American Journal of Surgery

BACKGROUND: An expedited discharge protocol for uncomplicated appendicitis was developed at a Canadian academic hospital to determine if patients could be safely discharged home early without negatively impacting care and patient satisfaction. METHODS: A non-randomized prospective quality improvement project was completed between February 01, 2017 and January 31, 2018. The project included patients between 16 and 65 years with uncomplicated appendicitis managed with laparoscopic appendectomy...

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BACKGROUND: We aim to examine the risk factors associated with infection in trauma patients and the Sepsis-3 definition. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of adult trauma patients admitted to a Level I trauma center between January 2014 and January 2016. RESULTS: A total of 1499 trauma patients met inclusion criteria and 15% (n = 232) had an infection. Only 19.8% (n = 46) of infected patients met criteria for Sepsis-3, with the majority (43%) of infected cases having a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score greater on admission compared to the time of suspected infection...

BACKGROUND: We investigate the prevalence of PTSD in patients with an incisional hernia presenting for evaluation at our institution. METHODS: Study patients were screened for PTSD using the PCL-5 checklist for DSM-5. Patient-reported quality of life and pain scores were assessed using validated tools (HerQLes and PROMIS Pain Intensity 3a survey). RESULTS: The prevalence of PTSD in 131 patients was 32.1% [95% CI 24%-40%]. Patients screening positive (PTSD+) reported lower quality of life scores on HerQles (17...

BACKGROUND: Failed extubation has been shown to increase ICU stay, transfers to rehabilitation facilities, and mortality. The purpose of this study was to assess the differences in rates of failed extubation before and after implementation of an extubation checklist. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study from January 2013-April 2017 on adult trauma patients (age 18-89) who were admitted to the ICU and required mechanical ventilation. Patients were grouped before and after implementation of an extubation checklist and compared...

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in patients with diverticulitis is advantageous relative to open surgery. We aimed to determine disparities associated with MIS access for diverticulitis and post-operative complications. METHODS: The Florida Inpatient Discharge Dataset was retrospectively queried for patients with diverticulitis undergoing elective surgery between 2013 and 2015. Associations of patient, physician, and hospital characteristics with surgical approach (MIS vs open) and development of complications were calculated in two separate mixed effects logistic regression models...

BACKGROUND: Allografts donated after cardiac death (DCD) are the fastest growing organ source worldwide. Unfortunately, information is lacking on how to judge these organs' viability. Here, we analyzed the effects of donor characteristics, including age and BMI, on outcomes of DCD simultaneous-pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPK). METHODS: We evaluated UNOS DCD-SPK transplants from 1988 to 2012. Effects of donor characteristics on graft and recipient survival were evaluated using Cox Regression and the Kaplan-Meier method, and compared to predictions from the pancreas and kidney donor risk indices (PDRI, KDRI)...

BACKGROUND: Operating room (OR) fires are a preventable danger. Our aim is to examine the effectiveness of OR fire simulation scenarios as a supplement to classroom-based training for managing OR fires. METHODS: Eighty-two participants were randomly divided into 14 groups. Eight groups (Group S) participated in two simulations: one prior to the classroom-based fire training and another after the classroom. Six groups (Group D) participated in the identical classroom training, but only one simulation, which followed the classroom session...

BACKGROUND: Medical coding knowledge is important for practice. We hypothesized that general surgery residents lack confidence in medical coding (MC) and that implementation of focused didactics would increase resident confidence and knowledge. METHODS: A MC curriculum was delivered to general surgery residents covering domains of the global procedural period (GPP), evaluation and management (E/M) coding, and hospital payment and quality metrics (HPQM). A 21-question survey was developed to assess resident comfort coding knowledge...

BACKGROUND: Administration of adjuvant therapy (AT) in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remains inconsistent despite recent trial data. This study investigates predictors of receipt of AT and survival. METHODS: Patients with ICC who underwent resection were identified using the NCDB (2004-2014). Logistic regression and Cox analysis were used to determine predictors of AT and survival, respectively. "High-risk" was defined as positive margins/nodes or stage III/IVa disease...

