Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Multicenter Study
Predicting lymph node metastases in early esophageal adenocarcinoma using a simple scoring system.
Endoscopic resection is an organ-sparing option for early esophageal adenocarcinoma, but should be used only in patients with a negligible risk of lymph node metastases (LNM). The objective was to develop a simple scoring system to predict LNM in T1 esophageal adenocarcinoma. ⋯ We devised a simple scoring system that accurately estimates the risk of LNM to aid in decision-making in patients with T1 esophageal adenocarcinoma undergoing endoscopic resection.
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Comparative Study
AJCC Cancer Staging Manual 7th edition criteria for colon cancer: do the complex modifications improve prognostic assessment?
The 7th edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual (AJCC-7) includes substantial changes for colon cancer (CC), which are particularly complex in patients with stage II and III disease. We used a national cancer database to determine if these changes improved prediction of survival. ⋯ The AJCC-7 staging of CC does not address all survival discrepancies, regardless of the number of lymph nodes examined. Consideration of other prognostic factors is critical for decisions about therapy, particularly for patients with stage II CC.
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Clinical Trial
Implementation of an interactive virtual-world simulation for structured surgeon assessment of clinical scenarios.
A novel simulation technology has emerged through the use of online 3-dimensional virtual worlds in which it is feasible to create virtual patients. This study establishes the face, content and construct validity of online 3-dimensional virtual patients in Second Life (a 3-dimensional virtual world accessible via the Internet). ⋯ This novel form of simulation demonstrated high face and content validity. Performance assessed in managing a series of virtual patients varies with different levels of surgical training. This simulation can be used to differentiate among these levels and can be implemented as a unique form of assessment.
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Although previous studies have shown that radiologic intussusception reduction is more likely at children's hospitals, no study to date has compared outcomes among children advancing to surgical intervention. We hypothesized that rates of bowel resection would differ between hospitals with and without pediatric surgeons. ⋯ Bowel resection during operative intussusception reduction is more likely at hospitals without pediatric surgeons, and is associated with increased complications. Improved outcomes may be achieved by efforts aimed at standardizing care and decreasing variability in the treatment of pediatric intussusception.
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The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) collects detailed clinical data from participating hospitals using standardized data definitions, analyzes these data, and provides participating hospitals with reports that permit risk-adjusted comparisons with a surgical quality standard. Since its inception, the ACS NSQIP has worked to refine surgical outcomes measurements and enhance statistical methods to improve the reliability and validity of this hospital profiling. From an original focus on controlling for between-hospital differences in patient risk factors with logistic regression, ACS NSQIP has added a variable to better adjust for the complexity and risk profile of surgical procedures (procedure mix adjustment) and stabilized estimates derived from small samples by using a hierarchical model with shrinkage adjustment. ⋯ In addition, comparative benchmark reports given to participating hospitals have been expanded considerably to allow more detailed evaluations of performance. Finally, procedures have been developed to estimate surgical risk for individual patients. This article describes the development of, and justification for, these new statistical methods and reporting strategies in ACS NSQIP.