General Surgery News

04/07/2022

Can We Expect Another Wave of COVID-19 From the War in the Ukraine?

When Russia invaded Ukraine, more than 3 million refugees fled into neighboring countries, bringing with them a possible resurgence of COVID-19 and other infections.

04/06/2022

The April print issue of General Surgery News is now available to read online, featuring the latest guidance on elective surgery in COVID-19 patients.
https://www.generalsurgerynews.com/Digital-Editions/Article/04-22/April-2022-Print-issue/66678?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=0405pril

04/06/2022

Study Addresses Insurance Coverage for Fertility Treatments for Residents

Very few general surgery residents have insurance coverage for fertility treatments, fertility preservation, according to a study presented at the 2021 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.

Very few general surgery residents have insurance coverage for fertility treatments and/or fertility preservation. This insurance gap forces residents to pay out of pocket or forgo treatments entirely during training, which overlaps with critical years for fertility.

04/05/2022

April 2022 Print issue

The April print issue of General Surgery News is now available to read online.

The April issue of GSN is now available online.

04/05/2022

Getting to the Source of Chronic Groin Pain

Brian P. Jacob, MD, FACS, gave a presentation on chronic groin pain, titled “What Did I Miss and What Can I Do Now.” We interviewed Dr. Jacob to learn more.

One common reason patients get post-op hernia pain is because the surgeon may have repaired a hernia that wasn’t the only cause of the pain. Missing parts of the full history and failing to thoroughly work up the patient before surgery can often be the reason chronic pain continues.

04/05/2022

Casualties of War

“Unfortunately, as everyone I spoke to reminded me, war and infections have been closely tied throughout history.” Marie Rosenthal, MS.

I am sure I am not the only person mesmerized by the images on my screen of the millions of people fleeing Ukraine after the Russian invasion, of the devastation and violence.

04/04/2022

10 Things to Know About Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy continues to gain wide acceptance as an adjunct modality for problematic wounds.

With two more indications approved by the FDA in 2021, hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy continues to gain wide acceptance as an adjunct modality for problematic wounds.

04/04/2022

Automation Dependence

“The technical advances in robots, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and more may create situations in which surgeons may depend too much on their tools and not enough on their logic and common sense.” Frederick L. Greene, MD, FACS.

The technical advances in robots, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and more may create situations in which surgeons may depend too much on their tools and not enough on their logic and common sense. Similar to the Emirates crew, are we doomed to suffer from “automation dependence&rdquo...

04/04/2022

Getting to the Source of Chronic Groin Pain

We spoke with Brian P. Jacob, MD, FACS, after his presentation on chronic groin pain at the 2021 annual meeting of the American Hernia Society.

One common reason patients get post-op hernia pain is because the surgeon may have repaired a hernia that wasn’t the only cause of the pain. Missing parts of the full history and failing to thoroughly work up the patient before surgery can often be the reason chronic pain continues.

04/04/2022

Advanced Surgical Energy—Clinical Experience With the POWERSEAL™ Sealer/Divider Curved Jaw, Double-Action

Advanced surgical energy—clinical experience with the POWERSEAL sealer/divider curved jaw, double-action.

Bipolar energy devices have become a standard for surgeries within abdominal cavity, alongside the advancement of laparoscopic surgery. By building on the technology of devices with established utility, surgical energy device manufacturers have sought to provide additional features not only to impro...

04/01/2022

Life and Limb: Advances in the Management of the Diabetic Foot

Surgeons may not always have to sacrifice a limb to save a life.

If untreated or unsalvageable, the diabetic foot requires surgical interventions to address the risks to its viability. Lucas M. Ferrer, MD, described the use of endovascular venous arterialization for limb salvage, and William P. Robinson, MD, discussed the timing of foot amputation after reva...

03/31/2022

The Importance of Psychological Performance Skills To Surgical Performance

The importance of psychological performance skills to surgical performance.

