Editor's Note In this meta-analysis, the majority of studies suggest that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications. The studies reported worse outcomes for a number of events, including pulmonary and combined complications among OSA patients versus control patients. The association between OSA and…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on April 27 announced that Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, is the first hospital in the US to achieve its Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement. The certification recognizes that Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is committed to providing safe and efficient care…

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Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) on April 29 asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend their pain-related questions in the Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program until concerns are addressed that the questions may contribute to the opioid epidemic, AHA News Now reports. The AHA says…

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Editor's Note National Nurses Week is May 6-12, with May 12 celebrated as International Nurses Day in honor of Florence Nightingale’s birthday. National Nurses Week is celebrated annually to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society. This year’s theme is “Culture of Safety: It starts with You.”…

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Editor's Note Liver transplant candidates who are the sickest and should be first in line for a donor liver are increasingly being removed from the wait list because they are considered too sick to transplant, finds this study. Between 2007 and 2012, more than 4,300 patients were taken off the…

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Editor's Note Seven emergency general surgery procedures account for about 80% of all admissions, deaths, complications, and inpatient costs, this study finds. The seven procedures are: partial colectomy small bowel resection cholecystectomy operative management of peptic ulcer disease lysis of peritoneal adhesions appendectomy laparotomy. These seven procedures represent the greatest…

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Editor's Note In intermediate-risk patients, outcomes (ie, death from any cause or disabling stroke) of transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) were similar to conventional open aortic-valve replacement, this study finds. The study involved 2,032 patients: 1,011 were randomized to TAVR and 1,021 to open surgery. Previous studies have shown that survival rates…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 27 proposed two rules, scheduled to take effect in January  2017, that will ease physician documentation requirements. One rule makes changes to the “Meaningful Use” program. CMS is proposing to replace meaningful use with a new program that…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 26 announced the recall by Fresenius Kabi USA (Lake Zurich, Illinois) of one lot of Sensorcaine-MPF (bupivacaine HCL) Injection, USP, 0.75%, 7.5 mg/mL, 30 mL fill in a 30 mL vial. The recall was initiated because of the presence of…

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Editor's Note Hand and arm surgical procedures can be completed safely in the outpatient setting at a freestanding ambulatory surgery center (ASC), this study finds. In this retrospective review of nearly 29,000 cases performed at a freestanding ASC over an 11-year period, there were 58 adverse events, for an overall…

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