Functional quality of life among newly diagnosed young adult colorectal cancer survivors compared to older adults: results from the ColoCare Study.

Purpose: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality are increasing among young adults (YAs) aged 18-39. This study compared quality of life (QOL) between YA and older adult CRC survivors in the ColoCare Study.

Methods: Participants were grouped by age (years) as follows: 18-39 (YA), 40-49, 50-64, and 65 + .

Naloxone co-prescriptions for surgery patients prescribed opioids: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Surgeon-prescribed opioids contribute to 11% of prescription drug overdoses in the United States (US). With prescription opioids involved in 24% of all opioid-related overdose deaths in 2020, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends naloxone co-prescribing to patients at high-risk of overdose and death as a harm reduction strategy. We sought to 1) examine naloxone co-prescribing rates to surgical patients (using common post-surgical prescribing amounts) and those with potential risk factors for opioid-related overdoses or adverse events, and 2) identify the factors associated with patients receiving naloxone co-prescriptions.

Evaluating a health system-wide opioid disposal intervention distributing home-disposal bags.

Objective: To evaluate a health system-wide intervention distributing free home-disposal bags to surgery patients prescribed opioids.

Data Sources And Study Setting: We collected patient surveys and electronic medical record data at an academic health system.

Study Design: We conducted a prospective observational study.

Diverticulitis Familiality: A Statewide Case-Control Study.

Background: The etiology of diverticulitis is multifactorial and poorly understood. We estimated the familiality of diverticulitis using the Utah Population Database, a statewide database linking medical records with genealogy data.

Study Design: We identified patients with diverticulitis diagnosed between 1998 and 2018 and age- and sex-matched controls in the Utah Population Database.

Improving pain management and safe opioid use after surgery: A DMAIC-based quality intervention.

Background: Multimodal perioperative patient education and expectation-setting can reduce post-operative opioid use while maintaining pain control and satisfaction. As part of a quality-improvement project, we developed a standardized model for perioperative education built upon the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Safe and Effective Pain Control After Surgery (SEPCAS) brochure to improve perioperative education regarding opioid use and pain control.

Material And Methods: Our study was designed within the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) quality-improvement framework.

Associations of combined physical activity and body mass index groups with colorectal cancer survival outcomes.

Background: Physical activity and BMI have been individually associated with cancer survivorship but have not yet been studied in combinations in colorectal cancer patients. Here, we investigate individual and combined associations of physical activity and BMI groups with colorectal cancer survival outcomes.

Methods: Self-reported physical activity levels (MET hrs/wk) were assessed using an adapted version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) at baseline in 931 patients with stage I-III colorectal cancer and classified into 'highly active' and'not-highly active'(≥ / < 18 MET hrs/wk).

Surgical Trainee Perspectives on the Opioid Crisis: The Influence of Explicit and Hidden Curricula.

Objective: In order to effectively create and implement an educational program to improve opioid prescribing practices, it is important to first consider the unique perspectives of residents on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic. We sought to better understand resident perspectives on opioid prescribing, current practices in pain management, and opioid education as a needs assessment for designing future educational interventions.

Design: This is a qualitative study using focus groups of surgical residents at 4 different institutions.

Patient Willingness to Dispose of Leftover Opioids After Surgery: A Mixed Methods Study.

Unlabelled: We examined how convenience and financial incentives influence patient willingness to dispose of leftover prescription opioids after surgery. We also identified additional barriers and facilitators to disposal.

Background: In the United States, up to 70% of surgical patients are prescribed opioids and up to 92% will have leftover tablets.

Patient Perceptions of Decision-making and Quality-of-life Following Surgical Resection of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Mixed-methods Study.

Unlabelled: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a highly lethal disease, with surgery, the only opportunity for cure, accompanied by high rates of morbidity. Understanding patients' lived experiences after surgical resection of PDAC is critical to knowing whether the decision to undergo surgery was worth it for these patients.

Methods: We performed a convergent, mixed-methods study with patients who underwent resection of PDAC between January 1, 2019, and January 8, 2020.

Differences in the gut microbiome by physical activity and BMI among colorectal cancer patients.