Based on articles in the surgical literature, there is a pattern of increasing recognition of and interest in using psychological performance skills as tools to maximize the performance of surgeons.

03/31/2022

Text Without Context

Text without context: the downsides of a consumer-based approach to medicine.

Empowering patients with access to information has unveiled a restless dichotomy of knowledge without understanding, information without explanation and text without context. Indeed, the benefits of taking health into one’s hands ought to lead to motivation to lose weight, increase exercise, g...

03/30/2022

The Presidential Address to the International Brotherhood of Biliary Tract Workers

The presidential address to the International Brotherhood of Biliary Tract Workers.

What if … just what if … a prominent union organizer focused his  efforts not on longshoreman, miners, truckers or megastore employees, but on surgeons and gastroenterologists who deal with biliary tract problems?

03/29/2022

‘Auf Hinweis’?: Translating the Operative Note

“The words surgeons use to describe what we do must be translated into a recognized service or CPT code otherwise known as the “op note.” Lucian Newman III, MD.

Over the recorded history of surgery, the operative note’s function has changed from a narrative description, which persists today, to a document that includes additional information that affects billing and coding, and carries medicolegal importance as well.

03/28/2022

The Presidential Address to the International Brotherhood of Biliary Tract Workers

The presidential address to the International Brotherhood of Biliary Tract Workers.

What if … just what if … a prominent union organizer focused his  efforts not on longshoreman, miners, truckers or megastore employees, but on surgeons and gastroenterologists who deal with biliary tract problems?

03/28/2022

Synthetic Mesh Favorable For Emergent Ventral Hernia Repair

Synthetic mesh exhibited favorable readmission rates and lower risk for surgical complications compared with other techniques after emergent ventral hernia repair.

A large study of patients who underwent emergent ventral hernia repair has found that synthetic mesh exhibited favorable readmission rates and lower risk for surgical complications compared with other techniques.

03/24/2022

Residents On Par With Attendings in ‘Appropriately Selected’ Cases

Operations performed by surgical residents alone do not result in more deaths or complications, according to a large study of surgical procedures.

Operations performed by surgical residents alone do not result in more deaths or complications compared with procedures performed by attending surgeons or performed jointly by attending surgeons and residents, according to a large study of surgical procedures performed in Veterans Affairs facilities...

03/23/2022

Multidisciplinary Approach Best for Managing Chronic Wounds

Nicolas J. Mouawad, MD, discussed the benefits of multidisciplinary wound care and how to incentivize institutional collaboration.

As the treatment of nonhealing wounds continues to evolve, multidisciplinary care is playing an increasingly important role in the management of complicated patients.

03/23/2022

Surgeon Wellness Focus of Upcoming Hernia Meeting

An upcoming meeting of the International Hernia Collaboration will feature a surgeon wellness center.

An upcoming meeting of the International Hernia Collaboration will feature a surgeon wellness center where surgeons can access one-on-one appointments with different alternative wellness practitioners. Organizers say the unconventional addition to the surgical conference is an attempt to raise aware...

03/22/2022

The Intern, the Ham Sandwich, the Patient With 2 Last Names and ‘the Runt’

“At the end of my intern year, I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to go to a new program where I still worked very long hours but was treated like a surgery resident should be treated.” Eric Knauer, MD.

At the end of my intern year, I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to go to a new program where I still worked very long hours but was treated like a surgery resident should be treated. Now I am privileged to work with and teach surgery residents of my own. I can assure you that even if....

03/22/2022

Ambulatory Surgical Centers Deemed Safe, But Mortality Varies by Procedure

One of the first studies of its kind has established an important reference point for national death rates associated with common ambulatory surgical procedures.

A uniquely designed study found that that procedures performed at ASCs are exceedingly safe, but show a marked variation in mortality by procedure type.

03/22/2022

Physiologic Factors Leading to Temporary Abdominal Closure In EGS Patients Identified

Researchers identified the clinical features that lead surgeons to perform temporary abdominal closure in emergency general surgery patients.

