Is assembly line surgery better for the patient?

A friend of mine recently underwent a total knee replacement. Although he did well and was pain-free, he did say that he felt he was on an assembly line. I asked him what he meant. As he was talking, I flashed back 30 years,... read more

Is assembly line surgery better for the patient?

Surgeons Are Using Social Media to Share and Learn New Skills

Learning from others' experiences is an important aspect of professional development in surgery. That’s why academic surgical departments across the globe hold weekly Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conferences that gather... read more

Surgeons Are Using Social Media to Share and Learn New Skills

The Role of Physiotherapy in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery in the ICU

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is an evidence-based, multimodal approach to optimising patient outcomes following surgery. The role of physiotherapy within ERAS and intensive care units (ICU) is important. Patients... read more

The Role of Physiotherapy in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery in the ICU

Levosimendan in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery

Levosimendan reduces mortality in patients with preoperative severely reduced LVEF but does not affect overall mortality. Levosimendan reduces the need for RRT after high-risk cardiac surgery. Six RCTs were included in the... read more

Levosimendan in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery

Does Early Mobilization Reduce Time in the Surgical ICU?

Is early mobilization in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) beneficial? Here is a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial in five university hospitals, where they recruited a total of 200 patients.... read more

Does Early Mobilization Reduce Time in the Surgical ICU?

Patient-reported Outcomes Included Into Daily Practice

Measuring relevant outcomes in a timely manner is a priority in a health care system increasingly focused on the delivery of high-value care. Most quality measures focus on care processes or downstream outcomes such as survival;... read more

Patient-reported Outcomes Included Into Daily Practice

National Variation in the Use of Tracheostomy in Children Undergoing Congenital Heart Surgery

Variation in the usage of tracheostomy in infants and children undergoing congenital heart surgery exists across the country. High-tracheostomy centers had lower hospital charges. Late tracheostomy placement, higher congenital... read more

National Variation in the Use of Tracheostomy in Children Undergoing Congenital Heart Surgery

Frailty Association with Perioperative Morbidity in Patients After Ambulatory General Surgery Operations

Frailty is associated with increased perioperative morbidity in common ambulatory general surgery operations, independent of age, type of anesthesia, and other comorbidities. Surgeons should consider frailty rather than chronological... read more

Frailty Association with Perioperative Morbidity in Patients After Ambulatory General Surgery Operations

Comparison of Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients Treated by Male and Female Surgeons

After accounting for patient, surgeon, and hospital characteristics, patients treated by female surgeons had a small but statistically significant decrease in 30 day mortality and similar surgical outcomes (length of stay,... read more

Comparison of Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients Treated by Male and Female Surgeons

Intraoperative ketamine for prevention of postoperative delirium or pain after major surgery in older adults

Between Feb 6, 2014, and June 26, 2016, 1360 patients were assessed, and 672 were randomly assigned, with 222 in the placebo group, 227 in the 0·5 mg/kg ketamine group, and 223 in the 1·0 mg/kg ketamine group. There was... read more

Intraoperative ketamine for prevention of postoperative delirium or pain after major surgery in older adults

Therapeutic Interchange of Clevidipine For Sodium Nitroprusside in Cardiac Surgery

Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) has been used clinically for decades for the treatment of hypertension associated with cardiac surgery.... read more

Therapeutic Interchange of Clevidipine For Sodium Nitroprusside in Cardiac Surgery

Prehabilitation: Preparing Patients for Surgery

The impact of surgery leads to significant homeostatic disturbance.1 The surgical stress response is characterised by catabolism and increased oxygen demand. The extent and duration of the stress response is proportionate... read more

Prehabilitation: Preparing Patients for Surgery

Nutrition in Surgery and Critical Care

DCRI Perioperative Nutrition focuses on the study of hospital-based treatments to improve preparation and recovery from surgery, major illness, and critical care. We put real science into improving patients' lives with interventions... read more

Nutrition in Surgery and Critical Care

Patients with postoperative delirium more likely to suffer dementia

Delirium is common in elderly hospitalized patients, affecting an estimated 14 - 56% of patients. It frequently manifests as a sudden change in behavior, with patients suffering acute confusion, inattention, disorganized... read more

Patients with postoperative delirium more likely to suffer dementia

An Orthopedic Surgeon Explains: Diastolic Heart Failure

It seems that every now and then we have to deal with something other than the bones. As you can imagine, this is sub-optimal at best. Because bones. Anyhow, I’ve been asked to discuss one of those issues with you, and... read more

An Orthopedic Surgeon Explains: Diastolic Heart Failure

Role of Preventability in Redefining Failure to Rescue Among Major Trauma Patients

Failure to rescue (FTR) is defined as death after a major complication and has been adopted as a measure of quality in surgical patients. Current definitions of FTR are limited because they do not account for the influence... read more

Role of Preventability in Redefining Failure to Rescue Among Major Trauma Patients

Reduced Risk of Acute Exacerbation of COPD after Bariatric Surgery

Obesity is common among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and associated with increased COPD morbidities. However, little is known about the impact of weight reduction on COPD-related outcomes... read more

Reduced Risk of Acute Exacerbation of COPD after Bariatric Surgery

Preoperative Cognitive Performance and Delirium Associated With Future Dementia in Older People After Cardiac Surgery

Delirium after cardiac surgery commonly, occurs in 25–67 percent of patients. Delirium is a neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by a change in cognition fluctuates, develops over a short period of time and has an underlying... read more

Preoperative Cognitive Performance and Delirium Associated With Future Dementia in Older People After Cardiac Surgery