Blanton, A., (Author & Presenter), Piotrowski, E., Ward, I., Roof, M., Hendrickson, L., Harmon, J.V., Kernahan, P. “C. Walton Lillehei’s Cross Circulation Work: A Breakthrough in Open Heart Surgery at the University of Minnesota”, 2025 Annual Meeting, Minnesota Surgical Society, Minneapolis, MN (October 25, 2025). 

Nigam, A., (Author & Presenter), Frebault, J., Onongaya, C., Troester, A., Mott, S.L., Weaver, L., Hassan, I., Shaukat, A., Marmor, S., Harmon, J.V., Goffredo, P. “Factors Associated with Adherence to Surveillance Guidelines Following Polypectomy for High-Grade Dysplasia Adenomas”, 2025 Annual Meeting, Minnesota Surgical Society, Minneapolis, MN (October 25, 2025). 

Piotrowski, E.L., (Author & Presenter), Blanton, A., Ward, I., Youngdahl., A., Roof, M., Hendrickson, L., Kernahan, P., Harmon, J.V. “Wangensteen’s Crusher: Dr. Owen H. Wangensteen’s (1898-1981) contributions to the development of the Gastric Crusher, at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota”, 2025 Annual Meeting,  Minnesota Surgical Society, Minneapolis, MN (October 25, 2025). 

Greason, C.M., (Author & Presenter), Peterson, T., Sauve, J., Tang-Whitmore, C., Meshram, P., Harmon, J.V., Randall, Z. “A Heart Transplant Recipient with Abdominal Impalement: A Case Report and Literature Review”,  2025 Annual Meeting, Minnesota Surgical Society, Minneapolis, Minnesota. (October 24, 2025).

Tang-Whitmore, C.R., (Author & Presenter), Mernitz, K., Sauve, J., Randall, Z., Nigam, A., Onongaya, C., Meshram, P., Harmon, J.V. “Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in a Patient with Ebstein’s Anomaly and Mechanical Mitral Valve on Therapeutic Anticoagulation”, 2025 Annual Meeting, Minnesota Surgical Society, Minneapolis, Minnesota. (October 24, 2025).

Randall, Z., (Author & Presenter), Nguyen, S., Diaz, I., Tang-Whitmore, C., Meshram, P., Costantini, T., Harmon, J.V. “Nationwide Gender Disparities in Surgical Stabilization of Rib Fractures”, 2025 Annual Meeting, Minnesota Surgical Society, Minneapolis, Minnesota. (October 24, 2025).

Ward, I., (Author & Presenter), Piotrowski, E., Blanton, A., Roof, M., Hendrickson, L., Kernahan, P., Harmon, J.V. “Neurosurgery on the Prairie: Dr. Alfred W. Adson’s Mid Twentieth Century Contributions to Neurosurgical Instrument Development at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota”, 2025 Annual Meeting, Minnesota Surgical Society, Minneapolis, Minnesota. (October 24, 2025).

Onongaya, C., (Author & Presenter), Frebault, J., Nigam, A., Mott, S., Hassan, I., Marmor, S., Harmon, J.V., Goffredo, P. “Prognostic Factors and Survival Outcomes Following Salvage Abdominoperineal Resection for Stage I-III Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma”, 2025 Annual Meeting, Minnesota Surgical Society, Minneapolis, Minnesota. (October 24, 2025).

Nigam, A., (Author & Presenter), Frebault, J., Onongaya, C., Troester, A., Mott, S.L., Weaver, L., Hassan, I., Shaukat, A., Marmor, S., Harmon, J.V., Goffredo, P. “Factors Associated with Adherence to Surveillance Guidelines Following Polypectomy for High-Grade Dysplasia Adenomas”, 2025 Annual Meeting, Minnesota Surgical Society, Minneapolis, MN (October 25, 2025). 

Factors Associated with Adherence to Surveillance Guidelines Following Polypectomy for High-Grade Dysplasia Adenomas 
 
Provider and Patient Variables Associated with Follow-up Compliance After High-Grade Dysplasia Adenoma Removal  

1. Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 

2. Department of Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, IA 

3. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, New York University Langone Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 

4. Clinical Quality and Outcomes Discovery and Evaluation Core (C-QODE), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 

5. Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 

6. Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 

Background: High-grade dysplasia (HGD) adenomas are associated with an elevated risk of colorectal cancer. Current guidelines recommend repeated surveillance colonoscopy within three years of HGD adenoma diagnosis. Despite known barriers to colorectal cancer screening, factors influencing adherence to post-polypectomy surveillance for HGD adenomas remain underexplored. This study aimed to identify patient and provider factors associated with surveillance guideline non-adherence in a Medicare population. 

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare-linked database (2006-2017). Patients aged ≥65 years with HGD adenomas who underwent polypectomy, with continuous Medicare Part A and B coverage (without HMO enrollment) for six months prior and 36 months post-polypectomy, were included. Patients with non-HGD histology, cancer-directed therapies, or colorectal cancer diagnosis within six months were excluded. Data was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. 

