Research The American Heart Association has issued a scientific statement in its journal Circulation on the topic of perioperative anemia and patient blood management in cardiac surgery. Calling perioperative anemia and red blood cell transfusions important risk factors for morbidity and mortality in cardiac surgery, it notes that up to 50%…
A Cleveland Clinic pediatric hospitalist sees much room for improvement in the perioperative management of pediatric patients with medical complexities characterized by rare multisystem disease. Moises Auron, MD, says that while such patients are frequently candidates for life-sustaining surgeries—often multiple surgeries—their risk for increased morbidity and mortality remains high. Cleveland…
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine finds that intraoperative tranexamic acid reduced red-cell transfusions across major noncardiac surgeries without increasing the risk of dangerous blood clots. The study was sponsored and coordinated by the University of Manitoba (UM) and co-led by researchers at UM and…
Development of postoperative delirium remains the strongest predictor of long-term cognitive decline, according to a new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham, Hebrew SeniorLife and Brown University. The cohort study of 560 older adults, “Rehospitalization and the Association of Postoperative Delirium With Cognitive Decline in Older Adults,” was published…
A new study evaluates the formation, implementation, and outcomes of the Musculoskeletal Quality Collaborative (MSKQC) across a Massachusetts hospital system. The study, published in The American Journal of Managed Care, states that the MSKQC, established in 2019, “comprises physician, quality, and nursing leaders from 14 hospitals” focused on value-based health…
Global consulting firm AlixPartners has released its inaugural U.S. Healthcare & Life Sciences Distress Test Survey of 200 U.S.-based operators, investors, and advisors. The survey report, available for free viewing here, “digs into what’s behind this elevated distress and, more importantly, how industry leaders are responding.” While the numbers won’t…
Researchers from University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and UI Health are “challenging accepted beliefs about telesurgery” as a result of a $9 million project with the U.S. Office of Naval Research. According to UIC, “the researchers believe telesurgery — a surgeon operating on a patient in a different physical location…
Surgeon recruitment and retention is already difficult for many facilities. According to a new study published as an article in press in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, that difficulty will likely continue without effective interventions to stem the tide of surgeon attrition. The retrospective longitudinal cohort study…
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) has published an analysis of Medicare claims from KNG Health Consulting that projects that ASCs will save Medicare $84.8 billion from 2025 to 2034. Previously, stated ASCA, KNG used Medicare claims to determine that ASCs saved Medicare $43.2 billion between 2015 and 2024, and…
A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons finds that “each additional 1,000 steps” a patient takes postoperatively is linked to 18% lower odds of complications, 16% lower odds of readmission, and 6% shorter hospital stays. Surgeon researchers analyzed data from the National Institutes of…
