Editor's Note Oxygenation was impaired by anesthesia more often in patients with greater age or body mass index, this study finds. This retrospective analysis of data from two hospitals found key contributors to impaired oxygenation were low ventilation/perfusion ratios because of airway narrowing and closure in the elderly and atelectasis-induced…

Read More

Editor's Note Retooling paper-based measures to electronic format for reporting performance measures can help reduce hospitals’ reporting burden. However, in this study by Joint Commission and State University of New York researchers, a simplified risk model using electronic health record (EHR) elements could not capture most risk factors in the…

Read More

Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 21 issued final updates to its national coverage policy for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). The update provides more flexibility in how centers meet volume requirements for performing TAVR, while emphasizing the importance of the heart team for…

Read More

Editor's Note Prescribing fewer opioid tablets postoperatively was associated with lower opioid consumption after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and preoperative education was associated with lower duration and quantity of postoperative opioid use, this study finds. Of 264 patients analyzed, 109 received 50 tablets, 77 received 30 tablets and no education,…

Read More

Editor's Note A new scoring system reveals a strong agreement between patient-reported and physician-reported outcomes after surgery, the Mayo Clinic reports. The study enrolled 100 patients who had elbow or shoulder surgery. The average time between surgery and follow-up was 31 months. In the categorical ratings, patients and physicians agreed…

Read More

Editor's Note A visible-light continuous environmental disinfection (CED) system, used with manual cleaning, resulted in a significant reduction in microbial surface contamination and surgical site infections (SSIs) in an orthopedic OR, in this study. Samples were taken from 25 surfaces within two contiguous ORs sharing an air supply after manual…

Read More

Editor's Note Risk-adjusted surgical outcomes vary widely across hospitals within networks that are on the Honor Roll of the US News & World Report, this study finds. In this analysis of 87 hospitals and 143,174 patients, outcomes were not consistently better at Honor Roll hospitals compared with network affiliates. For…

Read More

Editor's Note Patients whose surgeons had more coworker reports about unprofessional behavior in the 36 months before their surgical procedures had a significantly increased risk of complications, this study finds. In this analysis of 13,653 patients having surgical procedures performed by 202 surgeons in two academic medical centers, 1,583 (11.6%)…

Read More

Blood loss during labor and delivery (L&D) and surgical procedures can lead to serious complications that might be prevented with early detection; however, detection can be challenging. For example, clinicians have traditionally estimated blood loss visually—a subjective and often inaccurate process. Humans’ eyes simply aren’t good at making precise measurements,…

Read More

Editor's Note Physician-to-physician variation in electronic health record (EHR) documentation could result in patient harm and clinical inefficiencies, this study finds. The study by University of Michigan researchers included EHR data from 170,332 encounters led by 809 physicians in 237 practices and interviews with 40 physicians in 10 practices. The…

Read More