Academic Global Surgery

The classical portrayal of poor health in tropical countries is one of infections and parasites, contrasting with wealthy Western countries, where unhealthy diet and behaviours cause non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease and cancer. Using international mortality data, we show that most NCDs cause more deaths at every age in low- and middle-income tropical countries than in high-income Western countries. Causes of NCDs in low- and middle-income countries include poor nutrition and living environment, infections, insufficient taxation and regulation of tobacco and alcohol, and under-resourced and inaccessible healthcare...

BACKGROUND: There are different views on the effects of resident involvement on surgical outcomes. We hypothesized that resident participation in surgical care does not appreciably alter outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed an American College of Surgeons NSQIP subset of inpatients having procedures with high complexity, including 4 surgical specialties (general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, and vascular surgery) with the highest mean work relative value units...

BACKGROUND: Even in metropolitan areas, on-call pediatric surgeons may not always be immediately available for surgical care of appendicitis, potentially leading to delays in care. In 2012, the in-house trauma group at a suburban Level 1 trauma center (none with formal pediatric fellowship training) assumed surgical care of 5-year- to 10-year-old children with appendicitis, who had previously been cared for by pediatric surgeons. We propose to compare the outcomes of the trauma and pediatric surgery groups...

PURPOSE: In resource-limited settings, up to two-thirds of surgical patients develop surgical site infections (SSIs). Our aim was to implement a multimodal protocol including an occlusive dressing and parental engagement to achieve low SSI rates in patients undergoing elective ambulatory pediatric surgery at a tertiary center in Haiti. METHODS: An observational retrospective review of pediatric patients who underwent elective ambulatory procedures from August 2015 to May 2016 following the implementation of a multimodal protocol consisting of: washing and prepping the operative site with chlorhexidine; review of the surgical safety checklist; one dose of cefazolin before incision; after wound closure application of steri strips, gauze, and tegaderm; and with parental engagement maintenance of the dressing until the follow-up visit...

In the last 2 years, a coalescence of forces has brought the needs of surgical patients in low resource settings to the top of the international healthcare policy agenda. This same dynamic has propelled academic global surgery, and particularly education, to the forefront. The proportion of surgical trainees seeking global surgical experiences, and interested in incorporating global surgery into their clinical and academic career, has risen sharply. International surgical electives are now allowed in a number of surgical residency programs, if they meet strict criteria...

Global surgery is an emerging academic discipline that is developing in tandem with numerous policy and advocacy initiatives. In this regard, academic global surgery will be crucial for measuring the progress toward improving surgical care worldwide. However, as a nascent academic discipline, there must be rigorous standards for the quality of work that emerges from this field. In this white paper, which reflects the opinion of the Global Academic Surgery Committee of the Society for University Surgeons, we discuss the importance of research in global surgery, the methodologies that can be used in such research, and the challenges and benefits associated with carrying out this research...

BACKGROUND: Surgical residents increasingly seek global surgery (GS) experiences during training. Understanding their motives and goals is important to develop the optimal educational programs. A survey for surgical residents was developed to explore this interest. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey administered in 2016 to residents in three surgical programs within the same academic institution assessed interest, prior global health experience, preferred training opportunities, and career goals in GS...

BACKGROUND: Current global surgery initiatives focus on increasing surgical workforce; however, it is unclear whether this approach would be helpful globally, as patients in low-resource countries may not be able to reach hospitals in a timely fashion without formal Emergency Medical Services (EMS). We hypothesize that increased surgical workforce correlates with decreased road traffic deaths (RTDs) only in countries with EMS. METHODS: Estimated RTDs were obtained from the Global Status Report on Road Safety 2013, which estimated the RTD rate in 2010 (RTD 2010)...

