Arch Surg Chicago
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Although demographic and clinical information are known to affect hospital length of stay (LOS), we hypothesized that LOS after traumatic injury would be significantly influenced by nonclinical factors. ⋯ Nonclinical factors significantly influence LOS. If LOS is used as a quality measure for injured patients, adjustment for these factors is necessary.
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The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services instituted standardized reporting of measures aimed at surgical infection prevention (SIP). The complexity and number of medical personnel involved in antibiotic administration requires multiple disciplines to successfully improve compliance. ⋯ The clearly defined roles of a cross-disciplinary team and the process improvements discussed in this article can easily be implemented in other institutions. These elements were integral to our success in improving the timely delivery and discontinuation of prophylactic surgical antibiotics.
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Multicenter Study
National outcomes after gastric resection for neoplasm.
That factors affecting outcomes of surgical resection in the treatment of gastric cancer can be identified using a large US database. ⋯ Higher annual surgical volume is predictive of lower in-hospital mortality for patients undergoing gastric resection for neoplasm. Other factors significantly associated with superior outcomes after gastric resection included diagnosis type, procedure type, younger age, female sex, and fewer comorbid conditions.
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High-volume surgeons and hospitals are more likely to perform laparoscopic procedures than open procedures for diverticular disease as compared with low-volume surgeons and hospitals. ⋯ The findings of the present investigation based on data from large US nationwide databases provide compelling evidence that high-volume surgeons and hospitals are significantly more likely to perform laparoscopic surgery for diverticular disease compared with low-volume surgeons and hospitals. Based on recent studies showing clear advantages of the laparoscopic technique over the open counterpart, our results should be considered by both patients and physicians.