American SurgeonPub Date : 2026-10-01Epub Date: 2026-06-30DOI: 10.1177/00031348261466124
Don K Nakayama
{"title":"Building the Conversation: Editorial Stewardship in Contemporary Surgical Publishing.","authors":"Don K Nakayama","doi":"10.1177/00031348261466124","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00031348261466124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Academic publishing in surgery has undergone profound change during the past several decades. Expansion of medical schools, residency programs, international academic centers, and digital publishing platforms has produced unprecedented growth in manuscript submissions and intensified competition for professional attention. Journals are judged both by readership, as measured by article downloads, and by scientific influence, as reflected in scholarly citation. At <i>The American Surgeon</i>, these changes prompted development of editorial frameworks designed to identify contributions most likely to matter to practicing surgeons and subsequent investigators. Many manuscripts contained observations whose significance was underrecognized by their authors. This observation led to the Hidden Publishable Idea (HPI), a framework for identifying contributions most useful to readers. Once identified, the HPI often revealed methodological limitations that imposed an evidentiary ceiling, preventing definitive conclusions while suggesting new hypotheses for future investigation. Analysis of downloads and citations suggested that readership and scholarly adoption are related but distinct outcomes. This observation led to development of the CitDL matrix, a two-by-two framework based on high and low download and citation performance. The editorial objective was not simply manuscript acceptance, but identification and development of contributions that could move manuscripts toward greater readership, greater scholarly engagement, or both. These concepts represent adaptive responses to the contemporary challenge of helping useful ideas find their audience and contribute to the advancement of surgical practice and science.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"2768-2772"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148358732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
American SurgeonPub Date : 2026-10-01Epub Date: 2026-05-24DOI: 10.1177/00031348261455078
Bernardo Fontel Pompeu, Beatriz D'Andrea Pigossi, Luís Eduardo Braz de Moraes Alves, Gabriel Leal Barone, Lucas Monteiro Delgado, Lucas Soares de Souza Pinto Guedes, Claudia Theis, Sergio Mazzola Poli de Figueiredo, Fernanda Bellotti Formiga
{"title":"Outcomes of Response-Based Watch-and-Wait and Surgical Management After Total Neoadjuvant Therapy for Rectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.","authors":"Bernardo Fontel Pompeu, Beatriz D'Andrea Pigossi, Luís Eduardo Braz de Moraes Alves, Gabriel Leal Barone, Lucas Monteiro Delgado, Lucas Soares de Souza Pinto Guedes, Claudia Theis, Sergio Mazzola Poli de Figueiredo, Fernanda Bellotti Formiga","doi":"10.1177/00031348261455078","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00031348261455078","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BackgroundTotal neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) increases clinical complete response rates in locally advanced rectal cancer (RC), allowing response-based management strategies such as watch-and-wait (WW) as an alternative to total mesorectal excision (TME). Outcomes associated with WW after TNT remain incompletely defined. This study aimed to compare oncologic and organ-preservation outcomes between WW and surgical management following TNT.MethodsA systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Central up to April 2025. Observational studies comparing WW and TME following TNT were included. Pooled odds ratios (ORs), hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed with I<sup>2</sup> statistics. Secondary outcomes included tumor regrowth, salvage surgery, and permanent stoma. Risk of bias was evaluated using ROBINS-I.ResultsSix studies comprising 793 patients were analyzed. WW showed no significant difference compared with TME regarding local recurrence (OR 1.36, 95% CI 0.07-26.17; I<sup>2</sup> = 80%), distant metastases (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.29-1.33; I<sup>2</sup> = 49%), 5-year disease-free survival (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.71-1.31; I<sup>2</sup> = 51.7%), or overall survival (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.81-1.30; I<sup>2</sup> = 27.9%). Permanent stoma rates were lower with WW (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.01-1.23; I<sup>2</sup> = 71%), becoming significant after sensitivity analysis (OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.01-0.19).ConclusionWW after TNT offers oncologic outcomes comparable to TME, with high organ preservation and reduced surgical morbidity in highly selected patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"2576-2588"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148013109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
American SurgeonPub Date : 2026-10-01DOI: 10.1177/00031348261494195
Min Ming, Zhiyong Zhang, Jianyu Song, Hua Wang
