Study: Physician organizational affiliation impacts procedure locations, costs
Editor's Note Hospital-employed physicians are least likely and private equity (PE)-affiliated physicians most likely to provide care in lower-cost ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) or offices, according to a study published July 24 in the Journal of Market Access & Health Policy These care site differences translate to substantial variation in…
GLP-1 drugs show promise for preoperative weight loss
Editor's Note Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists may offer orthopedic patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes a powerful tool for preoperative weight loss and potential disease modification, according to a July 10 review article in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. However, the agents carry perioperative risks that…
CMS payment overhaul could cut specialist pay
Editor's Note A “quiet transformation” in how Medicare pays doctors could reduce payments for specialty care, including rates for billing codes associated with surgery, diagnostic imaging, outpatient care, pain management, and orthopedics, Modern Healthcare reported July 22. According to the article, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)’ 2026…
Hospitals pioneer methods to overcome DCD barriers, expand lifesaving transplants
Editor's Note Surgeons at Duke and Vanderbilt universities have devised simpler methods to retrieve donor hearts after circulatory death, according to a July 16 report from the Associated Press (AP). The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, details successful heart transplants using organs from donors whose hearts…
FDA designates Class 1 recall for angiographic catheter
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated Cook’s recent recall of the Beacon Tip 5.0 Fr Angiographic Catheter as a Class 1, the most severe category indicating serious risk of injury or death. The recall was reportedly motivated by reports of tip separation both prior to…
Surgeons perform first dual-organ transplant on LVAD patient
Editor's Note A Florida transplant team has performed the first-ever heart-liver transplant in a patient supported by a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), offering a potential new treatment route for those previously ineligible due to high rejection risk, CBS News reported June 21. The patient, whose antibody levels placed her…
Study: Copeptin levels signal perioperative stress in cardiac surgery with CPB
Editor's Note Copeptin levels surge during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), marking it as a potential biomarker for physiological stress in cardiac surgery, according to a May 13 article in Medical Dialogues. The article details a prospective cohort study, published in the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, involving 61 adult patients…
Study: Outpatient PCI safety comparable for ASCs, HOPDs
Editor's Note The first study to evaluate percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in Medicare beneficiaries treated at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) found similar short-term safety outcomes as hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). As detailed in an announcement from The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI), the research was presented on May…
Low-cost blood test predicts cardiovascular event risk
Editor's Note A low-cost blood test for troponin, a protein released during heart muscle damage, significantly improves long-term risk prediction for heart attacks and strokes—especially in patients with intermediate cardiovascular risk, according to an April 7 report from News-Medical.Net. The findings, based on a large-scale international study led by the…
Dissolvable pacemaker delivers temporary cardiac support without wires, surgery
Editor's Note Researchers have developed a fully dissolvable, needle-injectable pacemaker that regulates heart rhythms without requiring surgical removal. As detailed in an April 2 article in Scientific American, the miniature device—just millimeters in size—can deliver electrical stimulation for days to weeks before safely breaking down in the body, potentially reducing…
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