The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education’s new Resources in Surgical Education (RISE) recently debuted on the ACS website. RISE is headed by Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Director, ACS Division of Education. The RISE web page is available at www.facs.org/education/division-of-education/publications/rise/current.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education’s new Resources in Surgical Education (RISE) recently debuted on the ACS website. RISE is headed by Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Director, ACS Division of Education. The RISE web page is available at www.facs.org/education/division-of-education/publications/rise/current.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education’s new Resources in Surgical Education (RISE) recently debuted on the ACS website. RISE is headed by Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Director, ACS Division of Education. The RISE web page is available at www.facs.org/education/division-of-education/publications/rise/current.

The 2017 American College of Surgeons (ACS) Leadership & Advocacy Summit, May 6–9 in Washington, DC, was a well-attended conference that brought together surgeons from across the U.S. to enhance their leadership skills and to learn about how they can advocate for the advancement of issues important to the field of surgery.

Leadership Summit

More than 450 surgeons and residents participated in the ACS Leadership Summit held May 6–7. The Leadership portion of the Leadership & Advocacy Summit included a series of presentations that provided practical, take-home tips on how to be a better leader. Presentations covered such diverse leadership topics as how to handle difficult conversations, manage difficult people, and lead from behind; how it’s not all about you, and leading by example; volunteering in your own backyard; avoiding burnout and promoting resilience; preparing for leadership positions in medicine; and successfully addressing critical situations in the operating room. PowerPoint presentations shown at the 2017 Leadership Summit are available at facs.org/advocacy/participate/summit/2017-presentations.

In addition, ACS chapter leaders shared success stories. Representatives of the Connecticut Chapter focused on resident engagement, representatives of the North Texas Chapter and South Texas Chapter explained the positive results that can be realized by holding joint chapter meetings, and members of the Georgia Society of the ACS discussed their Stop the Bleed® effort. Participants then convened in state breakout sessions during the lunch hour to identify new strategies and initiatives for implementation at the chapter level. ACS Executive Director David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, provided an update on ACS activities.

Advocacy Summit

More than 300 surgeons and residents participated in the ACS Advocacy Summit, May 7−9. Participants in the Advocacy Summit portion of the ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit came to Washington primarily to meet with lawmakers and congressional staff to educate them about key ACS legislative priorities that affect surgical patients, including ensuring an adequate surgical workforce in underserved areas; advancing childhood cancer research and surveillance and providing resources for pediatric cancer survivors; allocating funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides health care coverage to uninsured children from low-income families; improving liability protections for trauma care providers; and providing greater flexibility for providers during implementation of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). The issue briefs presented during the Advocacy Summit are available on the ACS Professional Association website at web4.facs.org/eBusiness/login.aspx?ReturnURL=~/SAML/SSOService.aspx?r=1.

In addition, health care reform was discussed during a few panel sessions. Just days before the Advocacy Summit, the House of Representatives had passed the American Health Care Act by a vote of 217-213. Summit attendees were educated about the College’s concerns with the legislation and were advised that the Senate bill likely would be dramatically different. The College continues to work to ensure that ACS health care reform principles—patient safety and quality, patient access to surgical care, reduction of health care costs and medical liability reform—are included in a revised Senate bill. The full ACS 2017 statement on health care reform was published in the May issue of the Bulletin and is available at bulletin.facs.org/2017/05/american-college-of-surgeons-2017-statement-on-health-care-reform/.

The 2017 American College of Surgeons (ACS) Leadership & Advocacy Summit, May 6–9 in Washington, DC, was a well-attended conference that brought together surgeons from across the U.S. to enhance their leadership skills and to learn about how they can advocate for the advancement of issues important to the field of surgery.

Leadership Summit

More than 450 surgeons and residents participated in the ACS Leadership Summit held May 6–7. The Leadership portion of the Leadership & Advocacy Summit included a series of presentations that provided practical, take-home tips on how to be a better leader. Presentations covered such diverse leadership topics as how to handle difficult conversations, manage difficult people, and lead from behind; how it’s not all about you, and leading by example; volunteering in your own backyard; avoiding burnout and promoting resilience; preparing for leadership positions in medicine; and successfully addressing critical situations in the operating room. PowerPoint presentations shown at the 2017 Leadership Summit are available at facs.org/advocacy/participate/summit/2017-presentations.

In addition, ACS chapter leaders shared success stories. Representatives of the Connecticut Chapter focused on resident engagement, representatives of the North Texas Chapter and South Texas Chapter explained the positive results that can be realized by holding joint chapter meetings, and members of the Georgia Society of the ACS discussed their Stop the Bleed® effort. Participants then convened in state breakout sessions during the lunch hour to identify new strategies and initiatives for implementation at the chapter level. ACS Executive Director David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, provided an update on ACS activities.

Advocacy Summit

More than 300 surgeons and residents participated in the ACS Advocacy Summit, May 7−9. Participants in the Advocacy Summit portion of the ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit came to Washington primarily to meet with lawmakers and congressional staff to educate them about key ACS legislative priorities that affect surgical patients, including ensuring an adequate surgical workforce in underserved areas; advancing childhood cancer research and surveillance and providing resources for pediatric cancer survivors; allocating funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides health care coverage to uninsured children from low-income families; improving liability protections for trauma care providers; and providing greater flexibility for providers during implementation of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). The issue briefs presented during the Advocacy Summit are available on the ACS Professional Association website at web4.facs.org/eBusiness/login.aspx?ReturnURL=~/SAML/SSOService.aspx?r=1.

In addition, health care reform was discussed during a few panel sessions. Just days before the Advocacy Summit, the House of Representatives had passed the American Health Care Act by a vote of 217-213. Summit attendees were educated about the College’s concerns with the legislation and were advised that the Senate bill likely would be dramatically different. The College continues to work to ensure that ACS health care reform principles—patient safety and quality, patient access to surgical care, reduction of health care costs and medical liability reform—are included in a revised Senate bill. The full ACS 2017 statement on health care reform was published in the May issue of the Bulletin and is available at bulletin.facs.org/2017/05/american-college-of-surgeons-2017-statement-on-health-care-reform/.

