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Abstract Background The hierarchical nature of medical education has been thought necessary for the safe care of patients. In this setting, medical students in particular have limited opportunities for experiential learning. We report on a student-faculty collaboration that has successfully operated an annual, short-term surgical intervention in Haiti for the last three years. Medical students were responsible for logistics and were overseen by faculty members for patient care. Substantial planning with local partners ensured that trip activities supplemented existing surgical services. A case review was performed hypothesizing that such trips could provide effective surgical care while also providing a suitable educational experience. Findings Over three week-long trips, 64 cases were performed without any reported complications, and no immediate perioperative morbidity or mortality. A plurality of cases were complex urological procedures that required surgical skills that were locally unavailable (43%). Surgical productivity was twice that of comparable peer institutions in the region. Student roles in patient care were greatly expanded in comparison to those at U.S. academic medical centers and appropriate supervision was maintained. Discussion This demonstration project suggests that a properly designed surgical trip model can effectively balance the surgical needs of the community with an opportunity to expose young trainees to a clinical and cross-cultural experience rarely provided at this early stage of medical education. Few formalized programs currently exist although the experience above suggests the rewarding potential for broad-based adoption.

Introduction: Defects in the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway can predispose individuals to colorectal cancer (CRC), with germline mutations in this pathway leading to Lynch syndrome. Consequently, universal MMR testing is recommended for all newly diagnosed CRC patients to detect mismatch repair deficient (MMR-D) tumors, enabling informed treatment decisions. Given the increased potential for metachronous disease in patients with Lynch syndrome, the current guidelines for surgical management of Lynch-associated colon cancer recommend extended resection in patients under age 60., Methods: A retrospective analysis of nonmetastatic CRC was performed from the National Cancer Database to evaluate the current trends and practice patterns in the surgical management of MMR-D colon cancer, as well as assess the factors influencing choice of surgical procedure., Results: From 2018 to 2020, 98,112 nonmetastatic CRC patients were identified, with 19.93% being MMR-D. MMR-D colon cancer patients were more likely to undergo extended resection than those with mismatch repair proficient tumors (9.4% versus 4.2%, P < 0.001). When accounting for approximately one-fourth of MMR-D colon cancers being attributable to Lynch syndrome, the frequency of extended resection was less than expected (9.4% versus 25%, P < 0.001). MMR-D patients under age 60 were more likely to undergo extended resection than those over age 60 (9% versus 3%) (odds ratio [OR] 3.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.06-4.15). Several factors were associated with decreased rate of extended resection: uninsured (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.21-0.84), Black race (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.35-0.82), treatment at nonacademic centers (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.56-0.97), and crowfly distance >25 miles (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.14-3.45)., Conclusions: These findings provide valuable insight into the current surgical practice patterns in the management of MMR-D colon cancers and possibly colon cancers associated with Lynch syndrome., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the long-term outcomes of patients with combined primary sclerosing cholangitis/inflammatory bowel disease (PSC-IBD) undergoing both liver transplantation (LT) and total abdominal colectomy (TAC)., Summary Background Data: The fraction of patients with PSC-IBD that require both LT and TAC is small, thereby limiting significant conclusions regarding long-term outcomes., Methods: Adult and pediatric patients from nine centers from the US IBD Surgery Collaborative who underwent staged LT and TAC for PSC-IBD were included. Long-term outcomes, including survival, were assessed., Results: Among 127 patients, 66 underwent TAC-before-LT, with a median time from TAC to LT of 7.9 yrs, while 61 underwent LT-before-TAC, with a median time from LT to TAC of 4.4 years. Median patient survival post TAC was significantly worse in those undergoing LT-before-TAC (16.0 yrs vs. 42.6 yrs, P=0.007), while post LT survival was not impacted by the order of TAC and LT (21.6 yrs vs. 22.0 yrs, P=0.81). Patients undergoing TAC for medically refractory disease had a higher incidence of recurrent PSC (rPSC) (P=0.02) and biliary complications (0.09) compared to those undergoing TAC for oncologic indications. Definitive TAC reconstruction with either end ileostomy or ileal-pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) did not impact post-LT or post-TAC outcomes., Conclusions: Long term survival in PSC-IBD was contingent upon progression to LT and was not impacted by the need for TAC. PSC-IBD patients undergoing TAC for medically refractory disease had a higher incidence of rPSC and biliary complications. The use of IPAA in PSC-IBD was a viable alternative to end ileostomy., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Statement: All authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Improvements in cancer outcomes have led to a need to better understand long-term oncologic and nononcologic outcomes and quantify cancer-specific vs noncancer-specific mortality risks among long-term survivors., Objective: To assess absolute and relative cancer-specific vs noncancer-specific mortality rates among long-term survivors of cancer, as well as associated risk factors., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included 627 702 patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry with breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer who received a diagnosis between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2014, who received definitive treatment for localized disease and who were alive 5 years after their initial diagnosis (ie, long-term survivors of cancer). Statistical analysis was conducted from November 2022 to January 2023., Main Outcomes and Measures: Survival time ratios (TRs) were calculated using accelerated failure time models, and the primary outcome of interest examined was death from index cancer vs alternative (nonindex cancer) mortality across breast, prostate, colon, and rectal cancer cohorts. Secondary outcomes included subgroup mortality in cancer-specific risk groups, categorized based on prognostic factors, and proportion of deaths due to cancer-specific vs noncancer-specific causes. Independent variables included age, sex, race and ethnicity, income, residence, stage, grade, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, prostate-specific antigen level, and Gleason score. Follow-up ended in 2019., Results: The study included 627 702 patients (mean [SD] age, 61.1 [12.3] years; 434 848 women [69.3%]): 364 230 with breast cancer, 118 839 with prostate cancer, and 144 633 with colorectal cancer who survived 5 years or more from an initial diagnosis of early-stage cancer. Factors associated with shorter median cancer-specific survival included stage III disease for breast cancer (TR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.53-0.55) and colorectal cancer (colon: TR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.58-0.62; rectal: TR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.69-0.74), as well as a Gleason score of 8 or higher for prostate cancer (TR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.58-0.63). For all cancer cohorts, patients at low risk had at least a 3-fold higher noncancer-specific mortality compared with cancer-specific mortality at 10 years of diagnosis. Patients at high risk had a higher cumulative incidence of cancer-specific mortality than noncancer-specific mortality in all cancer cohorts except prostate., Conclusions and Relevance: This study is the first to date to examine competing oncologic and nononcologic risks focusing on long-term adult survivors of cancer. Knowledge of the relative risks facing long-term survivors may help provide pragmatic guidance to patients and clinicians regarding the importance of ongoing primary and oncologic-focused care.

Background: The trajectory of colon and rectal surgery residency program director (PD) career paths has not been well described, leaving those who aspire for the position with minimal guidance. The goal of this study is to characterize their career paths in the United States. By understanding their experiences, the path to train and educate the next generation of colon and rectal surgeons as a PD will be better illuminated., Study Design: This study was an anonymous, cross-sectional survey of all junior and senior colon and rectal surgery residency PDs in the United States during April and May of 2022. PDs were divided into junior and senior PDs. Results were compared using 2-sided independent t-tests and Kruskall-Wallis tests., Results: Of 65 colon and rectal surgery PDs, 48% (31/65) completed the survey which encompassed demographics, leadership, education, research, and time utilization. Participants were primarily white and male, although increased female representation was identified among the junior PDs (50%). Junior PDs were also more likely to hold associate or assistant professor positions at time of appointment (p = 0.01) and a majority of all PDs (64%) previously or currently held a leadership position in a national or regional surgical association. When appointed, senior PDs reported increased teaching time., Conclusions: This multi-institutional analysis of colon and rectal surgery residency PDs identified a trend towards equal gender representation and diversity amongst upcoming junior PDs. All respondents were appointed to PD from within the institution. Other key experiences included previous leadership roles and associate or assistant professor positions at time of appointment. While it is impossible to create a single recommended template for every aspiring colon and rectal surgery educator to advance to a PD position, this study provides guideposts along that career path., (Copyright © 2023 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Routinely obtaining intraoperative cultures for abdominal infections is not a currently recommended evidence-based practice. Yet, cultures are frequently sent from these infections when they are managed by image-guided percutaneous drains., Objective: This study aimed to determine the utility of cultures from percutaneously drained intra-abdominal abscesses., Design: Retrospective medical record review., Setting: Single university-affiliated institution., Patients: Inpatients with an intra-abdominal abscess secondary to diverticulitis or appendicitis between 2013 and 2021 managed with image-guided percutaneous drain, excluding those with active chemotherapy, HIV, or solid organ transplant, were included in the study., Main Outcome Measures: Frequency culture data from percutaneous drains changed antimicrobial therapy., Results: There were 221 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 56% were admitted for diverticulitis and 44% for appendicitis. Patients were 54% female and had a median age of 62 years (range, 18-93), and 14% were active smokers. The median length of hospitalization was 8 days (range, 1-78) and the median antibiotics course was 8 days (range, 1-22). Culture data from percutaneous drains altered antimicrobial therapy in 8% of patients (16/211). A culture was obtained from 95% of drains, with 78% of cultures with growth. Cultures grew multiple bacteria in 66% and mixed variety without speciation in 13%. The most common pathogen was the Bacteroides family at 33% of all bacteria. The most common empiric antibiotic regimens were ceftriaxone used in 33% of patients and metronidazole used in 40% of patients. Female sex ( p = 0.027) and presence of bacteria with any antibiotic resistance ( p < 0.01) were associated with higher likelihood of cultures influencing antimicrobial therapy., Limitations: Retrospective and single institution's microbiome., Conclusions: Microbiology data from image-guided percutaneous drains of abdominal abscesses altered antimicrobial therapy in 8% of patients, which is lower than reported in previously published literature on cultures obtained surgically. Given this low rate, similar to the recommendation regarding cultures obtained intraoperatively, routinely culturing material from drains placed in abdominal abscesses is not recommended. