SAGES

Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons

Design of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Duodenoscopes May Impede Effective Cleaning: FDA Safety Communication

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In light of an outbreak of drug-resistant bacteria at UCLA linked to ERCP duodenoscopes, the Food and Drug Administration has issued a new alert available at: https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm434871.htm

At the forefront of best practices in laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery, SAGES is committed to researching, developing and disseminating the guidelines and training for standards of practice in surgical procedures. SAGES recently issued the following notification: Gastroenterology Societies Discuss Patient Safety in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

In addition, please refer to the SAGES co-endorsed ASGE guideline “Infection Control During GI Endoscopy“

FUSE Surgical Training Program Aims to Reduce OR Fires and Enhance Safety around Operating Room Use of Energy Devices

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  • FUSE_logoSAGES has launched the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy™ (FUSE) program, designed to educate surgeons and affiliated staff about the safe use of surgical energy-based devices in the OR, endoscopy suite and other procedural areas.
  • FUSE meets a crucial need in surgical education as previously, no formal training program has existed that promotes safety when using electrosurgical devices.
  • SAGES formed the FUSE Task Force, with participation by experts from the Association of peri-Operative Registered Nurses (AORN), the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, and the American Urological Association.
  • “Surgical fires occur several hundred times in the United States annually,” said Dr. Daniel B. Jones, chair of the FUSE Task Force. “ and approximately two-thirds of these OR fires involve electrosurgical equipment.”
  • The FUSE training program includes a web-based didactic curriculum that is available free on-line at fundamentals-didactics.com and covers a number of topics including the fundamental principles of electrosurgical devices, practical aspects of commonly used energy devices in various settings, integration of energy systems with other devices, as well as prevention of operating room fires.
  • To register to take the FUSE exam at the ACS Congress, please click here: https://www.fuseprogram.org/testing-information/acs-meeting-2014/. Testing for the FUSE certification exam will also be available at regional FUSE Test Centers, the SAGES Annual Meeting, and specially designated FUSE testing events.
  • img4The FUSE program is directed toward practicing surgeons regardless of specialty, surgical nurses, and other Allied Health personnel who work in the operating room and other procedural areas. Up to 12 CME and Continuing Nursing Education Contact Hours are available for this activity.
  • For more information on the FUSE program, please go to www.fuseprogram.org

 

SAGES Launches GetWellSooner.org / SMART Care Program

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Minimally Invasive Surgery for Colorectal Cancer Yields Optimal Outcomes

Colon and rectal cancer together comprise the nation’s second-leading cause of cancer deaths. Each year, about 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with and more than 50,000 people die from colorectal cancers. Fortunately, the death rate from this disease has decreased over the last 20 years due to screening and more sophisticated surgical approaches, one of which is minimally invasive surgery (MIS).

SAGES has long been a champion of the use of MIS for colorectal surgery. To take full advantage of the benefits of MIS, SAGES has introduced its SMART Program, bringing together best practices in anesthesia, nursing, nutritional management, and physical therapy to speed up recovery after surgery – See more at Digestive Wellness News…

Visit GetWellSooner, the new SAGES Patient Information portal

Message from the President – Summer 2013

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Gerald Fried, MD SAGES President 2013-2014It is an incredible honor for me to be SAGES President. This organization is remarkable for its energy and the capacity of its members to work hard to achieve our organizational goals.

SAGES has grown enormously with the laparoscopic revolution, from its roots as a primarily flexible endoscopy society for surgeons. We are currently much more than either an endoscopy society or a laparoscopic surgical society. To some, it is the largest general surgical society in North America after the ACS. To others, it is the largest GI surgical society, or the largest surgical education society, or some combination of all of the above. To me, SAGES is a culture. It is an organization characterized by the energy, collegiality, and imagination of its members. It is unlike any organization to which I belong in allowing and encouraging young surgeons to get involved and to develop their careers. It is a true meritocracy. If you do the work, you rise in the organization.

Our challenge is to maintain the vibrancy and relevance of SAGES to each of you. Whereas the annual meeting remains the cornerstone of the society and the magnet that brings us together, SAGES is extremely active throughout the year through the work of its committees, and the vast array of programs that we offer. I encourage you to visit our website often and take full advantage of the material provided there. There is an enormous amount of added value in your membership, easily found through our website.

There are a number of new initiatives on the way. In his presidential year, Scott Melvin put together a task force called “Open to MIS” dedicated to advancing the transition of surgical care to minimal access approaches, through education of surgeons and marketing the benefits. We will keep this program growing and expand it through generating data to support the benefits of minimal access techniques.

We have several new educational programs that have been recently introduced or are in development. FUSE, championed by Steve Schwaitzberg during his presidential year and chaired by Daniel Jones, is designed to teach surgeons and nurses about the safe use of energy in the surgical environment. This will play a very central role in our efforts in the realm of patient safety, a theme that will be central to the presidency of my successor, Michael Brunt. The Hernia Task Force, under Adrian Park’s leadership is developing our first educational product that is procedure-centered rather than a more general fundamental program. This program will be truly innovative in its delivery and will keep SAGES at the peak of educational organizations, while meeting the current needs of surgeons in practice to advance their knowledge and skills. We will keep you apprised on its development in future issues of SCOPE.

The area that I have chosen to focus on is advancing the quality of surgical care through a better understanding of patient-centered outcomes and what “recovery” means to our patients. Our goal must be to combine excellent operative care with evidence-based perioperative processes, to leverage what we do in the OR to its maximal benefit. In so doing, we can generate the evidence that will move the needle from open to MIS and serve our patients best. I have established a task force that will collate the current data related to GI and abdominal surgery, educate our members in the implementation of enhanced recovery processes in their institution. The task force will also establish a research agenda to better define recovery metrics and the areas where we need to target interventions that will accelerate and enhance the recovery process for our surgical patients.

We will make a strong push to increase our membership this year. Membership is the fuel of any professional organization. This effort will be built around conveying the values that drive SAGES, the opportunities for career development, the interpersonal opportunities to network and expand the community of each of our members, and the excellent value that SAGES membership provides. We will bring this effort to residents and fellows and will extend our reach internationally. I would encourage each of you to bring two new members to SAGES this year. I know that they will thank you for years to come.

Finally, SAGES is your organization. It is essential that the SAGES leadership keep in touch with our members and respond to their needs. Please communicate your ideas to us and get involved!