Archives of surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960)
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This special article provides an introduction to the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency and Essential Surgical Care (EESC) program. The program was launched by the WHO in December of 2005 to address the lack of adequate surgical capacity as a global public health issue. ⋯ Additionally, a global forum for program members was established that collaborates with ministries of health, WHO country offices, nongovernmental organizations, and academia. The results of the third biennial meeting of global EESC members in Mongolia are outlined as well as future challenges.
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Comparative Study
Long-term quality of life after surgical intensive care admission.
To quantify the long-term (>6 years) health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of a large cohort of patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit (ICU). In addition, we aimed to explore the influence of different surgical classifications on long-term health status and to make comparisons with general population norms. ⋯ More than 6 years after a surgical ICU admission, HRQOL of this patient population is largely reduced. Many patients still have a variety of health problems, including decreased cognitive functioning. Treatment advances should be made to reduce the current health deficit of surgical ICU survivors compared with the general population.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Perioperative hyperoxygenation and wound site infection following surgery for acute appendicitis: a randomized, prospective, controlled trial.
To assess the influence of hyperoxygenation on surgical site infection by using the most homogeneous study population. ⋯ The use of supplemental oxygen is advantageous in operations for acute appendicitis by reducing surgical site infection rate and hospital stay.
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Postoperative complications are associated with a poor long-term prognosis after resection of colorectal liver metastases via an undetermined mechanism. The preoperative systemic inflammatory response, itself a predictor of poor survival, was recently shown to independently predict postoperative infectious complications after primary colorectal cancer resection. ⋯ The preoperative systemic inflammatory response independently predicts the development of infectious complications after colorectal liver metastases resection. Although infectious complications are associated with adverse long-term prognosis after hepatectomy, they lacked independent prognostic value when systemic inflammatory variables were also considered, suggesting that much of their prognostic value arises from their association with the preoperative systemic inflammatory response.
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We sought to identify risk factors that might predict acute traumatic injury findings on thoracic computed tomography (TCT) among patients having a normal initial chest radiograph (CR). ⋯ Among patients with a normal screening CR, reserving TCT for older male patients with abdominal or extremity blunt trauma seems safe and cost-effective.