Study: Uterus transplant associated with high birth rates, but significant risks
Editor's Note Uterus transplants are feasible, but the procedure is associated with considerable risks for both patient and organ donor, according to a study published August 15 in JAMA. Conducted at a large US tertiary care center, the study involved 20 women with absolute uterine-factor infertility—a condition that prevents…
Medicare drug price negotiations to save $6 billion in first year
Editor's Note Medicare’s first negotiations on 10 top-selling prescription drugs for older Americans will save the US government $6 billion in the first year, according to an August 15 article in Reuters. Enabled by President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, negotiations for drugs used by Medicare—which covers 66 million…
Study reveals how OR ventilation, patient positioning impact surgical site infection risk
Editor's Note Optimizing patient positioning can help reduce the risk of surgical site infections due to airborne contaminants in positive-pressure ORs, according to a study published August 12 in Nature: Scientific Reports. Maintaining higher pressure than adjacent spaces prevents entry of contaminants from environments external to the OR. For this…
Study: Spinal fusion failure more likely for diabetic patients
Editor's Note Lumbar spinal fusion procedures are significantly more likely to fail in individuals with diabetes, according researchers at The University of Toledo. According to a July 9 EurekAlert! report on the study, published in JBMR Plus, diabetic patients are already known to have a higher risk of infection from…
Healthcare pays dearly for data breaches
Editor's Note Responding to and recovering from data breaches in healthcare is more expensive than any other industry, according to a report by IBM and the Ponemon Institute. Healthcare Dive reported on the results August 1. According to that article, the $9.8 million average cost for a breach this year…
Study highlights asset depletion in hospitals acquired by private equity
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…
Surgical ethics: Does money speak louder?
Although I am not a healthcare professional, working for OR Manager offers a peek behind the curtain. What I have learned so far has left me feeling a bit conflicted. When I took this job back in December, I assumed the hospital ecosystem was driven entirely by the Hippocratic Oath.…
The US News journey to introduce a new ‘best’ ASCs ranking
Some 800,000 knee replacements and 550,000 hip replacements are performed in the US each year. Factoring in the ever-expanding aging population, projections show the figure for knee replacements alone will explode to 3.5 million procedures being done annually by 2030—and that is just one type of procedure within a single…
Joint replacement patients getting younger amid technological advances, outpatient shift
Editor's Note An increasing number of young and middle-aged adults are opting for knee and hip replacements earlier in life, breaking the stereotype that such surgeries are primarily for seniors aged 65 or older. That is according to a July 24 article in U.S. News & World Report. Citing research…
Less-invasive anesthesia technique improves pediatric surgery safety, patient experience
Editor's Note A needle-based technique that blocks sensory and motor function below the chest without intubation or general anesthesia makes surgery safer for pediatric patients, according to a July 15 report in Michigan Medicine. The University of Michigan's pediatric spinal anesthesia program, also implemented at University of Michigan-Sparrow Health Center,…
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