Surgery
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There is increasing attention on the coaching of surgeons and trainees to improve performance but no comprehensive review on this topic. The purpose of this review is to summarize the quantity and the quality of studies involving surgical coaching methods and their effectiveness. ⋯ Surgical coaching interventions have a positive impact on learners' perception and attitudes, their technical and nontechnical skills, and performance measures. Evidence of impact on patient outcomes was limited, and the quality of research studies was variable. Despite this, our systematic review of different coaching interventions will benefit future coaching strategies and implementation to enhance operative performance.
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Changing the epidemiology of trauma makes traditional end points like 30-day mortality less than ideal. Many alternative end points have been suggested; however, they are not yet accepted by the trauma community or regulatory bodies. This study characterizes opinions about the adequacy of accepted end points of studies of trauma and the appropriateness of several novel end points. ⋯ There is strong interest in finding efficient end points in trauma research that are both specific and reflect the changing epidemiology of trauma death. The alternative end points of 24-hour survival and time to control of acute hemorrhage had similar approval rates to 30-day mortality.
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Data on hemoglobin (Hb) threshold levels for "appropriate" packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions have not taken into account patient-specific variables such as sex and age. We sought to define differences in perioperative transfusion practices based on patient sex and age among patients undergoing complex gastrointestinal (GI) and cardiothoracic-vascular (CT-V) surgical procedures. ⋯ Sex and age were associated with receipt of transfusion and, in the case of older patients, transfusion strategy. Given the lack of evidence to support a higher Hb level in older patients, emphasis should be placed on aligning transfusion practices with current evidence to employ a more restrictive transfusion strategy to decrease overuse of blood resources.