Anesthesia
Surgeons rethink aggressive care as xylazine wounds mimic necrotizing fasciitis but rarely require urgent radical excision
Editor's Note Surgeons across multiple disciplines are confronting a distinct wound pattern tied to xylazine-contaminated opioids and adapting management to avoid unnecessary amputations, the American College of Surgeons October 1 reports. These wounds can resemble necrotizing soft tissue infection at first glance, yet the clinical picture and trajectory differ, calling…
What periop nurses should preoperatively know about GLP-1, oral GLP-1 drugs
With the explosion of GLP-1–based therapies for type 2 diabetes and weight loss, perioperative nursing teams, especially in the preoperative and postanesthesia care areas, need to be fluent in recognizing these medications. Some patients may arrive on these agents—or even novel oral GLP-1s—and the physiologic effects, especially delayed gastric emptying,…
Common supplements may heighten bleeding risk during surgery, Polish study finds
Editor's Note Many widely used supplements and herbal remedies can increase bleeding risk during surgery and should be stopped in advance, according to researchers at Wrocław Medical University. The findings highlight a gap in perioperative safety practices, The Am-Pol Eagle September 18 reports. The study, led by the university’s Department…
Keeping sensory aids in place during surgery reduces delirium risk in older hip fracture patients
Editor's Note Allowing older surgical patients to keep dentures, glasses, and hearing aids until anesthesia and restoring them immediately afterward significantly lowered postoperative delirium (POD) rates, according to a study published in BMC Geriatrics on August 30. The prospective before-and-after trial followed patients aged 70 and older undergoing hip fracture…
Fall deaths among older adults have tripled, prescription drugs under scrutiny
Editor's Note Deaths from falls among Americans over 65 have more than tripled in the past 3 decades, raising alarm among geriatric experts and fueling debate about the role of prescription drugs, HealthLeaders September 15 reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded more than 41,000 fall-related deaths…
PACU initiative cuts emergency response times from 9 to 2 minutes
Editor's Note A multidisciplinary quality improvement effort at Vanderbilt University Medical Center sharply reduced response times to post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) emergencies, demonstrating a model that other hospitals could replicate, OR Management News September 1 reports. By combining education, clear role identification, standardized anesthesiologist notification, and recurring mock code drills,…
Study identifies risk factors for PE and DVT after ambulatory surgery
Editor's Note Pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are rare after same-day surgeries, but when they occur, they carry high risks of death and readmission. According to Anesthesiology News May 12, a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center analysis of more than 1.1 million outpatient procedures found an…
Survey: Perioperative leaders adapt to supply strain, staffing pressure, ASC growth
Editor's Note Perioperative leaders are reshaping how surgical care is delivered, making pragmatic adjustments in the face of supply shortages, staffing constraints, and shifting surgical volume toward ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Together, the latest three OR Manager pulse polls reveal a profession managing high stakes with a mix of caution,…
August poll results: Service line shifts push ASCs to expand capacity, redefine readiness
The migration of surgical cases from inpatient settings to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continues to reshape perioperative leadership in 2025. Nationally, the trend is driven by payer incentives, patient preference, and cost pressures, with ASCs now performing more orthopedic, spine, and complex outpatient procedures than ever before. In fact, the…
Endoscopy case highlights risks of complex patients in ASCs
Editor's Note A malpractice case involving a 69-year-old man undergoing an endoscopy at an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) spotlights the risks of managing high-comorbidity patients outside a hospital setting. According to a May 13 report in Anesthesiology News, the patient experienced a hypoxic event that led to permanent brain injury…
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- Surgeons rethink aggressive care as xylazine wounds mimic necrotizing fasciitis but rarely require urgent radical excision