Archives of surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960)
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Among patients undergoing urgent surgery for left-sided diverticulitis, those admitted on weekends vs weekdays have higher rates of Hartmann procedure and adverse outcomes. ⋯ Patients undergoing urgent surgery for left-sided diverticulitis who are admitted on a weekend have a higher risk for undergoing a Hartmann procedure and worse short-term outcomes compared with patients who are admitted on a weekday. Further research is warranted to investigate possible underlying mechanisms and to develop strategies for reducing this substantial weekend effect.
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Motorcycle collisions are increasing at a precipitous rate, and reliable and valid data regarding all aspects of helmet safety are needed to better inform ongoing debates on mandatory helmet laws. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of motorcycle helmets on the likelihood of a facial injury after motorcycle collisions, using data from the National Trauma Data Bank, version 7.0, on 46 362 patients from January 1, 2002, through December 31, 2006. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the independent association between helmets and facial injury with adjustment for potential confounders. Helmeted motorcyclists were less likely to suffer facial injuries after a motorcycle collision, with a lower adjusted odds ratio of facial injury (0.40; 95% CI, 0.37-0.43) and a lower prevalence of specific types of facial injury compared with their nonhelmeted counterparts.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Influence of rescrubbing before laparotomy closure on abdominal wound infection after colorectal cancer surgery: results of a multicenter randomized clinical trial.
To test the hypothesis that strict asepsis in closing wounds following laparotomy reduces the risk for surgical wound infection in elective colorectal cancer surgery. ⋯ This study does not support the use of rescrubbing to reduce the incidence of incisional surgical site infection.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparison of hospital performance in trauma vs emergency and elective general surgery: implications for acute care surgery quality improvement.
As emergency general surgery (EMGS) and trauma care are increasingly being provided by the same personnel with overlapping resources, we postulated that the quality of care provided to EMGS and trauma patients would be similar. We also evaluated the relationship between trauma and elective general surgery (ELGS) care, believing that performance would be similar across these services as it reflects institutional culture. ⋯ Trauma performance improvement programs are well established compared with those for EMGS. Although EMGS patients use similar structures and processes as trauma patients, there is a lack of correlation between the quality of care provided to trauma and EMGS patients; EMGS should be incorporated into trauma performance improvement programs.