Editor's Note Research shows combining music with preoperative education not only reduces anxiety, but also enhances recovery outcomes in patients undergoing open cardiac surgery. Published January 21 in the Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing, the randomized controlled study involved 322 patients, evenly randomized into an experimental group (music and preoperative education)…

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Editor's Note Optimizing surgeon stress could enhance surgical performance and patient outcomes, according to a large cohort study published January 15 in JAMA Surgery. Researchers focused particularly on physiological markers of surgeon stress during the first 5 minutes of a procedure, revealing a significant inverse relationship with major patient complications.…

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Editor's Note The first large-scale, randomized pediatric trial of its kind reveals the potential of treating acute, non-perforated appendicitis in children with antibiotics instead of surgery, Medical Xpress reported January 20. Published in The Lancet, the APPY study involved collaboration among 11 children’s hospitals worldwide to compare the effectiveness of…

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Editor's Note A meta-analysis reveals that cataract surgery often leads to temporary tear film instability, with symptoms potentially lasting up to three months, according to a January 16 article in Medscape. However, the impact on other dry eye measures remains unclear due to inconsistent findings across studies. Researchers analyzed 20…

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Editor's Note A new international study reports low rates of local recurrence, radionecrosis, and leptomeningeal disease in patients receiving neoadjuvant stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) before brain metastases resection, Medscape Medical News reported January 6. Published in Radiotherapy and Oncology, the analysis included 179 patients with 189 brain metastases treated at nine…

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Editor's Note A study published in JAMA Surgery revealed that hospitals owned by private equity firms had significantly worse outcomes for esophagectomy patients compared to non-acquired hospitals. As detailed in a January 2 report on the findings in MedPage Today, the analysis of over 9,000 cases highlights disparities in 30-day…

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Editor's Note Older cancer patients undergoing major abdominal procedures at Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, Rhode Island, significantly benefitted from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) program, Medical Xpress reported December 10. Citing a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons,…

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Editor's Note Adverse events (AEs) remain widespread in perioperative care, affecting nearly one in three patients and resulting in substantial and often preventable patient harm, according to a retrospective cohort study published November 13 in The BMJ. The study analyzed 1,009 weighted admissions from a sample of 64,121 surgical patients…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has recognized 77 US hospitals for “exceptional surgical outcomes” in 2023 based on performance metrics tracked as part of the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP). According to an October 30 ACS announcement, these hospitals were selected from among 609 eligible…

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Editor's Note When it comes to the 2024 presidential election, “Neither candidate addresses a return to the fundamental tenet of healthcare: the patient-physician relationship,” reads the closing line of an “election guide” from Richard Menger MD MPA. In the preceding paragraph, Menger also argues that both candidates also neglect issues…

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