Optimization of a standardized letter of recommendation for faculty who wish to support candidates applying to surgical training programs
Letters of recommendation (LORs) play an important role in applicant selection for graduate medical education programs. LORs may be of increasing importance in the evaluation of applicants given the recent change of the USMLE Step 1 to pass/fail scoring and the relative lack of other objective measures by which to differentiate and stratify applicants. Narrative letters of recommendation (NLORs), although widely used, have certain limitations, namely variability in interpretation, introduction of gender/race bias, and performance inflation. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 8, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Clare Zipf-Sigler, Alisha L. Nguyen, Amber Huang, Ryan De Leon, Shannon Helbling, Eliza B. Littleton, Anjali S. Kumar Tags: Review Article Source Type: research
Clinical factors and outcomes of spleen-conserving surgery versus total splenectomy in splenic injuries: A nationwide database study
The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with the use of spleen-conserving surgeries, as well as patient outcomes, on a national scale. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 8, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Angela Tang-Tan, Chih Ying Chien, Stephen Park, Morgan Schellenberg, Lydia Lam, Matthew Martin, Kenji Inaba, Kazuhide Matsushima Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research
Axillary ultrasonography for early-stage invasive breast cancer
This study compares axillary operation rates in patients who did and did not receive preoperative AxUS, assessing its utility and risks for overtreatment. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 7, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Karen Jiang, Crystal Ma, Yuwei Yang, Elaine McKevitt, Jin-Si Pao, Rebecca Warburton, Carol Dingee, Jieun Newman- Bremang, Melina Deban, Amy Bazzarelli Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research
The association of hernia-specific and procedural risk factors with early complications in ventral hernia repair: ACHQC analysis
Many surgical risk assessment tools emphasize patient-specific risk factors. Our objective was to use a hernia-specific database to assess risk factors of complications in ventral hernia repair (VHR) focusing on hernia-specific and procedural factors. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 7, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Mazen R. Al-Mansour, Delaney D. Ding, Celeste G. Yergin, Robert Tamer, Li-Ching Huang Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research
Multiple positive imaging tests in diagnosing acute appendicitis: An analysis of more than 27,000 cases
Acute appendicitis (AA) accounts for 3.8% of cases of acute abdominal pain in the emergency department, and 15% of all hospital admissions.1 Pooled incidence in North America was 100 per 100,000 person-years2 with increasing incidence recorded in the United States (USA).3 Despite being one of the most common acute surgical diagnoses, the optimal diagnostic workup continues to be debated and can be complicated by unexpected malignancy. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 7, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Akie Watanabe, Michael Guo, Christina Schweitzer, Sam M. Wiseman Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research
Risk factors for post-operative VTE following colorectal surgery: Is caprini score enough?
Post-operative colorectal venous thromboembolism (VTE) rates range between 1-3%. Often, surgeons utilize risk assessment models, like the modified Caprini, to determine need for prophylaxis. However, studies reveal additional unaccounted risk factors like preoperative serum albumin level, perioperative blood transfusion, emergency surgery, and preoperative steroid use. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 5, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Anyelin Almanzar, Sophia L. Dahmani, Sami Shoucair, Zhifei Sun, Jennifer Ayscue, Brian Bello, Sara Berkey Tags: Featured Article Source Type: research
Subtotal cholecystectomy: Are we describing thoroughly our approaches?
Subtotal cholecystectomy (SC) represents a safe alternative approach for minimizing conversion rates in laparoscopic procedures during difficult gallbladder (DG) procedures.1 It has been described as an alternative method to total cholecystectomy (TC) in which only a portion of the gallbladder is removed. This has been recommended when the structures of Calot's triangle cannot be identified, to avoid iatrogenic damage to the common hepatic duct, the common bile duct, and the cystic duct, due to severe inflammation and consequent anatomical alteration2,3 (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 5, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Luis Adrian Alvarez-Lozada, Ethel Valeria Orta-Guerra, Mar ía Fernanda Gutiérrez-Alvarez, Alejandro Quiroga-Garza, Rodrigo E. Elizondo-Omaña Tags: My Thoughts / My Surgical Practice Source Type: research
Screening for asymptomatic nephrolithiasis in primary hyperparathyroidism patients is warranted
We aimed to investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and management of nephrolithiasis in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) patients. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 4, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Taryn Zabolotniuk, Michael Guo, Michelle Kwon, Akie Watanabe, Joel M.H. Teichman, Sam M. Wiseman Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research
The overtreatment of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma in the community
This study explores the adoption of these practices in our community, using a cancer database to analyze treatment strategies. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 4, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Peter J. Abraham, Christopher Wu, Rongzhi Wang, Brendon Herring, Polina Zmijewski, Andrea Gillis, Jessica Fazendin, iBrenessa Lindeman, Herbert Chen Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research
Surgical tactics of parathyroidectomy: Should we abandon the use of ioPTH?
