Editor's Note When it comes to healing, perception matters. A recent study by Harvard researchers found that participants wounds healed more quickly when they believed that time had passed more quickly, regardless of how much time had actually elapsed. Results were published in nature Scientific Reports on December 17. Researchers…
Editor's Note A hospital system in Canada is pioneering a safer, more efficient approach to anterior hip replacements that could become a model for improving flow and addressing surgical backlogs, Hospital News reported on December 28. Developed by Humber River Health in Toronto, the Hyper-Throughput Operating Room leverages lean processing…
Editor's Note Mild electric stimulation to the back of surgeons’ heads could enhance robotic surgery accuracy and precision, according to findings published in the journal Scientific Reports on December 20. The study tasked 36 participants – approximately half male, half female, none of whom had experience with robotic surgery –…
Editor's Note Mental health intervention significantly reduces the likelihood of trauma survivors returning to the hospital in crisis after discharge, according to a study in the January 2024 issue of Annals of Surgery. According to the data, as many as 4 out of 10 of the 1.5 to 2 million…
Editor's Note Researchers conducted the largest randomized study to date on use of the sedative midazolam in older patients, a drug sometimes used to calm patients prior to surgery. The results were published in JAMA Surgery on December 20. Highlights include: The study involved nine German hospitals and included more…
Editor's Note Despite the increasing prevalence of robotic-assisted surgery, recent data on cholecystectomy results indicates minimally invasive laparoscopic methods could be a safer option. Published in JAMA Surgery on September 20, the nationally representative study of Medicare beneficiary cholecystectomy patients showed a higher rate of bile duct injury (0.7%) for…
Editor's Note Reports of burn injuries have prompted two medical device recalls: one for Megadyne patient return electrodes and one for Olympus bronchofiberscopes and bronchovideoscopes. According to a December 21 notice from AORN, the former recall is a voluntary correction on the part of Megadyne Medical Products, Inc. Following reports…
The concept of the hybrid OR was born in the 1990s, but healthcare institutions were originally slow to adopt the model due, in part, to the initial sizable investment required. While there was a steady uptick in adoption around 2008, today there are still only some 100 hybrid ORs in…
Editor’s Note A new automated delivery system for anesthesia that has been effectively tested in monkeys could eventually be used by doctors to identify and deliver the right dose of drugs in people. The findings appeared October 31 in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United…
Editor's Note Online breast cancer surgery information is often difficult to understand and may be impeding people’s ability to make informed decisions about their care, US News October 25 reports. Researchers reviewed patient education materials describing breast-conserving surgery, mastectomy, and lymph node surgery from US National Cancer Institute related websites…