Editor's Note New research highlights sharp, nationwide increases in both male and female sterilization procedures since the Supreme Court overturned landmark decision Roe vs. Wade in 2022. Published in JAMA Health Forum, the research on how many 18- to 30-year-olds were getting sterilized before and after the ruling was the…
Editor's Note Findings published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons show how a standardized handoff protocol can improve OR communication and reduce the risk of error, Medical Xpress reported on June 19. The study focused specifically on SHRIMPS, a standardized handoff protocol developed by the quality improvement…
Editor's Note Using a device they call a “space hairdryer,” researchers in Austria applied gentle shockwaves to regenerate heart tissue after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in a study with potential implications for millions of patients, BBC News reported June 20. Researchers are now seeking larger trials, European regulatory…
Editor's Note Early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC), diagnosed before age 50, is increasing in incidence worldwide. Despite existing postoperative colonoscopy surveillance strategies, the optimal intervals for EO-CRC patients are unclear due to limited long-term data. This study, titled “Early-onset Colorectal Cancer Patients Do Not Require Shorter Intervals for Post-surgical Surveillance Colonoscopy”…
Editor's Note Higher doses of anesthesia did not affect risk of postoperative delirium in a study of more than 1,000 heart surgery patients, according to a June 10 United Press International (UPI) article on study findings published in JAMA. The research included 1,140 heart surgery patients, half of whom had…
Editor's Note CMS hospital star ratings may not be a reliable tool for assessing surgical quality, according to a study published June 18 in JAMA Surgery. Researchers acknowledge that higher ratings are generally associated with improved postoperative outcomes, including fewer complications and lower 30-day mortality rates. However, as reported by…
Editor's Note In a first for Northwestern Medicine, surgeons performed a kidney transplant on an awake patient, CBS News reported June 24. John Nicholas, 28, of Chicago, experienced no pain during the May 24 procedure, in which he received an organ from a childhood friend. He was discharged the next…
Complex problems do not always require complex solutions. Consider the surgical safety checklist. In 2020, more than a decade after the World Health Organization (WHO) started advocating that every hospital use the checklist, research from PSNET found that more than 90% of ORs in countries with a high human development…
Gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is one of the most common procedures in the US. Performed more than 17.1 million times per year in inpatient and outpatient hospital settings as well as ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), GI procedures account for 68% of all endoscopies, according to a May 2022 article in Digestive…
Editor's Note Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery kept type 2 diabetes in remission for up to 15 years and maintained most of the weight loss for up to 20 years in a long-term study, according to a June 12 report in SciTech Daily. Presented the same day at The American Society…