Editor’s note: Media around the world, including social media, frequently report on American College of Surgeons (ACS) activities. Following are brief excerpts from news stories published from May through August 2018 that mention key ACS programs and initiatives, including research findings that appear in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. To access the news items in their entirety, visit the online ACS Newsroom.
The government wants to teach students how to treat gunshot wounds. That could save lives, experts say
TIME, August 14, 2018
“‘This is something that everyone should know how to do—not just because of a mass shooting event,’ said Eileen Bulger, [MD, FACS,] chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma.”
Johns Hopkins panel creates guidelines for prescribing opioids after common surgeries
Baltimore Sun, August 14, 2018
“Hopkins doctors hope the guidelines, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, spurs [sic] more action by surgical associations and hospitals across the country to reduce the prescribing of opioids.”
Lymph node removal ups survival in right-sided colon cancer
Medscape, August 9, 2018
“In this study, Lee and colleagues sought to determine the effect of tumor location and lymph node yield on overall survival among patients with stage I to III colon adenocarcinoma.
“They used the 2004–2014 National Cancer Database to identify colectomies for nonmetastatic colon adenocarcinoma, excluding transverse colon and rectal cancer, and then categorized patients on the basis of tumor location. The primary outcome of the study was 5-year overall survival.”
Can we nudge our way to responsible opioid prescribing?
ABC News, August 2, 2018
“Another study, published recently in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, shows the spillover effect of making a change. When doctors changed their post-operative prescribing for one procedure to follow new guidelines, those habits trickled down into their prescribing behavior for other, unrelated procedures. Once doctors changed their practices to safer ones, the path of least resistance became to keep going with the new, safer approaches. They’re now familiar, and they realized the impact of their actions. The main hurdle to overcome was the initial change, which required a nudge.”
There’s more good news about immune therapies for cancer
TIME, July 12, 2018
“The study, published in Cancer Immunology Research, included more than 2,700 cases of stage 4 melanoma that were recorded in the National Cancer Database, a national repository of newly diagnosed cancer cases in the U.S. Of these, about 40% involved metastasis of the melanoma to the brain (the remainder had metastases to the brain as well as other parts of the body). Immunotherapies have been approved since 2011 to treat advanced melanoma and have dramatically improved overall survival; the immune-based treatment is so effective that chemotherapy is no longer used as first-line treatments for these patients.”
New program aims to enhance military-civilian partnerships in trauma medicine
Medscape, June 19, 2018
“[M. Margaret (Peggy) Knudson, MD, FACS,] and civilian and military colleagues met recently with three goals in mind:
To create a vision for the expansion of civilian centers as a critical resource for combat medical readiness using collective intelligence from existing platforms;
To define the optimal resources that would guide the selection and implementation process for additional trauma centers as needed;
To design a collaborative process that is inclusive and meets military medical readiness needs while augmenting civilian mass casualty/disaster response.
The full proceedings from the exploratory meeting were published online May 23 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.”
Young surgeons face high debt, financial instability
Reuters, June 11, 2018
“Overall, the authors reported in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 82 percent of respondents had moderate- or high-risk debt-to-asset ratios.
The type of residency program, year, gender and perception of financial knowledge didn’t correlate with a high-risk debt-to-asset ratio.
Harms and others want to develop a web-based course that would teach medical students about finances.”
Is Surgery Right for Your Older Loved One?
U.S. News & World Report, June 6, 2018
“A movement is underway to improve and establish standards for preoperative assessments of older patients. The Coalition for Quality in Geriatric Surgery Project, spearheaded by the American College of Surgeons, offers best practice guidelines for health care providers on evaluating older surgical patients throughout the operative process.”
How to help someone after a gunshot wound, according to doctors, experts
WGN, May 24, 2018
“Mount Sinai trauma surgeon Grace Chang [MD, FACS], along with the American College of Surgeons, wants everyone to learn bleeding control techniques. Shortly after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, trauma experts wondered how can more lives be saved in an active shooter or mass casualty event? The answer: The survivors—compelling uninjured and minimally injured victims to act before [emergency medical services] arrives. In other words, teaching ordinary citizens to stop the bleed.”
How can trauma surgeons approach urgent decisions responsibly?
AMA Wire, May 17, 2018
“In the journal’s May podcast, experts David Hoyt, MD, [FACS,] executive director of the American College of Surgeons, and Karen Brasel, MD, [FACS,] professor of surgery at Oregon Health and Science University, discuss how the specialty has evolved over the years and how trauma surgeons can address the needs of changing communities.”
CDC Eyes Review of Gynecological Cancer Screens
Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2018
“Making a diagnosis ‘really does affect your approach’ to surgery, including whether it should be done, said David P. Winchester [MD, FACS], the Medical Director of Cancer Programs at the American College of Surgeons, a scientific and educational association.”
