Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Despite rigorous manual counting protocols and the classification of retained surgical items (RSIs) as potential "never events," RSIs continue to occur in approximately 1 per 1,000 to 18,000 operations. This study's goals were to evaluate the incorporation of a radiofrequency detection system (RFDS) into existing laparotomy sponge- and Raytec-counting protocols for the detection of RSIs and define associated risk factors. ⋯ The incorporation of the RFDS assisted in the resolution of a near-miss event (1 of 2,285) not detected by manual counting protocols and assisted in the resolution of 35 surgical-sponge miscounts. No known RSIs occurred during the study period. Risk factors for miscounts were identified and can help identify at-risk surgical populations.
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Information about national trends and predictors of malpractice payments can constructively add to the hotly debated topic of medical malpractice. We sought to evaluate predictors of surgical malpractice payments and to explore national trends. ⋯ Nationwide, surgical malpractice claims show rising payment amounts. Patient outcomes are the strongest predictor of payment size. Considerable variation in payment size between states suggests a profound impact from local legal environments.
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In an era of increasing demands to provide high-quality health care, surgeons need an accurate preoperative risk assessment tool to facilitate informed decision-making for themselves and their patients. Emergency laparotomy procedures have a high risk profile, but the currently available risk-assessment models for emergency laparotomy are either unreliable (eg, small sample size or single center study), difficult to calculate preoperatively, or are specific to the geriatric population. ⋯ The models developed in this study have a high discriminative ability to stratify the operative risk in a broad range of acute abdominal emergencies. These data will assist surgeons, patients, and their families in making end-of-life decisions in the face of medical futility with greater certainty when emergency surgery is being contemplated.
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Alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) is used to decrease alcohol consumption, health care costs, and injury recidivism in trauma patients. Despite SBI being mandated for trauma centers, various concerns have led many centers to conduct SBI only on patients with a detectable blood alcohol concentration (BAC). We sought to determine the predictive nature of BAC on hazardous drinking behavior. ⋯ Younger age, male sex, and higher BAC are early predictors of hazardous drinking behavior in adult trauma patients. Asian/Pacific Islander patients are half as likely to report hazardous drinking behavior compared with white patients. More than one-third of patients with hazardous drinking behavior do not have detectable BAC on admission and are not receiving interventions in centers that screen solely based on BAC.
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Reoperation in the neck can be challenging and is associated with increased complication rates and operative times. Here we analyze our methylene blue dye injection method to localize reoperative neck pathology in patients with thyroid cancer and lymph node metastases. ⋯ Intraoperative, ultrasound-guided, methylene blue dye injection is a safe and effective technique. It facilitates tumor localization and removal especially in patients requiring reoperative neck surgery.