Periop Pulse KRTV-TV of Great Falls, Mont., reports that Northern Montana Hospital in Havre, Mont., has launched an expansion project to build new ORs and upgrade its intensive-care unit. The ORs at the 50-year-old hospital are in needs of significant upgrades. “Operating in older OR suites, we just hit some limitations,” Northern Montana…
News organization MLive reports on a preview tour local media received of a new Michigan hospital that’s expected to open in a matter of weeks. Trinity Health officials walked media members through the new four-story, 174,000-square-foot hospital last Thursday. It’s an addition to the existing Trinity Health Medical Center-Brighton that…
Looking for some laughs to start your week? May we suggest this Bored Panda post, “Surgical Staff Reveal 37 Absolutely Unhinged Things Patients Confessed While Under Sedation.” “Twilight anesthesia, that hazy middle ground where you’re relaxed, loopy, and completely unfiltered, has a way of turning even the most composed individuals…
A feature in The Bulletin, the monthly member magazine of the American College of Surgeons, suggests that general surgeons should be prepared to step in to perform pediatric surgeries when pediatric surgeons are unavailable. “In an ideal surgical landscape, a specialty-trained pediatric surgeon would be available to address the needs…
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare but potentially fatal pharmacogenetic disorder of skeletal muscle triggered by exposure to volatile anesthetics or succinylcholine. It’s a particular danger in the OR, and providers must always watch for its signs and collaborate to respond as quickly as possible to save the patient on…
Novant Health announced Monday that it received approval from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to build a 20-bed hospital and a freestanding emergency department in Brunswick County. “The new facilities will elevate access to healthcare in North Carolina’s fastest-growing county,” the health system stated. Novant Health Leland…
Suburban Chicago newspaper The Daily Herald reported over the weekend that Endeavor Health’s Edward Hospital plans a nearly $29 million investment to expand its cardiovascular services. The 20-OR facility in Naperville, Ill., is struggling with capacity issues, and told state regulators that due to its primary service area’s rapidly aging population, “projected…
A new retrospective observational study published in Scientific Reports examines the effect of insurance status on mortality following surgical treatment of colorectal cancers (CRC) in the U.S. “Healthcare disparities in colorectal cancer, driven by insurance status and socioeconomic factors, lead to delayed diagnoses and poor surgical outcomes,” the researchers write. “We…
A new cluster randomized crossover trial study published on JAMA Open by Wake Forest University researchers examines whether continuous (rather than intermittent) vital sign monitoring reduces abnormalities in blood pressure, oxygenation, and heart rate during the initial 48 hours after noncardiac surgery. Using four-week ward clusters among 798 postoperative patients, “the…
At some point in our lives, most of us have dropped food on the ground, quickly picked it up, and ate it – the classic “five-second rule.” Should surgical teams apply the same “rule” when an instrument hits the floor in the OR? Most healthcare providers likely would think not,…
