MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL REPAIR FOR ABDOMINAL WALL HERNIAS IN NONHUMAN PRIMATES, TWO CASES IN WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS ().

A 33-yr-old female Western lowland gorilla () was diagnosed with a congenital umbilical hernia that was reducible and asymptomatic; change in the hernia was noted after parturition and concerns regarding increased risk of bowel incarceration developed. The hernia was successfully repaired with robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. A 5-mon-old male Western lowland gorilla presented with bilateral inguinal hernias that were repaired via elective laparoscopic repair.

Utilizing Simulation to Evaluate Robotic Skill Acquisition and Learning Decay.

Background: We aim to evaluate how new robotic skills are acquired and retained by having participants train and retest using exercises on the robotic platform. We hypothesized that participants with a 3-month break from the robotic platform will have less learning decay and increased retention compared with those with a 6-month break.

Methods: This was a prospective randomized trial in which participants voluntarily enrolled and completed an initial training phase to reach proficiency in 9 robot simulator exercises.

Characteristics and Distribution of Graduate Medical Education Training Sites: Are We Missing Opportunities to Meet U.S. Health Workforce Needs?

Purpose: Shortages of generalist physicians in primary care and surgery have been projected. Residency programs that expose trainees to community-based health clinics and rural settings have a greater likelihood of producing physicians who later practice in these environments. The objective of this study was to characterize the distribution of residency training sites in different settings for three high-need specialties-family medicine, internal medicine, and general surgery.