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.

New protocol screens clinical research participants for prior radiation exposure

A new study highlights a critical gap: most clinical research studies that use imaging techniques such as amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scans do not account for the radiation participants have already received from prior medical procedures.

29 May 2026

For many patients leaving the ICU, the struggle has only just begun

The accident happened in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16. Joseph Masterson, a lawyer who was just days from retiring at age 63, suffered cardiac arrest while driving, plowed into a guardrail, and lost consciousness.

10 Apr 2026

UK patients seeking surgery overseas are returning with complications the NHS must treat

Outward medical tourism for surgery results in serious complications, creating challenges for the NHS and highlighting the need for better patient awareness.

16 Jan 2026

Postoperative complications of medical tourism place growing financial burden on the NHS

The postoperative complications of medical tourism may be costing the NHS up to £20,000 per patient, suggest the findings of a rapid review of the available data, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

13 Jan 2026

Simple family-based tool enhances early detection of postoperative delirium

A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia shows that family members and caregivers can play a critical role in detecting delirium after surgery using a simple tool known as the Family Confusion Assessment Method.

7 Nov 2025

Study finds prolonged fasting common among infants before anesthesia

Most children - including nearly 80% of infants - go without clear liquids before surgery for at least twice as long as guidelines recommend, according to an analysis of data on more than 70,000 children presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2025 annual meeting.

13 Oct 2025

Prehabilitation program for older adults shows potential to improve postoperative outcomes

A pilot study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that a prehabilitation program that combines physical therapy, nutrition, and mindset support in the weeks leading up to major elective surgery is feasible and has the potential to improve postoperative outcomes.

7 Oct 2025

Overweight status may offer survival benefits after major surgery in older adults

Older adults who are overweight may face a lower risk of death in the first 30 days following major elective surgery compared with those who have a normal body mass index (BMI), new research suggests.

26 Aug 2025

Study supports pre-surgery use of GLP-1 RAs for weight reduction

Overweight patients waiting for operations could safely use a particular type of weight-loss treatment to reduce the risk of surgical complications linked to their obesity, a new study reveals.

12 Aug 2025

Older adults with serious illness face greater burdens after elective surgery

Older adults who have serious illness before undergoing elective surgery had hospital stays twice as long as similarly aged counterparts; were twice as likely to return to the hospital or the emergency department; and had almost double the yearly costs of health care, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

24 Jul 2025

Smoking linked to higher risk of surgery complications

Smokers and people who recently quit are more likely to face complications after having an operation than non-smokers, a new study reveals.

17 Apr 2025

Congenital heart surgery in children remained safe during the COVID-19 pandemic

Major reallocation of healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic meant that elective surgery in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) was significantly reduced, so that those needing urgent, lifesaving and emergency surgery could be treated.

15 Apr 2025

FDA ensures blood safety through five layers of safeguards

Every day, hospitals throughout the U.S. transfuse blood or blood components, such as platelets, to save the lives of people who are in car crashes, and victims of fires and other emergencies.

20 Feb 2025

New guidance balances GLP-1 risks and benefits for surgery

Most patients may continue to safely take glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists as prescribed before undergoing elective surgery and gastrointestinal endoscopies, according to new clinical guidance released today by five surgical and medical societies including the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), International Society of Perioperative Care of Patients with Obesity (ISPCOP), and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES).

30 Oct 2024

New tool helps identify anxiety and depression in pediatric surgery patients

A new, computerized, mental health assessment tool may allow doctors to quickly identify children experiencing anxiety or depression before surgery, suggests new research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting.

20 Oct 2024

VA Disrupted Care National Project reveals ongoing decline in vascular surgeries post-pandemic

Recently published findings from the VA Disrupted Care National Project (DCNP) revealed the number of vascular surgeries performed across the United States continued to decline even after large drops during the COVID-19 pandemic.

9 Aug 2024

Study reveals age-related differences in amputation rates following PAD surgery

People in their 50s with severe peripheral artery disease or PAD may be more likely than people in their 80s to undergo leg amputation one to five years after emergency surgery to restore blood flow to the lower limbs, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

22 Jul 2024

Frequent infections and pathobionts boost children's nasal immunity, study reveals

Dynamic interactions with viruses and bacterial pathobionts significantly enhance nasal innate immunity in children, revealing distinct immunophenotypes driven by microbial load and type.

2 Jul 2024

Study links common infections to enhanced COVID-19 defense in children

Analyzing nasal swabs taken during the pandemic, researchers at Yale School of Medicine suggest that the frequent presence of other viruses and bacteria may have helped to protect children from the worst effects of COVID-19 by boosting their immune systems.

1 Jul 2024

Inadequate access to simple elective surgery puts more people's lives at risk, study reveals

Inadequate access to simple elective surgery in developing countries is storing up future health problems for patients and may create a spiral of future health complications putting more people's lives at risk, a new study reveals.

23 May 2024