Annals of surgery
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This study aims to evaluate short- and long-term outcomes following pancreatectomy in patients with LAPC compared to (B)RPC patients. ⋯ In our nationwide prospective databases, pancreas-specific complications, mortality and survival in patients with LAPC following pancreatectomy are comparable with those undergoing resection for (B)RPC. These outcomes suggest that postoperative morbidity and mortality after tumor resection in carefully selected patients with LAPC are acceptable.
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To determine the rate of emergency versus elective lower extremity amputations in the United States. ⋯ There is wide variation in the rate of emergency lower extremity amputations among Medicare beneficiaries, suggesting variable access to essential vascular care. Travel distance and rate of amputation have an inverse relationship, suggesting that barriers other than travel distance are playing a role.
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To compare general surgery outcomes at flagship systems, flagship hospitals, and flagship hospital affiliates versus matched controls. ⋯ Patients treated at flagship hospitals had significantly lower mortality rates than those treated at flagship hospital affiliates. Hence, flagship system affiliation does not alone imply better surgical outcomes.
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To develop an artificial intelligence (AI) system for the early prediction of residual cancer burden (RCB) scores during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer. ⋯ The multitask AI system offers a noninvasive tool for the early prediction of RCB scores in breast cancer, supporting clinical decision-making during NAC.
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We analyze the ethics of sham surgical trials from a utilitarian perspective and explore whether patients can benefit from participating in these trials. ⋯ Patients often benefit from participating in sham surgery trials because the harms of the sham procedure are lower than the harms of the full procedure, which may turn out to be ineffective. Our results call for re-thinking the ethics of sham surgery trials.