BACKGROUND: In the treatment of spinal metastases the risks of surgery must be balanced against potential benefits, particularly in light of limited life-expectancy. Patient experiences and preferences regarding decision-making in this context are…
OBJECTIVES: To describe patient-specific characteristics associated with non-operative failure leading to surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients treated for spinal metastases from 2005 to 2017. We deemed…
BACKGROUND CONTEXT: There are several prognostic scores available that intend to inform decision making for patients with spinal metastases. Many of these have not been found to reliably predict survival across the continuum of care. Recently, our…
BACKGROUND: Low hospital volume for emergency general surgery (EGS) procedures is associated with worse patient outcomes within the civilian health care system. The military maintains treatment facilities (MTFs) in remote locations to provide access…
BACKGROUND CONTEXT: The opioid epidemic has increased scrutiny of health-care practices and care episodes, such as surgery, that increase the risk of opioid dependence. The Stopping Opioids after Surgery (SOS) score to predict sustained prescription…