Annals of surgery
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Biography Historical Article
Ernst Ferdinand Sauerbruch and his ambiguous role in the period of National Socialism.
The role of German physicians under National Socialism is highly controversial. We show that Ferdinand Sauerbruch, one of twentieth century's most outstanding surgeons and chair of surgery at Berlin's Charité from 1927 to 1949, openly supported National Socialism in his public statements and in his position as head of the medical section of the Reich Research Council. ⋯ But Sauerbruch also supported victims of Nazi persecution, attempted to use his influence to put a stop to the "Euthanasia Program T4," and in private expressed his criticism of National Socialists. The ambiguous stance of Ferdinand Sauerbruch is probably more typical of the role physicians played during National Socialism than the well-known black-and-white cases.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
The ILAILL study: iloprost as adjuvant to surgery for acute ischemia of lower limbs: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study by the italian society for vascular and endovascular surgery.
High rate of complications has been reported following revascularization for acute limb ischemia (ALI). No adjuvant pharmacologic treatment, apart from anticoagulation and standard perioperative care, has been shown clinically effective. ⋯ Although at lower levels than previously reported, our results confirm the severity of ALI. Iloprost as adjuvant to surgery significantly reduced mortality and overall major event rate. Further data are needed to support this finding, and to face a still open medical issue.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Observation or operation for patients with an asymptomatic inguinal hernia: a randomized clinical trial.
Many patients with an inguinal hernia are asymptomatic or have little in the way of symptoms from their hernia. Repair is often associated with long-term chronic pain and has a recurrence rate of 5% to 10%. Our aim was to compare operation with a wait-and-see policy in patients with an asymptomatic hernia. ⋯ Repair of an asymptomatic inguinal hernia does not affect the rate of long-term chronic pain and may be beneficial to patients in improving overall health and reducing potentially serious morbidity.
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This review describes the pathologic and epidemiologic features of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) as well as the contemporary management of this tumor. The integration of surgery and treatment with targeted molecular agents in the treatment of GIST is highlighted. ⋯ The treatment paradigm for GIST has required the integration of surgery and molecular therapy and this will likely serve as a paradigm for the treatment of other solid tumors as targeted agents are developed.
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To estimate the prevalence of residual pain 2 to 3 years after hernia surgery, to identify factors associated with its occurrence, and to assess the consequences for the patient. ⋯ Pain that is at least partly disabling appears to occur more often than recurrences. The prevalence of long-term pain can be reduced by preventing postoperative complications. The impact of repair technique on the risk of long-term pain shown in our study should be further assessed in randomized controlled trials.