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/C64 ., Los Cultivos De Abscesos Intra Abdominales Drenados Percutneamente Cambian El Tratamiento Una Revisin Retrospectiva: ANTECEDENTES:La obtención rutinaria de cultivos intra-operatorios para infecciones abdominales no es una práctica basada en evidencia actualmente recomendada. Sin embargo, con frecuencia se envían cultivos de estas infecciones cuando se manejan con drenajes percutáneos guiados por imágenes.OBJETIVO:Determinar la utilidad de los cultivos de abscesos intra-abdominales drenados percutáneamente.DISEÑO:Revisión retrospectiva de gráficos.ESCENARIO:Institución única afiliada a la universidad.PACIENTES:Pacientes hospitalizados con absceso intra-abdominal secundario a diverticulitis o apendicitis entre 2013 y 2021 manejados con drenaje percutáneo guiado por imagen, excluyendo aquellos con quimioterapia activa, VIH o trasplante de órgano sólido.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO:Los datos de cultivo de frecuencia de los drenajes percutáneos cambiaron la terapia antimicrobiana.RESULTADOS:Hubo 221 pacientes que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. De estos, el 56% ingresaron por diverticulitis y el 44% por apendicitis. El 54% de los pacientes eran mujeres, tenían una edad media de 62 años (18-93) y el 14% eran fumadores activos. La duración de hospitalización media fue de 8 días (rango, 1-78) y la mediana del curso de antibióticos fue de 8 días (rango, 1-22). Los datos de cultivo de drenajes percutáneos alteraron la terapia antimicrobiana en el 7% (16/221) de los pacientes. Se obtuvo cultivo del 95% de los drenajes, con un 79% de cultivos con crecimiento. Los cultivos produjeron múltiples bacterias en el 63% y variedad mixta sin especiación en el 13%. El patógeno más común fue la familia Bacteroides con un 33% de todas las bacterias. El régimen de antibiótico empírico más común fue ceftriaxona y metronidazol, utilizados en el 33% y el 40% de los pacientes, respectivamente. El sexo femenino ( p = 0,027) y la presencia de bacterias con alguna resistencia a los antibióticos ( p < 0,01) se asociaron con una mayor probabilidad de que los cultivos influyeran en la terapia antimicrobiana.LIMITACIONES:Microbioma retrospectivo y de una sola institución.CONCLUSIONES:Los datos microbiológicos de los drenajes percutáneos guiados por imágenes de los abscesos abdominales alteraron la terapia antimicrobiana en el 7% de los pacientes, que es inferior a la literatura publicada previamente sobre cultivos obtenidos quirúrgicamente. Dada esta baja tasa, similar a la recomendación sobre cultivos obtenidos intraoperatoriamente, no se recomienda el cultivo rutinario de material de drenajes colocados en abscesos abdominales. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/C64 . (Traducción-Dr. Mauricio Santamaria., (Copyright © The ASCRS 2022.)

Introduction: Starting in 2021, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services required hospitals to provide pricing information to allow consumers to compare prices. Patients perceived that the quality of these services also impacts decision-making. This study examines the relationship between procedure price and quality from the patients' perspective., Materials and Methods: Unnegotiated prices of procedures were extracted from hospital websites. Hospital quality was defined as the U.S. News & World Report's score for the specialty performing the procedure. Regional differences in markets were corrected with the Wage Price Index. Spearman's correlations were used for analysis between price and quality., Results: Overall, 67% (1225/1815) of hospitals had a pricing document. Compliance by procedure was poor with a low of 7% for Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) 93000 and a high of 27% for CPTs 93452 and 62323. Wide variability of prices for all procedures was noted. The smallest difference in price range listed was for CPT 45380 with a 32× difference between the minimum and maximum ($310-$10,023) with the first, second, and third quartiles being $1457, $2759, and $4276, respectively. The largest difference in price range was for CPT 55700 with a 5036× difference between the minimum and maximum ($9-$45,322) with the first, second, and third quartiles being $1638, $2971, and $5342, respectively. Correlation between price and quality was low, with the strongest being rho = 0.369 (P = 0.02) for CPT 93000., Conclusions: Compliance with price transparency was low with large variability in prices for the same procedure. There was no correlation between hospital price and quality. As currently implemented, poor compliance and wide price variability may limit patients' understanding of procedure costs., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rectal cancer demonstrates a characteristic natural history in which benign rectal neoplasia precedes malignancy. The worldwide burden of rectal cancer is significant, with rectal cancer accounting for one-third of colorectal cancer cases annually. The importance of early detection and successful management is essential in decreasing its clinical burden. Minimally invasive treatment of rectal neoplasia has evolved over the past several decades, which has led to reduced local recurrence rates and improved survival outcomes. The approach to diagnosis, staging, and selection of appropriate treatment modalities is a multidisciplinary effort combining interventional endoscopy, surgery, and radiology tools. This review examines the currently available minimally invasive endoscopic and surgical management options of rectal neoplasia.

