Tight application of a surgical tourniquet prior to inflation increases venous pressure in the upper limb; Potentially resulting in increased blood loss and poorer visibility.

BACKGROUND: Tourniquets are commonly used in extremity surgery to help provide a bloodless operative field to improve visibility and reduce length of procedures. With the development of WALANT (wide awake, local anaesthetic, no tourniquet) techniques, many surgeons undertake surgery without tourniquet inflation. The correct technique of pneumatic tourniquet application is poorly understood by healthcare staff. The application of a tight tourniquet when applied for optional use or use for only a portion of a procedure, rather than for inflation throughout can cause venous engorgement of an extremity leading to increased blood loss and reduced operative field visualisation thereby discouraging surgeons from persevering with WALANT strategies. AIM: To determine the effect of tourniquet application tension on limb volume prior to skin incision. METHODS: 30 volunteers had the volume of their non-dominant forearm measured post-inflation of a surgical tourniquet using two different application techniques. Tight application was defined as the tourniquet fastened using a dynamometer to a tension of 100 N. Loose application was defined as the tourniquet fastened using a dynamometer to a tension of 50 N. The tourniquet was then inflated to 200 mmHg after both application techniques. Exsanguination was performed by elevation of the arm for 1 min prior to tourniquet inflation. At 5 min the forearm volume was measured using a volume displacement technique. RESULTS: 93 % of participants (28/30) had a higher volume of water displaced when the tourniquet was applied tightly. The mean difference between the loose and tight applications was 30.06 mls. CONCLUSION: The increase in volume in tightly applied tourniquets is believed to result from increased intravascular volume. This increase in blood volume can lead to increased intra-operative blood loss and poor intra-operative visualisation when operating without tourniquet inflation. Loose application of the tourniquet pre-inflation appears to prevent sequestration of venous blood in the limb, therefore decreasing operative blood loss and improving view for operating. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 1; Symptom Prevalence Study.

Operating table stability and patient safety during an earthquake based on the results of a shaking table experiment.

Background: The damage that may be caused to the operating table and patients under general anaesthesia when a large earthquake occurs is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the movement and damage to operating tables and patients under general anaesthesia during an earthquake. Methods: An operating table with a manikin resembling a patient on it was placed on a shaking table, and seismic waves were input into the shaking table. The effects of seismic waves were evaluated by altering surgical positions (supine and head-down positions), operating tables, flooring material, seismic waves, and output. We observed the movement of the operating table and measured the acceleration of the operating table and manikin head. Results: Under 90% output of long-period seismic waves, the operating table with the supine manikin was overturned. Under experimental conditions that did not cause rocking, shaking such as tilting of the operating table caused stronger acceleration in the manikin's head than in the operating table. There was no clear relationship between operating table rocking and maximum acceleration as a result of programmed seismic waves. In long-period earthquakes, rocking and overturning occurred >60 s after the onset of shaking, whereas in direct earthquakes, rocking occurred within 10 s. Conclusions: An earthquake could cause strong acceleration of the patient's head under general anaesthesia, and operating tables may overturn or shake violently. Regarding patient safety, further measures to prevent overturning should be considered.

BipoJet Scissors as an Alternative to Laser in Lung Wedge Resection.

INTRODUCTION: An important goal in every lung resection is airtight closure of the resected lung surface. This can be achieved with several techniques, including clamp resection, stapler, laser, and various high-frequency methods. By quantitatively measuring the air fistula across the resection surface of porcine lungs, two resection techniques were compared in our study: BipoJet dissecting scissors (Aesculap, Inc., Tuttlingen, Germany) and laser (Ceralas HPD®, Biolitec Inc., Jena, Germany). METHODS: Following a stencil, wedge resections were performed in porcine lungs using water-irrigated bipolar scissors and laser (1350 nm, 40 watts, non-contact mode). The volume of the air fistula was then measured. The irrigation technique involved the attachment of an irrigation channel to a pair of standard surgical scissors. A sodium chloride (NaCl) solution was fed at a defined flow rate, along the blades of the scissors onto the parenchyma. This technique was used on a total of 10 specimens each. RESULTS: Somewhat better pneumostasis was achieved with laser resection, though the difference was small and not statistically significant. The flow rate was 124 mL/min/cm² after laser resection and 145 mL/min/cm² after using the BipoJet scissors. The difference was not statistically significant. Water irrigation during resection with the BipoJet scissors prevents the temperature in the tissue from exceeding 100°C thus avoiding tissue carbonization. These scissors offer the following advantages: ease of use, no need to change instruments, no need for staff training, no protective measures, all-in-one incision/coagulation/dissection, low cost, and a clear surgical field due to the irrigation effect. CONCLUSIONS: Resection of lung parenchyma, e.g., during resection of metastases, is easier with BipoJet scissors and comparable to laser resection. This was established both experimentally and by resecting lung metastases.

Usefulness of cordless ultrasonic cutting energy devices in endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy: a retrospective study.

