Editor's Note Non-operative management (NOM) with antibiotics for pediatric uncomplicated appendicitis is both less expensive and slightly more effective than urgent laparoscopic appendectomy over a one-year period, according to a study published November 19 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The findings support the viability of NOM…

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Editor's Note The American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR), managed by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), crossed a major threshold, now encompassing over 4 million recorded hip and knee arthroplasty procedures, a November 7 AAOS press release reports. The data, spanning a decade (2012–2023) from 1,447 healthcare institutions nationwide,…

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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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What if a surgeon decided to perform a procedure on a patient that was not totally necessary? It happens more often that one might realize. As recently as August 2023, Forbes published an article that cited a Harvard Business Review report stating that over 50% of lumbar spine surgeries are…

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Editor's Note Patient engagement technologies (PETs) reduced length of stay (LOS), complication rates, and readmission rates among patients in a study published February 16 in the American Journal of Surgery. The retrospective cohort study consisted of more than 400 patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery from 2018 to 2022. Approximately 9…

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Editor's Note American hospitals fared well in Newsweek’s 2024 "World's Best Hospital" list, Becker’s Hospital Review reported February 28, noting that 43 candidates from the United States made the list of 250. Four US hospitals ranked in the top 10, a group singled out specifically for innovative use of artificial…

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Editor's Note:  Fondoplication and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass are both viable choices for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in patients with obesity, according to a recent study comparing the two procedures. Results were published December 27 in ScienceDirect. The study was based on a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained quality…

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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…

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Editor's Note The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), on August 1, released new interactive tools and resources to help collect patient data in advance of mandatory reporting periods. Orthopedic care teams are urged to take note because patient-reported outcome measures (eg, pain, physical mobility, emotional well-being, and experience of…

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