The American surgeon
-
The American surgeon · May 2012
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyThe effect of trauma center designation on organ donor outcomes in Southern California.
We sought to investigate the effect of trauma center designation on organ donor outcomes during a 5-year period. A retrospective study of the southern California regional Organ Procurement Organization database comparing trauma centers (n = 25) versus nontrauma centers (n = 171) and Level I (n = 7) versus Level II (n = 18) trauma centers between 2004 and 2008 was performed. A total of 16,830 referrals were evaluated and 44 per cent were from trauma centers. ⋯ No significant differences were found between Level I and Level II trauma centers. Trauma centers demonstrate significantly better organ donor outcomes compared with nontrauma centers. Factors responsible for improved outcomes at trauma centers should be evaluated, reproduced, and disseminated to nontrauma centers to alleviate the growing organ shortage crisis.
-
The American surgeon · Feb 2012
Multicenter StudyOutcomes for incisional hernia repair in patients undergoing concomitant surgical procedures.
The safety and efficacy of performing concomitant surgical procedures with an incisional hernia repair (IHR) is not well understood. There are conflicting reports on the outcomes for permanent mesh implantation in the setting of clean-contaminated procedures. The purpose of this study was to review the effect of concomitant surgical procedures on IHR outcomes. ⋯ Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models of hernia outcomes resulted in an increased hazard for recurrence among same site clean procedures (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 1.8, P = 0.03) and an increased hazard for mesh explantation among same site clean-contaminated procedures (HR = 8.4, P = 0.002). Concomitant same site procedures are significantly associated with adverse hernia outcomes as compared with isolated IHR or IHR with other site concomitant procedures. The high failure rate of hernia repairs among same site concomitant procedures should be taken into account during the surgical decision-making process.
-
The American surgeon · Oct 2011
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyUtilization of laparoscopy in colorectal surgery for cancer at academic medical centers: does site of surgery affect rate of laparoscopy?
Use of laparoscopy in colorectal cancer surgery is still limited. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of use of laparoscopic colorectal surgery for cancer at academic medical centers and to evaluate if the site of surgery influences the rate of use. Clinical data of patients who underwent laparoscopic or open colon and rectal resections for cancer from 2007 to 2009 were obtained from the University HealthSystem Consortium database. ⋯ Length of stay for laparoscopic colon and rectal procedures was 3.2 days shorter than for open surgery. Although the benefits of laparoscopic colorectal surgery for cancer have been demonstrated, the use of laparoscopy for colorectal resection remains under 20 per cent for colon cancer and under 10 per cent for rectal cancer. Further studies are needed to determine the factors limiting the use of laparoscopy in colorectal surgery.
-
The American surgeon · Oct 2011
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyAre all level I trauma centers created equal? A comparison of American College of Surgeons and state-verified centers.
Scant literature investigates potential outcome differences between Level I trauma centers. We compared overall survival and survival after acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients admitted to American College of Surgeons (ACS)-verified versus state-verified Level I trauma centers. Using the National Trauma Data Bank Version 7.0, incident codes associated with admission to an ACS-verified facility were extracted and compared with the group admitted to state-verified centers. ⋯ Level I verification does not necessarily imply similar outcomes in all subgroups. Federal oversight may become necessary to ensure uniformity of care, maximizing outcomes across all United States trauma systems. Further study is needed.
-
The American surgeon · Oct 2011
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyMortality by decade in trauma patients with Glasgow Coma Scale 3.
The aim of this study was to assess how increasing age affects mortality in trauma patients with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 3. The Los Angeles County Trauma System Database was queried for all patients aged 20 to 99 years admitted with GCS 3. Mortality was 41.8 per cent for the 3306 GCS 3 patients. ⋯ A significantly lower mortality rate, however, was noted in the fifth decade (adjusted OR, 0.76; CI, 0.61 to 0.95; P = 0.02). Conversely, significantly higher mortality rates were noted in the eighth (adjusted OR, 1.93; CI, 1.38 to 2.71; P = 0.0001) and combined ninth/tenth decades (adjusted OR, 2.47; CI, 1.71 to 3.57; P < 0.0001). Given the high survival in trauma patients with GCS 3 as well as continued improvement in survival compared with historical controls, aggressive care is indicated for patients who present to the emergency department with GCS 3.