Medical marijuana research shows early promise for lessening opioid use
Editor's Note Medical marijuana shows early promise for lessening opioid use and potential abuse in a meta-analysis presented October 20 at the Anesthesiology 2019 annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. Overall the results suggest that medical marijuana may provide some benefits such as, decreased opioid overdose rates, decreased opioid use, improved…
Proactive steps paramount for greater surgical stapler safety
Internal surgical staplers made headline news in 2019. Reports discussed the little-known US Food and Drug Administration database housing tens of thousands of stapler-related problem reports and covered the agency’s recent proposal to reclassify staplers as Class II devices, instead of the more lightly regulated Class I. ECRI Institute named…
Are obese patients good candidates for the outpatient setting?
Obesity rates and, consequently, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are on the rise in the US, and an increasing number of obese patients are undergoing surgical procedures at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Healthcare providers at such facilities are adding procedures and taking steps to ensure the safety of patients whose body…
Decreased postop opioid prescribing not linked to patient’s satisfaction with surgeon
Editor's Note This study found that opioid prescribing can be decreased by more than 50% and not adversely affect patients’ satisfaction scores with their surgeons. Of 996 patients surveyed on their satisfaction with their surgeons before (period A) and after (period B) an educational intervention that resulted in decreased opioid…
Joint Commission seeking comments on new advanced hip, knee replacement standards
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 16 announced that it was seeking comments on proposed standards for the Advanced Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement Certification program for hospitals, critical access hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers. The new standards were developed to further promote patient safety and quality of…
UC San Diego expands Center for Future of Surgery
Editor's Note The University of California San Diego School of Medicine announced October 14 that it has expanded its Center for the Future of Surgery, one of few facilities in the world that teaches surgery in high-tech simulated ORs. This fall, the 22,000 sq-ft center added a new hybrid OR…
Joint Commission: 2020 National Patient Safety Goals now available
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on Octobere 9 that the 2020 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) are now available on its website. Included are the revised elements of performance “NPSG.15.01.01: Reduce the risk for suicide” that went into effect earlier this year. The new requirements are designed to improve…
Identifying postop complications using EHR data and machine learning
Editor's Note Using machine learning on electronic health record (EHR) postoperative data linked to the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) outcomes data, researchers developed a model with 163 predictors of postoperative complications at the University of Colorado Hospital. Of 6,840 patients analyzed with the…
ECRI Institute’s Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2020
Editor's Note The ECRI Institute on October 7 released its annual safety report identifying the top 10 device hazards in hospitals, medical practices, and homecare for 2020. Topping the list was surgical stapler misuse and malfunction that can lead to patient harm. Third on the list is sterile processing errors…
Poorer surgical outcomes linked to lower socioeconomic status
Editor's Note This study from researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found a consistent, strong association between geographic indicators for socioeconomic status and important surgical outcomes. Of 1,573,740 hospital discharges analyzed, adjusted odds of inpatient mortality significantly increased as geographic distress increased across all measures of geographic risk. The odds of…
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