Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Historical Article
The Public Health Leader Who Brought Antisepsis to William Halsted.
William Halsted wrote to aging surgeon, Stephen Smith, in 1919, that he remembered the lessons Smith had taught him, "when I walked with you through the wards of Bellevue Hospital." Smith was an early advocate of Joseph Lister's antiseptic method, and because of his public health work, he was also an early advocate of environmental hygiene and microbial control based on the unproved germ theory. Although Lister's work at the time emphasized germ killing around the operative site with carbolic acid (antisepsis), Smith adopted and encouraged surgical practices at Bellevue that would be hallmarks of the germ-preventing (asepsis) surgical approach that fully developed after German bacteriologic discoveries in the mid-1880s, and with which Halsted is historically identified. Some physicians and historians have emphasized temporal and conceptual differences between Lister's antisepsis and German asepsis, but Smith and Halsted's experiences argue that surgical asepsis was the evolutionary outcome of germ theory-based surgical changes that began well before scientific proof arrived.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparative Evaluation Between Cutting of the Intersphincteric Space vs Cutting Seton in High Anal Fistula: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
This study compared the efficacy of cutting of the intersphincteric space (COIS) with cutting seton (CS) procedure in treating high anal fistula. ⋯ In comparison to the CS procedure, COIS appears to be an effective treatment option for high anal fistulas, offering quicker wound healing time, enhanced sphincter function, less pain, minimal invasiveness, and cost-efficiency while maintaining a high healing rate and low recurrence rate.
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We conducted a qualitative study to describe surgeon and surgical trainee perspectives of quality improvement (QI) in training and practice to elucidate how surgeons and trainees interact with barriers and leverage facilitators to learn and conduct QI. ⋯ This qualitative evaluation further details gaps in QI demonstrated by previous quantitative studies. There is an opportunity to address these gaps with dedicated QI training and mentorship for surgical trainees and by creating a supportive environment with ample resources for surgeons.
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Firearms are the leading cause of death among US children and adolescents. This study evaluates whether state gun laws are associated with firearm suicides and homicides in children. ⋯ Firearm legislation is associated with decreased suicide rates for individuals younger than 18 years of age, but its influence on homicides is less certain. Comprehensive research and thoughtful policy formulation are essential for addressing this pressing public health concern.