Newsletter
Best Papers in General Surgery
The five that matter, every day.
Researchers developed and validated machine learning (ML) models to predict the difficulty of laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LaTME) in rectal cancer. In a study with 186 patients, four ML models—logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and decision tree (DT)—were developed using…
Comparing outcomes in patients with exsanguinating injuries, a study found prioritizing circulation over intubation led to significantly lower 24-hour mortality (11.1% vs. 69.2%), reduced odds of mortality within 24h (91%), and at 30 days (89%), along with lower rates of renal failure and higher ARDS…
Clinicians evaluated the safety and efficacy of combining a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor with oxaliplatin plus S-1 (SOX) for treating Borrmann large type III and IV gastric cancers. In this retrospective analysis involving 89 patients, those who received PD-1 combined with SOX (P-SOX)…
Clinicians developed a preoperative checklist to support clinical risk assessment and patient selection for patients with ulcerative colitis considering ileoanal pouch surgery (IPAA). The checklist includes risk factors such as gender, advanced age, obesity, comorbidities, sphincteric impairment, Crohn's disease, and pelvic radiation therapy. It also…
Effective maintenance therapies for Crohn's disease post-surgery include 5-aminosalicylic acid, adalimumab, and thiopurine analogues. Cochrane reviews show these agents have varying levels of efficacy in preventing recurrence after surgery, with 5-ASA being probably more effective than placebo and adalimumab showing promise in network meta-analysis. Clinicians…
Researchers used machine learning (ML) to quantify cumulative ileal injury on CT-enterography (CTE) scans for patients with ileal Crohn's disease (CD) to predict future bowel surgery. Analysis of 229 CTE scans with 8,424 mini-segments revealed strong agreement between ML and radiologists in grading bowel injury…
This study explored how the COVID-19 pandemic affected medical student education in surgery clerkships. Most directors shifted to virtual platforms and then back to in-person learning. Student preparation and progression were impacted, but interest in surgical careers remained stable. Despite initial challenges, the pandemic led…
Researchers examined the impact of metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). An analysis of the National Inpatient Sample from 2016 to 2020 revealed that MBS was significantly associated with a lower risk of hospitalization…
Mindfulness interventions show promise in reducing perioperative pain and opioid use, offering a non-pharmacological approach to improve outcomes following surgery. Evidence suggests that brief mindfulness sessions preoperatively can alleviate pain and anxiety, while more extensive interventions postoperatively may help patients with persistent pain or prolonged…
Virtual reality (VR) is more effective than standard iPad use in decreasing pain after surgery in pediatric patients. A randomized controlled study found that patients using VR experienced lower pain scores and decreased opioid consumption compared to those using iPads. Younger patients benefited more from…