{"title":"The Price of Less Surgery: Completion Thyroidectomy After Lobectomy for Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.","authors":"Min Ming, Zhiyong Zhang, Jianyu Song, Hua Wang","doi":"10.1177/00031348261494195","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00031348261494195","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BackgroundOptimal surgical extent for cT1-2N0 papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains debated.MethodsThis study included 400 consecutive low-risk cT1-2N0 PTC patients (tumor ≤4 cm, clinically node-negative) who underwent initial total thyroidectomy (TT, n = 250) or lobectomy (LT, n = 150) between 2020 and 2024. The primary descriptive outcome was completion thyroidectomy rate in the LT group; the primary oncologic outcome was recurrence-free survival (RFS). Multivariable regression and propensity score matching identified predictors and adjusted comparisons.ResultsTT was associated with longer operative time, hospital stay, and drainage volume (all <i>P</i> < 0.001). Temporary and permanent hypoparathyroidism were significantly higher after TT (25.2% vs 3.3%; 6.0% vs 0.7%, both <i>P</i> < 0.01), with TT as independent risk factor. At median 36.2 months, RFS favored TT (adjusted HR = 0.37, <i>P</i> = 0.012); however, given only 21 recurrence events, this finding is exploratory. Among LT patients, 34.7% (52/150) ultimately required completion thyroidectomy due to pathologic upgrade. Independent predictors were tumor size (OR = 3.19/cm), multifocality (OR = 4.81), and positive lymph node count (OR = 2.61/node) (all <i>P</i> < 0.01). While tumor size is preoperatively assessable, multifocality and nodal burden are predominantly postoperative findings guiding risk stratification.ConclusionsThe oncologic safety of lobectomy for low-risk PTC is well-established. The key tradeoff is clear: lobectomy markedly reduces permanent hypoparathyroidism (0.7% vs 6.0%) but carries a one-in-three reoperation risk, predicted by tumor size, multifocality, and nodal burden. Although TT showed an exploratory RFS benefit, this finding requires confirmation. These tradeoffs must be explicitly discussed during preoperative counseling to enable informed, preference-sensitive decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"31348261494195"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
American SurgeonPub Date : 2026-10-01DOI: 10.1177/00031348261493539
Bryan Cao, Steven Chen, Franklin Sun, Michelle Lippincott, Sandra Farach
{"title":"Systemic Injury Burden, Not Pneumothorax Size, Predicts Prolonged Chest Tube Duration in Traumatic Pneumothorax: A Retrospective Analysis at a Level 1 Trauma Center.","authors":"Bryan Cao, Steven Chen, Franklin Sun, Michelle Lippincott, Sandra Farach","doi":"10.1177/00031348261493539","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00031348261493539","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prolonged chest tube (CT) duration in traumatic pneumothorax (PTX) is associated with increased complications and greater patient discomfort. This retrospective study characterized clinical and procedural factors associated with prolonged CT duration (>48 hours) in adult patients presenting at a level I trauma center undergoing tube thoracostomy for traumatic PTX between January 2020 and June 2023. Among 203 patients (mean age 46 years; 75% male; 86.7% blunt trauma), the mean CT duration was 77.6 hours. There was no significant difference in initial PTX size between patients who had a normal CT duration and patients who had prolonged CT duration. Prolonged CT duration occurred more frequently with open CT, bilateral CT, ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, supplemental oxygen on arrival, and longer hospital stay. Chest tube duration correlated significantly with higher injury severity score (ISS), higher chest AIS, larger tube size, lower presenting blood pressure, and higher heart rate. These findings suggest that systemic injury burden, rather than PTX characteristics like size, identifies patients likely to require prolonged CT duration.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"31348261493539"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
American SurgeonPub Date : 2026-10-01Epub Date: 2026-04-09DOI: 10.1177/00031348261441678
Andrew C Kuo, Rachel L Wolansky, Lorenzo Hiraldo, Joseph Sujka, Paul C Kuo
{"title":"Web Scraping Techniques for Surgical Research: A Technical Tutorial With a Worked Example in Publication Data Mining.","authors":"Andrew C Kuo, Rachel L Wolansky, Lorenzo Hiraldo, Joseph Sujka, Paul C Kuo","doi":"10.1177/00031348261441678","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00031348261441678","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BackgroundWeb scraping-the automated extraction of data from websites-has become an essential technique for researchers seeking to collect large-scale data that would be impractical to gather manually. Surgeon-scientists increasingly encounter publicly available web data relevant to outcomes research, health services analysis, workforce studies, and policy work, yet technical guidance on implementing web scrapers remains limited in the surgical literature.MethodsThis tutorial provides a clinician-oriented technical guide to web scraping for surgical research. We present key concepts including static vs dynamic websites, CSS selectors, browser automation, rate limiting, and ethical considerations. A complete worked example demonstrates the full pipeline by scraping a surgical research group's publication page (https://www.onetomapanalytics.com) to build a structured bibliometric database.ResultsThe worked example successfully extracts structured publication data-including titles, author lists, abstracts, keywords, and PubMed links-from a JavaScript-rendered website, producing an analysis-ready data set. We demonstrate how this pipeline generalizes to other surgical research applications including hospital price transparency data, residency program characteristics, and quality metrics.ConclusionsWeb scraping is a powerful tool for surgeon-scientists when implemented with technical rigor and ethical responsibility. By anchoring the tutorial to a concrete surgical use case and providing a reusable code template, we equip surgical researchers with the foundational knowledge to design, implement, and adapt web scrapers for their own data collection projects.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"2508-2514"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147643751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
