Annals of surgery
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Virtual recruitment of candidates applying into General Surgery residency during the COVID-19 pandemic presented a number of benefits and challenges. Notable benefits for candidates included financial and resource cost savings, the ability to conduct multiple interviews within short time frame, and the ability to meet more faculty members on virtual interview day. Challenges included technological difficulties, difficulty assessing culture and authenticity of in-program relationships, zoom fatigue, and inability to form relationships with co-applicants. After assessing our experiences with these benefits and challenges, the authors recommend that future recruitment cycles maintain virtual interview days with optional, nonevaluative open house days for revisit and second look opportunities.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has led many of us to re-evaluate our approaches to disaster management, reflect on our experiences, and be reminded of the strong resolve for our work. This article details a resident's perspective on redeployment of surgical residents to the COVID-19 frontline setting, using the example of the COVID-19 intensive care unit. Redeployment during a pandemic brings the unique opportunity to collaborate with colleagues on the frontlines and learn alongside one another about the evolving management of this disease. During this ongoing pandemic, it is incumbent upon us as clinicians to work together in a multidisciplinary manner and reflect on ways this pandemic impacts the delivery of patient care.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Defining Global Benchmarks in Elective Secondary Bariatric Surgery Comprising Conversional, Revisional and Reversal Procedures.
To define "best possible" outcomes for secondary bariatric surgery (BS). ⋯ Secondary BS is safe, although postoperative morbidity exceeds the established benchmarks for primary BS. The excess morbidity is due to an increased risk of gastrointestinal leakage and higher need for intensive care. The considerable rate of tertiary BS warrants expertise and future research to optimize the management of non-success after BS.
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Multicenter Study
FLOT-regimen Chemotherapy and Transthoracic en bloc Resection for Esophageal and Junctional Adenocarcinoma.
The FLOT4-AIO trial established the FLOT regimen as a compelling option for gastric, junctional and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Data on FLOT with en-bloc transthoracic esophagectomy (TTE) are limited. This study explored operative complications, tolerance, toxicity, physiological impact, and oncologic outcomes. ⋯ FLOT and en bloc TTE was safe, with no discernible impact on operative complications, with 24% having a major pathologic response. Caveats include a limited pathologic response in the majority, and negative impact on muscle mass and lung physiology, and low use of adjuvant cycles. These data may provide a real-world benchmark for this complex care pathway.
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Multicenter Study
Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma-Novel Benchmark Values for Surgical and Oncological Outcomes From 24 Expert Centers.
The aim of this study was to define robust benchmark values for the surgical treatment of perihilar cholangiocarcinomas (PHC) to enable unbiased comparisons. ⋯ Surgery for PHC remains associated with high morbidity and mortality with now the availability of benchmark values covering 21 outcome parameters, which may serve as key references for comparison in any future analyses of individuals, group of patients or centers.