STOP-Bang screening associated with risk of postop complications in OSA patients
Editor's Note This meta-analysis found that patients at higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), as determined by preoperative STOP-Bang screening, had a higher risk of postoperative adverse events and longer length of hospital stay, compared with lower risk-OSA patients. The analysis included 10 studies with 23,609 patients (7,877 high-risk…
Effectiveness of intraop teaching course for surgeons
Editor's Note In this study, a half-day faculty development course designed to equip surgical educators with frameworks shown to promote learning in the OR helped faculty members deliver improved instruction as perceived by surgical residents. A total of 19 faculty members completed the course. Associate professors demonstrated improved briefing, debriefing,…
Payment variation in CABG episodes of care can affect bundled payments
Editor's Note Wide variation was found in 90-day coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) episode payments for Medicare and private payer patients in this study. The differences were driven by increased use of evaluation and management services, higher utilization of inpatient rehabilitation, and patients with multiple readmissions. In the analysis of…
Patient falls from OR, procedure tables during anesthesia care
Editor's Note In this analysis of patient falls from OR and procedure tables during anesthesia care, researchers queried two independent closed claims databases. They identified 21 claims (1.2% of cases) in the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Closed Claims Project and 0.07% of cases in the secure records of a…
Perception of OR safety of surgical practice linked to postop mortality
Editor's Note The perception of safety of surgical practice among OR personnel was associated with hospital level 30-day postoperative patient mortality rates in this study. As part of the Safe Surgery 2015: South Carolina initiative, a baseline survey measuring perception of safety of surgical practice among OR personnel was completed.…
Voluntary bundled-payment models shifting to outpatient procedures
Editor's Note Though the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is rolling back mandatory bundled-payment programs, it is expected to release more voluntary, outpatient-focused programs, which shifts power from hospitals to physicians, the August 21 Healthcare Finance News reports. Physician-focused does not require a hospitalization, which creates a complete…
Surgeons perform first magnetic compression anastomosis (magnamosis) in humans
Editor's Note In this pilot trial, surgeons used a pair of magnets (ie, Harrison rings) to create an intestinal anastomosis without sutures or staples in five patients. For each procedure, one Harrison ring was placed in the lumen of each intestinal segment, and then the rings were brought together and…
Effectiveness of drug-free interventions to reduce pain, opioids after total knee
Editor's Note In this meta-analysis of the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions for pain after total knee arthroplasty, electrotherapy and acupuncture were associated with reduced and delayed opioid consumption, but there was low or very low certainty that they improved pain. Continuous passive motion and preoperative exercise did not improve pain…
Study: Concurrent surgeries not linked to adverse outcomes
Editor's Note In this study using data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP), concurrent surgical procedures were not found to increase the risk for adverse outcomes. The analysis included 1,430 surgeons from 390 hospitals who performed 12,010 concurrent surgical procedures from 2014 to…
Long-term opioid use rarely starts with surgery
Editor's Note The initial event associated with exposure to prescription opioids is often thought to be an injury or surgical procedure, but this study finds that opioid use rarely starts with surgical procedures. Of 117,118 patients with sustained prescription opioid use who were analyzed, just 800 (0.7%) received their initial…