Editor's Note Universitätsmedizin Berlin reduced anesthesia-related carbon emissions by more than 80% since 2018 by eliminating high-impact anesthetic gases, implementing education initiatives, and revising clinical guidelines, according to a February 27 report in Medical Xpress. The hospital’s efforts targeted desflurane, an anesthetic gas with an extreme climate impact—nearly 8,000 times…

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Editor's Note Using powerful synthetic opioids remifentanil and sufentanil during surgery increases risk of patients suffering during recovery, according to a study in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. HealthDay reported the news February 27. According to the article, researchers analyzed data from 971 patients who underwent surgery—37% orthopedic…

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Editor's Note The FDA has approved Journavx (suzetrigine), a first-in-class non-opioid analgesic, for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in adults. According to the agency’s January 30 announcement, the drug targets sodium channels in the peripheral nervous system to block pain signals before they reach the brain, representing…

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Editor's Note A new machine learning model using photoplethysmogram (PPG) data more accurately assesses pain during and after surgery compared to existing commercial methods, according to research published January 24 in Nature’s npj Digital Medicine. Analyzing data from 242 patients, researchers developed an XGBoost-based model to assess intraoperative and postoperative…

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Editor's Note The first study to directly compare kidney-related adverse outcomes between perioperative use of gabapentin and pregabalin shows that the former drug carries a higher risk, Renal and Urology News reported January 21. Published in Frontiers in Medicine, the study involved a trial emulation of 1,280 propensity-matched surgical patients…

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Editor's Note New infection control recommendations from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA Pain Medicine) are purportedly the first comprehensive guidelines tailored specifically for regional anesthesia and interventional pain management procedures, such as cortisone injections and drug-delivery implants.   As detailed in the organization’s January 21…

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Editor's Note Early surgical intervention should be prioritized over endoscopy-first treatment in managing chronic pancreatitis with dilated pancreatic ducts, according to the results of a follow-up study of the ESCAPE randomized clinical trial. Published November 20 in JAMA Surgery, the findings specifically highlight pain relief, patient satisfaction, and need for…

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Editor's Note Research reveals combining non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with blood thinners heightened bleeding risk across multiple organ systems, HealthDay reported November 18. The study analyzed nearly 52,000 Danish patients prescribed blood thinners between 2012 and 2022, examining NSAID interactions with multiple anticoagulants including rivaroxaban, apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, and warfarin.…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule for the 2025 calendar year, updating payment systems and quality reporting requirements across healthcare settings, JD Supra November 19 reports. Effective January 1, 2025, the rule outlines significant changes to Medicare payments and conditions for participation…

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Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) represents a transformative approach in modern surgical care, emphasizing evidence-based, multidisciplinary protocols to optimize patient recovery. Spanning decades, ERAS has grown from a novel concept into a global standard for perioperative care, with benefits that include shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, and reduced healthcare costs.…

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