Preoperative coagulopathy, vasopressor use and incomplete source control at index operation are the clinical features most likely to lead to a surgeon performing temporary abdominal closure among emergency general surgery patients.

03/22/2022

Experts Discuss Hot Topics in General Surgery

Six experts used a rapid-fire approach to give a brief overview of several timely issues in general surgery.

During “Hot Topics in General Surgery,” a lineup of six expert speakers used a rapid-fire approach to give a brief overview of several timely issues. As co-moderator E. Christopher Ellison, MD, explained, “I have worked with Dr. Ken Sharp over the past nine years to select the topi...

03/21/2022

On the Spot: Controversies in Surgical Endoscopy

On the Spot: controversies in surgical endoscopy.

In this issue, I am tackling a familiar topic for the On the Spot column: surgical endoscopy. This time, I have looked at it from the standpoint of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, as well as what’s being addressed, discussed, debated and taught at the 2022 ann...

03/21/2022

The Intern, the Ham Sandwich, the Patient With 2 Last Names and ‘the Runt’

“At the end of my intern year, I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to go to a new program where I still worked very long hours but was treated like a surgery resident should be treated.” Eric Knauer, MD.

At the end of my intern year, I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to go to a new program where I still worked very long hours but was treated like a surgery resident should be treated. Now I am privileged to work with and teach surgery residents of my own. I can assure you that even if....

03/21/2022

Surgical Innovation: Taking an Idea All the Way

At a session on innovation in surgery at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress, experts discussed how to generate ideas, protect them and ultimately attract industry interest.

Surgeons are natural inventors, coming up with new ideas on a near-daily basis to help them perform better, more safely and more efficiently based on their patients’ unique characteristics and needs.

03/18/2022

The March print issue of General Surgery News is now available to read online, featuring what to do when pain persists even after mesh has been removed.
https://www.generalsurgerynews.com/Digital-Editions/Article/03-22/March-2022-Print-issue/66401?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=0308gsnmar

03/17/2022

7 Steps to Deliver Individualized, Multimodal Perioperative Pain Care

Professional organizations released a consensus statement of seven principles in offering multimodal and individualized pain treatment.

A group of 14 professional organizations released a consensus statement on multimodal and individualized pain treatment.

03/16/2022

March 2022 Print issue

The March print issue of General Surgery News is now available to read online.

The March issue of GSN is now available online

03/16/2022

On the Spot: Controversies in Surgical Endoscopy

On the Spot: controversies in surgical endoscopy.

In this issue, I am tackling a familiar topic for the On the Spot column: surgical endoscopy. This time, I have looked at it from the standpoint of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, as well as what’s being addressed, discussed, debated and taught at the 2022 ann...

03/16/2022

High-Dose Opioid Tapering Linked to Overdose, Mental Health Crises

Patients tapered from a higher-dose opioid are more likely to incur an overdose or a mental health crisis within one year.

Some tapered patients were found to be significantly more likely to incur an overdose or a mental health crisis within one year.

03/15/2022

Surgeon Wellness Focus of Upcoming Hernia Meeting

An upcoming meeting of the International Hernia Collaboration will feature a surgeon wellness center where surgeons can access one-on-one appointments with different alternative wellness practitioners.

An upcoming meeting of the International Hernia Collaboration will feature a surgeon wellness center where surgeons can access one-on-one appointments with different alternative wellness practitioners. Organizers say the unconventional addition to the surgical conference is an attempt to raise aware...

03/15/2022

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Klebsiella pneumoniae enhances the growth of C. difficile and worsens colonic inflammation in the presence of CDI, according to new research.

03/14/2022

The March print issue of General Surgery News is now available to read online, featuring the downsides of a consumer-based approach to medicine.
https://www.generalsurgerynews.com/Digital-Editions/Article/03-22/March-2022-Print-issue/66401?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=0308gsnmar