Editor's Note The Perioperative Nutrition Screen (PONS) identifies patients at greater risk of complications following pancreatic cancer surgery, according to a retrospective analysis published August 27 by Research Square. The study found that patients flagged for nutrition risk by PONS experienced longer hospital stays, higher complication rates, and were more…

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Editor's Note Allowing older surgical patients to keep dentures, glasses, and hearing aids until anesthesia and restoring them immediately afterward significantly lowered postoperative delirium (POD) rates, according to a study published in BMC Geriatrics on August 30. The prospective before-and-after trial followed patients aged 70 and older undergoing hip fracture…

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Editor's Note Older age alone should not exclude patients from ambulatory general surgery. A retrospective study published in Cureus on August 27 found that patients over 75 undergoing short-stay general surgical procedures experienced complication and reintervention rates comparable to younger peers, despite higher comorbidity and anesthetic risk scores. The analysis…

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Editor's Note Hospitalized surgical patients in 2024 were nearly 20% more likely to survive than expected compared to 2019, according to an August 5 analysis from the American Hospital Association (AHA) and Vizient. The report credits safety improvements such as reductions in infections, falls, and major complications, even as surgical…

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Editor's Note Early findings indicate the da Vinci 5 (DV5) platform’s force feedback technology can reduce the amount of force surgeons apply to tissue, potentially minimizing trauma during colorectal surgery. According to a pilot study published in the American Journal of Surgery on July 10, the feature allows surgeons to…

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Editor's Note Standardized perioperative protocols can reduce hospital stays and costs for children undergoing surgery without affecting complication rates, JAMA Surgery August 20 reports. As detailed in this original investigation, the researchers evaluated the Minimizing Variance in Pediatric Surgery (MViPS) program, a fellow-led initiative launched in 2013 across two academic…

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Editor's Note Artificial disc replacement (ADR) in the cervical spine can be performed safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively in outpatient/ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), Ortho Spine News July 31 reports. The article details research from Steven J. Girdler, MD, of DISC Surgery Center, who reviewed 6 years of data from 1,043 patients…

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Editor's Note Hospitals achieved a substantial reduction in mortality risk for surgical inpatients between 2019 and 2024, even as patients grew sicker and stayed longer, according to a report released August 5 by the American Hospital Association (AHA) and Vizient. In the first quarter of 2024, hospitalized surgical patients were…

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Editor's Note Short-staffed hospital wards face higher patient mortality, readmissions, and lengthier stays—especially when they rely on temporary staff instead of permanent registered nurses, according to research published in BMJ Quality & Safety.  As detailed in a summary from Medscape News UK, the large-scale, longitudinal observational study was led by…

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Editor's Note A recent study shows potentially significant promise for preoperative virtual reality (VR) simulation to improve surgical patient outcomes. Published March 1 in the American Journal of Critical Care, the research details how VR reduced ICU sedation and ventilator time for patients undergoing elective cardiothoracic surgery. Although the program…

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