Perioperative News and Research

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Study: Using best-practice approach could lead to big cost reductions in hospitals nationwide

A major challenge facing today's health care community is to find ways to lower costs without compromising clinical quality. Taking that challenge to task, researchers at Medstar Health and Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington DC, report success in using a concept called "value-based analysis," which simultaneously measures quality and cost and addresses inefficiencies in care.

11 Apr 2013

Updated guidelines for metabolic and bariatric surgery

Significant new scientific evidence published over the last four years has prompted three major medical societies to change its guidance on who should get metabolic and bariatric surgery and which methods should be used.

6 Apr 2013

Low T3 syndrome predicts adverse clinical outcomes and depressive symptoms

In a study of 90 patients undergoing surgery for brain tumor, researchers in Lithuania and the United States have discovered that the finding of low T3 (triiodothyronine) syndrome is predictive of unfavorable clinical outcomes and depressive symptoms.

14 Mar 2013

Improved bariatric surgery outcomes not due to restricted Medicare coverage

Substantial improvements in perioperative outcomes of bariatric surgery over the past decade are not attributable to a restriction in Medicare coverage to patients receiving the weight loss operation at centers of excellence, report researchers.

6 Mar 2013

Counting the cost of bariatric surgery

Bariatric surgery for obese patients is not cost-saving relative to medical care, shows a 6-year follow-up study in JAMA Surgery.

28 Feb 2013

Restricting coverage to COEs not associated with improved outcomes for bariatric surgery

In an analysis of data on patients who underwent bariatric surgery 2004-2009, there was no significant difference in the rates of complications and reoperation for Medicare patients before vs. after a 2006 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services policy that restricted coverage of bariatric surgery to centers of excellence, according to a study appearing in the February 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Feb 2013

UAB becomes first in America to test experimental therapy for emphysema

A patient at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) became the first person in America to undergo an investigational therapy for emphysema that uses a foam sealant sprayed into the lungs.

23 Feb 2013

Epidural analgesia may provide best form of pain relief for colorectal surgery patients

A new study in the March issue of Anesthesiology suggests epidural analgesia (EA) may be a more effective component in the perioperative care of patients undergoing elective open colorectal surgery than the proposed alternative, continuous wound infiltration of local anesthetics (CWI).

23 Feb 2013

Strokes that occur during or shortly after surgery can be devastating

Strokes that occur during or shortly after surgery can be devastating, resulting in longer hospital stays and increased risks of death or long-term disability.

12 Feb 2013

eGFR ‘powerful’ operative risk gauge

Patients’ estimated glomerular filtration rate is highly predictive of their risk for dying after surgery, shows a systematic review and meta-analysis.

8 Feb 2013

Prevention opportunity for postoperative cardiac arrest

Postoperative complications occur in more than three-quarters of patients who have a cardiac arrest, shows research that suggests an opportunity for intervention.

17 Jan 2013

Study identifies subgroups of patients with distinct, persistent pain after breast cancer surgery

Some 25 percent of breast cancer surgery patients experience significant, persistent pain six months after the procedure, and new research published in The Journal of Pain showed that women with preoperative breast pain have the highest risk for extended post-surgical pain.

17 Jan 2013

Laryngopharyngeal surgery option for outpatients

Laryngopharyngeal surgeries that are performed in an ambulatory setting demonstrate low complication and admission rates, suggesting that such procedures can be carried out safely on an outpatient basis, show findings from a US study.

8 Jan 2013

Obesity impact on lumbar disc herniation management confirmed

Obese patients with symptomatic lumbar disc herniation are significantly more likely to opt for surgery than their healthy weight counterparts but derive less benefit, SPORT findings suggest.

4 Jan 2013

Surgery poses cardiac risk to lupus women

Women with systemic lupus erythematosus are at significantly increased risk for short-term perioperative adverse cardiovascular events, find researchers.

17 Dec 2012

Surgical Information Systems to demonstrate anesthesia information management system during PGA

Surgical Information Systems announced today it will showcase its industry-leading anesthesia information management system as a key component of the EHR during the upcoming PostGraduate Assembly in Anesthesiology.

15 Dec 2012

Concern over enoxaparin bleeding risk in patients with moderate renal impairment

The low molecular weight heparin enoxaparin is associated with an increased risk for major bleeding in patients who have moderate renal impairment, say US scientists in findings that have prompted calls for updates to dosing recommendations.

14 Dec 2012

Thulium vapoenucleation well-tolerated for treating benign prostate obstruction

Treating benign prostate obstruction with thulium vapoenucleation of the prostate is well-tolerated and effective and leads to a low incidence of perioperative complications, according to recent study findings.

10 Dec 2012

Bypass option for ‘unclippable’ giant cerebral aneurysms

Extracranial–intracranial bypass is a “durable” treatment option for giant middle cerebral artery aneurysms that cannot be clipped, say US researchers.

7 Dec 2012

Two simple cost-effective methods can reduce expensive postoperative complications

As the nation grapples with surging health care costs, researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, have confirmed two simple cost-effective methods to reduce expensive postoperative complications-communications team training and a surgical checklist.

6 Dec 2012