Variations in cardiac surgical expenditures, links between for-profit hospital care and higher mortality for congenital heart surgery, the benefits of spleen preserving distal pancreatectomy, variations in adoption of Watch-and-Wait strategies for colorectal cancer, and non-operative small bowel obstruction treatment are among the topics UCLA Health researchers will cover during the 21st annual Academic Surgical Congress (ASC).
More than 60 abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the event, to be held February 3-6 at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The conference is a joint meeting of The Association for Academic Surgery (AAS) and The Society of University Surgeons (SUS), which have a combined 6,000 members from leading institutions nationwide.
“The breadth of research being presented this year reflects our department’s strong commitment to advancing surgical science and improving patient outcomes,” said Dr. Gerald Lipshutz, vice chair for research, department of surgery, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Our faculty and trainees are addressing some of the most important questions in health care delivery, quality and innovation across multiple surgical disciplines.”
Conference highlights include the following:
Dr. Saad Mallick, visiting research scholar, will present data showing how operating room, ICU, and medical/surgical device costs appear to drive the significant variation seen in cardiac surgical expenditures. The findings will be presented during the Clinical/Outcomes: Cardiothoracic Quickshot Session I on Feb. 3 from 7:30 AM - 9:45 AM Eastern Time in room Sago 4. Dr. Peyman Benharash, professor-in-residence of surgery and bioengineering at the Geffen School, is the study’s senior author.
Kevin Tabibian, a medical student at Boston University School of Medicine and visiting graduate researcher at the Geffen School, will present details on how for-profit hospital care for adults undergoing congenital heart surgery was independently associated with higher mortality, greater postoperative morbidity, and increased 90-day readmission, despite lower per-patient expenditures. The findings will be presented during the Clinical/Outcomes: Cardiothoracic Quickshot Session I on Feb. 3 from 7:30 AM - 9:45 AM Eastern Time in room Sago 4. Dr. Peyman Benharash is the study’s senior author.
Dr. Kyla Wright, a general surgery resident at the Geffen School, will highlight how spleen preserving distal pancreatectomy was associated with more favorable preoperative characters, including younger age, fewer comorbidities, benign pathology, and minimally invasive approach. These findings will be presented during the Clinical/Outcomes: Hepatopancreatobiliary Quickshot Session I on Feb. 3 from 7:30 AM - 9:45 AM Eastern Time in the Palm Event Center M/N. Dr. Mark Girgis, assistant professor-in-residence of surgery at the Geffen School, is the study’s senior author.
Dr. Kera Lea Kwan, a health services research trainee in the UCLA National Clinician Scholars Program, will present evidence that despite growing trust in the Watch-and-Wait (WW) non-surgical treatment option for locally advanced rectal cancer, significant variation in adoption exists across institutions, with challenges related to follow-up and surveillance logistics remaining major barriers to broader use and implementation. The finding will be presented during the Clinical/Outcomes: Colorectal Oral Session on Feb. 4 from 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM Eastern Time in room Sabal D3. Dr. Tara Russell, assistant professor-in-residence of general surgery in the division of colorectal surgery, is the study’s senior author.
Dr. Ami Hayashi, a general surgery resident at the Geffen School, will discuss how cases of small bowel obstruction in patients without prior abdominal surgery (SBO-VA) can be successfully treated nonoperatively, with adhesions being the most frequent cause, suggesting that an initial trial of conservative management is safe and appropriate in many patients with SBO-VA, challenging the long-held belief that all such cases require immediate surgery. The findings will be presented during Clinical/Outcomes: General Surgery and Plastics Oral Session on Feb. 4 from 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM Eastern Time in room Pindo B. Dr. Edward Livingston, health sciences clinical professor of surgery at the Geffen School, is the study’s senior author.
