Full text Link to item Cite

Perioperative Treatment with a Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibitor Reduces Necrosis in a Rat Ischemic Skin Flap Model.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · April 2019 BACKGROUND: The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway, regulated by prolyl hydroxylase, is central to tissue adaptation to ischemia. The authors tested whether the prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor dimethyloxalylglycine reduces skin flap necrosis. METHODS: Dor ... Full text Link to item Cite

Independent Associations With 30- and 90-Day Unplanned Readmissions After Elective Lumbar Spine Surgery: A National Trend Analysis of 144 123 Patients.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · March 1, 2019 BACKGROUND: Unplanned hospital readmissions contribute significantly to soaring national healthcare expenditures. To alleviate this burden, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented initiatives to penalize hospitals for unplanned 30-d hospital ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rate of instrumentation changes on postoperative and follow-up radiographs after primary complex spinal fusion (five or more levels) for adult deformity correction.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · March 1, 2019 OBJECTIVEIn the United States, healthcare expenditures have been soaring at a concerning rate. There has been an excessive use of postoperative radiographs after spine surgery and this has been a target for hospitals to reduce unnecessary costs. However, t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Intraoperative ketamine may increase risk of post-operative delirium after complex spinal fusion for adult deformity correction.

Journal Article J Spine Surg · March 2019 BACKGROUND: For complex surgery, intraoperative ketamine administration is readily used to reduce post-operative pain. However, there have been a few studies suggesting that intraoperative ketamine may have deleterious effects and impact post-operative del ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characterization of Perinatal Risk Factors and Complications Associated With Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis.

Journal Article J Craniofac Surg · 2019 BACKGROUND: Certain intrauterine risk factors are known to increase the risk of premature cranial suture fusion and may cause complications during birth. Some of these risk factors may be modifiable. Therefore, the authors sought to characterize the instit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Institutional Review of Mortality in 5434 Consecutive Neurosurgery Patients: Are We Improving?

Journal Article Neurosurgery · December 1, 2018 BACKGROUND: Despite increasing emphasis on quality improvement in neurosurgery, few studies have evaluated the impact of quality initiatives on health-assessment metrics including risk of mortality (ROM), severity of illness (SOI), case mix index (CMI), an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Review of Neurosurgery Medical Professional Liability Claims in the United States.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · November 1, 2018 BACKGROUND: Due to disparaging costs and rates of malpractice claims in neurosurgery, there has been significant interest in identifying high-risk specialties, types of malpractice claims, and characteristics of claim-prone physicians. OBJECTIVE: To charac ... Full text Link to item Cite

Socioeconomic Factors, Perioperative Complications, and 30-Day Readmission Rates Associated With Delayed Cranial Vault Reconstruction for Craniosynostosis.

Journal Article The Journal of craniofacial surgery · October 2018 BackgroundPremature fusion of the cranial sutures can lead to significant neurocognitive, developmental, and esthetic consequences, especially if not corrected within the first year of life. This study aimed to identify the drivers of delayed cran ... Full text Cite

Correlation of 2-year SRS-22r and ODI patient-reported outcomes with 5-year patient-reported outcomes after complex spinal fusion: a 5-year single-institution study of 118 patients.

Journal Article Journal of neurosurgery. Spine · October 2018 ObjectivePatient-reported outcomes (PROs) are often measured up to 2 years after surgery; however, prospective collection of longitudinal outcomes for 5 years postoperatively can be challenging due to lack of patient follow-up. The aim of this stu ... Full text Cite

Occupational Injuries among Physicians and Surgeons: Do We Need an Ergonomics Intervention?

Conference Journal of the American College of Surgeons · October 2018 Full text Cite

It’s Not You, It’s Me: The Influence of Surgeon Gender on Patient Satisfaction Scores

Conference Journal of the American College of Surgeons · October 2018 Full text Cite

Check the Record: Remote CT Scans for Breast Flap Perforator Mapping.

Journal Article J Reconstr Microsurg · September 2018 BACKGROUND:  Perforator mapping with computed tomography angiography (CTA) prior to autologous breast reconstruction reduces donor-site morbidity and operative time, but is costly. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether pre-existing CT scans could b ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease on Postoperative Complication Rates, Ambulation, and Length of Hospital Stay After Elective Spinal Fusion (≥3 Levels) in Elderly Spine Deformity Patients.

Journal Article World neurosurgery · August 2018 ObjectiveTo investigate the impact that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has on postoperative complication rates, ambulation, and hospital length of stay for elderly spinal deformity patients after elective spinal fusion (≥3 levels). Full text Cite

Prevalence and Cost Analysis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS): A Role for Neuromodulation.

Journal Article Neuromodulation · July 2018 OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis and treatment of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is challenging and there is a paucity of data describing its overall cost burden and quantifying its impact on the US healthcare system. The aim of this study was to assess the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Post-operative drain use in patients undergoing decompression and fusion: incidence of complications and symptomatic hematoma.

Journal Article Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · June 2018 BackgroundSurgical drains are commonly used after spine surgery to minimize infection and hematoma formation. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of post-operative complications after spinal decompression and fusion with and witho ... Full text Cite

Thirty-day complication and readmission rates associated with resection of metastatic spinal tumors: a single institutional experience.

