Editor's Note Many widely used supplements and herbal remedies can increase bleeding risk during surgery and should be stopped in advance, according to researchers at Wrocław Medical University. The findings highlight a gap in perioperative safety practices, The Am-Pol Eagle September 18 reports. The study, led by the university’s Department…

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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 A malpractice case involving a 69-year-old man undergoing an endoscopy at an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) spotlights the risks of managing high-comorbidity patients outside a hospital setting. According to a May 13 report in Anesthesiology News, the patient experienced a hypoxic event that led to permanent brain injury…

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By 2022, orthopedic procedures performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) were already outpacing expectations. For years, total hip and knee replacements were considered too complex for same-day surgery. Yet, total joints replacement volumes jumped nearly 200% between 2020 and 2022—outpatient total knee arthroplasty surged nearly 194%, while total hip arthroplasty…

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Editor's Note Meeting with a health behavior psychologist before orthopedic surgery can help patients identify and overcome barriers to recovery, leading to better surgical outcomes, according to a University of Missouri School of Medicine July 31 news article covering a study published in the Journal of Knee Surgery. The study…

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Editor's Note Older surgical patients with preoperative cognitive impairment face significantly higher odds of developing postoperative delirium (POD), and POD itself is tied to markedly worse surgical outcomes, according to two major studies published July 2025. Together, the findings point to delirium as both a high-impact and potentially modifiable target…

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Editor's Note Medication management in the perioperative period is often made without robust evidence, requiring clinicians to balance surgical safety with the risks of interrupting treatment, according to expert guidance presented at the annual Perioperative Medicine Summit. Paul Grant, MD, of the University of Michigan Medical School, noted most medications…

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An estimated 22 million Americans were believed to have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in 2019, according to data cited in a February 2019 article published by OR Manager. At that time, up to 80% of cases were undiagnosed, and 30% to 40% of the surgical patient population was believed to…

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Editor's Note Using 3D-printed anatomical models during preoperative consultations significantly improved shared decision-making (SDM) and modestly reduced anxiety in colorectal surgery patients, according to a June 3 study published in JAMA Network Open.  The single-center, cluster randomized clinical trial enrolled 51 adult patients scheduled for colon or rectal resection due…

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Editor's Note A new international consensus offers the first multidisciplinary definition and set of recommendations for group-based preoperative education programs, sometimes referred to as “surgery schools.” Published June 21 in the British journal Anaesthesia, the expert-driven guidance aims to improve patient preparation, experience, and recovery for those undergoing major elective…

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