Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Due to the complexity of pancreatic surgery, patients diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) may seek out the opinion of more than one surgeon. Little is known regarding how second surgical opinions impact the likelihood of pancreatectomy and perioperative outcomes. Our study aimed to determine the impact of obtaining second surgical opinions on pancreatectomy rates and to assess its impact on surgical outcomes. ⋯ Among Medicare patients who underwent pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer, approximately 1 in 7 patients received a second surgical opinion. Additional research is needed on the impact of second opinions on long-term cancer-specific outcomes.
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Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) improve survival for patients with cardiac failure, but LVAD-specific infection (VSI) remains a challenge with poorly understood predictive risk factors. The indications and use of escalating medical treatment to surgical debridement and potential flap reconstruction are not well characterized. ⋯ We developed a clinical risk prediction score to stratify patients with VSI. In selected cases, escalating surgical treatment was associated with increased survival. Future work is needed to determine whether early surgical debridement and flap reconstruction can alter outcomes in select cases of VSI.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Benchmark Outcomes for Distal Pancreatectomy: A Multicenter Prospective Snapshot Study (SPANDISPAN).
Improving the quality of care is a priority for health systems to obtain better care and reduce costs. One of the tools for measuring quality is benchmarking (BM). We presented a 1-country prospective study of distal pancreatectomies (DPs) and determined BM. ⋯ We present the first determination of DP-BM in a prospective series, obtaining similar results to the previous ones, but our BM values include a shorter hospital stay and a higher percentage of minimally invasive surgery probably related to Enhanced Recovery after Surgery protocols and prospective data collection. BM is a multiparameter valuable tool for reporting outcomes, comparing centers, and identifying the points to improve surgical care.
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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Of these, approximately 25% will have liver metastasis. We performed 394 microwave ablations (MWAs) and analyzed outcomes for survival and ablation failure. ⋯ Surgical MWA offers a low-morbidity approach to treatment of colorectal liver metastasis, with low rate of failure. This large series reviews the outcomes of MWA as definitive treatment for colorectal liver metastasis.