The 2017 American College of Surgeons (ACS) Leadership & Advocacy Summit, May 6–9 in Washington, DC, was a well-attended conference that brought together surgeons from across the U.S. to enhance their leadership skills and to learn about how they can advocate for the advancement of issues important to the field of surgery.

Leadership Summit

More than 450 surgeons and residents participated in the ACS Leadership Summit held May 6–7. The Leadership portion of the Leadership & Advocacy Summit included a series of presentations that provided practical, take-home tips on how to be a better leader. Presentations covered such diverse leadership topics as how to handle difficult conversations, manage difficult people, and lead from behind; how it’s not all about you, and leading by example; volunteering in your own backyard; avoiding burnout and promoting resilience; preparing for leadership positions in medicine; and successfully addressing critical situations in the operating room. PowerPoint presentations shown at the 2017 Leadership Summit are available at facs.org/advocacy/participate/summit/2017-presentations.

In addition, ACS chapter leaders shared success stories. Representatives of the Connecticut Chapter focused on resident engagement, representatives of the North Texas Chapter and South Texas Chapter explained the positive results that can be realized by holding joint chapter meetings, and members of the Georgia Society of the ACS discussed their Stop the Bleed® effort. Participants then convened in state breakout sessions during the lunch hour to identify new strategies and initiatives for implementation at the chapter level. ACS Executive Director David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, provided an update on ACS activities.

Advocacy Summit

More than 300 surgeons and residents participated in the ACS Advocacy Summit, May 7−9. Participants in the Advocacy Summit portion of the ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit came to Washington primarily to meet with lawmakers and congressional staff to educate them about key ACS legislative priorities that affect surgical patients, including ensuring an adequate surgical workforce in underserved areas; advancing childhood cancer research and surveillance and providing resources for pediatric cancer survivors; allocating funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides health care coverage to uninsured children from low-income families; improving liability protections for trauma care providers; and providing greater flexibility for providers during implementation of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). The issue briefs presented during the Advocacy Summit are available on the ACS Professional Association website at web4.facs.org/eBusiness/login.aspx?ReturnURL=~/SAML/SSOService.aspx?r=1.

In addition, health care reform was discussed during a few panel sessions. Just days before the Advocacy Summit, the House of Representatives had passed the American Health Care Act by a vote of 217-213. Summit attendees were educated about the College’s concerns with the legislation and were advised that the Senate bill likely would be dramatically different. The College continues to work to ensure that ACS health care reform principles—patient safety and quality, patient access to surgical care, reduction of health care costs and medical liability reform—are included in a revised Senate bill. The full ACS 2017 statement on health care reform was published in the May issue of the Bulletin and is available at bulletin.facs.org/2017/05/american-college-of-surgeons-2017-statement-on-health-care-reform/.

The American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes (ACS-AEI) will host a forum June 12 that seeks to mobilize stakeholders to identify best practices and key considerations in simulation training and to build the case for more standardized implementation of simulation training and assessment in early-career surgical education. The forum, called “Training the Next Generation of Surgeons: Making It Stick, Making It Real, Making It Together,” will take place at the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) Institute of Simulation in Healthcare (WISH) at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle. The ultimate goal of the forum will be to begin formulating principles and standards that will maximize the value of simulation and ultimately improve surgeon performance.

Hosting the forum are David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS Executive Director; Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Director, ACS Division of Education; Robert Sweet, MD, FACS, professor of urology, UW, medical director, UW Medicine Kidney Stone Center at Northwest Hospital, and executive director, WISH and Center for Research in Education and Simulation Technologies, UW Medicine; and Carlos A. Pellegrini, MD, FACS, chief medical officer, UW Medicine, vice-president for medical affairs, UW, and Past-President of the ACS.

The forum will include opening remarks from ACS and UW leadership and panel sessions on key topics, including model simulation programs, advances in simulation technologies and tools, and best practices for broadly applying simulation training and assessment. A keynote address centered on the cognitive learning process behind skills acquisition and expert performance, WISH simulation lab tours, and a workshop session on team training will round out the program. To learn more about the forum and to register, visit the ACS-AEI event page at www.facs.org/education/accreditation/aei/next-generation.

The American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes (ACS-AEI) will host a forum June 12 that seeks to mobilize stakeholders to identify best practices and key considerations in simulation training and to build the case for more standardized implementation of simulation training and assessment in early-career surgical education. The forum, called “Training the Next Generation of Surgeons: Making It Stick, Making It Real, Making It Together,” will take place at the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) Institute of Simulation in Healthcare (WISH) at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle. The ultimate goal of the forum will be to begin formulating principles and standards that will maximize the value of simulation and ultimately improve surgeon performance.

Hosting the forum are David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS Executive Director; Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Director, ACS Division of Education; Robert Sweet, MD, FACS, professor of urology, UW, medical director, UW Medicine Kidney Stone Center at Northwest Hospital, and executive director, WISH and Center for Research in Education and Simulation Technologies, UW Medicine; and Carlos A. Pellegrini, MD, FACS, chief medical officer, UW Medicine, vice-president for medical affairs, UW, and Past-President of the ACS.

The forum will include opening remarks from ACS and UW leadership and panel sessions on key topics, including model simulation programs, advances in simulation technologies and tools, and best practices for broadly applying simulation training and assessment. A keynote address centered on the cognitive learning process behind skills acquisition and expert performance, WISH simulation lab tours, and a workshop session on team training will round out the program. To learn more about the forum and to register, visit the ACS-AEI event page at www.facs.org/education/accreditation/aei/next-generation.

