Editor's Note A recent analysis from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) of over 19 million hospital discharges in the US showed a significant decline in the quality of nonsurgical care for non-COVID-19 patients during the 2020 COVID-19 surges, Healthcare Purchasing News May 28 reports. Specifically, the study…

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Editor's Note Liver resection provides a significant survival benefit over percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (PRFA) or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with early multinodular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), according to findings published May 15 in JAMA Surgery. Thus, liver resection should be considered the first therapeutic option in patients with early multinodular…

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Editor's Note A study published May 7 in JAMA Open found no significant risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) when colonoscopy is performed within one year of total joint arthroplasty (TJA), whether the colonoscopy was done before or after the surgery. However, certain comorbidities such as kidney and pulmonary disease,…

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Editor's Note Although robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery (RLS) and conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS) offer similar survival outcomes for sigmoid colon cancer, RLS harvests comparatively more lymph nodes, according to a study published May 10 in the Journal of Robotic Surgery. According to a May 15 report on the study in The…

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Takeaways Although women comprise half the population, they were left out of medical research on major causes of death for both women and men—cancer, heart disease, and stroke—until 1990. Using surgical tools designed by men, for men can impact every aspect of a woman surgeon’s work, from learning new procedures…

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Editor's Note Although artificial intelligence (AI) applications in surgery “remain relatively nascent,” the technology has potential to significantly impact all phases of surgical care, according to a review article published May 13 in Nature Medicine. “The emergence of foundation model architectures, wearable technologies, and improving surgical data infrastructures is enabling…

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Editor's Note Contrary to previous findings, less-invasive percutaneous intervention combining fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) could be a viable alternative to surgery for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and concomitant obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). That’s according to the results…

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Editor's Note A recent trial marks the last hurdle for researchers to request regulatory approval for a noninvasive alternative to spinal surgery, according to a May 20 report in MIT Technology Review. Onward Medical’s ACRex device delivers electrical stimulation to the spinal cord via two wired electrodes placed just below…

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Editor's Note The largest scale analysis so far available comparing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) to longer-term percutaneous devices for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) supports the comparable long-term safety and efficacy of the latter procedure. According to a May 15 report in Medical Xpress, the findings raise important considerations for valve…

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Editor's Note Designing ORs with a focus on patient flow, room organization, and the needs of surgical teams can reduce burnout while improving workplace positivity and patient outcomes. That’s according to an April 9 report from Mayo Clinic, where researchers recently integrated 3D space capture technology with traditional focus groups…

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