Journal of the American College of Surgeons
-
Review Meta Analysis
Safety of Foregoing Operation for Small Bowel Obstruction in the Virgin Abdomen: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Our objective was to assess the safety of foregoing surgery in patients without abdominopelvic surgery history presenting with small bowel obstruction (SBO). Classic dogma has counseled early surgical intervention for SBO in the virgin abdomen-patients without abdominopelvic surgery history-given their presumed higher risk of malignant or potentially catastrophic etiologies compared with those who had undergone previous abdominal operations. The term virgin abdomen was coined before widespread use of CT, which now elucidates many SBO etiologies. ⋯ De novo adhesions (54%) were the most common etiology. More than half of patients underwent a trial of nonoperative management, which often failed. Subgroups of patients likely have variable risk profiles for underlying malignant etiologies, yet no study had consistent follow-up data and we did not find convincing evidence that foregoing operative management altogether in this population can be generally recommended.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Laparoscopic-Guided Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Postoperative Pain Management in Minimally Invasive Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Optimal postoperative pain therapy for patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery remains controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy and safety of the novel laparoscopic-guided transversus abdominis plane block (L-TAP) with other analgesic alternatives in adults undergoing minimally invasive surgery. ⋯ L-TAP is safe, and superior to LIA with respect to early pain control, opioid consumption, and patient satisfaction in adults undergoing minimally invasive surgery. Given its equivalence to US-TAP, L-TAP can be used as a safer and pragmatic alternative to epidural analgesia in this patient population.
-
Observational Study
Impact of Deceased Donor Management on Donor Heart Use and Recipient Graft Survival.
Current risk-adjusted models used to predict donor heart use and cardiac graft survival from organ donors after brain death (DBDs) do not include bedside critical care data. We sought to identify novel independent predictors of heart use and graft survival to better understand the relationship between donor management and transplantation outcomes. ⋯ Modifiable critical care parameters and treatments predict donor heart use and cardiac graft survival. The discordant relationship between thyroid hormone and donor heart use (negative predictor) vs cardiac graft survival (positive predictor) warrants additional investigation.
-
Multicenter Study
Investigating Association Between Sex and Faculty Teaching Evaluation in General Surgery Residency Programs: A Multi-Institutional Study.
In specialties with gender imbalance, such as general surgery, women faculty frequently receive lower teaching evaluation scores compared with men, which can affect academic advancement. ⋯ This multi-institutional analysis of general surgical resident evaluations of faculty identified that female gender was associated with higher evaluation scores than men (although the difference was small). This unanticipated finding might reflect the slowly changing gender balance within general surgery and attitudes towards female faculty in a traditionally male-dominated field. Contrary to our hypothesis, female gender was associated with higher faculty evaluation scores at programs with fewer women faculty and fewer women residents.