Journal Article Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · June 2018 BackgroundThis study aims to assess 30-day complication and unplanned readmission rates associated with resection of metastatic spinal tumors.MethodsMedical records were reviewed for 135 adults who underwent elective resection of a spinal ... Full text Cite

The use of subfascial drains after multi-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: does the data support its use?

Journal Article Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · June 2018 BackgroundSubfascial drains are routinely used after multi-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedures despite little evidence to support their use. Proponents of drain use argue that drain placement reduces the incidence of po ... Full text Cite

Preoperative Hemoglobin Level is Associated with Increased Health Care Use After Elective Spinal Fusion (≥3 Levels) in Elderly Male Patients with Spine Deformity.

Journal Article World neurosurgery · April 2018 BackgroundMeasures of health care use such as length of hospital stay (LOS) are used as proxies for quality of care after spine surgery. Accordingly, hospitals and health systems are investing considerable resources into the preoperative identific ... Full text Cite

Interdisciplinary Care Model Independently Decreases Use of Critical Care Services After Corrective Surgery for Adult Degenerative Scoliosis.

Journal Article World neurosurgery · March 2018 ObjectiveInterdisciplinary management of elderly patients requiring spine surgery has been shown to improve short- and long-term outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether an interdisciplinary team approach mitigates use of intensive ... Full text Cite

The Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease on Postoperative Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Lumbar Decompression and Fusion.

Journal Article World neurosurgery · February 2018 ObjectiveTo determine whether preoperative chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with inferior perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing lumbar arthrodesis.MethodsMedical records of 293 adult (≥18 years old) patients with spine d ... Full text Cite

Independent Association Between Preoperative Cognitive Status and Discharge Location After Surgery: A Strategy to Reduce Resource Use After Surgery for Deformity.

Journal Article World neurosurgery · February 2018 BackgroundThe aim of this study is to determine whether preoperative scores on a screening measure for cognitive status (the Saint Louis University mental status examination), were associated with discharge to a location other than home in older p ... Full text Cite

Drivers and Risk Factors of Unplanned 30-Day Readmission Following Spinal Cord Stimulator Implantation.

Journal Article Neuromodulation · January 2018 OBJECTIVES: Unplanned 30-day readmission rates contribute significantly to growing national healthcare expenditures. Drivers of unplanned 30-day readmission after spinal cord stimulator (SCS) implantation are relatively unknown. The aim of this study was t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Complications and 30-Day readmission rates after craniotomy/craniectomy: A single Institutional study of 243 consecutive patients.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · January 2018 Early hospital readmission has become a proxy for quality of care and contributes significantly to high health care costs in the United States, with more than $20 billion health care dollars are spent on 30-day readmission annually. Cranial neurosurgical p ... Full text Link to item Cite

Quality Efforts for Reducing Mortality in Neurosurgery

Chapter · January 1, 2018 Recently, mortality rates have increasingly been used as proxies for quality of care and determinants of hospital reimbursements. As a result, there has been an emphasis on implementing various quality initiatives in order to help reduce the disparaging mo ... Full text Cite

Posterolateral thoracic decompression with anterior column cage reconstruction versus decompression alone for spinal metastases with cord compression: analysis of perioperative complications and outcomes.

Journal Article Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · December 2017 BackgroundThe optimal surgical strategy for patients with spinal metastases remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if performing an anterior column reconstruction to a posterolateral approach adds to perioperative complications. Full text Cite

Impact of Gender Disparities on Short-Term and Long-Term Patient Reported Outcomes and Satisfaction Measures After Elective Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Single Institutional Study of 384 Patients.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · November 2017 BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data determining the impact that gender disparities have on spine outcomes, particularly perception of health and satisfaction. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in 3-month and 1-year pat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reduced Impact of Smoking Status on 30-Day Complication and Readmission Rates After Elective Spinal Fusion (≥3 Levels) for Adult Spine Deformity: A Single Institutional Study of 839 Patients.

Journal Article World neurosurgery · November 2017 BackgroundSmoking status has been shown to affect postoperative outcomes after surgery. The aim of this study was to determine whether patients' smoking status impacts 30-day complication and readmission rates after elective complex spinal fusion ... Full text Cite

Relationship Among Koenig Depression Scale and Postoperative Outcomes, Ambulation, and Perception of Pain in Elderly Patients (≥65 Years) Undergoing Elective Spinal Surgery for Adult Scoliosis.

Journal Article World neurosurgery · November 2017 BackgroundThe aim of this study was to assess whether the Koenig Depression Scale (KDS) can identify depressed elderly patients undergoing elective spine surgery for deformity at risk for inferior postoperative outcomes including complication rate ... Full text Cite

Prophylactic use of intraoperative vancomycin powder and postoperative infection: an analysis of microbiological patterns in 1200 consecutive surgical cases.

Journal Article Journal of neurosurgery. Spine · September 2017 OBJECTIVE Wound infections following spinal surgery for deformity place a high toll on patients, providers, and the health care system. The prophylactic application of intraoperative vancomycin powder has been shown to lower the infection risk after thorac ... Full text Cite

Impact of alcohol use on 30-day complication and readmission rates after elective spinal fusion (≥2 levels) for adult spine deformity: a single institutional study of 1,010 patients.

