Editor's Note Helping patients taper opioids preoperatively before deploying multimodal care strategies can help prevent instances of patients already with prescriptions going home with even higher doses. That’s the main takeaway from an April 22 MedCentral interview with Marie N. Hanna, MD, division chief for regional anesthesia and acute pain…

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Editor's Note Research published in Nature reveals that DNA damage caused by colibactin-producing gut bacteria is far more prevalent in younger patients with colorectal cancer, NBC News reports, suggesting a key factor behind the disturbing rise in cases among people under 40.  According to the April 23 article, researchers from…

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Editor's Note Bariatric surgery improves survival and appears cost-effective over a decade for patients with obesity and compensated cirrhosis, according to an April 18 report in Healio. The findings, based on an analysis published in JAMA Surgery, suggest that bariatric surgery could fill a crucial gap in care for this…

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Editor's Note Recent reporting from Fierce Healthcare highlights two notable technology advances that promise to impact surgical patients and caregivers:  an AI-driven blood pressure monitoring system and a remote-controlled endovascular robotics platform. The first development, from BD, is designed to help clinicians anticipate and manage dangerous blood pressure drops during…

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Editor's Note For some surgeons, treating patients goes hand-in-hand with healing the environment. Consider an April 23 report in Medical Xpress. Detailing sustainability efforts at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center by pediatric surgeon Ami Shah, MD, and her colleague Brian Gulack, MD, the article showcases how rethinking everyday surgical routines…

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Editor's Note An April 16 article in JAMA Network outlines a three-part communications framework for improving the quality and clarity of perioperative conversations with patients, particularly when time is limited and stakes are high. The article focuses particularly on three core communications skills: attending to emotion, managing uncertainty, and supporting…

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Editor's Note Eating during the day instead of at night may protect shift workers from harmful cardiovascular effects, according to an April 17 report in Medscape on new research from Mass General Brigham. Researchers found that the timing of meals—not just their content—directly influences cardiac and clotting function in adults…

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Editor's Note Conventional cleaning protocols fail to remove visible soil and debris from lumened surgical instruments, raising urgent concerns about patient safety and sterilization efficacy. That’s the central finding of a study published February 11 in The American Journal of Infection Control, which used borescopes to inspect the lumens of…

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Editor's Note Nearly 140,000 nurses have left the workforce since 2022, and 40% of the remaining workforce plans to exit by 2029, according to the 2024 National Nursing Workforce Study from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). According to an April 17 announcement from NCSBN, the survey…

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Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned of safety risks resulting from manufacturing issues with two varieties of intravascular catheter—Conavi Medical’s Novasight Hybrid line and BD’s PowerPICC intravascular devices—in separate early alerts April 18. In one reported incident, the sheath of a Novasight Hybrid catheter—a device used…

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