Use of regional anesthesia in ambulatory arthroscopic knee surgery and ACL reconstruction
Editor's Note Adductor canal nerve block (ACB) provides modest analgesic benefits after ambulatory arthroscopic knee surgery, including improved relief for rest pain for 8 hours and reduced opioid consumption for 24 hours, this meta-analysis finds. However, ACB did not provide any analgesic benefits and did not improve any outcomes, compared…
Joint Commission reinstates volume requirement for stroke center certification programs
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 23 announced that it is reinstating the individual mechanical thrombectomy volume eligibility requirement for the Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) and Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) certification programs. The Joint Commission is also implementing a revised volume requirement in 6 months that expands which physicians…
Effect of referring high-risk patients to local high-quality hospitals
Editor's Note In this study, complication rates and Medicare payments were significantly lower for high-risk surgical patients treated at local high-quality hospitals. Analyzing elderly Medicare patients having any of four elective inpatient surgical procedures between 2012 and 2014, researchers found that one-fourth of high-risk patients had surgery at a low-quality…
Medtronic recalls nearly 157,000 dual-chamber pacemakers
Editor's Note Medtronic published an urgent recall on January 7 for a subset of its dual-chamber pacemakers because some may temporarily lose their ability to pace the heart. The recall affects 156,957 devices distributed worldwide between March 10, 2017, and January 7, 2019, under the brand names Adapta, Versa, and…
Automated text messages improve joint replacement outcomes
Editor's Note An automated text messaging system increased patient engagement with home-based exercise and promoted faster recovery after knee and hip replacements, this study finds. In this analysis of 159 patients (83 controls, 76 intervention) having total knee or hip replacement surgery, those receiving timely texts showed improvement in the…
Robotics expanding rapidly in orthopedics, spine
Editor's Note The Healthcare Quarterly report by Moodyโs Investors Service shows the orthopedics and spine sectors increasingly performing robotic-assisted procedures, the January 18 Beckerโs Spine Review reports. This is resulting in strong growth for device firms with major investments in these specialties, particularly Medtronic with its Mazor robotics platform for…
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OR Manager is a monthly national magazine for operating room administrators, managers, and business managers in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. Articles focus mainly on the business of managing perioperative services staff, best clinical and financial practices, and patient safety. Submitted articles are reviewed by our editor, clinical editor, and…
CDC provides first estimates of flu season
Editor's Note New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that so far, during the 2018-2019 season, between 6 and 7 million people have been sick with the flu. Up to half have sought medical care, and between 69,000 and 84,000 have been hospitalized. These estimates…
Association of postop delirium with long-term cognitive function
Editor's Note In this study, postoperative delirium had a negative association with 30- and 90-day cognition in all participating patients. However, patients with preoperative cognitive impairment had an improvement in cognition at 30 and 90 days after surgery, but this increase was attenuated if the patient experienced postoperative delirium. This…
Joint Commission: New blog post examines steps for developing a reporting culture
Editor's Note A new blog post featured in the Joint Commissionโs "High Reliability Healthcare" examines four essential steps for developing a reporting culture and why they are important. The steps are: Establish trust: Leaders should help create personal responsibility by establishing clear performance expectations for employees in an environment where…