Editor's Note Patients with a history of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a higher risk of delirium after high-complexity surgeries but not after those of moderate complexity, according to findings published in the March issue of Anesthesia and Analgesia. The study included 46,352 hospital patients older than 60 years who…
Editor's Note A new Alabama law provides civil and criminal immunity for providers and patients of in vitro fertilization (IVF) services, the Associated Press reported March 7. Last month, the Alabama Supreme Court effectively ruled that frozen embryos are people with a constitutional right to life, casting doubt on the…
Editor's Note Most surgical studies still do not report movement-evoked postoperative pain despite the recommendations of expert consensus groups, according to findings published November 27 in Anesthesiology. Researchers came to essentially the same conclusion upon re-evaluating the assessment of pain at rest and movement-evoked pain in 2011. In this updated…
Editor's Note A new synthetic surgical gel developed by a researcher at Radboud University may one day help reduce the need for recurring surgeries for women with pelvic organ prolapse. Advanced Therapeutics published the findings September 6, 2023. According to a recent EurekAlert! report, the researcher received her PhD for…
Editor's Note Dedicated smoke evacuators reduce the number of particles and levels of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde in surgical smoke during laparotomy, according to a study published online October 25, 2023 and in the March 2024 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons The randomized, double-blind clinical trial…
Editor's Note Following up with a nursing guide in addition to the the modified early warning score (MEWS) helps reduce early postoperative complications, according to the results of a recent clinical trial. Nursing guide application in patients followed up according to MEWS also decreased ISCU admission, decreased MEWS and increased…
Editor's Note Bariatric surgery is more effective than lifestyle and medical interventions in glycemic control for Type 2 diabetes patients, according to findings published February 27 in JAMA. The clinical trial involved four health systems and 262 participants, 96 of whom received medical- and lifestyle-focused treatment and 166 of whom…
Takeaways The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated staffing problems, and although some parameters have improved, challenges remain. Surgical volume took a sharp drop during the pandemic but is now rebounding. Over the years, the gap in difficulty between recruiting RNs and recruiting STs has narrowed. Last month, OR Manager looked back on…
What is the purpose of the top 10 health technology hazards list, released every year by ECRI? “Our number one goal at ECRI is to reduce preventable harm,” stresses Jason Launders, MSC, former director of operations, device evaluation, at ECRI. “We know that every healthcare provider has a lot they…
Editor's Note Although lumbar disc herniation surgery can alleviate symptoms of back pain and even prevent disability, the costs exceed the benefits for a sizeable minority of patients, researchers write in a study published February 7 in Jama Network. To address this concern, they investigated whether machine learning algorithms that…