Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Multicenter Study
Underrepresented Minorities in General Surgery Residency: Analysis of Interviewed Applicants, Residents, and Core Teaching Faculty.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires diversity in residency. The self-identified race/ethnicities of general surgery applicants, residents, and core teaching faculty were assessed to evaluate underrepresented minority (URM) representation in surgery residency programs and to determine the impact of URM faculty and residents on URM applicants' selection for interview or match. ⋯ Programs with a greater proportion of URM core faculty or residents did not select a greater proportion of URM applicants for interview. However, core faculty and resident racial diversity were correlated. Recruitment of racially/ethnically diverse trainees and faculty will require ongoing analysis to develop effective recruitment strategies.
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Palliative medicine is an important component of care for patients with advanced cancer. Previous studies demonstrated that surgeons tend to underuse palliative care in comparison with medical services. In addition, little is known about the specific use of palliative care services among surgical oncology practices. Therefore, we designed and performed this study to evaluate the use of palliative care in medical and surgical oncology patients. ⋯ Surgical patients were less likely to undergo palliative care consultation for assistance with symptom management and more likely to undergo consultation for assistance with end-of-life discussions than were medical oncology patients. Advanced care planning and end-of-life discussions should be an area of focus in palliative care education for surgeons.
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Angioembolization (AE) is recommended for extravasation from liver injury on CT. Data supporting AE are limited to retrospective series that have found low mortality but high morbidity. These studies did not focus on stable patients. We hypothesized that AE is associated with increased complications without improving mortality in stable patients. ⋯ Hepatic AE was associated with increased morbidity without improving mortality, suggesting the benefits of AE do not outweigh the risks in stable liver injury. Observing these patients is likely a more prudent approach.