Abstract

To investigate whether surgical management of newly diagnosed rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) varies if patients are diagnosed during a major national ophthalmology conference.This retrospective cohort study included 34,759 patients with incident RRD, of whom, 1,246 (3.6%) were diagnosed during dates of three national ophthalmology conferences, and 1,170 (3.4%) underwent surgery during conference dates. The authors identified patients with primary repair with cryotherapy, laser, scleral buckle, pneumatic retinopexy, or pars plana vitrectomy. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to determine patients' likelihood of receiving each type of repair within 30 days of their diagnosis depending on whether they were diagnosed during a national ophthalmology conference. Linear regression models were used to determine the relationship between the date patients were diagnosed and how long they waited to receive a repair. Main outcome measures included days between diagnosis with RRD and RRD repair, receiving repair on the same day of diagnosis, and reoperation rate within 30 days of the primary repair.Mean time from diagnosis to repair was 1.5 days (standard deviation: ± 2.4 days), and 71% of patients underwent repair within a day of diagnosis. Repairs were followed by a second surgery within 30 days in 11.1% of patients. Patients diagnosed during conferences waited 0.23 days longer between diagnosis and repair compared with patients diagnosed outside of conference dates (P = .001). Patients diagnosed with RRD during conferences were less likely to receive surgical repair within a day of diagnosis compared to patients diagnosed during non-conference dates (P = .037). Patients who were diagnosed with RRD during a conference date and also received surgery during a conference date were more likely to undergo a second surgery within 30 days of the primary procedure (P = .006) CONCLUSIONS: Patients diagnosed with RRD during national ophthalmology conference dates waited slightly longer for surgery, were slightly less likely to receive surgery within a day, and were more likely to undergo a second surgery within 30 days of the primary procedure. The "national meeting effect" phenomenon is present in ophthalmology, albeit to a lesser degree that is likely not visually significant. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51:328-337.].

View details for DOI 10.3928/23258160-20200603-03

View details for PubMedID 32579691