The American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes (ACS-AEI) will host a forum June 12 that seeks to mobilize stakeholders to identify best practices and key considerations in simulation training and to build the case for more standardized implementation of simulation training and assessment in early-career surgical education. The forum, called “Training the Next Generation of Surgeons: Making It Stick, Making It Real, Making It Together,” will take place at the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) Institute of Simulation in Healthcare (WISH) at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle. The ultimate goal of the forum will be to begin formulating principles and standards that will maximize the value of simulation and ultimately improve surgeon performance.

Hosting the forum are David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS Executive Director; Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Director, ACS Division of Education; Robert Sweet, MD, FACS, professor of urology, UW, medical director, UW Medicine Kidney Stone Center at Northwest Hospital, and executive director, WISH and Center for Research in Education and Simulation Technologies, UW Medicine; and Carlos A. Pellegrini, MD, FACS, chief medical officer, UW Medicine, vice-president for medical affairs, UW, and Past-President of the ACS.

The forum will include opening remarks from ACS and UW leadership and panel sessions on key topics, including model simulation programs, advances in simulation technologies and tools, and best practices for broadly applying simulation training and assessment. A keynote address centered on the cognitive learning process behind skills acquisition and expert performance, WISH simulation lab tours, and a workshop session on team training will round out the program. To learn more about the forum and to register, visit the ACS-AEI event page at www.facs.org/education/accreditation/aei/next-generation.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery (EBDS) and Patient Education programs have collaborated to offer established surgical practice guidelines that surgeons can use at the point of care. The modules, which are viewable on all digital platforms, now include relevant patient education information to aid in high-quality care for surgical patients.

The EBDS modules provide peer-reviewed recommendations for surgeons based on clinical practice guidelines promulgated by national and international professional organizations and government agencies. The surgical recommendations are presented along with the strength of the evidence that supports the recommendations. Grading of the evidence is done with the understanding that the contribution of surgical judgment in developing effective and safe treatment strategies is essential for effective care of individual surgical patients. As such, the modules are intended to guide surgical practice but should always take into consideration the needs and preferences of individual patients.

Each EBDS module has a section labeled “Suggested Talking Points for Patient Education,” which covers topics such as who developed the guidelines, recommended actions for patients and physicians, and potential benefits and harms associated with these recommendations. Where applicable, links will now be included in the modules that will lead the user directly to the patient education material that supports the particular topic. For example, the EBDS module for Hemodialysis Access has a link to the Patient Education section of the Central Lines Home Skills Kit. The home page for the Central Lines Home Skills Kit provides a host of information, ranging from a welcome video, to a Central Lines Home Skills booklet, to an evaluation.

At present, 13 EBDS modules have links to patient education material from the ACS. As more modules and patient education materials are developed, more comprehensive offerings will be available to surgeon members. Brochures for patients provide all pre-, peri-, and postoperative information to help patients make informed decisions and fully participate in all aspects of their care for many common surgical procedures. The Home Skills Kit series uses a multimedia approach to explain, demonstrate, and provide directed learning experiences and practice opportunities for patients requiring a lung procedure, an ostomy, feeding tube, central line placement, or complex wound care.

ACS Patient Education resources are based on contemporary principles of evidence-based medicine tailored to the individual patient’s needs, with a focus on health literacy. Patients who are trained to actively participate in their care show improved treatment compliance, decreased complications, and enhanced outcomes and satisfaction.*

With outpatient operations representing a growing share (65 percent, 17.3 million) of all procedures performed in the U.S., patient preparation is essential to the delivery of high-value, safe surgical care.

To learn more and view the modules, go to ebds.facs.org. After logging in with ACS credentials, click on the Topics tab and take note of the modules with a tag labeled “Updated” to find modules that have ACS Patient Education information included. This can be found in the Suggested Talking Points for Patient Education section with links directly to the content available.

Ms. Dalal is Senior Manager, Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery, ACS Division of Education, Chicago, IL.

Ms. Strand is Manager, ACS Patient Education Program, Division of Education.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery (EBDS) and Patient Education programs have collaborated to offer established surgical practice guidelines that surgeons can use at the point of care. The modules, which are viewable on all digital platforms, now include relevant patient education information to aid in high-quality care for surgical patients.

The EBDS modules provide peer-reviewed recommendations for surgeons based on clinical practice guidelines promulgated by national and international professional organizations and government agencies. The surgical recommendations are presented along with the strength of the evidence that supports the recommendations. Grading of the evidence is done with the understanding that the contribution of surgical judgment in developing effective and safe treatment strategies is essential for effective care of individual surgical patients. As such, the modules are intended to guide surgical practice but should always take into consideration the needs and preferences of individual patients.

Each EBDS module has a section labeled “Suggested Talking Points for Patient Education,” which covers topics such as who developed the guidelines, recommended actions for patients and physicians, and potential benefits and harms associated with these recommendations. Where applicable, links will now be included in the modules that will lead the user directly to the patient education material that supports the particular topic. For example, the EBDS module for Hemodialysis Access has a link to the Patient Education section of the Central Lines Home Skills Kit. The home page for the Central Lines Home Skills Kit provides a host of information, ranging from a welcome video, to a Central Lines Home Skills booklet, to an evaluation.

At present, 13 EBDS modules have links to patient education material from the ACS. As more modules and patient education materials are developed, more comprehensive offerings will be available to surgeon members. Brochures for patients provide all pre-, peri-, and postoperative information to help patients make informed decisions and fully participate in all aspects of their care for many common surgical procedures. The Home Skills Kit series uses a multimedia approach to explain, demonstrate, and provide directed learning experiences and practice opportunities for patients requiring a lung procedure, an ostomy, feeding tube, central line placement, or complex wound care.

ACS Patient Education resources are based on contemporary principles of evidence-based medicine tailored to the individual patient’s needs, with a focus on health literacy. Patients who are trained to actively participate in their care show improved treatment compliance, decreased complications, and enhanced outcomes and satisfaction.*

With outpatient operations representing a growing share (65 percent, 17.3 million) of all procedures performed in the U.S., patient preparation is essential to the delivery of high-value, safe surgical care.

