Surgical Readings

A multicenter randomized clinical trial in Finland has found that, among patients initially treated with antibiotics for uncomplicated acute appendicitis, the rate of recurrence and appendectomy at 10-year follow-up supports the use of antibiotics. In this episode, host Rick Greene, MD, FACS, talks with Paulina Salminen, MD, PhD, FACS(Hon), from the University of Turku in Finland, who is lead author of the study, Antibiotic Therapy for Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis Ten-Year Follow-Up of the APPAC Randomized Clinical Trial, in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

 

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With a growing reliance on GLP-1 treatments for obesity, researchers at Vanderbilt
University in Nashville, Tennessee, compared body composition changes between
patients who used GLP-1s versus patients who underwent bariatric surgery for obesity
treatment. In this episode, host Rick Greene, MD, FACS, talks with Jason M. Samuels, MD,
FACS, one of the authors of Body Composition Changes After Bariatric Surgery or
Treatment With GLP-1 Receptor Agonists about the findings, which showed that while
both treatments reduced fat mass, surgery helped preserve fat-free mass such as muscle
and organ tissues.

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In this episode, host Rick Greene, MD, FACS, talks with Ronald J. Weigel, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS, Medical Director of ACS Cancer Programs, about a new report from the ACS National Cancer Database (NCDB) that notes key trends in cancer treatment, as well as in-depth reports on outcomes for prostate cancer, esophageal cancer, and melanoma. Dr. Weigel also describes the history of the NCDB and future plans that will lead to more rapid and robust insights on cancer occurrence and treatment.

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In this episode, host Rick Greene, MD, FACS, talks with Brajesh Lal, MBBS, FACS, professor of vascular surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and chief of vascular service at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Lal and colleagues recently published research on Medical Management and Revascularization for Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis in The New England Journal of Medicine, finding that adding stenting to medical management for carotid stenosis helps reduce the risk of stroke or death within 4 years; however, Dr. Lal tells Dr. Greene it’s too soon to discount the benefits of carotid endarterectomy.

 

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In this episode of Surgical Readings, host Rick Greene, MD, FACS, connects with Lejla Hadzikadic-Gusic, MD, MS, FACS, for an engaging conversation about a study that is reshaping the way surgeons localize nonpalpable malignant breast disease. Dr. Hadzikadic-Gusic discusses her randomized trial, published in the Annals of Surgery (A Randomized, Single-Center, Superiority Trial of Radioactive Seed Location versus Wire Localization for Malignant Breast Disease), comparing two commonly used localization methods: traditional wire placement and radioactive seed technique. Listeners will hear how her team set out to answer an important question in breast surgery: Can we improve the patient experience without compromising clinical outcomes? While both techniques performed similarly in achieving clear surgical margins, the study uncovered compelling differences in what matters to patients and care teams. Tune in to learn how radioactive seed localization led to higher satisfaction, less anxiety, and greater convenience for patients—and offered workflow advantages for surgeons.

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