Editor's Note Doctors from Scotland and the US recently completed what is thought to be a world-first stroke procedure using a remote surgical robot on a human cadaver. A professor testing the remote robotic technology at a hospital in Dundee, Scotland and a neurosurgeon in Florida conducted the thrombectomy on…

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Editor's Note Joint Commission released 14 briefs designed to help accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals translate the accreditation organization’s National Performance Goals (NPGs), into actionable practices, according to a November 12 Joint Commission news story. Joint Commission’s NPG chapter for accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals will become effective…

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Editor's Note  Being able to identify a patient’s risk for a coronary event before surgery helps teams plan for potential complications like heart attack, heart failure, or arrhythmias, and ideally improve postoperative outcomes. New research published November 9 in JAMA demonstrated that coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) improved risk prediction…

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Editor's Note Temperature, lighting, and noise can negatively influence surgical performance, according to new research published November 11 in Surgical Endoscopy. A systematic review of 34 studies examining the impact of lighting, temperature, noise, and music on the performance of surgical teams sought to understand how these environmental factors can…

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Editor's Note As hospital systems seeing a significant jump in outpatient care, they are also seeing a rise in patient acuity across inpatient care. This increased patient acuity for inpatient care is driving changes to care models across both settings, an October 27 article in Becker’s Clinical Leadership reports. Clinical…

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Editor's Note Improving first case on-time starts (FCOTS) in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) can improve overall efficiency. When the first case of the day starts on-time, it leads to a cascading effect that can prevent cancellations, improve patient satisfaction, and reduce stress for perioperative staff. It can also make…

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Editor's Note Obesity is a key driver of earlier total hip arthroplasty (THA) and elevated perioperative risk, according to findings published October 29 in Surgeries. While THA is a well-known intervention for older adults with end-stage hip osteoarthritis, the researchers reported a link between an increase in obesity and the…

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Editor's Note The incidence of surgical patients being discharged against medical advice is increasing, leading to a subsequent rise in postoperative complications and readmissions, according to new published research. The investigators evaluated trends, risk factors, and postoperative outcomes among surgical patients who were discharged against medical advice and their findings…

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Editor's note A liberal blood transfusion strategy after major vascular or general surgery for patients at high risk of a cardiac event did not reduce 90-day death or major ischemic outcome rates compared with a restrictive strategy, according to results from the Transfusion Trigger after Operations in High Cardiac Risk…

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Editor's Note Surgical care can be influenced if a patient has high blood pressure, including for preoperative assessment, intraoperative monitoring and to prevent postoperative complications such as heart and kidney injury, stroke, and death. An overview of updated blood pressure guidance updates to the 2017 Blood Pressure Guidelines released by…

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