Annals of surgery
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The aim of the study was to evaluate whether carcinoma in situ (CIS) residue at the ductal stump affects the survival of patients undergoing resection for extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. ⋯ R1cis increases the incidence of local recurrence and shortens postoperative survival in patients with early-stage cholangiocarcinoma, although this prognostic effect was less severe compared with R1inv. R1cis should be avoided as much as possible in surgery for early-stage cancer, although it may be allowed in advanced tumors.
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To describe functional recovery after elective surgery and to determine whether improvements differ among individuals who develop delirium. ⋯ Delirium was associated with persistent and clinically meaningful impairment of functional recovery, to 18 months. Use of multifactorial preventive interventions for patients at high risk for delirium and tailored transitional care planning may help to maximize the functional benefits of elective surgery.
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Surgery offers the potential to relieve symptoms for patients with cancer at the end of life (EOL) but at significant physiological and economic costs. However, the characteristics and correlates of surgery in last month of life (EOL surgery) of patients with cancer have not been comprehensively explored. This population-based study characterized EOL surgery use and identified its correlates. ⋯ Rates of EOL surgery are lower in Taiwan than those reported in the United States. The increasing use of EOL surgery in Taiwan is primarily for palliative intent. Appropriateness of EOL surgery should be carefully evaluated to avoid underutilizing potentially beneficial, palliative-intent surgery and overutilizing cancer-directed and other surgical procedures, especially for physicians working in hospitals with abundant health care resources and a tendency to treat at-risk patients with cancer aggressively.
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To compare incremental costs associated with complications of elective colectomy using nationally representative data among patients undergoing laparoscopic/open resections for the 4 most frequent diagnoses. ⋯ The results highlight a need to consider the varied/broad impact of complications, offering a stratified paradigm for priority setting in surgery. As we move forward in the development of novel/adaptation of existing interventions, it will be essential to weigh the cost of complications in an evidence-based way.