Anesthesia
Perioperative management: Top challenges, priorities for OR leaders in 2024, per survey
Staff recruitment and retention is the top priority of OR leaders going into 2024, according to a November/December survey conducted by LeanTaaS in collaboration with OR Manager. Out of 84 respondents (some skipped), while 76% chose staff recruitment and retention, both improving operational efficiency (65%) and sustaining volume (36%) also…
Study: Are clinicians undervaluing patient diagnostic feedback?
Editor’s Note Lending greater weight to patient opinions could help clinicians diagnose certain conditions, according to a study published in Rheumatology on December 18. The study focused specifically on neuropsychiatric lupus, an autoimmune disease that is difficult to diagnose and includes symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and hallucinations that can…
Testing shows promise for automated anesthesia monitoring, delivery system
Editor’s Note A new automated delivery system for anesthesia that has been effectively tested in monkeys could eventually be used by doctors to identify and deliver the right dose of drugs in people. The findings appeared October 31 in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United…
Postoperative opioid prescriptions falling, but more improvement needed
Editor's Note A new study finds that while opioid prescriptions for postoperative pain relief have continued to decline, that downward trend has slowed since 2020, indicating the need for continued work to right-size opioid prescriptions for surgery patients. The findings were published by JAMA Network on December 7. Researchers looking…
FTC lawsuit challenges private equity medical group ‘Roll-Up’ deals
Editor's Note The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is squaring off against a private equity-backed anesthesia practice in Texas, HealthNews Florida November 30 reports. This move is being seen as a first step in the agency seeking to challenge the increasing role of private equity in monopolizing medical groups. In September,…
ASCs continue to contend with anesthesia provider shortages, inflating costs
Editor's Note There is a major anesthesia provider shortage that has been and continues to impact ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and which is driving up costs, Becker’s ASC Review November 29 reports. Meanwhile, reimbursements from payers are declining, straining ASCs’ ability to provide needed care. Some highlights from the Becker’s…
Researchers look for genetic drivers of postop pain
Editor's Note A new study that attempted to find genetic drivers of postoperative pain uncovered only two associated alleles, suggesting wider examination is needed. The findings were published in the American Society of Anesthesiologists journal Anesthesiology December 2023 issue. The researchers looked at 163 studies and evaluated 129 genes and…
Survey: Compensation rising for in-demand APPs
Editor's Note According to the 2023 survey from consulting firm SullivanCotter, published in August 2023, compensation for Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) has grown at a faster rate than pay for physicians and nurses, BusinessWire November 15 reports. The final report included data on more than 124,000 individual APPs and over…
Breaking down pain treatments in the OR and ASC
Pain treatments have applications in traditional hospital OR settings and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). “The choice of setting depends on the specific needs of the patient, the type of procedure being performed, and the resources available,” says Wang Lushun, MD, senior consultant orthopedic surgeon at Arete Orthopaedic Centre in Singapore.…
Flexible IV needle aims to reduce needle injuries, infections
Editor's Note Researchers have designed a new IV needle, called the Phase-Convertible, Adapting and non-REusable (P-CARE) needle, which becomes soft and flexible when inserted. The findings were published in Nature Biomedical Engineering on October 30. Some highlights of the article include: Because medical IV needles are rigid, it allows them…
Free Daily News
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