The area of Human Resources for Health (HRH) is the most critical challenge for the achievement of health related development goals in countries with limited resources. This is even exacerbated in a post conflict environment like Rwanda. The aim of this commentary is to report and share the genesis and outcomes of an exciting experience about training of qualified health workers in medicine and public health as well as setting - up of a research culture for the last nine years (2006 - 2014) in Rwanda. Many initiatives have been taken and concerned among others training of qualified health workers in medicine and public health...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: The tremendous need for increasing the quantity and quality of global pediatric surgical care in underserved areas has been well documented. Concomitantly there has been a significant increase in interest by pediatric surgeons in helping to relieve this problem through surgical volunteerism. The intent of the article is to serve as a practical guide for pediatric surgeons contemplating or planning a short-term global volunteer endeavor. METHODS: The article is based on the authors' personal experiences and on the published experiences of other volunteers...

Health care disparities (differential access, care, and outcomes owing to factors such as race/ethnicity) are widely established. Compared with other groups, African American individuals have an increased mortality risk across multiple surgical procedures. Gender, sexual orientation, age, and geographic disparities are also well documented. Further research is needed to mitigate these inequities. To do so, the American College of Surgeons and the National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Minority Health and Disparities convened a research summit to develop a national surgical disparities research agenda and funding priorities...

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) has been widely implemented in an effort to decrease surgical adverse events. METHOD: This systematic literature review examined the effects of the SSC on postoperative outcomes. The review included 25 studies: two randomised controlled trials, 13 prospective and ten retrospective cohort trials. A meta-analysis was not conducted as combining observational studies of heterogeneous quality may be highly biased...

IMPORTANCE: Emergency general surgery (EGS) represents 11% of surgical admissions and 50% of surgical mortality in the United States. However, there is currently no established definition of the EGS procedures. OBJECTIVE: To define a set of procedures accounting for at least 80% of the national burden of operative EGS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective review was conducted using data from the 2008-2011 National Inpatient Sample...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: In 2005, the general population of Mongolia was not aware of laparoscopic surgery and was skeptical about the safety of surgical care. A 9-year initiative to expand laparoscopic surgery was initiated by Mongolian surgeons. This study examines the current barriers to and perceptions of surgical care following laparoscopic surgical expansion countrywide. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In September 2013, interviews were conducted with 71 patients, and 39 physicians in Mongolia...

BACKGROUND: Surgical outcomes are provider specific. This prospective audit describes the surgical activity of five general surgery residents on their trauma surgery rotation. It was hypothesized that the operating surgical trainee is an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes following major trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study. All patients admitted, over a 6-month period (August 2014-January 2015), following trauma requiring a major operation performed by a surgical trainee at Groote Schuur Hospital's trauma unit in South Africa were included...

BACKGROUND: Most mortality attributable to surgical emergencies occurs in low- and middle-income countries. District hospitals, which serve as the first-level surgical facility in rural sub-Saharan Africa, are often challenged with limited surgical capacity. This study describes the presentation, management, and outcomes of non-obstetric surgical patients at district hospitals in Rwanda. METHODS: This study included patients seeking non-obstetric surgical care at three district hospitals in rural Rwanda in 2013...

BACKGROUND: GlobalSurg-1 was a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study conducted to address the global lack of surgical outcomes data. Six South African (SA) hospitals participated in the landmark surgical outcomes study. In this subsequent study, we collated the data from these six local participants and hypothesised that the location of surgery was an independent risk factor for an adverse outcome following emergency intraperitoneal surgery. METHODS: Participating hospitals contributed 30-day outcomes data of consecutive emergency intraperitoneal surgical operations performed during a 2-week period between July and November 2014...

Endophthalmitis remains a rare but important cause of visual loss. Prophylaxis strategies are important to reduce rates of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery, intravitreal injection, and other procedures. There is substantial variability between the US and the rest of the world. During cataract surgery, intracameral antibiotics are commonly used in many nations, especially in Europe, but are less commonly used in the US. A randomized clinical trial from the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons reported an approximately fivefold reduction in endophthalmitis rates associated with intracameral cefuroxime but these results are controversial...