To learn more and view the modules, go to ebds.facs.org. After logging in with ACS credentials, click on the Topics tab and take note of the modules with a tag labeled “Updated” to find modules that have ACS Patient Education information included. This can be found in the Suggested Talking Points for Patient Education section with links directly to the content available.

Ms. Dalal is Senior Manager, Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery, ACS Division of Education, Chicago, IL.

Ms. Strand is Manager, ACS Patient Education Program, Division of Education.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery (EBDS) and Patient Education programs have collaborated to offer established surgical practice guidelines that surgeons can use at the point of care. The modules, which are viewable on all digital platforms, now include relevant patient education information to aid in high-quality care for surgical patients.

The EBDS modules provide peer-reviewed recommendations for surgeons based on clinical practice guidelines promulgated by national and international professional organizations and government agencies. The surgical recommendations are presented along with the strength of the evidence that supports the recommendations. Grading of the evidence is done with the understanding that the contribution of surgical judgment in developing effective and safe treatment strategies is essential for effective care of individual surgical patients. As such, the modules are intended to guide surgical practice but should always take into consideration the needs and preferences of individual patients.

Each EBDS module has a section labeled “Suggested Talking Points for Patient Education,” which covers topics such as who developed the guidelines, recommended actions for patients and physicians, and potential benefits and harms associated with these recommendations. Where applicable, links will now be included in the modules that will lead the user directly to the patient education material that supports the particular topic. For example, the EBDS module for Hemodialysis Access has a link to the Patient Education section of the Central Lines Home Skills Kit. The home page for the Central Lines Home Skills Kit provides a host of information, ranging from a welcome video, to a Central Lines Home Skills booklet, to an evaluation.

At present, 13 EBDS modules have links to patient education material from the ACS. As more modules and patient education materials are developed, more comprehensive offerings will be available to surgeon members. Brochures for patients provide all pre-, peri-, and postoperative information to help patients make informed decisions and fully participate in all aspects of their care for many common surgical procedures. The Home Skills Kit series uses a multimedia approach to explain, demonstrate, and provide directed learning experiences and practice opportunities for patients requiring a lung procedure, an ostomy, feeding tube, central line placement, or complex wound care.

ACS Patient Education resources are based on contemporary principles of evidence-based medicine tailored to the individual patient’s needs, with a focus on health literacy. Patients who are trained to actively participate in their care show improved treatment compliance, decreased complications, and enhanced outcomes and satisfaction.*

With outpatient operations representing a growing share (65 percent, 17.3 million) of all procedures performed in the U.S., patient preparation is essential to the delivery of high-value, safe surgical care.

To learn more and view the modules, go to ebds.facs.org. After logging in with ACS credentials, click on the Topics tab and take note of the modules with a tag labeled “Updated” to find modules that have ACS Patient Education information included. This can be found in the Suggested Talking Points for Patient Education section with links directly to the content available.

Ms. Dalal is Senior Manager, Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery, ACS Division of Education, Chicago, IL.

Ms. Strand is Manager, ACS Patient Education Program, Division of Education.

Mark W. Bowyer, MD, FACS, Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma’s Surgical Skills Committee, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Robert Danis Prize.

Mark W. Bowyer, MD, FACS, Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma’s Surgical Skills Committee, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Robert Danis Prize awarded by the International Society of Surgery/Société Internationale de Chirurgie (ISS/SIC). This award is presented to a surgeon who has made important contributions to the fields of trauma, burns, or critical care. Dr. Bowyer was selected for his lifelong commitment and broad contributions to the field of trauma and surgical simulation.

Dr. Bowyer, the Ben Eiseman Professor of Surgery and surgical director of simulation, division of trauma and combat surgery, department of surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)–Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Bethesda, MD, spent more than 22 years as an Air Force trauma and combat surgeon. He has taught trauma skills to thousands of medical students and physicians around the world in the last three decades and is one of the chief architects of the Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposures in Trauma course, which has been presented in more than 100 course sites in 11 countries in the last six years. Dr. Bowyer served as the Air Force’s “trauma czar” while serving Iraq, where he directed and coordinated all care provided to combat trauma patients.

In addition, he is the surgical director of the USUHS Val G. Hemming Simulation Center, where he has been on the forefront of using simulators to teach advanced trauma and acute care surgical skills and where he works to develop and validate augmented and virtual reality, as well as trauma, laparoscopic, acute care surgical, triage, and critical care-based simulators. At present, Dr. Bowyer is working on simulation projects to improve patient safety.

Dr. Bowyer will receive the Danis Prize during the ISS/SIC 2017 World Congress of Surgery, August 13−17 in Basel, Switzerland. (Read more about the World Congress of Surgery at www.wcs2017.org/.) Read more about Dr. Bowyer at bit.ly/2qcpETa.

Mark W. Bowyer, MD, FACS, Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma’s Surgical Skills Committee, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Robert Danis Prize.

Mark W. Bowyer, MD, FACS, Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma’s Surgical Skills Committee, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Robert Danis Prize awarded by the International Society of Surgery/Société Internationale de Chirurgie (ISS/SIC). This award is presented to a surgeon who has made important contributions to the fields of trauma, burns, or critical care. Dr. Bowyer was selected for his lifelong commitment and broad contributions to the field of trauma and surgical simulation.

Dr. Bowyer, the Ben Eiseman Professor of Surgery and surgical director of simulation, division of trauma and combat surgery, department of surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)–Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Bethesda, MD, spent more than 22 years as an Air Force trauma and combat surgeon. He has taught trauma skills to thousands of medical students and physicians around the world in the last three decades and is one of the chief architects of the Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposures in Trauma course, which has been presented in more than 100 course sites in 11 countries in the last six years. Dr. Bowyer served as the Air Force’s “trauma czar” while serving Iraq, where he directed and coordinated all care provided to combat trauma patients.

