The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in blunt thoracic trauma: A study of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization database.

Background: Reports documenting the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) after blunt thoracic trauma are scarce. We used a large, multicenter database to examine outcomes when ECMO was used in treating patients with blunt thoracic trauma.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of ECMO patients in the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization database between 1998 and 2014.

Achalasia in Pregnancy: Botulinum Toxin A Injection of Lower Esophageal Sphincter.

Background. Achalasia, a rare esophageal motility disorder that may cause malnutrition during pregnancy, can result in fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Many medical treatment regimens are contraindicated or not tolerated during pregnancy, and surgery is generally avoided due to potential risks to the fetus.

Saccadic eye movement metrics reflect surgical residents' fatigue.

Objective: Little is known about the effects of surgical residents' fatigue on patient safety. We monitored surgical residents' fatigue levels during their call day using (1) eye movement metrics, (2) objective measures of laparoscopic surgical performance, and (3) subjective reports based on standardized questionnaires.

Background: Prior attempts to investigate the effects of fatigue on surgical performance have suffered from methodological limitations, including inconsistent definitions and lack of objective measures of fatigue, and nonstandardized measures of surgical performance.