Editor's Note This meta-analysis found that patients at higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), as determined by preoperative STOP-Bang screening, had a higher risk of postoperative adverse events and longer length of hospital stay, compared with lower risk-OSA patients. The analysis included 10 studies with 23,609 patients (7,877 high-risk…

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Editor's Note In this analysis of patient falls from OR and procedure tables during anesthesia care, researchers queried two independent closed claims databases. They identified 21 claims (1.2% of cases) in the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Closed Claims Project and 0.07% of cases in the secure records of a…

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Organizations that have adopted the perioperative surgical home (PSH) model of patient care have reaped the benefits of improved outcomes and a healthier bottom line. In particular, the PSH has a proven track record for colorectal surgery and orthopedic surgery. In part 1 of this two-part series (OR Manager, August…

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Editor's Note Children with multiple exposures to anesthesia before age 3 are more likely to develop adverse outcomes related to learning and attention, this study finds. Of 116 multiply exposed, 457 singly exposed, and 463 unexposed children included in the analysis, multiple, but not single, anesthesia exposures were associated with…

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Editor's Note This population-based analysis finds that implementation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) interventions in total joint patients is limited, with some current trends virtually in contrast to practice guidelines. Of more than 1 million patients analyzed, anesthetic techniques did not differ by OSA status, and overall, less than 25%…

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Uncertainties pepper the healthcare landscape, but the shift to value-based care is expected to continue, even though momentum may slow under the current administration. That means perioperative services leaders must continue to explore new care delivery options such as the perioperative surgical home (sidebar, p 17). “The demand for value…

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Editor's Note Discharge from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) without assessment of lower limb motor function after spinal anesthesia for total hip or knee arthroplasty did not increase length of hospital stay or readmissions but significantly reduced time in the PACU (0.40 vs 1.56 hours), this study finds. This multicenter…

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Editor's Note Using patient-specific preoperative variables, a validated logistic regression model predicted transfusions in total hip and knee patients in this study. The model identified preoperative hemoglobin, total hip arthroplasty, and females 65 years of age and older as predictors of perioperative transfusions. The model also may help identify those…

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Editor's Note Ketamine does not decrease delirium or lower levels of pain in older adults after major surgery and might cause harm by inducing hallucinations and nightmares, this study finds. A total of 672 patients were randomly assigned to a placebo group (222 patients), a 0.5 mg/kg ketamine group (227),…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 27 issued a Safety Alert saying the agency had approved label changes on the use of general anesthetic and sedation drugs in children younger than 3 years. The changes include: A new warning that exposure to these drugs for lengthy…

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