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.

ASPS conducts survey to gauge public's mindset on preferred treatments

As the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how plastic surgeons will care for patients and how they operate their practices, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) recently conducted a member survey to understand what procedures were top of mind among patients to gauge whether the public's mindset on preferred treatments has shifted.

26 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 paradox: Lower death rate during early stages of the pandemic

An analysis of national weekly mortality rates between December 2019 - March 2020, compared to the same period for the previous five years, by researchers at WMG and WMS, University of Warwick, has shown that there have been fewer deaths registered this year during the lead up to the Covid-19 pandemic.

22 Jun 2020

Universal preoperative screening of pediatric patients for COVID-19 improves safety

Universally screening pediatric patients for COVID-19 before they undergo surgical procedures has allowed hospitals to improve safety by identifying all patients who test positive for the virus, half of whom have no symptoms, according to new research led by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

4 Jun 2020

GlobalData: Nearly 83.5% of orthopedic procedures estimated to be delayed in the U.S.

Nearly 83.5% of all the orthopedic procedures performed in the US are estimated to be delayed, postponed or canceled due to COVID-19, as they are considered to be elective and non-essential, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

4 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infected patients who undergo surgery experience worse postoperative outcomes

Patients undergoing surgery after contracting coronavirus are at greatly increased risk of postoperative death, a new global study published in The Lancet reveals.

2 Jun 2020

Survival probabilities in esophageal surgery increase with volume of hospital services

In complex surgery, is there a correlation between the volume of services provided per hospital and the quality of treatment results? This is the question addressed in eight commissions on minimum volumes that the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) awarded to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.

29 May 2020

Recommendations for treating bladder cancer during COVID-19 pandemic

Bladder cancer is associated with significant illness and mortality, particularly if treatment is delayed.

22 May 2020

Study: Over 28 million elective operations could be cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

Over 28 million elective surgeries across the globe could be cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – leading to patients facing a lengthy wait for their health issues to be resolved, a new study reveals.

15 May 2020

Critical care team creates blueprint for emergency operations during COVID-19 epidemic

As patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) flood hospitals, the health care system must not only determine how to redeploy limited resources and staff to care for them but must also make well-calculated decisions to provide other types of critical care.

31 Mar 2020

Some hospitals continue with elective surgeries despite COVID-19 crisis

In the same week that physicians at the University of California-San Francisco medical center were wiping down and reusing protective equipment like masks and gowns to conserve resources amid a surge of COVID-19 patients, 90 miles away teams of doctors at UC Davis Medical Center were fully suited up performing breast augmentations, hip replacements and other elective procedures that likely could have been postponed.

21 Mar 2020

As coronavirus spreads widely, millions of older Americans live in counties with no ICU beds

More than half the counties in America have no intensive care beds, posing a particular danger for more than 7 million people who are age 60 and up - older patients who face the highest risk of serious illness or death from the rapid spread of COVID-19, a Kaiser Health News data analysis shows.

20 Mar 2020

New multipronged program helps surgeons reduce opioid prescriptions by two-thirds

Opioid prescriptions have been a known driver of the opioid epidemic, and it's now known that opioid prescriptions that last longer than five days are a risk factor for longer-term opioid use.

2 Mar 2020

Tailoring care for older patients after emergency surgery can greatly improves outcomes

Tailoring care for older patients who have had emergency surgery can reduce complications and deaths, decrease the length of hospital stays and cut down on the need for alternate care at discharge, according to a new study led a University of Alberta researcher.

18 Feb 2020

One in five operations with in-network surgeons and facilities could result in surprise bills

As if recovering from surgery wasn't hard enough, a new study shows that one in five operations could result in an unwelcome surprise: a bill for hundreds or thousands of dollars that the patient didn't know they might owe.

11 Feb 2020

Pain management program uses new approach to reduce narcotic prescriptions after surgery

Surgeons at Houston Methodist Hospital are stemming the tide of addiction to prescription opioids by managing patients' pain after surgery.

22 Jan 2020

Coping with (power) loss: California’s hospitals, clinics, patients face new reality

We all know that when the power goes out, refrigerators, heaters and air conditioners stop running. Homes go dark, and desktop computers shut down.

27 Nov 2019

Gene linked to Alzheimer’s plays indirect role in increasing delirium risk

Marked by acute temporary confusion, disorientation and/or agitation, postoperative delirium is the most common post-surgical complication in older adults, striking as many as half of adults older than 65 who undergo high-risk procedures such as cardiac surgery or hip replacements.

21 Nov 2019

Frail patients more likely to die even after low-stress surgical procedures

The threshold for when to perform elective surgery in a frail patient may be much higher than previously thought, according to new research coauthored by Paula Shireman, M.D., M.S., M.B.A., of UT Health San Antonio. The journal JAMA Surgery published the findings Nov. 13.

13 Nov 2019

People with higher multimorbidity scores have faster brain decline, greater suicide risk

Having arthritis, or diabetes, or heart disease can change a person's life, getting in the way of daily activities and requiring special diets and medicines.

20 Jun 2019

Most people visiting testing clinics before elective surgery lack advance directive

The majority of people visiting preoperative testing clinics before an elective surgery do not have an advance directive in case of surgical complications.

18 Jun 2019