Editor's Note A recent study from the UK, the results of which were presented at the 6th annual World Congress on Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, shed light on patients' preferences and understandings regarding anesthesia options for outpatient orthopedic surgery, Anesthesiology News March 18 reports. It revealed a stronger expectation…

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Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) specializing in orthopedic and spine procedures are seeing a surge in growth, Orthopedics This Week April 2 reports. An "Impact of Change Forecast" report from Sg2, a Vizient Inc company, forecasts a 12% increase in orthopedics/spine ASCs in the next 5 years and a…

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Editor's Note A March 11 article on SeniorLiving.org broke down key considerations and risks for elderly patients undergoing surgery and anesthesia. One such consideration is studies show that older adults often prioritize quality of life over the extension of life if it means sacrificing independence or functional abilities. Other lessons…

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Editor's Note Reducing surgeon manipulation of electronic health record (EHR) OR scheduling systems can improve efficiency, save resources, and enhance service to patients, according to data published in the March/April issue of the Journal of Healthcare Management. Although predictive models using EHR and machine learning improve accuracy compared to traditional…

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Editor's Note A standard kidney function test has been underestimating the seriousness of disease in Black patients, delaying their eligibility for transplants, The Associated Press reported March 31. Now, that test is changing – and Black patients awaiting kidneys are moving up the list.  Among other factors, transplant eligibility is…

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Editor's Note Although intraoperative wound irrigation is a common practice worldwide for preventing surgical site infections, a recent study suggests irrigation with polyhexanide solution should not be recommended as standard clinical practice in open clean-contaminated surgical procedures. Published February 21 in Jama Surgery, the study cautions that additional trials are…

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Editor's Note New research shows transplant center teams are more to likely reject offers of donor hearts to black men and men than black women and white women, MedPage Today reported on March 25. “The cumulative probability of a donor heart being accepted by the transplant center team was most…

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Editor's Note Older Americans are at heightened risk for both short-term and long-term hospital readmission following major surgery, according to a study from Yale University published February 28 in Jama Network Open.   Readmission places a major financial strain on health systems, researchers write, pointing out that the total cost…

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Editor's Note A team of Johns Hopkins researchers has designed a robot capable of performing the most complex, delicate procedures—including head and neck tumor resection—with accuracy greater than many human surgeons. As reported by the institution on March 18, ASTR: the Autonomous System for Tumor Resection is an autonomous, dual-arm,…

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Editor's Note Findings published March 4 in Jama Network show that preoperative urine culture is a low-value intervention for most surgical patients and should be de-implemented. Despite guidelines to the contrary from Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American College of Physicians, preoperative urine testing and antibiotic treatment persists…

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