Compliance with preoperative care measures reduces surgical site infection after colorectal operation.

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major cause of morbidity complicating colorectal operations. Several evidence-based preoperative strategies are associated with decreased SSI rates. We hypothesize that compliance with multiple strategies is associated with lower incidence of SSI after the elective colorectal operation.

Using Audience Response Systems for Real-Time Learning Assessments During Surgical Morbidity and Mortality Conference.

Objective: Morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference is a mainstay of surgical education. However, its effectiveness is poorly described. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a real-time audience response system for learner assessment during M&M.

Intentional ingestions of foreign objects among prisoners: A review.

The intentional ingestion of foreign objects (IIFO) is described more commonly in prison populations than in the general population, with an estimated annual incidence of 1 in 1900 inmates in our state correctional facilities. Incidents often involve ingestion of small metal objects (e.g.

Comorbidity-polypharmacy score predicts in-hospital complications and the need for discharge to extended care facility in older burn patients.

Advancing age is associated with increased mortality despite smaller burn size. Chronic conditions are common in the elderly with resulting polypharmacy. The Comorbidity-Polypharmacy Score (CPS) facilitates quantitative assessment of the severity of comorbid conditions, or physiologic age.

A systematic review of the need for MRI for the clearance of cervical spine injury in obtunded blunt trauma patients after normal cervical spine CT.

Clearance of cervical spine injury (CSI) in the obtunded or comatose blunt trauma patient remains controversial. In patients with unreliable physical examination and no evidence of CSI on computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine (CS-MRI) is the typical follow-up study. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that CS-MRI is unnecessary with negative findings on a multi-detector CT (MDCT) scan.