American SurgeonPub Date : 2026-10-01Epub Date: 2026-05-28DOI: 10.1177/00031348261455084
Stephanie I Paz, Seth Rabinowitz, Douglas J Turner, Yinin Hu
{"title":"Predictive Value of Intraoperative Parathyroid Hormone Levels via Central vs Peripheral Sampling.","authors":"Stephanie I Paz, Seth Rabinowitz, Douglas J Turner, Yinin Hu","doi":"10.1177/00031348261455084","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00031348261455084","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (ioPTH) predicts adequate resection during parathyroidectomy and can be sampled peripherally or via the internal jugular vein (IJ). Several criteria for ioPTH monitoring exist. This study compared the Miami and Rome criteria as well as IJ and peripheral sampling. This retrospective cohort study comprised parathyroidectomy patients from 2023 to 2025. We included 201 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, of which 139 underwent IJ sampling and 62 underwent peripheral sampling. At 6 months, 186 (92.5%) patients were normocalcemic (131 in IJ subgroup vs 55 in peripheral subgroup). The proportions of cases meeting the criteria were 85.6% for Miami and 92.8% for Rome in the IJ subgroup, and 83.9% for Miami and 91.9% for Rome in the peripheral subgroup. Specificity was moderately higher in the IJ subgroup for Miami criterion (45.8% IJ vs 32.7% peripheral). While both sampling sites performed similarly across the criteria, Rome criteria exhibited superior diagnostic properties.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"2606-2608"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148040597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
American SurgeonPub Date : 2026-10-01Epub Date: 2026-06-26DOI: 10.1177/00031348261465399
Alex Tran, Sowsan Rasheid
{"title":"Atypical Presentation of Metastatic Prostate Adenocarcinoma in the Presacral Space: A Case Report of Diagnostic Resection via the Kraske Approach.","authors":"Alex Tran, Sowsan Rasheid","doi":"10.1177/00031348261465399","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00031348261465399","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prostate adenocarcinoma most commonly metastasizes to bone and lymph nodes; isolated soft-tissue presacral metastasis without a known primary is exceedingly rare and poorly characterized. We report a 69-year-old man presenting with hematuria and an incidental 4-cm presacral mass. MRI demonstrated a solid, heterogeneously enhancing lesion within the right mesorectal compartment without intraluminal involvement, most consistent with a primary neurogenic tumor. Serum PSA was not obtained preoperatively, as symptoms were attributed to chronic suprapubic catheter irritation and imaging did not suggest a prostatic origin. Preoperative biopsy was not pursued given the lesion's deep posterior location at the S4 level-proximity to sacral nerve roots precluded safe percutaneous access, and transrectal biopsy is contraindicated. The mass was resected via a posterior transsacral (Kraske) approach for presumed primary presacral neoplasm. Histopathology revealed metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma with positive PSA and prostatic acid phosphatase immunostaining, identifying an occult primary tumor. This case illustrates an atypical diagnostic scenario in which resection was undertaken for a presumed primary lesion; the metastatic diagnosis was an unexpected pathologic finding that would have substantially altered management had it been established preoperatively. This case underscores the importance of including serum PSA in the standard workup of solid presacral masses in older male patients and demonstrates that the Kraske approach can provide adequate exposure for selected posteriorly situated extrarectal masses when diagnosis remains uncertain and resection is clinically indicated.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"2648-2651"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148337427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
American SurgeonPub Date : 2026-09-30DOI: 10.1177/00031348261494201
Jeffrey S Young, Michael Samotowka, Yaroslav Kulachek
{"title":"Combat Casualty Care in the Russo-Ukrainian War: Operational Adaptations for Near-Peer Conflict.","authors":"Jeffrey S Young, Michael Samotowka, Yaroslav Kulachek","doi":"10.1177/00031348261494201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00031348261494201","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BackgroundThe Russo-Ukrainian War provides the clearest contemporary example of how near-peer warfare is reshaping combat casualty care. Persistent unmanned aerial surveillance, contested airspace, precision fires, attacks on health care infrastructure, degraded logistics, and prolonged evacuation challenge assumptions developed during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The resulting changes in prolonged casualty care, decentralized resuscitation, military-civilian integration, telemedicine, and autonomous logistics are best understood as operational adaptations to these battlefield conditions rather than independent innovations.MethodsThis narrative review