Journal of the American College of Surgeons
-
Public health measures were instituted to reduce COVID-19 spread. A decrease in total emergency department volume followed, but the impact on injury is unknown. With lockdown and social distancing potentially increasing domicile discord, we hypothesized that intentional injury increased during COVID-19, driven primarily by an increase in penetrating trauma. ⋯ Unprecedented social isolation policies to address COVID-19 were associated with increased intentional injury, especially gun violence. Meanwhile, emergency department and nonintentional trauma visits decreased. Pandemic-related public health measures should embrace intentional injury prevention and management strategies.
-
Emergency colorectal operations account for considerable surgical morbidity, leading to increased recognition of the importance of standardized care. Enhanced recovery pathways (ERPs) have successfully provided a framework to standardize elective surgical care, with some ERP elements spreading to emergency procedures. This study aims to characterize the degree of spread and demonstrate feasibility of ERP extension to emergency colorectal operations. ⋯ Although the unplanned nature of emergency colorectal operations historically excluded patients from ERPs, our findings suggest ERPs have observable diffusion beyond elective surgical procedures. Deliberate implementation with adherence auditing can improve ERP uptake and outcomes in emergency colorectal operations.
-
The Presidential Address of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) is an influential platform during the convocation for new Fellows every year. Recent work reported that most ACS presidents primarily discuss personal characteristics for success; however, these qualities were never specified. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the personal characteristics that are espoused in ACS presidential addresses as essential for success as a surgeon. ⋯ Surgery has experienced countless paradigm shifts since 1913, and the perceived characteristics for success have similarly evolved to include more interpersonal abilities. The importance of sincere compassion for patients, integrity, engagement, and commitment to lifelong learning remained consistent for more than a century.