Safe postop patient recovery: A day in the PACU leader role
Critical assessment and rapid response are essentials skills for perioperative staff members, and that goes double for perioperative leadership. Patient-centered leadership is a must. Like the OR, the postanesthesia care unit (PACU, formerly referred to as the “recovery room”) is a critical care area plagued by an influx of new…
AI screening identifies patients’ risky preoperative alcohol use
Editor's Note: A recent study suggests artificial intelligence (AI) can be valuable for identifying patients who consumed risky amounts of of alcohol prior to surgery. Findings appeared in the journal Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research on January 8. For the study, researchers extracted 3 years of text-based clinical records from…
OR Manager Conference third place poster winner showcases impactful program from 2023
From highlighting the need for better preoperative nasal decolonialization to touting the success of personalized pediatric behavioral health interventions, the posters on display at the 2023 OR Manager Conference highlighted the exceptional work of clinicians in 2023. Poster: “Use of Alcohol-Based Nasal Antiseptic in Reducing Surgical Site Infections in Patients…
Effect of augmented reality on perioperative anxiety
Editor's Note This study from the University of Miami examines the effect of a preoperative walkthrough of a patient’s day of surgery using augmented reality (AR) on perioperative anxiety levels. A total of 95 patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery at an outpatient surgery center were randomized to an AR intervention…
Patients with cannabis use disorder at higher risk of postoperative complications
Editor's Note A recent study led by researchers at the McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston finds patients with cannabis use disorder are at a modestly increased risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality after major elective, inpatient, noncardiac surgery. Recently in the United…
Prognostic value of preop surgeon intuition vs ACS-NSQIP risk calculator
Editor's Note This study by researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that preoperative surgeon intuition is an independent predictor of postoperative complications, but it isn’t as strong as the predictive power of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP)…
Association of preop frailty assessment with 1-year postop mortality
Editor's Note This study from the University of Pittsburgh finds that preoperative frailty screening was associated with significantly reduced 1-year postoperative mortality. A total of 50,463 patients (22,722 before implementation of a frailty assessment initiative and 27,741 after implementation) with at least 1-year of postoperative follow-up were included in the…
Use of telemedicine to preoperatively evaluate bariatric surgery patients
Editor's Note This study from the University of Pittsburgh finds that telemedicine can be used safely and effectively for bariatric surgical patients’ preoperative care. A total of 1,182 patients (telemedicine visit group, 257 vs in-person visit controls, 925) were included in the analysis. The telemedicine group was found to be…
Effect of liberal preop fasting policy on fasting duration and patient well-being, safety
Editor's Note This study, led by researchers at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, finds that a liberal preoperative fasting policy allowing adults scheduled for general anesthesia to drink clear fluids until arrival in the OR was associated with reduced fasting duration and improved patient well-being with regard…
Tracking orientation, competencies, and skillsets in the OR—Military style
GENERAL Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Department of Defense or the US Government. Developing OR nurses for the future is a goal of all OR managers. Orientation programs can vary depending on the…
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