Surgery/Specialties
Total ankle replacement less costly in ASCs
Editor's Note A study presented at the 2016 American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeons Annual Meeting found that total ankle replacements performed in ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) were about $4,000 less than those performed in inpatient facilities, the October Orthopedics Today reports. The 4-year study included 574 total ankle replacements…
Casting vs surgery for ankle fractures in older adults
Editor's Note In older adults with unstable ankle fractures, close contact casting compared with surgery resulted in similar functional outcomes at 6 months, this study finds. The study, which included 620 patients (309 surgery, 311 casting) from 24 hospitals, found that postfracture symptoms, quality of life, pain, ankle motion, and…
FDA issues Safety Alert for St Jude defibrillators
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on October 11 issued a Safety Alert for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds) by St Jude Medical (Little Canada, Minnesota). In some cases, full battery drainage can occur in a day to a few weeks after the patient…
Half of physicians dissatisfied
Editor's Note A new survey by The Physicians Foundation finds that half of physicians have reached a tipping point and plan to retire, cut back on work hours, or seek nonclinical roles. Physicians identified regulatory/paperwork burdens and loss of autonomy as the primary sources of their dissatisfaction. Nearly 60% say…
Variation in Medicare expenditures for surgical complications
Editor's Note In this study, substantial variation was observed across hospitals in Medicare episode payments for patients rescued from surgical complications, and higher payments were not associated with improved clinical performance. Medicare payments for patients rescued at the highest-cost hospitals were two- to threefold higher than the lowest-cost hospitals for…
ACS NSQIP develops pediatric surgical risk calculator
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) has developed a pediatric surgical risk calculator based on 181,353 cases covering 382 CPT codes across all specialties. It was found to have excellent discrimination for mortality, morbidity, and seven additional complications. The calculator can be…
Surgical ICU patients benefit from early mobilization
Editor's Note Surgical ICU patients who were assigned to an early mobilization program were discharged sooner from the ICU and the hospital and needed less help after discharge, compared with those who had standard care, this study finds. The analysis included 104 patients assigned to early mobilization and 96 who…
Predictors of high cost of care after bariatric surgery
Editor's Note Suboptimal postoperative outcomes are the primary driver of high overall costs of care after bariatric surgical procedures, this study finds. The study included morbidly obese patients who underwent laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (74 patients) or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (270 patients) at a single institution from 2010 to…
Effect of CJR episode of care definition on hospital performance
Editor's Note Comparing the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program’s broad definition of a patient’s episode of care (ie, initial hospitalization until 90 days after discharge) with a clinically narrow definition of an episode of care, researchers found that hospital performance was consistent no matter which definition was used.…
FDA: Class I recall of DePuy Synthes power tool system battery adaptors
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 28 identified the recall by DePuy Synthes (a Johnson & Johnson company) of its Adaptor and Light Adaptor for Small Battery Drive and Small Battery Drive II as Class I, the most serious. The recall is due to the potential…
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