Associations of energy balance components, including physical activity and obesity, with colorectal cancer risk and mortality are well established. However, the gut microbiome has not been investigated as underlying mechanism. We investigated associations of physical activity, BMI, and combinations of physical activity/BMI with gut microbiome diversity and differential abundances among colorectal cancer patients.

The Influence of Rural Healthcare Systems and Communities on Surgery and Recovery: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Successful recovery after surgery is complex and highly individual. Rural patients encounter greater barriers to successful surgical recovery than urban patients due to varying healthcare and community factors. Although studies have previously examined the recovery process, rural patients' experiences with recovery have not been well-studied.

Associations of Individual and Combined Physical Activity and Body Mass Index Groups with Proinflammatory Biomarkers among Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Background: Physical activity and obesity are well-established factors of colorectal cancer risk and prognosis. Here, we investigate associations of individual and combined physical activity and body mass index (BMI) groups with proinflammatory biomarkers in colorectal cancer patients.

Methods: Self-reported physical activity levels were classified as "active" (≥8.

Who doesn't fit? A multi-institutional study using machine learning to uncover the limits of opioid prescribing guidelines.

Background: Many U.S. institutions have adopted postsurgical opioid-prescribing guidelines to standardize prescribing practices, and yet there is inherent variability in patients' opioid consumption after surgery.

Postoperative opioid prescribing, use and pain trends following general surgery procedures: a retrospective cohort study among veterans comparing non-opioid versus chronic opioid users.

Introduction: Understanding postoperative opioid use patterns among different populations is key to developing opioid stewardship programs.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study on opioid prescribing, use, and pain after general surgery procedures for patients cared for by a transitional pain service at a veterans administration hospital. Discharge opioid prescription quantity, 90-day opioid prescription, and patient reported outcome pain measures were compared between chronic opioid users and non-opioid users (NOU).

Socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with greater mortality after high-risk emergency general surgery.

Background: Socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with worse outcomes after elective surgery, but the effect on emergency general surgery (EGS) remains unclear. We examined the association of socioeconomic disadvantage and outcomes after EGS procedures and investigated whether admission to hospitals with comprehensive clinical and social resources mitigated this effect.

Methods: Adults undergoing 1 of the 10 most burdensome high- and low-risk EGS procedures were identified in six 2014 State Inpatient Databases.

Use of post-discharge opioid consumption patterns as a tool for evaluating opioid prescribing guidelines.

Background: Leftover pills from postoperative opioid prescriptions place patients and members of their communities at risk for opioid misuse. We aimed to better understand patients' post-discharge opioid consumption patterns to inform new methods of postoperative opioid prescribing.

Methods: We assessed post-discharge opioid consumption of general surgery patients and assessed the adequacy of discharge opioid prescriptions.

Promoting Disposal of Left-Over Opioids After Surgery in Rural Communities: A Qualitative Description Study.

Background: Patients rarely dispose of left-over opioids after surgery. Disposal serves as a primary prevention against misuse, overdose, and diversion. However, current interventions promoting disposal have mixed efficacy.

The Association Between Family History and Diverticulitis Recurrence: A Population-Based Study.

Background: After initial nonoperative management of diverticulitis, individuals with a family history of diverticulitis may have increased risk of recurrent disease.

Objective: This study measured the association between family history and recurrent diverticulitis in a population-based cohort.

Design: This is a retrospective, population-based cohort study.

Expectation-setting and patient education about pain control in the perioperative setting: A qualitative study.

Objective: Interventions aimed at limiting opioid use are widespread. These are most often targeted toward prescribers or health systems. Patients' perspectives are too often absent during the creation of such interventions.

Factors associated with the refusal of surgery and the associated impact on survival in patients with rectal cancer using the National Cancer Database.

Background: Surgical resection is an integral component of the curative-intent treatment for most patients with non-metastatic rectal cancer. However, some patients refuse surgery for a number of reasons. Utilizing the National Cancer Database (NCDB), we investigated the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with patients who were coded as having been offered but refused surgery, and the factors affecting overall survival (OS) in these patients.

Benign Colonic Strictures.

A 46-year-old man with no significant medical or surgical history presented to the emergency department with a 1-week history of worsening constipation, abdominal distension, nausea, and nonbloody, nonbilious emesis. Workup included a CT scan that was notable for a 5.3 × 3.