Journals

This study examined resident and program characteristics that predict success on American Board of Surgery (ABS) exams. Prior knowledge, measured by USMLE scores, consistently and strongly related to ABS exam success. Controlling prior knowledge, sex, IMG, and program %IMG significantly related to ABS exam success, but the effects were small.

Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a prevalent cause of acute abdomen among surgical patients, representing approximately 16% of surgical hospital admissions and affecting over 300,000 individuals annually. Postoperative adhesions are the most common cause, accounting for 74-83% of SBO cases. Conversely, bezoar-related obstructions are less common, accounting for only 0.4% to 4.8% of cases. Bezoars are an indigestible agglomeration of indigestible material formed in the intestinal tract, typically categorized as phytobezoars (composed of plant materials such as fibers, fruits, and skins and seeds of vegetables), trichobezoars (consisting of ingested hair), lactobezoars (containing milk protein in milk-fed infants), and pharmacobezoars (resulting from medications).