Symptomatic SARS-COV-2 patients undergoing surgical procedures experience significantly higher 30-day in-hospital mortality, ICU admission, longer ICU and hospital stay, and pulmonary complications, according to a study published August 1 in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing. Researchers analyzed a year’s worth of records of 102 infected surgical patients and those who…

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Editor's Note A recent study led by the University of Bristol reveals nearly 9 months of joint replacement surgeries, amounting to approximately 160,000 procedures, have been lost since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, News Medical Life Sciences July 31 reports. Published in The Bone & Joint Journal, the study…

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Editor's Note Lumbar spinal fusion procedures are significantly more likely to fail in individuals with diabetes, according researchers at The University of Toledo. According to a July 9 EurekAlert! report on the study, published in JBMR Plus, diabetic patients are already known to have a higher risk of infection from…

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Editor's Note An electronic health record (EHR)-based nudge could significantly reduce low-value axillary surgeries in older women with early-stage breast cancer, researchers reported July 17 in JAMA Surgery. Conducted across eight clinical settings, the initiative significantly cut the rates of low-value sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNB) by nearly 50% over…

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Editor's Note Automated surgical video analysis could enhance evaluation of an OR team’s nontechnical skills, according to a study published July 31 in JAMA Network Open. Conducted between January 2021 and May 2022, the cross-sectional study involved 30 cardiovascular surgical teams at a teaching hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Using OpenPose,…

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Editor's Note Medical professionals have long accepted that bilateral mastectomy does not improve survival outcomes for breast cancer patients. However, a study published in JAMA Oncology reveals a puzzling finding: Those who develop a second cancer in the other breast have a higher risk of death. As detailed in a…

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Some 800,000 knee replacements and 550,000 hip replacements are performed in the US each year. Factoring in the ever-expanding aging population, projections show the figure for knee replacements alone will explode to 3.5 million procedures being done annually by 2030—and that is just one type of procedure within a single…

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The administrator of an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) wears many hats, doing every odd job in the book to keep their free-standing center safe, compliant, and operational. But what does “wearing many hats” mean exactly? OR Manager spoke with Nyleen Flores, CPMSM, CPCS, CPCO, CASC, chief administrative officer at Lake…

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Takeaways Transmitting health metrics directly from a surgical implant reduces the need for in-person followup and offers more objective data on recovery than patient-reported measures. This technology’s potential extends beyond knees. Whatever the nature of the treatment, postop monitoring is critical. Patient education is essential for setting up the data…

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Editor's Note An increasing number of young and middle-aged adults are opting for knee and hip replacements earlier in life, breaking the stereotype that such surgeries are primarily for seniors aged 65 or older. That is according to a July 24 article in U.S. News & World Report. Citing research…

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