Although at first glance, the surgeon-scientist appears to be a rare breed in today's clinical revenue-driven world, with careful planning and mentorship this is still a vibrant career path. If one is considering this avenue, it is important to seize even small opportunities to pursue laboratory work during training-summers in college and medical school, rotation blocks, and dedicated time in the middle of residency. Publications and small grants during these times will lay the ground work for future success. When considering a faculty position, it is essential to identify a mentorship environment that has a track record for success-either in the department of surgery or anywhere in the university. Ensuring adequate support from the department of surgery chair and division leader is essential. Basic science careers take years for the return in investment to be manifested! Also critical is to secure extramural funding early in the faculty stint-first foundation grants and then National Institutes of Health-mentored scientist funding. Surgeons provide a unique perspective in basic science work and it is critical that we continue to support young surgeons in this career path.

Background: Hospital readmission within 30 days of an index hospitalization is receiving increased scrutiny as a marker of poor-quality patient care. This study identifies factors associated with 30-day readmission after general surgery procedures., Study Design: Using standard National Surgical Quality Improvement Project protocol, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative outcomes were collected on patients undergoing inpatient general surgery procedures at a single academic center between 2009 and 2011. Data were merged with our institutional clinical data warehouse to identify unplanned 30-day readmissions. Demographics, comorbidities, type of procedure, postoperative complications, and ICD-9 coding data were reviewed for patients who were readmitted. Univariate and multivariate analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with 30-day readmission., Results: One thousand four hundred and forty-two general surgery patients were reviewed. One hundred and sixty-three (11.3%) were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. The most common reasons for readmission were gastrointestinal problem/complication (27.6%), surgical infection (22.1%), and failure to thrive/malnutrition (10.4%). Comorbidities associated with risk of readmission included disseminated cancer, dyspnea, and preoperative open wound (p < 0.05 for all variables). Surgical procedures associated with higher rates of readmission included pancreatectomy, colectomy, and liver resection. Postoperative occurrences leading to increased risk of readmission were blood transfusion, postoperative pulmonary complication, wound complication, sepsis/shock, urinary tract infection, and vascular complications. Multivariable analysis demonstrates that the most significant independent risk factor for readmission is the occurrence of any postoperative complication (odds ratio = 4.20; 95% CI, 2.89-6.13)., Conclusions: Risk factors for readmission after general surgery procedures are multifactorial, however, postoperative complications appear to drive readmissions in surgical patients. Taking appropriate steps to minimize postoperative complications will decrease postoperative readmissions., (Copyright © 2012 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The addition of global health programs to medical school training results in graduates with enhanced clinical skills and increased sensitivity to cost issues. Funding from U.S. medical schools has been unable to meet student demand, and therefore it is often a critical limiting factor to the lack of development of these programs. We describe an alternative approach for global health surgical training for medical students., Methods: Emory University medical students and faculty, in collaboration with Project Medishare for Haiti, planned, raised funds, and executed a successful short-term surgical camp to supplement available surgical services in rural Haiti. Learning objectives that satisfied Emory University School of Medicine surgery clerkship requirements were crafted, and third-year students received medical school credit for the trip., Results: In the absence of house staff and placed in an under-resourced, foreign clinical environment, the surgical elective described here succeeded in meeting learning objectives for a typical third-year surgical clerkship. Objectives were met through a determined effort to ensure that home institution requirements were aligned properly with learning activities while students were abroad and through a close collaboration between medical students, faculty members, and the administration., Conclusions: Emory University's international surgery elective for medical students demonstrates that opportunities for supervised, independent student-learning and global health service can be integrated into a traditional surgical clerkship. These opportunities can be organized to meet the requirements and expectations for third-year surgery clerkships at other medical colleges. This work also identifies how such trips can be planned and executed in a manner that does not burden strained academic budgets with further demands on resources.