Surgery/Specialties Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on September 28, issued a safety alert for cranial perforators with an automatic clutch mechanism. Most cranial perforators are designed to automatically stop drilling after penetrating the skull to prevent the tip from unintentionally drilling into the brain. However this clutch mechanism…
Editor's Note Incentivizing surgeons to standardize surgical supplies led to dramatic cost savings in this study. A shared-savings program that returned 50% of money saved on surgical supplies to the surgery division realized a total cost-savings of $893,865. A total of $446,932 was shared with 15 surgery divisions. Quality of…
Editor's Note This is the first study to use a human factors and systems engineering approach to evaluate contributors to readmissions after complex surgical procedures. Previous studies on readmissions have neglected the patient perspective, the authors say. Factors identified by patients and clinician providers that may have contributed to readmissions…
Editor's Note Hip fracture surgery was associated with a higher risk of mortality and morbidity than elective total hip replacement (THR) even after adjustment for age, gender, and comorbidities, in this French study. Hip fracture patients had a 1.8% chance of dying before hospital discharge compared to 0.3% for THR…
Editor's Note Between 2000 and 2010, more than 5.2 million total knee replacements were performed in the US, and the rate at which adults had their knees replaced more than doubled (from 24 per 10,000 adults to 45 per 10,000), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National…
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons on September 2 announced the launch of its Surgery Career Connection, a new career center that connects surgeons across all specialties and career stages with employers offering career opportunities. Surgery Career Connection is powered by YourMembership. Among the benefits of the career center:…
Editor's Note Patients age 90 years and older with aortic stenosis can benefit from transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), this study finds. TAVR patients had a comparable risk of mortality as those who did not have the procedure, and quality of life improved within 6 months.
Editor's Note Total knee and total hip arthroplasties are associated with a substantially increased risk of myocardial infarction during the first postoperative month, finds this study. The MI risk gradually declined overtime, but the risk for venous thromboembolism remained years after the procedure. The study included 40,000 patients, half of…
Editor's Note The risk of adverse outcomes in patients having elective daytime surgical procedures was similar whether the surgeon performed surgery the night before or not, this study finds. There were no significant differences in patient mortality, readmission, or complications when surgeons worked after midnight, compared to when surgeons did…
Editor's Note A proposed law would require ASCs and hospitals to install surveillance cameras in their ORs. Whether they are a good idea or not depends on why they are there, according to an editorial in Outpatient Surgery Magazine. If they are intended to enhance performance and find out why…
