Background-Opioid dependence, misuse, and abuse in the United States continue to rise. Prior studies indicate an important risk factor for persistent opioid use includes elective surgical procedures, though the probability following thoracic procedures remains unknown. We analyzed the incidence and factors associated with new persistent opioid use after lung resection Methods-We evaluated data from opioid-naïve cancer patients undergoing lung resection between 2010 and 2014 using insurance claims from the Truven Health MarketScan Databases. New persistent opioid usage was defined as continued opioid prescription fills between 90 and 180 days following surgery. Variables with p<0.10 by univariate analysis were included in a multivariable logistic regression performed for risk adjustment. Multivariable results were each reported with odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI) Results-3,026 patients (44.8% male; 55.2% female) were identified as opioid-naïve undergoing lung resection. Mean age was 64 ± 11 years and mean postoperative length of stay (LOS) was 5.2±3.3 days. 6.5% underwent neoadjuvant therapy, while 21.7% underwent adjuvant therapy. Among opioid-naïve patients, 14% continued to fill opioid prescriptions following lung resection. Multivariable analysis showed that age ≤ 64 (OR 1.28 [CI 1.03-1.59], p=0.028), male sex (1.40 [1.13-1.73], p=0.002), postoperative LOS (1.32 [1.05-1.65], p=0.016), thoracotomy (1.58 [1.24-2.02], p<0.001), and adjuvant therapy (2.19 [1.75-2.75], p<0.001) were independent risk factors for persistent opioid usage Conclusions-The greatest risk factors for persistent opioid use (14%) following lung resection were adjuvant therapy and thoracotomy. Future studies should focus on reducing excess prescribing, perioperative patient education, and safe opioid disposal.

Women surgeons have a small but growing presence on surgical editorial boards, and gender-based qualification differences are likely attributable to practice length. Men's longer tenure on editorial boards may drive some of the observed disparity by limiting new appointment opportunities. Strategies such as imposing term limits or instituting merit-based performance reviews may help editorial boards capture the field's changing demographics.

Both the David and Bentall procedures are appropriate surgical approaches for aortic root replacement in select patients with an acute type A aortic dissection.

Low FTR hospitals had significantly more staffing resources than high FTR hospitals. Although hiring additional staff may be beneficial, there remain significant financial limitations for many hospitals to implement robust staffing models. Thus, our ongoing work seeks to improve rescue and implement effective staffing strategies within these constraints.