Annals of surgery
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To examine trends in end-of-life care services and satisfaction among Veterans undergoing any inpatient surgery. ⋯ Among Veterans undergoing inpatient surgery, improvements in satisfaction with end-of-life care paralleled increases in end-of-life care service use. Future work is needed to identify actionable hospital-level characteristics that may reduce heterogeneity between VA hospitals and facilitate targeted interventions to improve end-of-life care.
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To develop a severity-adjusted, hospital-level benchmarking comparative performance report for postoperative organ space infection and antibiotic utilization in children with complicated appendicitis. ⋯ A comparative performance benchmarking report may help hospitals identify and prioritize quality improvement opportunities for infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship, as well as identify exemplar performers for dissemination of best practices.
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To identify well-being threats for surgeons and anesthesiologists and develop interventions using the Quality of Life Improvement (QOLI) approach. ⋯ Surgeons and anesthesiologists share many needs and priorities, with pain points that are often negatively synergistic. Applying the QOLI approach across specialties allows for well-being interventions that honor complexity and promote the development of feasible solutions.
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To characterize the extent of private equity investment affecting surgical care. ⋯ Private equity has engaged in substantial investment within surgical specialties, creating increased practice consolidation. These investments affect all levels of medical care and have notable implications for patients, practitioners, and policymakers.
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To define how dynamic changes in pre- versus post-operative serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) levels may impact postoperative morbidity after curative-intent resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ⋯ CAA was an independent predictor of CCI after liver resection for HCC. Use of routine labs such as AST and ALT can help identify patients at highest risk of post-operative complications following HCC resection.