Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Multicenter Study
Influence of Time to Appendectomy and Operative Duration on Hospital Cost in Children with Uncomplicated Appendicitis.
The goal of this study was to examine the influence of time to appendectomy (TTA) and operative duration (OD) on hospital cost as surrogate measures of perioperative efficiency. ⋯ Longer TTA and OD were independently associated with increased hospital cost, with OD being the most significant driver of cost variation across hospitals. Identification of best practices from high-efficiency hospitals might provide a high-yield strategy for improving value in appendicitis care.
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Robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RobATS) lobectomy is becoming more common for the treatment of lung cancer. As with any relatively new technology, there is the assumption that greater experience leads to greater proficiency. The objective of this study was to analyze outcomes of patients undergoing RobATS lobectomy as hospitals gain experience, and to describe outcomes after conversion to open procedures. ⋯ Mortality after RobATS lobectomy at experienced hospitals is not significantly different than at inexperienced hospitals. Though conversion rates decrease with experience, patients who undergo conversion have higher mortality than those who do not, particularly in hospitals with more experience. This suggests that a deliberate effort to increase experience with and improve patient selection for RobATS lobectomies may ameliorate the conversions and their attendant sequelae.
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The American College of Surgeons reports that 60% of the hundreds of thousands of surgical site infections occurring annually are preventable. The practice of surgeons taking phone calls while remaining sterile in the operating field is often accomplished by interposing a sterile disposable towel between the phone and their glove. After completing the call, surgeons resume operating. The purpose of our study was to test the conceptual idea of whether bacteria transmit from an inanimate object, such as a telephone, to the gloves of a surgeon through a sterile disposable towel. ⋯ Sterile disposable operating room towels do not provide an effective barrier between bacteria present on operating room telephones and the otherwise sterile gloves of a surgeon.