Editor's Note Stool-based testing strategies could significantly reduce the number of colonoscopies required for post-polypectomy colorectal cancer (CRC) surveillance while maintaining equivalent long-term outcomes in cancer incidence and mortality, according to research published August 30 in Gastroenterology. Conducted in the Netherlands, the cross-sectional observational study compared three stool tests—multitarget stool…
Editor's Note Preoperative use of GLP-1 receptor agonists (RA) medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy is safe, according to a study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Controversy has swirled around these drugs due to the risk of slowed stomach emptying increasing a patient’s odds…
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…
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Lumisight (pegulicianine), a fluorescent imaging drug used to detect cancerous tissue during lumpectomy, on April 17. Administered intravenously prior to surgery, Lumisight is designed for use with the Lumicell Direct Visualization System (DVS) or another imaging device that is FDA-approved…
Editor's Note Measuring gene activity in blood samples could help determine whether a child is at risk of sepsis and organ failure, according to findings published March 18 in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. It is often difficult for clinicians to diagnose sepsis because the symptoms are similar to…
Editor's Note Findings published March 4 in Jama Network show that preoperative urine culture is a low-value intervention for most surgical patients and should be de-implemented. Despite guidelines to the contrary from Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American College of Physicians, preoperative urine testing and antibiotic treatment persists…
Editor's Note: A recent study suggests artificial intelligence (AI) can be valuable for identifying patients who consumed risky amounts of of alcohol prior to surgery. Findings appeared in the journal Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research on January 8. For the study, researchers extracted 3 years of text-based clinical records from…
In every OR, the complicated dance of surgical care coordination—the series of handoffs between stakeholders throughout the surgery lifecycle—is performed mainly in the background. Those stakeholders include physician offices, schedulers, preadmission testing, insurance verification, vendors, sterile processing, supply chain, anesthesia, and surgical staff. But what does it look like when…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on July 17, identified the recall by Quidel Cardiovascular Inc of its Quidel Triage Cardiac Panels as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of reports of inaccurate tests showing lower than expected troponin levels in samples. A falsely…