In addition, he is the surgical director of the USUHS Val G. Hemming Simulation Center, where he has been on the forefront of using simulators to teach advanced trauma and acute care surgical skills and where he works to develop and validate augmented and virtual reality, as well as trauma, laparoscopic, acute care surgical, triage, and critical care-based simulators. At present, Dr. Bowyer is working on simulation projects to improve patient safety.

Dr. Bowyer will receive the Danis Prize during the ISS/SIC 2017 World Congress of Surgery, August 13−17 in Basel, Switzerland. (Read more about the World Congress of Surgery at www.wcs2017.org/.) Read more about Dr. Bowyer at bit.ly/2qcpETa.

Mark W. Bowyer, MD, FACS, Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma’s Surgical Skills Committee, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Robert Danis Prize.

Mark W. Bowyer, MD, FACS, Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma’s Surgical Skills Committee, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Robert Danis Prize awarded by the International Society of Surgery/Société Internationale de Chirurgie (ISS/SIC). This award is presented to a surgeon who has made important contributions to the fields of trauma, burns, or critical care. Dr. Bowyer was selected for his lifelong commitment and broad contributions to the field of trauma and surgical simulation.

Dr. Bowyer, the Ben Eiseman Professor of Surgery and surgical director of simulation, division of trauma and combat surgery, department of surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)–Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Bethesda, MD, spent more than 22 years as an Air Force trauma and combat surgeon. He has taught trauma skills to thousands of medical students and physicians around the world in the last three decades and is one of the chief architects of the Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposures in Trauma course, which has been presented in more than 100 course sites in 11 countries in the last six years. Dr. Bowyer served as the Air Force’s “trauma czar” while serving Iraq, where he directed and coordinated all care provided to combat trauma patients.

In addition, he is the surgical director of the USUHS Val G. Hemming Simulation Center, where he has been on the forefront of using simulators to teach advanced trauma and acute care surgical skills and where he works to develop and validate augmented and virtual reality, as well as trauma, laparoscopic, acute care surgical, triage, and critical care-based simulators. At present, Dr. Bowyer is working on simulation projects to improve patient safety.

Dr. Bowyer will receive the Danis Prize during the ISS/SIC 2017 World Congress of Surgery, August 13−17 in Basel, Switzerland. (Read more about the World Congress of Surgery at www.wcs2017.org/.) Read more about Dr. Bowyer at bit.ly/2qcpETa.

BOSTON – Newborns exposed to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in utero are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with congenital anomalies, according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

The researchers’ analysis covered data from more than 1.4 million births during 2010-2014. Circulatory, musculoskeletal, and central nervous systems were among the types of anomalies they saw in the 17.3% of babies born to mothers who had OSA during pregnancy. These babies were also more likely to require intensive care at birth, compared with those born to mothers who had not been diagnosed with OSA.

BOSTON – Newborns exposed to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in utero are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with congenital anomalies, according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

The researchers’ analysis covered data from more than 1.4 million births during 2010-2014. Circulatory, musculoskeletal, and central nervous systems were among the types of anomalies they saw in the 17.3% of babies born to mothers who had OSA during pregnancy. These babies were also more likely to require intensive care at birth, compared with those born to mothers who had not been diagnosed with OSA.

BOSTON – Newborns exposed to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in utero are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with congenital anomalies, according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

The researchers’ analysis covered data from more than 1.4 million births during 2010-2014. Circulatory, musculoskeletal, and central nervous systems were among the types of anomalies they saw in the 17.3% of babies born to mothers who had OSA during pregnancy. These babies were also more likely to require intensive care at birth, compared with those born to mothers who had not been diagnosed with OSA.

Laparoscopic colectomy is less expensive than open colectomy only when it is performed by surgeons experienced with the laparoscopic approach, according to a study published in the Annals of Surgery.

Many studies have demonstrated that compared with the open surgery, the laparoscopic approach reduces the cost of major abdominal operations including colectomy by as much as 50%. These savings are attributed to the shorter length of stay and lower complication rate associated with laparoscopic surgery.

ascsurgerynews@frontlinemedcom.com

Laparoscopic colectomy is less expensive than open colectomy only when it is performed by surgeons experienced with the laparoscopic approach, according to a study published in the Annals of Surgery.

Many studies have demonstrated that compared with the open surgery, the laparoscopic approach reduces the cost of major abdominal operations including colectomy by as much as 50%. These savings are attributed to the shorter length of stay and lower complication rate associated with laparoscopic surgery.

ascsurgerynews@frontlinemedcom.com

Laparoscopic colectomy is less expensive than open colectomy only when it is performed by surgeons experienced with the laparoscopic approach, according to a study published in the Annals of Surgery.

Many studies have demonstrated that compared with the open surgery, the laparoscopic approach reduces the cost of major abdominal operations including colectomy by as much as 50%. These savings are attributed to the shorter length of stay and lower complication rate associated with laparoscopic surgery.

ascsurgerynews@frontlinemedcom.com

During the past 20 years, mindfulness-based training has become an increasingly popular treatment for many conditions, including migraine. In the February online issue of the Journal of Headache and Pain, Dr. Grazzi addresses medication overuse chronic migraine (CM-MO) and provides initial evidence for the consideration of mindfulness training to help reduce headache symptoms.

However, the reader should take seriously the authors’ caution that “although our findings are encouraging and suggestive of the independent value of mindfulness for headache care, certain design limitations preclude us [from] making unequivocal claims.”

