Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Surgical quality improvement initiatives may impact sociodemographic groups differentially. The objective of this analysis was to assess the trajectory of surgical morbidity by race and age over time within a Regional Collaborative Quality Initiative. ⋯ Black patients had higher morbidity rates than non-Black patients even when controlling for confounders. The reasons for these disparities are not apparent. Morbidity improved over time in all patients with older Black patients seeing a larger absolute decrease in morbidity.
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Early-stage thyroid cancers have excellent survival. However, lymph node metastases (LNM) confer a worse prognosis and are not always known preoperatively. Therefore, investigation on the clinical and histological factors predictive of LNM in thyroid cancers was conducted to tailor the extent of surgery and radioactive iodine therapy. ⋯ Our analyses demonstrated and confirmed that age, tumor size, extrathyroidal extension, and lymphovascular invasion are independent predictors of significant LNM, thereby conferring higher risk of recurrence. Risk of LNM based on these patient characteristics should be considered when planning an operative approach.
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Our previous studies have found that burn injury induces cardiac dysfunction through interruption of the antioxidant-response element (ARE) pathway in cardiac mitochondria. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a key regulator that activates many antioxidant enzymes. Oltipraz (Olti) is a Nrf2 activator and a well-known inducer of NQO1 along with other enzymes that comprise the Nrf2-associated antioxidants. We propose that Nrf2 activation will induce the ARE pathway, leading to abrogation of burn-induced cardiac dysfunction. ⋯ In summary, Nrf2 depletion worsens cardiac dysfunction after burn injury. Nrf2 activation, with a drug such as Olti, offers a promising therapeutic strategy for abrogating burn-induced cardiac dysfunction.
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Observational Study
Impact of Incorporating Whole Blood into Hemorrhagic Shock Resuscitation: Analysis of 1,377 Consecutive Trauma Patients Receiving Emergency-Release Uncrossmatched Blood Products.
Use of whole blood (WB) for trauma resuscitation has seen a resurgence. The purpose of this study was to investigate survival benefit of WB across a diverse population of bleeding trauma patients. ⋯ In patients experiencing hemorrhagic shock, WB transfusion is associated with both improved survival and decreased overall blood utilization.
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The worsening opioid epidemic has led to an increased number of surgical patients with chronic preoperative opioid use. However, the impact of opioids on perioperative outcomes has yet to be fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between preoperative opioid dose and surgical outcomes among colectomy patients. ⋯ Providers should exercise caution when prescribing opioids preoperatively, as increasing doses of preoperative opioids were associated with worse surgical outcomes and higher 30-day readmission among adult colectomy patients.