Research Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare but potentially fatal pharmacogenetic disorder of skeletal muscle triggered by exposure to volatile anesthetics or succinylcholine. It’s a particular danger in the OR, and providers must always watch for its signs and collaborate to respond as quickly as possible to save the patient on…
As increasingly complex spine cases head to ASCs, the April 2026 issue of Neurosurgical Focus, a publication of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, is devoted almost entirely to the present and future of ambulatory spine surgery. The issue features these articles: Which spine surgeries belong in the ambulatory surgical…
A new retrospective observational study published in Scientific Reports examines the effect of insurance status on mortality following surgical treatment of colorectal cancers (CRC) in the U.S. “Healthcare disparities in colorectal cancer, driven by insurance status and socioeconomic factors, lead to delayed diagnoses and poor surgical outcomes,” the researchers write. “We…
A new cluster randomized crossover trial study published on JAMA Open by Wake Forest University researchers examines whether continuous (rather than intermittent) vital sign monitoring reduces abnormalities in blood pressure, oxygenation, and heart rate during the initial 48 hours after noncardiac surgery. Using four-week ward clusters among 798 postoperative patients, “the…
At some point in our lives, most of us have dropped food on the ground, quickly picked it up, and ate it – the classic “five-second rule.” Should surgical teams apply the same “rule” when an instrument hits the floor in the OR? Most healthcare providers likely would think not,…
Health policy organization KFF on Friday published an updated study that finds just one or two health systems controlled the entire market for inpatient hospital care in nearly half of U.S. metropolitan areas in 2024. “Consolidation may allow providers to operate more efficiently and help struggling providers keep their doors open…
A recent study by researchers at Bon Secours Tuckahoe Orthopedics of Richmond, Va., examined whether the personal cloth scrub caps that some surgeons like to wear in the OR could put patients at greater risk of surgical site infections. The study, published in the journal Patient Safety in Surgery, examined the…
The fact that many U.S. hospitals and health systems are in financially fragile positions is widely acknowledged. New reports from Strata Decision Technology, which offers cloud-based business decision support, offer quantitative confirmation of this trend, finding that rising expenses and decreasing revenue, including upcoming reimbursement changes and policy changes, are…
U.S. News & World Report has released its 2026 Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers ratings. Using data provided by health insights provider Arcadia, U.S. News evaluated 4,421 ASCs nationwide. That’s well short of the total number of ASCs in the U.S., due to the fact that the ratings focus exclusively on…
A study by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) found that heat generated by alternating magnetic fields (AMF) helps common antibiotics work better against prosthetic joint infections. The study, published in Scientific Reports and promoted by UTSW last week, demonstrated the efficacy of AMF in eradicating bacteria-protecting biofilm from the surface…
