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Laparoscopic Antireflux Surgery Outperforms Robotic Approach

Robotic-assisted antireflux surgery shows less cost-effectiveness compared to laparoscopic methods.

  • Robotic surgery costs significantly more: $15,676 vs. $7,694.
  • Operating room time is longer with robotic surgery (169 min vs. 128 min).

Surgeons should reconsider the use of robotic techniques for antireflux surgery due to higher costs and similar outcomes.

  • Intraoperative complications were slightly higher with robotic surgery (5.8% vs. 1.4%).
  • Endoscopic interventions were more common post-robotic surgery (89% vs. 43%).

Journal Article by Latorre-Rodríguez AR, Vittori A, Bremner RM and Mittal SK in Surg Endosc

© 2026. The Author(s).

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Emergency Colorectal Cancer Presentation in Africa: A Call for Action

Emergency presentations of colorectal cancer in Africa are variable and poorly understood, impacting surgical outcomes and patient management.

  • Reported rates of emergency presentations range from 8.3% to 64.9%.
  • Limited data on early mortality and no long-term outcome data post-surgery.

Surgeons should note the clinical signs: bowel obstruction, perforation, and peritonitis.

  • Treatment largely relies on surgery; endoscopic stenting is rare and only in South Africa.

Journal Article by Chinyowa S, Murewanhema G (…) Muguti G et 3 al. in BMJ Open

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group.

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New Prognostic Insights for Surgery in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Surgeons should note that preoperative treatment duration over six months significantly improves survival outcomes for patients undergoing conversion surgery for unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

  • Patients receiving >6 months of preoperative treatment showed median overall survival of 50.4 months versus 29.7 months for those with ≤6 months (p<0.001).
  • Identifying four key prognostic factors can stratify risk: long treatment duration, FOLFIRINOX regimen, normal tumor markers, and high nutritional index.

These findings could enhance patient selection and treatment planning in surgical settings.

  • Patients with three or more favorable factors had a 5-year survival rate of 59.8%, compared to 26.3% for those with fewer.

Journal Article by Yasuda S, Satoi S (…) Sho M et 17 al. in Ann Surg

Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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Emergency Surgery Models Cut Deaths for High-Risk Patients

A study finds that emergency general surgery models improve outcomes significantly for high-risk patients.

  • Patients with high-risk conditions in these models had a 15% lower risk of dying within 30 days (adjusted risk ratio 0.85) compared to standard surgeon on-call care.
  • For the same group, 90-day mortality was reduced by 18% (adjusted risk ratio 0.82).

Surgeons should consider routing high-risk patients to dedicated emergency surgery centers for better outcomes.

  • Complications were also lower in high-risk patients treated in emergency models (adjusted odds ratio 0.68).

Journal Article by Nantais J, Saskin R (…) Baxter NN et 2 al. in JAMA Surg

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Pre-Hospital Whole Blood Shows Promise for Blunt Trauma Resuscitation

Whole blood (WB) transfusion in pre-hospital settings may enhance survival for blunt trauma patients compared to packed red blood cells (PRBCs).

  • Patients needing transfusions saw lower in-hospital blood requirements with WB (2 units vs. 3 PRBCs, p < 0.001).
  • No significant differences in overall mortality at 24 hours (3.5% for WB vs. 6.25% for PRBCs, p = 0.34) or hospital discharge (7.1% vs. 13.7%, p = 0.11).
  • However, WB showed a clear benefit for blunt injuries, with survival rates of 94.1% versus 79.5% for PRBCs (p = 0.02).

Consider adopting pre-hospital WB strategies for better outcomes in blunt trauma cases.

Journal Article by Caputo S, Piehl M (…) Duchesne J et 21 al. in J Am Coll Surg

Copyright © 2026 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Post-Pancreatectomy Outcomes Linked to Acute Pancreatitis

Post-pancreatectomy acute pancreatitis is crucial in predicting complications after pancreatoduodenectomy.

  • 24.3% of patients developed clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (cr-popf); 90-day mortality was 3.4% overall, spiking to 9.0% with cr-popf.
  • Post-pancreatectomy acute pancreatitis (ppap) was linked to a 4.88 times higher risk of 90-day mortality, making it a key independent predictor.

Surgeons can enhance patient selection and outcomes by integrating ppap into risk models for better postoperative management.

  • Major morbidity occurred in 35.8% of patients, with ppap present in 10.8%, often due to preoperative cholangitis and other anatomical factors.

Journal Article by Bhandare MS, Nandy K (…) Shrikhande SV et 6 al. in J Am Coll Surg

Copyright © 2026 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Gun Policy Impacts on Firearm-Related Deaths and Suicides

Surgeons should be aware that specific gun policies can significantly lower firearm-related death and suicide rates.

  • Safety training requirements lead to a 29% reduction in death rates (p < .01).
  • Permit requirements decrease suicide rates by 15.9% (p < .05).

Targeting these policies in surgical practice may enhance patient safety and community health outcomes.

  • The effectiveness of tracing policies improved over time, with death rate reductions increasing from 6.1% to 30.6% from 2003 to 2022 (p < .01).

Journal Article by Kendall MA, Grimsley EA (…) Kuo PC et 2 al. in BMC Surg

Published by Elsevier Inc.

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Antibiotics as a Safe Alternative for Appendicitis Treatment

Antibiotics provide a reliable option for adults with uncomplicated acute appendicitis, showing long-term effectiveness.

  • After 10 years, 37.8% of patients treated with antibiotics experienced appendicitis recurrence, and 44.3% underwent appendectomy.
  • Complication rates were significantly lower with antibiotics (8.5%) versus surgery (27.4%).
  • Quality of life outcomes were similar, indicating antibiotics do not compromise patient wellbeing.

Surgeons should consider antibiotics as a first-line treatment, especially in carefully selected patients.

Journal Article by Salminen P, Salminen R (…) Rautio T et 9 al. in JAMA

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Perihilar IPNB with Invasive Carcinoma: Crucial Findings

This study reveals key clinicopathologic insights into perihilar intraductal papillary neoplasms (IPNBs) and their association with invasive carcinoma, informing surgical management.

  • Of 27 cases, 21 had associated invasive carcinoma, highlighting the high incidence of malignancy in patients.
  • Median tumor size was 2.8 cm, with invasive tumor size averaging 1.2 cm.

Understanding these characteristics can improve patient selection for surgical intervention and inform prognosis discussions.

  • Genetic alterations linked to significant pathways could guide future targeted therapies.

Journal Article by Alkashash A, Samiei A (…) Zhang D et 4 al. in Am J Surg Pathol

Copyright © 2026 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Surgeon-Scientist Shift: Funding Rises, Practice Lags

Surgeons need to know that NIH funding is growing, but surgeon engagement in research is shifting, risking patient outcomes.

  • NIH surgery funding surged 53% to $539 million, while the number of grants remained stable.
  • MD-only investigators fell from 48.9% to 40.8% of grants; MD-PhDs rose from 15.2% to 24.9%.

The gap between credentialing and active practice is widening, with only 66.6% of credentialed MD surgeons billing Medicare.

  • Surgeons and academic leaders must encourage pathways for clinically active surgeon-scientists to bridge this disconnect.

Journal Article by Sujka J, Wolansky RL (…) Kuo PC et 3 al. in J Am Coll Surg

Copyright © 2026 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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