The American surgeon
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High salaries indicate a demand for pediatric surgeons in excess of the supply, despite only a slight growth in the pediatric-age population and a sharp increase in numbers of trainees. Top-level neonatal intensive care units require 24-hour-7-day pediatric surgical availability, so hospitals are willing to pay surgeons a premium and engage high-priced locum tenens surgeons to fill vacancies in coverage. With increased supply comes an erosion of the numbers of cases performed by trainees and surgeons in practice. ⋯ Cost considerations support providing pediatric surgical services in local facilities. Quality considerations may be addressed by a tiered system where top centers would care for conditions that require technical expertise and advanced modalities. Evidence indicates that pediatric surgeons already direct such cases to more specialized centers.
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Pilonidal disease can be treated medically; however, surgical excision remains the gold standard. Nonetheless, all current surgical approaches are still associated with potential for tissue loss, wound healing disorders, and high rates of recurrence. Aim of this study is to assess the long-term outcomes of the minimal-invasive pit-picking operation in comparison to the well-established technique of Karydakis flap-closure. ⋯ Mean follow-up time was 65.5 (range: 38-101) months, including data collection using a standardized questionnaire. Analysis of the outcomes revealed no significant differences between the Karydakis flap-closure- and the pit-picking groups; however, the latter was associated with faster recovery, no need for hospitalization and overall low complication rates. In summary, the main advantages of the pit-picking operation lie in its' outpatient character, the simplicity of the procedure, low complication rates, short recovery time, and predictably good results.
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The American surgeon · Apr 2017
Case ReportsThromboelastography Utilization in Delayed Recurrent Coagulopathy after Severe Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Envenomation.
Venomous snakebites are fairly common in the United States and can present with a wide range of symptoms. A 48-year-old man presented after Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake envenomation. His hospital course was complicated by right leg compartment syndrome and delayed recurrent coagulopathy, requiring multiple doses of Crotalidae Polyvalent Immune Fab (CroFab) antivenom and transfusions. Thromboelastography was used as an adjunct to standard coagulation studies in monitoring his delayed recurrent coagulopathy.
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Failure to rescue (FTR) is an outcome metric that reflects a center's ability to prevent mortality after a major complication. Identifying the timing and location of FTR events could help target efforts to reduce FTR rates. We sought to characterize the timing and location of FTR occurrences at our center, hypothesizing that FTR rates would be highest early after injury and in settings of lower intensity of care. ⋯ FTR rates were highest in the prehospital (55%), emergency department (38%), and operating room (36%) settings, but the greatest number of FTR cases occurred in the ICU (52/111, 47%). FTR rates were highest early after injury, but the majority of cases occurred in the ICU. Efforts to reduce institutional FTR rates should focus on complications that occur in the ICU setting.