Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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We sought to determine whether aggressive resuscitation in trauma patients presenting without vital signs, or "dead on arrival," was futile. We also sought to determine whether organ donation was an unexpected benefit of aggressive resuscitation. ⋯ Trauma patients presenting dead on arrival rarely (1.5%) achieve functional independence. However, organ donation appears to be an under-recognized outcomes benefit (3.6%) of the resuscitation of injury victims arriving without vital signs.
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Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) is becoming the standard treatment for left-sided pancreatic disease. Learning curve identification is essential to ensure a safe and steady expansion. However, large (n > 30) single-surgeon learning curve series are lacking. ⋯ Operative outcomes of LDP remained stable with increasing surgical complexity over time. Postoperative outcomes, such as complications and length of hospital stay, improved after the first 30 cases. When describing learning curves, short- and long-term outcomes should be considered.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of Conflict of Interest among Published Hernia Researchers Self-Reported to the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments Database.
Many healthcare providers have financial interests and relationships with healthcare companies. To maintain transparency, investigators are expected to disclose their conflicts of interest (COIs). Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services developed the Open Payment database of COIs reported by industry. We hypothesize that there is discordance between industry-reported and physician self-reported COIs in ventral hernia publications. ⋯ There is substantial discordance between self-reported COI in published articles compared with those in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments database. Additional studies are needed to determine the reasons for these differences, as COI can influence the validity of the design, conduct, and results of a study.
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Transabdominal laparoscopic proctectomy (LAP) for rectal cancer was associated with postoperative recovery improvement. Early studies showed favorable short-term results of endoscopic transanal proctectomy (ETAP), with low conversion rates to open procedures. We aimed to compare efficacy, morbidity, and functional outcomes of ETAP to standard LAP for low rectal cancer. ⋯ The endoscopic transanal approach could facilitate mesorectal excision and improve short-term outcomes without impairing the oncologic quality of the resection or mid-term functional and oncologic results.
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General surgery training has historically lacked a standardized approach to resident quality improvement (QI) education aside from traditional morbidity and mortality conference. In 2013, the ACGME formalized QI as a component of residency training. Our residency chose the NSQIP Quality In-Training Initiative (QITI) as the foundation for our QI training. We hypothesized that a focused curriculum based on outcomes would produce change in culture and improve the quality of patient care. ⋯ Implementing a QITI curriculum with a full resident complement is feasible and can positively affect surgical morbidity and nationally benchmarked performance. Resident QI education is essential to future success in delivering high quality surgical care.