Editor's Note Terry A. Bohlke, MSHA, CPA, CMA, CASC, emphasized that Rocky Mountain High Surgery Center is a pseudonym “to protect the innocent,” but the numbers he presented at the 2025 Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) Conference & Expo in Denver last week were real enough. Based on actual scenarios…

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Editor's Note Preadmission clinics (PACs) are supporting perioperative care by reducing complications, shortening hospital stays, and improving surgical outcomes—particularly for high-risk patients. As detailed in the April 2025 edition of ASA Monitor from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), PACs operate as multidisciplinary outpatient hubs where medical optimization, risk assessment,…

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Why reflect on the past? Reflection anchors strategy and revitalizes purpose. Since the start of the year, the economy has been unstable, regulations have been in flux, and the livelihood of many is being put through grueling tests. But reflecting on the triumphs of past years shows that under the…

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Editor’s Note Tertiary hospitals are embracing the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC), yet inconsistent compliance—especially during time-out—exposes patients to avoidable risks, Cureus April 29 reports. In this study, the researchers found that while overall integration of the SSC is promising, there were compliance gaps particularly in pre-incision…

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Editor's Note Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) remain a significant concern in thyroidectomy patients, with incidence rates reaching up to 80% in high-risk groups, Medical Dialogues April 25 reports. Despite effective intraoperative and postanesthesia care unit (PACU) protocols, gaps often arise during patient transitions to wards or intensive care units,…

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Editor's Note Segmental spinal anesthesia (SSA) has emerged as a safe and effective anesthetic technique for high-risk obstetric patients, particularly those with underlying cardiovascular disease (CVD). A recent case series published on April 29 by Medical Dialogues highlights the successful use of SSA in five parturients undergoing cesarean sections, emphasizing…

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Editor's Note EEG-guided anesthesia reduces drug use and speeds recovery in children, according to an April 22 report in Neuroscience News. The article focuses on a clinical trial, conducted in Japan and published April 21 in JAMA Pediatrics, comparing standard anesthesia dosing with EEG-guided dosing in more than 170 surgical…

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Editor's Note Helping patients taper opioids preoperatively before deploying multimodal care strategies can help prevent instances of patients already with prescriptions going home with even higher doses. That’s the main takeaway from an April 22 MedCentral interview with Marie N. Hanna, MD, division chief for regional anesthesia and acute pain…

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Editor's Note Taking GLP-1 receptor agonists before anesthesia increases the risk of residual gastric contents, but evidence is lacking for a corresponding increase in perioperative pulmonary aspiration risk, according research published April 15 in the journal Anaesthesia. The systematic review and meta-analysis analyzed 28 observational studies involving over 466,000 patients…

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Editor's Note What is reportedly the first technology to allow dynamic, 3D, segmental visualization of anatomy during surgery earned a second 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration, according to an April 8 press release from developer Proprio. Designed to let surgeons measure progress during surgery without scrubbing…

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