Since the goal of a noninferiority trial is to assess whether a new therapy is at least as beneficial as standard treatment, extra caution is necessary when interpreting findings from an underpowered feasibility study. In general, a useful approach to noninferiority is to determine whether the confidence intervals include effect sizes that one might consider clinically meaningful. Instead of focusing on whether the mindfulness-based training group performed the same as the comparison group, we should accept the valuable information that is presented. The take away message from this pilot study is threefold. Mindfulness-based training is potentially acceptable to patients with CM-MO. Patients with CM-MO might be amenable to participating in a fully powered randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based training. Finally, it is possible that mindfulness-based training may show improvement similar in magnitude to pharmaceuticals. Overall, Grazzi et al have laid the groundwork for a fully powered, randomized version of their study.

—Alice R. Pressman, PhD
Director of Analytics and Evaluation
Sutter Health
Walnut Creek, California

During the past 20 years, mindfulness-based training has become an increasingly popular treatment for many conditions, including migraine. In the February online issue of the Journal of Headache and Pain, Dr. Grazzi addresses medication overuse chronic migraine (CM-MO) and provides initial evidence for the consideration of mindfulness training to help reduce headache symptoms.

However, the reader should take seriously the authors’ caution that “although our findings are encouraging and suggestive of the independent value of mindfulness for headache care, certain design limitations preclude us [from] making unequivocal claims.”

Since the goal of a noninferiority trial is to assess whether a new therapy is at least as beneficial as standard treatment, extra caution is necessary when interpreting findings from an underpowered feasibility study. In general, a useful approach to noninferiority is to determine whether the confidence intervals include effect sizes that one might consider clinically meaningful. Instead of focusing on whether the mindfulness-based training group performed the same as the comparison group, we should accept the valuable information that is presented. The take away message from this pilot study is threefold. Mindfulness-based training is potentially acceptable to patients with CM-MO. Patients with CM-MO might be amenable to participating in a fully powered randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based training. Finally, it is possible that mindfulness-based training may show improvement similar in magnitude to pharmaceuticals. Overall, Grazzi et al have laid the groundwork for a fully powered, randomized version of their study.

—Alice R. Pressman, PhD
Director of Analytics and Evaluation
Sutter Health
Walnut Creek, California

During the past 20 years, mindfulness-based training has become an increasingly popular treatment for many conditions, including migraine. In the February online issue of the Journal of Headache and Pain, Dr. Grazzi addresses medication overuse chronic migraine (CM-MO) and provides initial evidence for the consideration of mindfulness training to help reduce headache symptoms.

However, the reader should take seriously the authors’ caution that “although our findings are encouraging and suggestive of the independent value of mindfulness for headache care, certain design limitations preclude us [from] making unequivocal claims.”

Since the goal of a noninferiority trial is to assess whether a new therapy is at least as beneficial as standard treatment, extra caution is necessary when interpreting findings from an underpowered feasibility study. In general, a useful approach to noninferiority is to determine whether the confidence intervals include effect sizes that one might consider clinically meaningful. Instead of focusing on whether the mindfulness-based training group performed the same as the comparison group, we should accept the valuable information that is presented. The take away message from this pilot study is threefold. Mindfulness-based training is potentially acceptable to patients with CM-MO. Patients with CM-MO might be amenable to participating in a fully powered randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based training. Finally, it is possible that mindfulness-based training may show improvement similar in magnitude to pharmaceuticals. Overall, Grazzi et al have laid the groundwork for a fully powered, randomized version of their study.

—Alice R. Pressman, PhD
Director of Analytics and Evaluation
Sutter Health
Walnut Creek, California

CHICAGO – Hypogonadism may compromise the long-term health outlook for many younger men who have been successfully treated for testicular cancer, according to an analysis conducted by the Platinum Study Group.

“Today, 95% of all testicular cancer patients are cured of their disease thanks to cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Nowadays, testicular cancer survivors can expect to live for over 40 years from the time of their diagnosis,” lead investigator Mohammad Issam Abu Zaid, MBBS, said in a press briefing at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “However, they are at risk of other health problems that may be related to their cancer treatment, including late complications from chemotherapy.”

Susan London/Frontline Medical News

Susan London/Frontline Medical News

Expert perspective

“This is an important study, and it sends a loud message to those of us who take care of testis cancer patients, my area of expertise. ... We need to watch for hypogonadism, and we need to ask survivors about it. We need to examine them thinking about it, and, in patients who we are worried [they] might have hypogonadism, we need to do blood tests for testosterone and other hormone levels,” commented ASCO Expert Timothy D. Gilligan, MD, MSc, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “These are young patients, they have many years of life, so it’s many decades of suffering from consequences of this if it’s undetected.”

The findings were not surprising based on his personal experience and on evidence from the prostate cancer field showing the adverse metabolic effects of withdrawing testosterone, he said. Although the prevalence of hypogonadism found in the study was higher than that found in other studies, given the large size of the cohort, it should be taken seriously. Additionally, even if the true prevalence is somewhat lower, the absolute number of survivors affected would be substantial.

“We need to be cautious though and make sure people don’t misunderstand and think that this means we should test testosterone levels in all patients, which is a risky thing to do because the definition of normal testosterone is very fuzzy,” Dr. Gilligan stressed. “There is a wide range of normal, and what’s normal for me may not be the same as what’s normal for another man. So, looking for symptoms is really what guides this work, and, when there are symptoms, then testing is important.”

Study details

The Platinum Study is a large, ongoing, multicenter North American–based cohort study of testicular cancer survivors who received cisplatin as part of their chemotherapy.

Dr. Abu Zaid and his colleagues analyzed data from 491 participants who were aged 50 years or younger at diagnosis. All completed questionnaires addressing comorbidities, medications, and health behaviors; underwent physical examination; had measurement of testosterone levels; and had a genetic analysis.

The men were by and large young at the time of evaluation, with a mean age of just 38 years, he reported in the press briefing and a poster session at the meeting.

Overall, 38.5% had hypogonadism, defined in the study as a serum testosterone level of 3 ng/mL or lower or as use of testosterone replacement therapy.

