Editor's Note A cohort study published February 24 in JAMA Pediatrics found that prophylactic antibiotics reduced the odds of surgical site infections (SSIs) by 72% in children undergoing cholecystectomy for uncomplicated cholelithiasis. However, extended-spectrum antibiotics offered no additional benefit over cefazolin, suggesting that simpler prophylaxis protocols could optimize outcomes while…

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Editor's Note A February 21 article in Modern Healthcare details how surgical robots are delivering faster procedures, improving patient outcomes, and boosting hospital profits. As detailed in the article, the global surgical robotics market has quadrupled since 2015, growing from $800 million to approximately $3 to $3.5 billion in 2023…

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Editor's Note US hospitals face a growing risk of bed shortages as an aging population drives up hospitalization rates, according to research published February 19 in Jama Network. Leveraging COVID-19-era occupancy data, the study projects national hospital occupancy could reach 85% by 2032 for adult beds and by 2035 for…

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Editor’s Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated Boston Scientific Corporation’s recall of Accolade Pacemaker devices a Class 1, the most severe category indicating serious risk of injury or death. According to the agency’s February 21 announcement, the recall was motivated by a manufacturing issue that could…

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Editor’s Note Backdoors in Chinese-made medical monitors could put patients at risk and compromise hospital networks across the US, according to security agencies quoted in a February 23 report from CNBC. The article cites the popular Contec CMS8000 patient monitor as an example. Both the US Food and Drug Administration…

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Editor’s Note Preoperative use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) does not increase the risk of postoperative diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in patients undergoing emergency surgery, according to a study published February 19 in JAMA Surgery. These findings challenge the current FDA recommendation to withhold SGLT2i medications for at least three…

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Editor's Note AI-generated operative reports for robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) were more accurate than those written by surgeons in a study published February 7 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Analyzing 158 cases from a tertiary referral center, researchers tested an AI computer-vision algorithm on surgical video…

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Editor's Note An artificial intelligence (AI) tool is showing significant promise in reducing the administrative workload for nurses and clinical partners on a 48-bed surgical unit at Cedars-Sinai, according to a February 12 Cedars-Sinai Newsroom Q&A with Rachel Coren, MPH, MS, vice president and associate chief information officer, and Peachy…

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Editor's Note Researchers at Northwestern University successfully reversed hernias in male mice and restored normal anatomy without surgical intervention, according to a February 5 university announcement. The study also found that human hernia tissue shared the same molecular characteristics observed in the mouse model, suggesting a similar biological mechanism. According…

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Editor's Note Recent legislative efforts in Florida and Mississippi aim to expand the authority of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with measures that would remove supervisory requirements and allow independent practice for certain nurse practitioners. The efforts underscore an ongoing, nationwide debate over the role of APRNs in addressing provider…

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