Journal Article Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · September 2017 BackgroundAlcohol use has been shown to affect surgical outcomes. However, it is unknown what effect alcohol use has on postoperative complications or readmission rates in spinal fusion surgery. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of ... Full text Cite

Depression as an independent predictor of postoperative delirium in spine deformity patients undergoing elective spine surgery.

Journal Article Journal of neurosurgery. Spine · August 2017 OBJECTIVE Depression is the most prevalent affective disorder in the US, and patients with spinal deformity are at increased risk. Postoperative delirium has been associated with inferior surgical outcomes, including morbidity and mortality. The relationsh ... Full text Cite

Impact of Insurance Provider on Overall Costs in Failed Back Surgery Syndrome: A Cost Study of 122,827 Patients.

Journal Article Neuromodulation · June 2017 OBJECTIVES: Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) affects 40% of patients following spine surgery with estimated costs of $20 billion to the US health care system. The aim of this study was to assess the cost differences across the different insurance provid ... Full text Link to item Cite

Increased 30-Day Complication Rates Associated with Laminectomy in 874 Adult Patients with Spinal Deformity Undergoing Elective Spinal Fusion: A Single Institutional Study.

Journal Article World neurosurgery · June 2017 ObjectiveRecent studies have reported that decompression with fusion leads to superior outcomes in correction of spinal deformity. The aim of this study was to determine if there is a difference in intraoperative and 30-day postoperative complicat ... Full text Cite

Impact of Intraoperative Monitoring During Elective Complex Spinal Fusions (≥4 Levels) on 30-Day Complication and Readmission Rates: A Single-Institutional Study of 643 Adult Patients with Spinal Deformity.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · May 2017 OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine if there are differences in 30-day postoperative complication and readmission rates between patients with spinal deformity undergoing complex spinal fusion with and without intraoperative monitoring (IOM). M ... Full text Link to item Cite

Risk Factors and Independent Predictors of 30-Day Readmission for Altered Mental Status After Elective Spine Surgery for Spine Deformity: A Single-Institutional Study of 1090 Patients.

Journal Article World neurosurgery · May 2017 BackgroundAltered mental status (AMS) has been associated with inferior surgical outcomes. The factors leading to AMS after spine surgery are unknown. The aim of this study is to determine the risk factors and independent predictors of 30-day read ... Full text Cite

Impact of Obesity on Complications and 30-Day Readmission Rates After Cranial Surgery: A Single-Institutional Study of 224 Consecutive Craniotomy/Craniectomy Procedures.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · April 2017 BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity is increasing at a disparaging rate in the United States. Although previous studies have associated obesity with increased surgical complications and readmission rates, the impact of obesity on surgical outcomes after ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Race on 30-Day Complication Rates After Elective Complex Spinal Fusion (≥5 Levels): A Single Institutional Study of 446 Patients.

Journal Article World neurosurgery · March 2017 ObjectiveRacial disparities have been shown to affect surgical outcomes. However, the effect of race on complex spinal fusion outcomes remains understudied. The aim of this study is to determine if patient race affects 30-day complication rates af ... Full text Cite

Impact of surgical approach on complication rates after elective spinal fusion (≥3 levels) for adult spine deformity.

Journal Article Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · March 2017 BackgroundWhile there are variations in techniques and surgical approaches to spinal fusion, there is not a defined consensus on a recommended surgical approach. The aim of this study is to determine if there was a difference in intra- and post-op ... Full text Cite

Impact of Age on Change in Self-Image 5 Years After Complex Spinal Fusion (≥5 Levels).

Journal Article World neurosurgery · January 2017 BackgroundSpinal deformities that require ≥5 fusion levels are difficult and challenging for both the surgeon and patient. Corrections of moderate to severe deformities have been shown to improve patient-reported outcomes (PROs), and provide patie ... Full text Cite

Impact of Intraoperative Steroids on Postoperative Infection Rates and Length of Hospital Stay: A Study of 1200 Spine Surgery Patients.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · December 2016 OBJECTIVE: The use of intraoperative steroids and their effects are relatively unknown and remain controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of intraoperative steroid use on postoperative complications and length of hospital stay aft ... Full text Link to item Cite

Kinetic-dependent Killing of Oral Pathogens with Nitric Oxide.

Journal Article Journal of dental research · August 2015 Nitric oxide (NO)-releasing silica nanoparticles were synthesized via the co-condensation of tetramethyl orthosilicate with aminosilanes and subsequent conversion of secondary amines to N-diazeniumdiolate NO donors. A series of ~150 nm NO-releasing particl ... Full text Cite

Antibacterial efficacy of exogenous nitric oxide on periodontal pathogens.

Journal Article Journal of dental research · November 2014 Current treatments for periodontitis (e.g., scaling/root planing and chlorhexidine) have limited efficacy since they fail to suppress microbial biofilms satisfactorily over time, and the use of adjunctive antimicrobials can promote the emergence of antibio ... Full text Cite