Results: Among 470 patients (54% male, 84% white, median age 74 years), 70% completed surveillance colonoscopy within three years. Endoscopist specialties were 65% gastroenterology, 5% colorectal surgery, and 30% general surgery or other. Lower odds of adherence were associated with non-white race (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.31-1.00, p=0.05) and older age (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91-0.98, p<0.01). Endoscopist specialty, polyp laterality, and distance to endoscopist were not significantly associated with adherence. Only 4% (n=18) developed colorectal cancer, limiting survival analysis. 

Conclusions: In this national cohort, 70% of Medicare beneficiaries with HGD adenomas adhered to surveillance guidelines. Older age and non-white race were independent predictors of non-adherence. Our study highlights care needs for vulnerable demographics and areas for further clinical focus to improve guideline adherence. 

Version with < 250 words 
Background: High-grade dysplasia (HGD) adenomas carry elevated colorectal cancer risk, with guidelines recommending surveillance colonoscopy within three years post-polypectomy. Factors influencing adherence to post-polypectomy surveillance for HGD adenomas remain underexplored. This study identified patient and provider factors associated with surveillance non-adherence in Medicare beneficiaries. 

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using SEER-Medicare data (2006-2017) of patients ≥65 years with HGD adenomas who underwent polypectomy. Inclusion required continuous Medicare Parts A and B coverage without HMO enrollment for six months before and 36 months after polypectomy. Patients with non-HGD histology, cancer-directed therapies, or colorectal cancer within six months were excluded. Multivariate logistic regression analyzed adherence predictors. 

Results: Among 470 patients (54% male, 84% white, median age 74), 70% completed surveillance colonoscopy within three years. Endoscopists included gastroenterologists (65%), colorectal surgeons (5%), and general surgeons/other (30%). Lower adherence odds were associated with non-white race (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.31-1.00, p=0.05) and older age (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91-0.98, p<0.01). Endoscopist specialty, polyp laterality, and distance to endoscopist showed no significant association with adherence. Only 18 patients (4%) developed colorectal cancer, limiting survival analysis. 

Conclusions: Seventy percent of Medicare beneficiaries with HGD adenomas adhered to surveillance guidelines. Older age and non-white race independently predicted non-adherence, while provider factors showed no significant impact. These findings highlight disparities in post-polypectomy surveillance and identify vulnerable populations requiring targeted interventions to improve guideline adherence and reduce colorectal cancer risk. 

Blanton, A., (Author & Presenter), Piotrowski, E., Ward, I., Roof, M., Hendrickson, L., Harmon, J.V., Kernahan, P. “C. Walton Lillehei’s Cross Circulation Work: A Breakthrough in Open Heart Surgery at the University of Minnesota”, 2025 Annual Meeting, Minnesota Surgical Society, Minneapolis, MN (October 25, 2025). 

Abstract
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei pioneered the use of cross-circulation in cardiac surgery during the mid-1950s, marking a pivotal moment in the history of open-heart procedures. Before this innovation, surgeons struggled to operate on the heart while maintaining blood flow and oxygenation to the rest of the body. Lillehei spent most of his career at the University of Minnesota experimenting ways to overcome this challenge. Primary and secondary resources from the University of Minnesota Wangensteen Historical Library and the University Archives were analyzed. Primary sources included several of Dr. Lillehei’s research studies and papers written on the topic of cross-circulation, as well as many of his personal letters written to other leading cardiac surgeons across the globe. Secondary sources included biographies and histories of cardiac surgery. Dr. C. Walton Lillehei’s cross-circulation technique provided temporary circulatory support during open-heart surgery by using a human donor. Before implementing the technique in humans, Lillehei conducted extensive testing on dogs to refine the procedure. Patients were linked to a parent via multiple cannulas which routed venous blood from the child to the parent and returned oxygenated blood through the parent’s femoral artery. Utilizing cross-circulation, Lillehei was able to successfully repair ventricular septal defects, tetralogy of Fallot, and atrioventricular canal defects, with his first successful congenital defect repair occurring in March of 1954. He would later perform another 44 surgical operations on children, with 49% of those patients surviving over 30 years post-surgery. The procedure was relatively safe for the blood donor, however he did have one instance of parental death that resulted in a subsequent legal case. While Lillehei’s work using cross-circulation was crucial in the further development of cardiac surgery, his use of the technique was ultimately abandoned. Compared to the heart-lung machine developed by Dr. John Gibbon in 1953, cross circulation had significant limitations: it required a living donor and introduced clinical variability that hindered widespread adoption. Dr. C. Walton Lillehei’s work on cross-circulation during cardiac surgery, although not used today, spurred the development of more advanced cardiac surgical technology and procedural techniques. This historical analysis explores Dr. Lillehei’s development and surgical implementation of cross-circulation, as well as its impact globally on cardiac surgical innovations during the late 1950s and 1960s.