Surgeon Gender and Early Complications in Elective Surgery: A Systematic Review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To examine the association between surgeon gender and early postoperative complications, including 30-day death and readmission, in elective surgery.

Background: Variations between male and female surgeon practice patterns may be a source of bias and gender inequality in the surgical field, perhaps impacting quality of care. However, there are limited and conflicting studies regarding the association between surgeon gender and postoperative outcomes.

History and background of quality measurement.

Health care quality measurement has become increasingly emphasized, as providers and administrators respond to public and government demands for improved patient care. This article will review the evolution of surgical quality measurement and improvement from its infancy in the 1850s to the vast efforts being undertaken today.

The clinical impact of preoperative percutaneous drainage of abdominopelvic abscesses in patients with Crohn's disease.

Purpose: Although image-guided percutaneous drainage is increasingly being used to treat Crohn's disease-related abdominopelvic abscesses, surgery is seldom avoided. The aim of this study was to compare outcomes following the treatment of intra-abdominal Crohn's abscesses with percutaneous drainage followed by surgery to those after surgery alone.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients treated for Crohn's-related abdominopelvic abscesses at Mount Sinai Medical Center between April 2001 and June 2010.