https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery en-us Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:43:52 GMT Silverchair jamams@jamanetwork.org support@jamanetwork.com https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851640 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT In the Original Investigation titled “Evolving Inguinal Hernia Repair Practice at the Veterans Health Administration,” published online first on March 18, 2026, and in the May 2026 issue of JAMA Surgery, there was an error in the classification of surgical setting (Veterans Affairs facilities vs community care) within the dataset. To correct this error, the entire cohort was reanalyzed using the updated, fully integrated dataset, resulting in changes to multiple reported findings regarding care setting. An author has explained what happened in a Letter and has confirmed that the corrected analyses do not change the conclusions or affect the total cohort size, overall procedural counts, or primary goal of the study. Corrections have been made to the Key Points, Abstract, Results, tables, and a corresponding interpretation in the Discussion. The figures of the article and supplemental materials are not changed. This article was corrected online. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.3119 2851640 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851639 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The debate is ongoing regarding the value of robotic platforms for cholecystectomy and other high-volume, ambulatory procedures that are usually low risk and low margin. For cholecystectomy in particular, skeptics see an expensive technology with a long learning curve, higher rates of complications such as bile duct injury, and no convincing evidence of fewer conversions to open surgery. They further argue that adoption is driven as much by industry marketing and institutional/hospital branding as by patient-centered considerations. Proponents offer a different story: they tout greater precision, ability to perform more complex cases, lower conversion rates, and improved surgeon ergonomics. They also remind us that laparoscopic cholecystectomy was once met with the same mix of cynicism and early complications before it became the unquestioned standard of care. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2645 2851639 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851638 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fang et al present a post hoc analysis of the Neotorch trial—a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study evaluating perioperative toripalimab (anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody) combined with platinum-based chemotherapy. Prior trials suggest that neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy improves resection rates and R0 margins compared with chemotherapy alone, but benefits have not been consistently without coincident increases in treatment-related adverse events and surgery cancellations. Additional concerns persist that immunotherapy may increase fibrosis and inflammation, exacerbating operative difficulty and morbidity. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2700 2851638 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851637 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Perioperative Chemotherapy Compared to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation in Patients With Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus (ESOPEC) randomized clinical trial, which demonstrated improved survival with perioperative chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel [FLOT]) compared to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (Chemoradiotherapy for Oesophageal Cancer Followed by Surgery Study protocol [CROSS]) for resectable esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), caused a paradigm shift in EAC treatment. Despite this shift, recurrences remain high following both regimens and the long-term significance of pathological complete response (pCR) remains unclear. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2701 2851637 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851636 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT This cross-sectional study examines the incidence of and factors associated with early mortality among older adults undergoing emergency general surgery as a marker of nonbeneficial surgery. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2647 2851636 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851635 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT To the Editor On behalf of my coauthors, I am writing to provide a detailed explanation of an error in our Original Investigation, “Evolving Inguinal Hernia Repair Practice at the Veterans Health Administration,” recently published in JAMA Surgery. In this study, we conducted a retrospective national cohort analysis of veterans undergoing inguinal hernia repair from 2002 to 2022 to characterize trends in procedural volume and operative approach within the Veterans Health Administration. We reported increasing procedural volume over time and widespread adoption of minimally invasive techniques. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2802 2851635 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851634 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT This cohort study analyzes data for patients undergoing complex elective cholecystectomy to consider whether a robotic approach is associated with improved clinical outcomes and altered total hospital cost as compared with a laparoscopic approach. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2650 2851634 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851633 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT This cohort study evaluates survival outcomes following FLOT chemotherapy vs CROSS chemoradiotherapy in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma achieving pathological complete response. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2703 2851633 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851632 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT This study evaluates perioperative toripalimab in combination with chemotherapy on surgical outcomes. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2711 2851632 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851481 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The multicenter randomized clinical trial by Song et al represents the first to my knowledge to demonstrate successful integration of augmented reality (AR)–based digital navigation technologies into thoracic surgical practice. Indeed, AR-guided approaches are already being used in neurosurgery, orthopedics, and breast surgery. By demonstrating that 1-stop AR-guided percutaneous localization is noninferior to conventional computed tomography (CT)–guided localization for sublobar resection of suspected early-stage lung cancer, the investigators have provided solid evidence for a workflow that may facilitate how we approach small, difficult-to-palpate pulmonary nodules in thoracic surgery. Lung cancer screening programs have undoubtedly led to increasing detection of small, subsolid, and ground-glass pulmonary nodules, many of which are impalpable during minimally invasive surgery, necessitating preoperative localization to guide parenchyma-sparing resection. The conventional CT-guided hook wire or dye injection approaches, while effective, impose a fragmented workflow: patients first undergo localization in the radiology suite, and are then transported (often awake, anxious, and sometimes with a needle in their chest) to the operating room to undergo general anesthesia and resection, often with a time lag in between. This “multiple-stop” pathway introduces risks of pneumothorax, marker displacement during transfer, patient discomfort, logistical delays, scheduling challenges, and possibly increased cumulative radiation exposure. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2513 2851481 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851480 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT To the Editor We read with great interest the long-term follow-up of the STITCH trial by van den Berg et al, which provides compelling evidence that the small-bites technique reduces the cumulative incidence of incisional hernias by nearly one-third compared with large bites after 13 years. However, while the authors advocate for the small-bites technique as the “standard practice,” we must critically examine the limitations of this evidence and the broader context of abdominal wall surgery. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2543 2851480 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851479 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT To the Editor The 13-year follow-up of the STITCH trial by van den Berg and colleagues provides evidence that small-bites fascial closure significantly reduces long-term incisional hernia rates after midline laparotomy. However, I am concerned that the Discussion section’s portrayal of the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) guidelines as endorsing this technique for emergency settings is incomplete and may inadvertently encourage inappropriate extrapolation. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2546 2851479 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851478 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT To the Editor The data from van den Berg and colleagues on the impact of small bites in the STITCH trial are compelling, with a 49% to 34% reduction in hernia incidence. However, we believe the study obscures a more uncomfortable message of a fundamental limitation of suture-based closure that cannot be overcome with technique alone. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2549 2851478 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851477 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT In Reply We thank Zhang and colleagues, Chen, and Shah and Dumanian for their thoughtful comments on our article, “Small Bites vs Large Bites for Closure of Abdominal Midline Incisions,” and we appreciate their emphasis on further reducing incisional hernia rates across different clinical settings. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2552 2851477 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851476 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT This randomized clinical trial evaluates the use of a single-encounter augmented reality–guided percutaneous localization strategy against standard multiple-encounter computed tomography–guided localization for achieving successful sublobar resection. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2516 2851476 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851475 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT This narrative review discusses the historic and modern roles of whole blood vs component therapy in early hemostatic resuscitation, describing evidence from military, civilian, and prehospital literature that supports a whole-blood strategy. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2574 2851475 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2851474 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT This Viewpoint presents 3 existing barriers to surgeon behavior change and describes how insights from behavioral economics could address them. 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.2540 2851474