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Automating Surgical Quality Data Shows High Accuracy

Using electronic health record (EHR) data for surgical quality improvement matches manual abstraction accuracy, easing the burden on resources.

  • Strong agreement for race and ethnicity variables (kappa = 98.1%).
  • Preoperative risk factors show lower agreement (median kappa = 28.6%), indicating caution in reliance on EHR for this domain.

This shift could streamline data collection, enhancing surgical outcomes monitoring.

  • Postoperative complications had a median kappa of only 15.1%, highlighting areas needing manual review.

Journal Article by Galloway JL, Chen VW (…) Massarweh NN et 4 al. in J Surg Res

Published by Elsevier Inc.

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Overnight Total Thyroidectomy: Safe with High Patient Satisfaction

Surgeons can confidently implement overnight discharge after total thyroidectomy without increased complication risks.

  • No differences in complications at 24 hours, 10 days, or 30 days between patients discharged on postoperative day 1 and those on day 3.
  • 94.6% of patients discharged on day 1 reported high satisfaction with the rapid discharge protocol.

Patient selection is key; those with Graves’ disease may experience more complications.

Journal Article by Morandi R, Guarneri C (…) Casella C et 7 al. in Langenbecks Arch Surg

© 2025. The Author(s).

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New Insights on Anatomic Landmarks in Endoscopic Thyroidectomy

Surgeons can improve outcomes in endoscopic thyroidectomy by leveraging newly defined surgical planes and landmarks.

  • The dissecting triangle between strap muscles and thyroid lobe ensures 100% identification of inferior thyroid vessels and middle thyroid vein.
  • The inferior and superior parathyroid glands were located accurately in 92.5% and 90% of cases, respectively.
  • Understanding these zones aids in preserving recurrent laryngeal nerves, identified beneath the inferior parathyroid in 85.7% of instances.

Implementing these findings could reduce complications for patients undergoing this minimally invasive procedure.

Journal Article by Li LJ, Zheng XM (…) Qiu M et 4 al. in BMC Surg

© 2026. The Author(s).

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New block technique reduces pain in laparoscopic appendicectomy

Laparoscopic-assisted transversus abdominis plane (LTAP) block significantly improves postoperative pain management compared to port-site infiltration (PSI).

  • LTAP group had lower VAS pain scores (-1.7) at 6 and 12 hours post-op (p < 0.001).
  • Patients receiving LTAP required less oxycodone (0.8 vs. 1.2, p = 0.032).

Consider implementing LTAP block into your analgesic protocols for better pain control and reduced opioid usage.

  • No significant difference in pain scores at 24 hours.

Comparative Study by Daly GR, Dowling GP (…) Hill ADK et 40 al. in Br J Surg

© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd.

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Avoid Feeding Jejunostomy in Pancreatoduodenectomy

Feeding jejunostomy (FJT) after pancreatoduodenectomy increases complications and length of stay.

  • Delayed gastric emptying occurred in 55% of FJT patients vs. 25% in nasojejunal tube (NJT) patients (p = 0.006).
  • FJT led to a longer hospital stay: 11 days compared to 9 days for NJT (p = 0.007).

Omit FJT to reduce postoperative complications without sacrificing nutrition.

  • FJT increased prokinetic drug use: 77.5% vs. 45% for NJT (p = 0.003).

Journal Article by Varshney VK, Rathore KS (…) Hussain S et 7 al. in World J Surg

© 2026 International Society of Surgery/Société Internationale de Chirurgie (ISS/SIC).

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Delirium in Surgery: High Rates, Big Impacts

Postoperative delirium is a common and serious complication affecting surgical patients, significantly influencing outcomes and care.

  • Delirium occurred in 10.6% of screened patients; those affected were older and had higher comorbidity rates.
  • Key predictors include dementia (37% vs 7.9% in non-delirium), urgent surgery (55% vs 26%), and each 10-min increase in surgery time raises delirium odds by 2.3%.
  • Delirium is linked to a 3.2-fold increased risk of 30-day mortality and substantial declines in independence and discharge status.

Standardized delirium screening is essential for improving patient outcomes in surgical settings.

Journal Article by Panayi AC, Friedrich S (…) Hundeshagen G et 10 al. in EClinicalMedicine

© 2025 The Author(s).

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Advancing HPB Surgical Techniques Show Improved Outcomes

Minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgeries enhance recovery in hepatopancreatobiliary procedures.

  • Patients who underwent robotic-assisted gastrectomy had shorter hospital stays and less intraoperative bleeding than those who had open surgeries.
  • Operative times differed among procedures due to technical complexity and learning curves.

Surgeons should consider robotic techniques for better postoperative recovery in select patients.

  • Overall, advances in surgical imaging and technology offer significant clinical benefits in complex abdominal surgeries.

Journal Article by Peng CM, Lin MH (…) Yeh SY et 2 al. in Ann Med Surg (Lond)

Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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Endoscopic Dissection Transforms Early Upper GI Carcinoma Care

Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) provides an advanced local treatment option for early upper gastrointestinal carcinomas, enabling complete tumor removal and improved patient outcomes.

  • ESD allows for en bloc resection of early GI neoplasia, aiding in precise pathology and risk assessment.
  • Key candidates for ESD include high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and superficial early carcinomas without visible deep invasion or lymph node metastasis risk.

Thoughtful patient selection using high-definition imaging is crucial to maximize ESD benefits.

  • Consider additional surgery for tumors with deep invasion or poor differentiation, guided by validated risk scores.

Review by Ziachehabi A, Worm M (…) Langer R et 2 al. in J Clin Med

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Impact of Textbook Outcome on Biliary Tract Cancer Surgery

Achieving a textbook outcome (TO) significantly enhances overall survival in biliary tract cancer (BTC) post-hepatectomy.

  • Patients who achieved TO had a 31% reduced hazard of mortality (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.58-0.82).
  • Thirteen predictors of TO were identified, including younger age (OR 1.61), lower ASA score (OR 1.83), and smaller tumor size (OR 1.08).
  • Laparoscopic surgery increased the likelihood of achieving TO (OR 2.65), while lymph node negativity was also a strong predictor (OR 1.84).

Identifying high-risk candidates early can optimize preoperative factors and improve surgical outcomes.

Journal Article by Yang SQ, Zou RQ (…) Li FY et 3 al. in Int J Surg

Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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Laparoscopic Appendectomy Beats Open Surgery in Africa

Laparoscopic appendectomy reduces complications for acute appendicitis in Sub-Saharan Africa, offering a safer option for surgeons.

  • Laparoscopic appendectomy lowers the risk of surgical site infections by 60% (risk ratio 0.40).
  • It also leads to shorter hospital stays compared to open surgery.

Surgeons should consider adopting laparoscopic techniques where feasible to improve patient outcomes.

  • Cost-effectiveness is also promising, though resource constraints remain a challenge.

Journal Article by Oyedele TJ, Ali SH (…) Aderinto N et 5 al. in Ann Med Surg (Lond)

Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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