Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparative Effectiveness of Initial Treatment at Trauma Center vs Neurosurgery-Capable Non-Trauma Center for Severe, Isolated Head Injury.
Head injury is an increasing contributor to death and disability, particularly among the elderly. Older patients are less likely to be treated at trauma centers, and head injury is the most common severe injury treated at non-trauma centers. We hypothesized that patients initially triaged to trauma centers would have lower rates of mortality and higher rates of discharge home without services than those treated at non-trauma centers. ⋯ Patients with isolated, severe head injury have better outcomes if initially treated in designated trauma centers. As 40% of such patients were triaged to non-trauma centers, there are major opportunities for improving outcomes.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta and Resuscitative Thoracotomy in Select Patients with Hemorrhagic Shock: Early Results from the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma's Aortic Occlusion in Resuscitation for Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Registry.
Aortic occlusion is a potentially valuable tool for early resuscitation in patients nearing extremis or in arrest from severe hemorrhage. ⋯ Overall, REBOA can confer a survival benefit over RT, particularly in patients not requiring CPR. Considerable additional study is required to definitively recommend REBOA for specific subsets of injured patients.
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The American College of Surgeons in 2015 instituted the Children's Surgery Verification program delineating requirements for hospitals providing pediatric surgical care. Our purpose was to examine possible effects of the Children's Surgery Verification program by evaluating neonates undergoing high-risk operations. ⋯ Although this conservative estimate demonstrates that more than one-third of complex surgical neonates in 2009 would have needed to relocate under the Children's Surgery Verification program, the additional distance traveled is relatively short for most but not all, and this program might improve mortality. Local level ramifications of this novel national program require additional investigation.
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Crohn's disease often requires intestinal resection, which is not considered curative. Repeat surgical intervention is necessary in more than half of patients after their initial operation. Although many genetic loci are implicated in Crohn's disease, few have been associated with post-resection recurrence. ⋯ We identify BACH2 as a susceptibility locus for postoperative recurrence of Crohn's disease in our cohort. BACH2 is critical in the differentiation and function of T cells, as a regulator of B-cell activity, and is associated with several dysregulated immunologic phenomena. Its identification as a risk locus in postoperative Crohn's disease recurrence suggests a potential role for regulatory T cells, effector T cells, humoral immunity, and immunologic memory in the development of this disease process.