Perioperative News and Research

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Combination of radiotherapy and anti-hormone treatment can prevent recurrence of hormone-driven breast cancer

Women with early, low risk, hormone-driven breast cancer are less likely to have a recurrence of their disease if they have radiotherapy after surgery, as well as anti-hormone treatment, according to results from a trial that has followed 869 women for ten years.

26 Apr 2019

'Tummy tuck' can be safely performed in obese patients with no increase in complications

"Tummy tuck" surgery (abdominoplasty) can be safely performed in obese patients, with no increase in complications compared to non-obese patients, reports a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

23 Apr 2019

More care is needed for patients after kidney transplantations, reports research

Patients with chronic kidney disease, and dialysis patients especially, have a significantly higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than healthy people. Kidney transplantation is the best renal replacement therapy available.

19 Apr 2019

Aging and high-fat diet disrupt gut microbiome to cause inflammation in heart failure

Growing older and a high-fat diet enriched with omega 6 fatty acids are major contributors to health risks ranging from diabetes to heart failure. How these two factors regulate the immune response is not well-understood.

1 Mar 2019

ICHE’s reviews on surgical infections, unnecessary urine tests, and nurses' role in antibiotic stewardship

Changes to standard urine orders in a computer physician order entry (CPOE) system, resulted in a 45% reduction in unnecessary urine cultures ordered, a change that is expected prevent unnecessary treatment of asymptomatic patients whose bacteria counts are above normal.

22 Feb 2019

Drug that reverses blood thinning effects stops acute life-threatening bleeding

A drug that reverses the blood thinning effects of factor Xa inhibitors effectively stopped acute life-threatening bleeding in patients taking a factor Xa inhibitor blood thinner drug, according to late breaking science presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2019, a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease.

8 Feb 2019

Cannabinoid compounds may reduce viability of colon cancer cells

Medical marijuana has gained attention in recent years for its potential to relieve pain and short-term anxiety and depression. Now, Penn State College of Medicine researchers say some cannabinoid compounds may actually inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells in the lab.

6 Feb 2019

Gerontologists assess change in patients' functional status after valve replacement procedure

Affecting an estimated one in eight people older than 75, aortic valve stenosis - a narrowing of the heart's main artery - makes the heart work harder to supply the body with blood, potentially limiting patient's activity levels an quality of life. Ultimately, aortic stenosis can lead to stroke, arrhythmia, heart failure and death.

5 Feb 2019

Automated texts lead to improved outcomes after total knee or hip replacement surgery

An automated text messaging system increases patient engagement with home-based exercise and promotes faster recovery after total knee or hip replacement surgery, reports a study in the January 16, 2019 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

18 Jan 2019

Mechanism underlying impaired allergic inflammation in children may explain hygiene hypothesis

The hygiene hypothesis may explain why asthma and other allergic airway diseases have dramatically increased over the past decades in industrialized countries.

9 Jan 2019

Study investigates role of miRNAs in anesthetic-induced myocardial conditioning

Many studies have shown that the mechanism of drug-induced myocardial conditioning is enzyme-mediated through messenger RNA and miRNA regulation. In this study Orriach et al. investigated the role that miRNAs play in the cardio-protective effect of halogenated anesthetics, which are widely used in cardiac surgery.

26 Dec 2018

Early physical therapy associated with reduction in opioid use

Patients who underwent physical therapy soon after being diagnosed with pain in the shoulder, neck, low back or knee were approximately 7 to 16 percent less likely to use opioids in the subsequent months, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Duke University School of Medicine.

14 Dec 2018

Ultrarestrictive opioid prescribing strategy linked with reduction in number of pills dispensed

An ultrarestrictive opioid prescribing strategy was associated with a reduction in the number of pills dispensed in a study of patients having surgery for gynecologic cancer, without changes in postoperative pain scores, complications or increases in prescription refill requests.

9 Dec 2018

Fish oil does not increase perioperative bleeding in surgery patients

A new study published in Circulation showed that fish oil -- which contains the omega-3s EPA and DHA -- did not increase perioperative bleeding in surgery patients. In fact, higher blood omega-3 levels were associated with lower risk of bleeding.

4 Dec 2018

Improved infection prevention practices could help halt spread of S. aureus in the operating room

Adherence to proven protocols for disinfecting surgeons' hands, patients' skin, and operating room surfaces could help to halt the spread of dangerous Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) pathogens in the operating room and beyond, according to new research published in the American Journal of Infection Control, the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

27 Nov 2018

Overlapping orthopedic surgery does not increase risk of complications, study finds

For patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, the use of "overlapping" procedures - where the attending surgeon is simultaneously involved in two different surgeries in different operating rooms - does not lead to an increased risk of complications, reports a study in the November 21, 2018 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.

27 Nov 2018

Marijuana use by kidney donors has no effect on transplant outcomes

A new study in Clinical Kidney Journal indicates that the usage of marijuana by kidney donors has no measurable effect upon the outcomes of kidney transplants for donors or recipients. This study is the first to investigate the effect of marijuana use by live kidney donors.

15 Nov 2018

University of Pittsburgh wins NSF grant for big data research to prevent complications from anesthesia

The National Science Foundation awarded $1,182,305 to the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering to support research into using machine learning and Big Data to analyze electronic anesthesia records and prevent postoperative complications and death.

19 Oct 2018

Midazolam-mediated alterations of PER2 expression may have functional consequences during myocardial ischemia

Innovative cardioprotective strategies are of imminent demand. Nonfatal myocardial ischemia (MI) poses a significant risk to patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery and these non-cardiac surgeries account for around 8 million myocardial injuries per year