In a multivariate analysis, survivors’ odds of hypogonadism increased with age (odds ratio, 1.41 per 10-year increment; P = .007) and were higher for those having a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or greater, vs. lower (OR, 2.22; P = .003). On the other hand, there was a trend whereby survivors who engaged in any vigorous-intensity physical activity, vs. none, were less likely to have hypogonadism (OR, 0.64; P = .06).

The odds rose with number of risk alleles in the sex hormone–binding globulin gene, but findings were not significant, Dr. Abu Zaid said. They were also statistically indistinguishable across groups differing with respect to the chemotherapy regimen received and socioeconomic factors.

Compared with counterparts having normal testosterone levels, survivors having hypogonadism were up to four times more likely to be taking medication to treat dyslipidemia (20.1% vs. 6.0%; P less than .001), hypertension (18.5% vs. 10.6%; P = .013), erectile dysfunction (19.6% vs. 11.9%; P = .018), diabetes (5.8% vs. 2.6%; P = .067), and anxiety or depression (14.8% vs. 9.3%; P = .060).

Testicular cancer survivors should not universally have testosterone testing, agreed Dr. Abu Zaid. Such a practice might lead to overtreatment, and, in older men at least, use of testosterone itself has been linked to elevated cardiovascular risk.

“You really want to treat somebody who has symptoms related to hypogonadism: constant fatigue, night sweats, and depressed mood and some other symptoms that are well known to the clinician,” he maintained. “At the moment, we have no studies done looking at testosterone replacement in young men. I would hypothesize that we actually help them by giving them testosterone, and that’s what I tell my patients.”

CHICAGO – Hypogonadism may compromise the long-term health outlook for many younger men who have been successfully treated for testicular cancer, according to an analysis conducted by the Platinum Study Group.

“Today, 95% of all testicular cancer patients are cured of their disease thanks to cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Nowadays, testicular cancer survivors can expect to live for over 40 years from the time of their diagnosis,” lead investigator Mohammad Issam Abu Zaid, MBBS, said in a press briefing at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “However, they are at risk of other health problems that may be related to their cancer treatment, including late complications from chemotherapy.”

Susan London/Frontline Medical News

Susan London/Frontline Medical News

Expert perspective

“This is an important study, and it sends a loud message to those of us who take care of testis cancer patients, my area of expertise. ... We need to watch for hypogonadism, and we need to ask survivors about it. We need to examine them thinking about it, and, in patients who we are worried [they] might have hypogonadism, we need to do blood tests for testosterone and other hormone levels,” commented ASCO Expert Timothy D. Gilligan, MD, MSc, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “These are young patients, they have many years of life, so it’s many decades of suffering from consequences of this if it’s undetected.”

The findings were not surprising based on his personal experience and on evidence from the prostate cancer field showing the adverse metabolic effects of withdrawing testosterone, he said. Although the prevalence of hypogonadism found in the study was higher than that found in other studies, given the large size of the cohort, it should be taken seriously. Additionally, even if the true prevalence is somewhat lower, the absolute number of survivors affected would be substantial.

“We need to be cautious though and make sure people don’t misunderstand and think that this means we should test testosterone levels in all patients, which is a risky thing to do because the definition of normal testosterone is very fuzzy,” Dr. Gilligan stressed. “There is a wide range of normal, and what’s normal for me may not be the same as what’s normal for another man. So, looking for symptoms is really what guides this work, and, when there are symptoms, then testing is important.”

Study details

The Platinum Study is a large, ongoing, multicenter North American–based cohort study of testicular cancer survivors who received cisplatin as part of their chemotherapy.

Dr. Abu Zaid and his colleagues analyzed data from 491 participants who were aged 50 years or younger at diagnosis. All completed questionnaires addressing comorbidities, medications, and health behaviors; underwent physical examination; had measurement of testosterone levels; and had a genetic analysis.

The men were by and large young at the time of evaluation, with a mean age of just 38 years, he reported in the press briefing and a poster session at the meeting.

Overall, 38.5% had hypogonadism, defined in the study as a serum testosterone level of 3 ng/mL or lower or as use of testosterone replacement therapy.

In a multivariate analysis, survivors’ odds of hypogonadism increased with age (odds ratio, 1.41 per 10-year increment; P = .007) and were higher for those having a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or greater, vs. lower (OR, 2.22; P = .003). On the other hand, there was a trend whereby survivors who engaged in any vigorous-intensity physical activity, vs. none, were less likely to have hypogonadism (OR, 0.64; P = .06).

The odds rose with number of risk alleles in the sex hormone–binding globulin gene, but findings were not significant, Dr. Abu Zaid said. They were also statistically indistinguishable across groups differing with respect to the chemotherapy regimen received and socioeconomic factors.

Compared with counterparts having normal testosterone levels, survivors having hypogonadism were up to four times more likely to be taking medication to treat dyslipidemia (20.1% vs. 6.0%; P less than .001), hypertension (18.5% vs. 10.6%; P = .013), erectile dysfunction (19.6% vs. 11.9%; P = .018), diabetes (5.8% vs. 2.6%; P = .067), and anxiety or depression (14.8% vs. 9.3%; P = .060).

Testicular cancer survivors should not universally have testosterone testing, agreed Dr. Abu Zaid. Such a practice might lead to overtreatment, and, in older men at least, use of testosterone itself has been linked to elevated cardiovascular risk.

“You really want to treat somebody who has symptoms related to hypogonadism: constant fatigue, night sweats, and depressed mood and some other symptoms that are well known to the clinician,” he maintained. “At the moment, we have no studies done looking at testosterone replacement in young men. I would hypothesize that we actually help them by giving them testosterone, and that’s what I tell my patients.”

CHICAGO – Hypogonadism may compromise the long-term health outlook for many younger men who have been successfully treated for testicular cancer, according to an analysis conducted by the Platinum Study Group.