Anatomical and physiological knowledge of the parathyroid glands is fundamental for achieving curative surgery by an endocrine surgeon. The upper parathyroid glands originate from the fourth pharyngeal pouch, and the lower ones from the third, along with the thymus. Therefore, it is possible to find some of the lower parathyroids inside the thymus or even in the anterior mediastinum, while the upper ones can migrate to the posterior mediastinum (Fig. 1).1 The ectopic location of a pathological parathyroid gland is a common cause of parathyroidectomy failure and persistent hyperparathyroidism. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 4, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Joaqu ín Gómez-Ramírez, Raquel Arranz Jiménez Tags: My Thoughts / My Surgical Practice Source Type: research
Invited commentary – Parental leave policies in general surgery residencies
Transparent, accessible, and uniform parental leave policies should be the expectation for prospective parents in surgical training. In this article “Parental Leave Policies in General Surgery Residencies,” Engelbrecht-Wiggans and colleagues evaluate the online availability of parental leave policies for Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited General Surgery residency programs throughout the United States.1 W hile simplistic in design, this study presents important data that highlight just how far we are from achieving these basic goals. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 4, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Kimberly M. Ramonell Tags: Invited Commentary Source Type: research
Fraudulent feelings: Imposter syndrome in surgery
The term “imposter syndrome” is used to describe an internal sense that one's success is undeserved, despite objective evidence to the contrary. It was first described in 1978 by psychologists Clance and Imes.1 Their research was focused on professional women who had objective signs of success, including advanced degrees and academic accomplishments, who were convinced they were unintelligent and were waiting to be “found out” by their peers. They suggested the origin of these perceptions was due to childhood experiences and societal expectations, and recommended multi-modal therapy as treatmen t. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 3, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Jessica L. Weaver Tags: My Thoughts / My Surgical Practice Source Type: research
Should breast surgery be considered for patients with de novo metastatic inflammatory breast cancer?
We aimed to identify factors predicting surgery for de novo stage IV inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and determine the association of surgery with overall survival (OS). (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 1, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Lauren M. Drapalik, Robert Shenk, Lisa Rock, Ashley Simpson, Amanda L. Amin, Megan E. Miller Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research
Beyond the headlines: The impact of the affordable care act on equitable access to bariatric surgery
In 2010, stories about Wikileaks and the daring rescue of Chilean Miners dominated the headlines, but none of these news features were as sensational as healthcare reform.1 On March 23, 2010 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed, and its potential impact, benefits, and shortcomings were discussed with a wide array of responses, from support to upheaval.2 The Act was signed with the goal of increasing health equity and access for millions of Americans. Now, over a decade after implementation, the lasting impact and success of the ACA has begun to be questioned and studied. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - March 1, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Marcus Sirianno, Margaux N. Mustian Tags: Invited Commentary Source Type: research
Patient adherence to an oral rehydration solution intervention to prevent dehydration following ileostomy creation: A qualitative study
Patients undergoing surgery for ileostomy creation frequently experience postoperative dehydration and subsequent renal injury. The use of oral rehydration solutions (ORS) has been shown to prevent dehydration, but compliance may be variable. (Source: American Journal of Surgery)
Source: American Journal of Surgery - February 29, 2024 Category: Surgery Authors: Sarah E. Bradley, C. Ann Vitous, Maedeh A. Marzoughi, Shukri H.A. Dualeh, Samantha J. Rivard, Ashley Duby, Samantha Hendren, Pasithorn A. Suwanabol Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research