BACKGROUND: Little information exists on the value of online question banks in preparing residents for the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE). METHODS: We reviewed surgical residents' use of an online question bank (TrueLearn) and compared it to their ABSITE performance. RESULTS: The 2016-2017 records of 44 PGY 2-5 general surgery residents were examined. The total number of TrueLearn questions answered significantly correlated (p < 0...

BACKGROUND: The extent of preoperative opioid utilization and the relationship with pain-related readmissions are not well understood. METHODS: VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program data on general, vascular, and orthopedic surgeries (2007-2014) were merged with pharmacy data to evaluate preoperative opioid use and pain-related readmissions. Opioid use in the 6-month preoperative period was categorized as none, infrequent, frequent, and daily. RESULTS: In the six-month preoperative period, 65...

BACKGROUND: Outcomes of emergency general surgery (EGS) procedures on hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HST) recipients have not been defined in a large, national database. Whether EGS during HST engraftment admission, or in HST patients with graft versus host disease (GVHD) results in worse outcomes is unknown. METHODS: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was examined for patients with a history of BMT between 2001 and 2014. RESULTS: There were 520,000 HST admissions meeting inclusion criteria, of which, 14,143 (2...

BACKGROUND: Surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) can be used to improve pulmonary mechanics; however, hardware infection is a morbid complication. Antibiotic impregnated beads have been used to suppress infection in orthopedic practices. We aimed to determine the efficacy of antibiotic beads for infected and at-risk SSRF hardware. METHODS: This is a single institution retrospective review of adults (18 years or older) that received SSRF between 2009 and 2017...

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate variation in positive CRM at the surgeon and hospital levels and assess impact on disease-specific survival. METHODS: Patients with stage I-III rectal cancer were identified in New York State. Bayesian hierarchical regressions estimated observed-to-expected (O/E) ratios for each surgeon/hospital. Competing-risks analyses estimated disease-specific survival among patients who were treated by surgeons/hospitals with O/E > 1 compared to those with O/E ratio ≤ 1...

INTRODUCTION: Enlargement of the ilioinguinal nerve distal to the inguinal ring is common in primary open inguinal herniorrhaphy and is histologically consistent with compression neuropathy. However, the origin of this neuropathy has not been thoroughly studied in primary inguinal hernia. METHODS: In this prospective study, 143 primary inguinal herniorrhaphies were performed. Prior to surgery, all patients completed a preoperative pain questionnaire from the Carolina Comfort Scale and Visual Analog Scale-evaluating pain with various activities...

BACKGROUND: Upstaging from DCIS to invasive ductal carcinoma varies widely from 0 to 59%. We aim to identify risk factors associated with upstaging in all DCIS patients and based on specific surgical intervention. METHODS: Patients with a pre-operative diagnosis of DCIS undergoing BCT or mastectomy were reviewed. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify risk factors for upstaging. RESULTS: In total, 623 patients had a preoperative diagnosis of DCIS...

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol consumption has been shown to alter coagulation. However, thromboelastography with platelet mapping (TEG PM) to evaluate platelet function has not been studied. METHODS: A prospective, non-randomized study of healthy volunteers was conducted. Baseline TEG PM were collected. Subjects consumed alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages for 2 h. Repeat TEG PM was collected. RESULTS: Fifty-four volunteers entered either the experimental group (EG, 17 women and 16 men) or control group (CG, 11 women and 10 men)...

BACKGROUND: Frailty is highly prevalent in the elderly and confers high risk for adverse outcomes. We aimed to assess the impact of frailty on critically ill older adult trauma patients. METHODS: We analyzed the ACS-TQIP(2010-2014) including all critically-ill trauma patients ≥65y. The modified frailty index (mFI) was calculated. Following stratified into frail and non-frail, propensity score matching was performed. Our primary outcome measure was in-hospital complications...

BACKGROUND: Purported benefits of minimally-invasive inguinal hernia repair techniques include less postoperative pain, but objective data is lacking. We analyzed prescribing habits and opiate requirements to provide an objective comparison. METHODOLOGY: Inguinal hernia repairs performed on patients aged 18-65 from October 2016 through February 2018 were examined. Patients with prior opiate use or complicated operative courses were excluded. Discharge prescriptions, morphine milligram equivalents(MME), and additional prescriptions within three months were evaluated...