Elective Surgery News and Research

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Elective surgery is surgery that is not urgently required due to an emergency. Elective surgery may be performed for medical purposes, such as cataract surgery, or for other work such as breast implants. These are procedures that the person requiring them decides to undertake, and which may be helpful, but are not necessarily essential.

Smartphone app and health coach combo improves surgical outcomes

Coupling a smart phone app with a real-life health coach appears to be key to helping patients adhere to pre-surgical preparation and post-surgical recovery guidance and improving surgical outcomes, according to new findings led by UPMC and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine physician-scientists.

4 Apr 2024

Study: Many older adults worry about costs, time off work and COVID-19 risk when considering surgery

When it comes to having surgery, older adults don't just base their decision on how much pain they'll feel and how quickly they'll recover, a new study finds.

30 Jan 2024

AIHW data reveals increase in waiting times for patients undergoing elective surgery in Australia’s public hospitals

The number of patients undergoing elective (non-emergency) surgery in Australia’s public hospitals increased by 18% from 2021–22 to 2022–23, but many patients are still facing long wait times, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

11 Dec 2023

Study shows decline in post-surgery opioid prescriptions, but urges continued efforts

Post-surgery pain relief has shifted away from opioid-containing medications over the past seven years, but the downward trend has slowed since 2020, a new study shows.

7 Dec 2023

Study: Weight and BMI policies by NHS are inappropriate and worsen health inequalities

Weight and body mass index (BMI) policies introduced by NHS commissioning groups in England are inappropriate and worsening health inequalities, according to a new study published in BMC Medicine today [13 June] that analyzed nearly 490,000 hip surgeries.

12 Jun 2023

Will a ‘national patient safety board,’ modeled after the NTSB, actually fly?

People concerned about the safety of patients often compare health care to aviation. Why, they ask, can't hospitals learn from medical errors the way airlines learn from plane crashes?

5 Jun 2023

Most patients do not benefit from medical consultations before their surgery, study suggests

A large observational study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that most patients do not medically benefit from consultation with a medical specialist before their surgery.

27 Mar 2023

Study finds higher mortality rate among Black men after elective surgery

Black men have a higher death rate within 30 days of surgery compared with any other subgroup of race and sex, finds a study of adults in the United States published in The BMJ.

2 Mar 2023

Simple nasal spray effective at easing sleep-disordered breathing in children

A simple nasal spray significantly reduced snoring and breathing difficulties in children and halved the number needing to have their tonsils removed, according to a new study.

17 Jan 2023

COPD patients have decreased survival and increased costs in the year after surgery

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who undergo major surgery are more likely to die in the year after surgery and incur higher health care costs than similar patients without COPD, found a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.220733.

17 Jan 2023

COVID-19 disruptions associated with lowest number of Australia’s public hospital elective surgeries

The number of patients treated in the 2021–22 financial year from Australia’s public hospital elective surgery waiting lists (‘elective’ meaning non-emergency) fell to the lowest level since 2010–11. This was associated with disruptions to hospital services as a result of COVID-19.

7 Dec 2022

Healthy people over 65 years of age recommended to get a heart check-up before non-cardiac surgery

A heart check-up is recommended in even apparently healthy people over 65 years of age before intermediate- or high-risk non-cardiac surgery, according to European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines on cardiovascular assessment and management of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery published online today in European Heart Journal.

26 Aug 2022

Report: Australians receiving kidney replacement therapy more than doubled between 2000 and 2020

The number of Australians receiving kidney replacement therapy more than doubled between 2000 and 2020, from 11,700 to 27,700.

23 Aug 2022

Older patients with potentially unhealthy alcohol intake report better quality of life post-surgery

Older adults (aged 60 or older) who consume potentially unhealthy amounts of alcohol report significantly better mobility, self-care and fewer problems undertaking daily activities after surgery compared to their peers who abstain from alcohol or drink at very low levels.

2 Jun 2022

How is the Antimicrobial Resistance Crisis Impacting Sepsis?

In this interview, News-Medical talks to Dr. Ron Daniels about his work at the UK Sepsis Trust and the impact antimicrobial resistance is having on sepsis.

11 May 2022

Incidence of post-surgical complications before and during COVID-19 pandemic

Scientists compare post-surgical complications before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

6 Mar 2022

What the federal ‘No Surprises Act’ means in California

Betty Chow, a Los Angeles resident, had a cervical disc replaced in August 2020 at a surgery center that was part of her Anthem Blue Cross PPO network.

26 Jan 2022

ACP guidelines: Uncomplicated diverticulitis can be treated in an outpatient setting without antibiotics

According to two new clinical guidelines from the American College of Physicians, uncomplicated diverticulitis can be treated in an outpatient setting without antibiotics.

18 Jan 2022

Posterior left pericardiotomy linked to prevention of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery

A simple surgical technique during cardiac surgery was associated with a 56 percent reduction in the incidence of an irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation that can lead to stroke, with no added risks or side effects, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.

15 Nov 2021

Your out-of-pocket health care costs need not be a mystery

If you've ever had a serious illness or cared for someone who has, you know how quickly the medical bills can pile up: from labs, radiology clinics, pharmacies, doctors, different departments within the same hospital — some of them in your insurance network, others not.