Editor's Note A freezing technique applied during heart surgery is reducing pain, shortening recovery times, and minimizing the need for narcotics, News 9/CBS News August 13 reports. The procedure, called cryo nerve ablation, involves freezing nerves around the ribs to block pain signals for about 60 days. The nerves eventually…
Editor's Note Pairing comfort nursing with targeted surgical care improves recovery, reduces pain, and enhances satisfaction for colorectal cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery, according to an American Journal of Managed Care August 18 article covering a study published in Annali Italiani di Chirurgia. As detailed in the article, the researchers…
Editor's Note Psychological interventions such as hypnosis, music therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may reduce acute pain in clinical settings, though statistically significant effects were found only in some studies, according to a July 16 scoping review published in The Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing. Hypnosis was the most adaptable…
Editor's Note Providing tailored feedback to surgical prescribers significantly increased adherence to opioid prescribing guidelines without affecting patients’ ability to manage postoperative pain, according to research published June 11 in JAMA Surgery. The study tested whether monthly reports that included peer prescribing comparisons and patient-reported outcomes could influence opioid prescribing…
Editor's Note The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) launched a new pain management toolkit that prioritizes multimodal strategies to improve outcomes and reduce opioid use in ambulatory surgery. Designed for the unique challenges of outpatient care, the resource provides practical, evidence-based guidance to optimize safety, comfort, and recovery.…
Editor's Note Neuromodulation is shifting from the margins to the forefront of neurological treatment, offering real-world potential to transform care for conditions like epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and substance use disorder. As reported by Medical Device Network on May 19, the field is seeing accelerated innovation and investment, with global market…
Editor's Note Simple hysterectomy provides similar long-term survival outcomes to modified radical or radical hysterectomy for patients with low-risk, early-stage cervical cancer, according to a large cohort study published May 15 in JAMA Network Open. Consistent with prior research, the findings add to the growing body of evidence supporting conservative…
Editor's Note Pain among patients undergoing in-office gynecologic procedures is widely underestimated and ineffectively treated, particularly for those with trauma histories, chronic pain, or marginalized identities, according to a new Clinical Consensus from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The report stresses that individualized, evidence-informed, and trauma-sensitive strategies are…
Editor's Note Blocking stress-induced prolactin may significantly reduce postoperative pain in women and curb the need for opioids, according to a study led by University of Arizona Health Sciences. News-Medical.Net summarized the findings May 20. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research suggests a path toward…
Editor's Note Amid a lack of focus and lack of resources on perioperative mental health, alleviating patient anxiety and preventing poor surgical outcomes requires creative solutions. This is the central argument of a May 12 commentary in The Conversation by Renée El-Gabalawy, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the…