How do OR leaders enhance family members’ satisfaction with the communication they receive when their loved ones are in surgery? Thanks to advances in technology, many are turning to tools like mobile apps and text messaging. At Memorial Medical Center (MMC) in Springfield, Illinois, Lexanne Darwent, BSN, RN, helped implement…
Editor's Note A surgical comanagement hospitalist program reduced complications, length of stay, 30-day readmissions, number of consultants, and cost of care in this study. There was no significant changed in patient satisfaction and the average savings was $2,642 to $4,303 per patient. This retrospective study by researchers from Stanford University…
Editor's Note Frailty has a significant impact on postoperative outcomes that varies with procedure, this study finds. Using data on 232,352 patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program who had elective, high-risk surgical procedures, multivariate analysis found that frailty was associated with complications, prolonged duration…
Editor's Note Patients who have bariatric surgery at nonaccredited bariatric surgical centers are 1.4 times likelier to have serious complications and more than twice as likely to die after the procedure compared to those who have surgery in accredited centers, this study finds. In this review of more than 1.5…
Editor's Note In the majority of patients with large or difficult to remove colorectal polyps, the incidence of cancer is much lower than previously thought, suggesting advanced endoscopic treatments may be a viable option to traditional colon resection, this study finds. Of 439 patients who had a colectomy at the…
Editor's Note A GlobalData report predicts the global knee and hip reconstruction market will reach almost $16.5 billion by 2022, with a 2.5% compound annual growth rate, according to the June 29 Becker’s Spine Review. Among the things to know: The market was valued at $14 billion in 2015. Various…
Editor's Note Postoperative ischemic optic neuropathy (ION) in spinal fusion patients significantly decreased from 1998 to 2012 by almost 3-fold, this study finds. Age over 50, male gender, blood transfusion during procedure, and obesity significantly increased the risk of ION. The authors attribute the decline in risk to the increasing…
Editor's Note A program at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City, to improve orthopedic surgery residents’ communication skills with older adults is paying off, according to a new study presented at the Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors meeting on June 24 in Seattle. A total of 64 residents…
Editor's Note Rebuilding America’s Warriors (RAW) will provide free surgery to survivors of the Orlando nightclub shootings, WFTV9 Eyewitness News reports. The RAW group comprises more than 350 surgeons in more than 40 states who perform reconstructive surgery for war veterans for free. In addition to the surgeons covering the…
Editor's Note This study finds that 10 years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery, patients were able to maintain more than 50% of what they lost in excess body mass index and more than 25% of their original total body weight loss. The study also found reductions in diabetes, heart…