synthesizes operational observations from Ukraine with military medical doctrine and literature published through July 2026. Particular attention is given to prolonged evacuation, tourniquet utilization, whole-blood resuscitation, thermobaric and drone-related injury, autonomous medical logistics, attacks on health care, and NATO planning for large-scale combat operations.ResultsContested evacuation emerged as the organizing problem across the casualty-care continuum. Ukraine adapted by distributing resuscitative and surgical capability, integrating civilian hospitals, expanding prolonged casualty care and forward blood support, using telemedicine and digital coordination, hardening or relocating treatment sites, and employing uncrewed systems for resupply and casualty movement.ConclusionsUkraine demonstrates that future combat casualty care doctrine must be designed around delayed movement, persistent surveillance, degraded infrastructure, and mass-casualty demand. These lessons should inform NATO medical planning, trauma-system resilience, and preparation for future large-scale combat operations.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"31348261494201"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149079317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
American SurgeonPub Date : 2026-09-30DOI: 10.1177/00031348261480801
Sarmad Mohammed Salih, Garnett Vanterpool, Ahmed Allawi
{"title":"Single-Port Robotic Ileostomy Reversal Through the Stoma Site With Ileotransverse Anastomosis: A Technical Video.","authors":"Sarmad Mohammed Salih, Garnett Vanterpool, Ahmed Allawi","doi":"10.1177/00031348261480801","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00031348261480801","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This video demonstrates the use of the single-port (SP) robotic system for ileostomy takedown through the existing stoma site in an 82-year-old female with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and type 2 diabetes. Four months earlier, she underwent exploratory laparotomy, right hemicolectomy, and ileostomy for bowel ischemia. After an uneventful recovery, she was scheduled for ileostomy reversal using the SP robotic platform. The video demonstrates platform setup with execution of the single-port access port. The key procedural shows the benefits of the SP approach, including reduced invasiveness and enhanced recovery. The patient was discharged on postoperative day one and recovered smoothly. This video is intended to illustrate the applicability of SP robotic platform to ileostomy reversal through the stoma site, with attention to technical strategy, instrument limitations, and operative decision-making relevant surgeons adopting this approach.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"31348261480801"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
American SurgeonPub Date : 2026-09-30DOI: 10.1177/00031348261493526
Araceli Cuaranta, Michael Abdelmasseh, Arslan Iqbal, Errington Thompson, Robert Finley, Barbara Payne, Alexei Gorka, Jonathan Willis, Vineela Kadiyala, Juan Sanabria
{"title":"Acute Appendicitis in the Elderly: Evaluating Value Across the Appendicitis Care Episode and Risk of Malignancy.","authors":"Araceli Cuaranta, Michael Abdelmasseh, Arslan Iqbal, Errington Thompson, Robert Finley, Barbara Payne, Alexei Gorka, Jonathan Willis, Vineela Kadiyala, Juan Sanabria","doi":"10.1177/00031348261493526","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00031348261493526","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>IntroductionMore than 250,000 appendectomies are performed annually in the US, with perforated appendicitis associated with increased morbidity and resource utilization. This study evaluates value across the appendicitis care episode within a health network, focusing on the impact of patient factors and disease severity on treatment strategies, outcomes, and cost.MethodsAdult patients were identified from the Health Network System data warehouse, with pathology reports reviewed for confirmation. Quality metrics included postoperative complications (PCs), length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmission (RA), and textbook outcome (TB). Cost was assessed using total charges (TCs) for the index admission. Perforated appendicitis was managed with percutaneous drainage and intravenous antibiotics, followed by interval appendectomy when appropriate. Uni- and multivariable analyses were performed.ResultsAmong 1637 appendectomies, 95% were performed using minimally invasive techniques (3% conversion, 2% open). Most patients were <50 years (75%; mean age 30.5 ± 9.1), while 25% were ≥50 years (mean age 61.0 ± 8.7), with higher comorbidity burden and smoking prevalence (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Outcomes compared favorably with national benchmarks, demonstrating lower PC, LOS, and RA. In perforated appendicitis, staged management showed a trend toward higher value compared with observation alone. Patients ≥50 years had higher rates of malignancy (3.9% vs 1.7%) and perforation (20.7% vs 7.1%; <i>P</i> < 0.05). Both age and perforation independently predicted malignancy.ConclusionsHigh-value appendicitis care is driven by risk stratification and appropriate treatment selection. Older age and perforation identify patients at increased risk for adverse outcomes and malignancy, supporting tailored, pathway-based management strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7782,"journal":{"name":"American Surgeon","volume":" ","pages":"31348261493526"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149079214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}