Editor's Note An electronic health record (EHR)-based nudge could significantly reduce low-value axillary surgeries in older women with early-stage breast cancer, researchers reported July 17 in JAMA Surgery. Conducted across eight clinical settings, the initiative significantly cut the rates of low-value sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNB) by nearly 50% over…

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Editor's Note Acquisition by private equity firms leaves healthcare facilities less equipped to care for patients, according to a recent study published in JAMA. NBC reported the news July 31. Conducted by researchers from the University of California at San Francisco, Harvard Medical School, and Hunter College, this nationwide study…

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Takeaways Transmitting health metrics directly from a surgical implant reduces the need for in-person followup and offers more objective data on recovery than patient-reported measures. This technology’s potential extends beyond knees. Whatever the nature of the treatment, postop monitoring is critical. Patient education is essential for setting up the data…

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Editor's Note Female patients undergoing heart surgery are less likely than male patients to have concomitant procedures—that is, having additional ailments addressed during cardiac procedures—despite guidelines recommending such treatments, according to two studies led by Michigan Medicine. News-Medical.Net reported the news June 28. The first study, involving over 5,000 patients…

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Editor's Note CMS hospital star ratings may not be a reliable tool for assessing surgical quality, according to a study published June 18 in JAMA Surgery. Researchers acknowledge that higher ratings are generally associated with improved postoperative outcomes, including fewer complications and lower 30-day mortality rates. However, as reported by…

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Editor's Note Research shows perioperative weight loss does not consistently improve outcomes or OR times in patients undergoing primary bariatric procedures, including laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). The findings were published in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Using…

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Editor's Note A recent analysis from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) of over 19 million hospital discharges in the US showed a significant decline in the quality of nonsurgical care for non-COVID-19 patients during the 2020 COVID-19 surges, Healthcare Purchasing News May 28 reports. Specifically, the study…

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Editor's Note Although robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery (RLS) and conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS) offer similar survival outcomes for sigmoid colon cancer, RLS harvests comparatively more lymph nodes, according to a study published May 10 in the Journal of Robotic Surgery. According to a May 15 report on the study in The…

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Takeaways Although women comprise half the population, they were left out of medical research on major causes of death for both women and men—cancer, heart disease, and stroke—until 1990. Using surgical tools designed by men, for men can impact every aspect of a woman surgeon’s work, from learning new procedures…

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Editor's Note The largest scale analysis so far available comparing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) to longer-term percutaneous devices for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) supports the comparable long-term safety and efficacy of the latter procedure. According to a May 15 report in Medical Xpress, the findings raise important considerations for valve…

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