“Today, 95% of all testicular cancer patients are cured of their disease thanks to cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Nowadays, testicular cancer survivors can expect to live for over 40 years from the time of their diagnosis,” lead investigator Mohammad Issam Abu Zaid, MBBS, said in a press briefing at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “However, they are at risk of other health problems that may be related to their cancer treatment, including late complications from chemotherapy.”

Susan London/Frontline Medical News

Susan London/Frontline Medical News

Expert perspective

“This is an important study, and it sends a loud message to those of us who take care of testis cancer patients, my area of expertise. ... We need to watch for hypogonadism, and we need to ask survivors about it. We need to examine them thinking about it, and, in patients who we are worried [they] might have hypogonadism, we need to do blood tests for testosterone and other hormone levels,” commented ASCO Expert Timothy D. Gilligan, MD, MSc, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “These are young patients, they have many years of life, so it’s many decades of suffering from consequences of this if it’s undetected.”

The findings were not surprising based on his personal experience and on evidence from the prostate cancer field showing the adverse metabolic effects of withdrawing testosterone, he said. Although the prevalence of hypogonadism found in the study was higher than that found in other studies, given the large size of the cohort, it should be taken seriously. Additionally, even if the true prevalence is somewhat lower, the absolute number of survivors affected would be substantial.

“We need to be cautious though and make sure people don’t misunderstand and think that this means we should test testosterone levels in all patients, which is a risky thing to do because the definition of normal testosterone is very fuzzy,” Dr. Gilligan stressed. “There is a wide range of normal, and what’s normal for me may not be the same as what’s normal for another man. So, looking for symptoms is really what guides this work, and, when there are symptoms, then testing is important.”

Study details

The Platinum Study is a large, ongoing, multicenter North American–based cohort study of testicular cancer survivors who received cisplatin as part of their chemotherapy.

Dr. Abu Zaid and his colleagues analyzed data from 491 participants who were aged 50 years or younger at diagnosis. All completed questionnaires addressing comorbidities, medications, and health behaviors; underwent physical examination; had measurement of testosterone levels; and had a genetic analysis.

The men were by and large young at the time of evaluation, with a mean age of just 38 years, he reported in the press briefing and a poster session at the meeting.

Overall, 38.5% had hypogonadism, defined in the study as a serum testosterone level of 3 ng/mL or lower or as use of testosterone replacement therapy.

In a multivariate analysis, survivors’ odds of hypogonadism increased with age (odds ratio, 1.41 per 10-year increment; P = .007) and were higher for those having a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or greater, vs. lower (OR, 2.22; P = .003). On the other hand, there was a trend whereby survivors who engaged in any vigorous-intensity physical activity, vs. none, were less likely to have hypogonadism (OR, 0.64; P = .06).

The odds rose with number of risk alleles in the sex hormone–binding globulin gene, but findings were not significant, Dr. Abu Zaid said. They were also statistically indistinguishable across groups differing with respect to the chemotherapy regimen received and socioeconomic factors.

Compared with counterparts having normal testosterone levels, survivors having hypogonadism were up to four times more likely to be taking medication to treat dyslipidemia (20.1% vs. 6.0%; P less than .001), hypertension (18.5% vs. 10.6%; P = .013), erectile dysfunction (19.6% vs. 11.9%; P = .018), diabetes (5.8% vs. 2.6%; P = .067), and anxiety or depression (14.8% vs. 9.3%; P = .060).

Testicular cancer survivors should not universally have testosterone testing, agreed Dr. Abu Zaid. Such a practice might lead to overtreatment, and, in older men at least, use of testosterone itself has been linked to elevated cardiovascular risk.

“You really want to treat somebody who has symptoms related to hypogonadism: constant fatigue, night sweats, and depressed mood and some other symptoms that are well known to the clinician,” he maintained. “At the moment, we have no studies done looking at testosterone replacement in young men. I would hypothesize that we actually help them by giving them testosterone, and that’s what I tell my patients.”

SAN DIEGO – In a follow-up to the blockbuster trial results linking the type 2 diabetes drug empagliflozin (Jardiance) to a dramatically lower risk of cardiac death, researchers report that the drug improved weight-related measures in multiple groups.

Two daily doses of empagliflozin, 10 mg and 25 mg, “had consistent and robust effects on lowering weight, waist circumference, and other markers of body fat across most patients regardless of their age, sex, or degree of abdominal obesity,” study lead author Ian J. Neeland, MD, of the department of medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, said in an interview. “Our next step is to determine if these effects may contribute to the improvement in cardiovascular risk seen with the drug.”

cenews@frontlinemedcom.com

SAN DIEGO – In a follow-up to the blockbuster trial results linking the type 2 diabetes drug empagliflozin (Jardiance) to a dramatically lower risk of cardiac death, researchers report that the drug improved weight-related measures in multiple groups.

Two daily doses of empagliflozin, 10 mg and 25 mg, “had consistent and robust effects on lowering weight, waist circumference, and other markers of body fat across most patients regardless of their age, sex, or degree of abdominal obesity,” study lead author Ian J. Neeland, MD, of the department of medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, said in an interview. “Our next step is to determine if these effects may contribute to the improvement in cardiovascular risk seen with the drug.”

cenews@frontlinemedcom.com

SAN DIEGO – In a follow-up to the blockbuster trial results linking the type 2 diabetes drug empagliflozin (Jardiance) to a dramatically lower risk of cardiac death, researchers report that the drug improved weight-related measures in multiple groups.

Two daily doses of empagliflozin, 10 mg and 25 mg, “had consistent and robust effects on lowering weight, waist circumference, and other markers of body fat across most patients regardless of their age, sex, or degree of abdominal obesity,” study lead author Ian J. Neeland, MD, of the department of medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, said in an interview. “Our next step is to determine if these effects may contribute to the improvement in cardiovascular risk seen with the drug.”

cenews@frontlinemedcom.com