Editor's Note The ECRI Institute on January 22 announced the released its annual “Top 10 Hospital C-suite Watch List." Among the new and emerging innovations to watch are: Acuity-adaptable rooms, where hospitals keep a patient in the same room from admission to discharge, regardless of acuity level. Insertable cardiac monitors…

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Editor's Note Surgeon volume of adult general surgical procedures was significantly associated with lower morbidity and costs after pediatric laparoscopic cholecystectomy in this study. Of 3,519 laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed in pediatric patients, the overall morbidity rate was 3.9%. High-volume general surgeons had an odds of all-cause morbidity that was 68%…

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Concern about opioid abuse has reached epic proportions in recent months, and healthcare providers have come under increasing pressure to help mitigate the problem. Curbing the tendency to overprescribe pain medications is considered the first, most obvious step, but there are other actions that can also improve patient safety. Nurse…

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Tapping incoming or newly graduated OR nurses as champions and preceptors for initiatives works quite well, say some OR leaders. Though less experienced than their peers, these nurses bring to the table up-to-date knowledge, energy, a fresh set of eyes, and comfort with new technology. In turn, making them experts…

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Editor's Note Postoperative mortality rises as the day of the week of elective surgery approaches the weekend and is higher after admission for urgent/emergent surgery on the weekend, this meta-analysis from the University of Calgary finds. The analysis included 10 studies that involved about 6.7 million patients having elective procedures…

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Editor's Note In this survey, most respondents chose surgical rather than nonsurgical treatment for acute appendicitis. Of 1,728 respondents, 85.8% chose laparoscopic appendectomy, 4.9% chose open appendectomy, and 9.4% chose antibiotics alone as treatments for themselves. For their child, 79.4% chose laparoscopic appendectomy, 6.1% chose open appendectomy, and 14.5% chose…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 5 updated its data on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) have dropped 50% since 2008. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) have had consistent year-to-year decreases, especially since those caused by yeast were deleted from the…

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Editor's Note In this study, an interdisciplinary program that includes a coordinated approach by healthcare professionals in surgery, geriatrics, and anesthesiology was associated with improved postoperative outcomes for high-risk older patients having elective abdominal surgery. Compared with a control group (143 patients), older patients participating in the Perioperative Optimization of…

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Healthcare providers are straddling a variety of payment models while many regulatory changes remain in flux under the Trump Administration. Although the shift from fee-for-service to value-based payment began some years ago, not everyone is on board. Opinions about bundled payments also remain mixed, despite reports of improved outcomes and…

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Editor's Note Hospitals with the largest reductions in serious complications after bariatric surgery had the greatest decrease in per-patient Medicare payments, this study finds. Analyzing 37,329 Medicare patients undergoing bariatric surgery from 2005 to 2006 and 2013 to 2014, researchers found a strong association between reductions in complications and decreased…

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