Editor's Note A post hoc analysis of the SCOT phase 3 randomized clinical trial reveals that initiating adjuvant chemotherapy more than 6 weeks after surgery is linked to worse disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with high-risk stage II and stage III colorectal cancer. Published June 12 in JAMA Surgery, the…
Editor's Note The medical 3D printing market is expected to double from $2 billion in 2022 to $4 billion by 2026, driven by customization, lower costs, and quick turnarounds, according to analysis from GlobalData. In a July 24 report on the analysis, Medical Device Network outlined this growth as well…
Editor's Note New findings show that compared to standard anesthetic methods, a new high-flow oxygen technique is just as safe as during tubeless upper airway surgery in children. Published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, the University of Queensland research-- the High-Flow Oxygen for Children's Airway Surgery (HAMSTER) trial—was the focus of…
Editor's Note Researchers recently observed an unprecedented behavior in Florida carpenter ants (Camponotus floridanus): Unlike most ant species that treat injured limbs with antimicrobial substances, these ants perform amputation by biting off the injured limb. The journal Science reported the news July 2. Multiple experiments confirmed the amputation behavior, Science…
Editor's Note Amid continued debate about the best choice of preoperative skin antiseptic, findings published in JAMA June 17 show that povidone iodine in alcohol offers similar outcomes to chlorhexidine gluconate when used in alcohol. The randomized clinical trial included 3,360 patients in 3 tertiary care hospitals in Switzerland, 2,187…
Editor's Note A pair of immunotherapy drugs administered before surgery significantly diminished tumor size without serious safety concerns in patients with mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Healthline reported the news June 8. Constituting 10-15% of cases, dMMR cancer…
Editor's Note A fluorescent marker dye that attaches to a protein specific to prostate cancer cells could help surgeons identify and remove them in real time, BBC News reported June 9. Developed by researchers from the University of Oxford in the UK, the dye reportedly performed promisingly in a trial…
Editor's Note AORN encourages perioperative leaders to speak up and reach out in honor of National Time Out Day, an annual recognition of the critical safety practice scheduled for June 12. The annual day of recognition draws attention to the need for everyone on the surgical team to pause before…
Editor's Note Pending legislation in Louisiana could enable judges to order surgical castration for sex offenses involving young children, the Associated Press reported June 3. If Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signs the bill, Louisiana would become the first state to do so, although it and other states allow chemical castration.…
Editor's Note New evidence from skulls in a university collection reveals that brain surgery dates back millennia—potentially as far back as 4,o00 years ago. CNN reported the news May 29. Researchers expressed uncertainty in some cases whether marks on the skulls indicated surgery to treat a living person or an…