BACKGROUND An association between weekend health care delivery and poor outcomes has become known as the "weekend effect." Evidence for such an association among surgery patients has not previously been synthesized. OBJECTIVE To systematically review associations between weekend surgical care and postoperative mortality. METHODS We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and references of relevant article...

BACKGROUND Elective knee surgery is performed to reduce chronic pain and improve function in degenerate knees. Treatment of acute post-operative pain is suboptimal in 75% of patients despite multimodal analgesic approaches resulting in higher post-operative opiate consumption. The effect of corticosteroids as an adjunct for post-operative pain control remains undefined. METHODS The databases ...

Purpose of Review The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of physical exercise and nutrition interventions in adult patients before elective major surgery. Recent Findings Exercise training before elective adult major surgery is feasible, safe, and efficacious, but the clinical effectiveness remains uncertain. Early data suggests a reduction in morbidity, length of stay, and quality...

PURPOSE The role of surgery in the management of diverticular disease after an episode of acute diverticulitis (AD) managed in a conservative form is evolving. Age, number of episodes of AD, type of episode, and symptoms after the episodes are factors related to the need for elective surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety of conservative management and the risk factors for eme...

The rate of elective surgery for peptic ulcer disease has been declining steadily over the past 3 decades. During this same period, the rate of emergency ulcer surgery rose by 44%. This means that the gastrointestinal surgeon is likely to be called on to manage the emergent complications of peptic ulcer disease without substantial experience in elective peptic ulcer disease surgery. The goal of...