Purpose: Endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy (E-NSM) is a minimally invasive surgical technique that shows good results in patients with breast cancer. The authors compared 3 different types of commercial energy devices to examine their efficacy and safety in E-NSM performed with breast reconstruction. Methods: A total of 36 cases of E-NSM were conducted with either Sonicision (S group, n = 11), Harmonic (H group, n = 6), or Thunderbeat (T group, n = 19). The clinicopathologic factors and postoperative complications, including nipple or skin necrosis and surgical site seroma volume, were evaluated for 3 months after surgery. Results: The surgical duration of E-NSM was significantly shorter in the S group than in the H group (P = 0.043) and T group (P = 0.037). However, the total surgical duration including E-NSM and breast reconstruction, and the total and daily drainage volume of postoperative seroma did not differ significantly among the 3 groups. Even when the energy devices were compared according to their working principle, i.e., ultrasonic (S and H) vs. hybrid (T), the total breast surgery duration and total and daily drainage volume of seroma showed no difference between the 2 groups. Although surgeon satisfaction did not significantly differ when using 3 devices for E-NSM (P = 0.428), surgeon's fatigue was found to be lowest in the S group, though it was not significant (P = 0.064). Conclusion: Any energy device can be safely used for E-NSM with breast reconstruction without causing any major complications. However, cordless ultrasonic energy devices allow greater mobility for the surgeon and, therefore, may shorten surgical time in breast surgery.

Utilidad de un modelo de reconstrucción e impresión 3D en Cirugía Hepática Compleja

Introducción: La anatomía hepática siempre ha sido un reto por su complejidad y variabilidad. En los últimos años, el abaratamiento de los costes ha permitido la generación de modelos 3D individualizados para cada paciente que pueden facilitar el abordaje quirúrgico de las lesiones. El objetivo principal fue determinar la utilidad del modelado 3D preoperatorio para la planificación quirúrgica en pacientes con lesiones hepáticas. Métodos: Se trata de un estudio de casos de 38 pacientes intervenidos por lesiones hepáticas múltiples ocupantes de espacio, en el cual, en un grupo seleccionado, en 19 pacientes se utilizó un modelo impreso 3D para planificar la cirugía (grupo 3D) y el otro grupo sin el modelo impreso 3D (grupo control). Resultados: Se observó una diferencia de medias significativa en el número de lesiones; mayor en el grupo 3D al realizar el test de Wilcoxon (p < 0,001) y un mayor número de casos con afectación vascular en este mismo grupo al realizar Chi cuadrado Pearson (p = 0,008). El resto de variables no mostraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas. A pesar de esto, la mortalidad se redujo a 0 cuando se usan modelos impresos en 3D. Conclusión: La impresión 3D permite planear, de manera más precisa, cirugías complejas del hígado, ayuda a la inclusión y exclusión de los pacientes para la cirugía, disminuyendo el tiempo de la sala de operaciones, la posterior hospitalización y las complicaciones quirúrgicas.

Introduction: Liver anatomy has always been a challenge due to its complexity and variability. In recent years, lower costs has allowed the generation of individualized 3D models for each patient, which can facilitate the surgical approach to liver lesions. The main objective was to determine usefulness of preoperative 3D modeling for surgical planning in patients with liver lesions. Methods: Quasi-experimental before-after study. 19 cases were included in which surgery was planned using a 3D printed model (13 bilobar hepatectomies, 3 of them with vascular involvement, and 6 unilobar hepatectomies, 1 of them with vascular involvement), and another 19 cases whose planning was carried out without a 3D printed model (7 bilobar segmental hepatic resections and 12 unilobar segmental resections. None of these cases had vascular involvement). Results: A significant difference in mean lesion count was observed, higher in the group of cases when performing the Wilcoxon test (p < 0.001), and a higher number of cases with vascular involvement in the same group when performing the Pearson chi-square test (p = 0.008). The rest of the variables did not show statistically significant differences. Despite this, mortality was reduced to 0 when 3D printed models were used. Conclusion: 3D printing allows for more precise planning of complex liver surgeries, helps with the inclusion and exclusion of patients for surgery, reduces operating room time, postoperative hospitalization, and surgical complications.

Construction and application evaluation of a multi-dimensional surgical equipment management and control platform based on artificial intelligence and Internet of Things / 中国医学装备

Objective:To construct a multi-dimensional surgical equipment management and control platform based on artificial intelligence and Internet of Things(AIoT)to assist with the refinement and intelligent management medical equipment in hospital operating rooms.Methods:A multi-dimensional surgical equipment control platform based on AIoT was established by integrating the Internet of Things(IoT),big data analysis,indoor positioning technology,artificial intelligence(AI)technology and other technologies to collect real-time process data of surgical equipment such as endoscopy and electrosurgical,and to open up the relationships among information systems relating to surgical equipment,such as hospital information system(HIS),laboratory information system(LIS),radiology information system(RIS)and operation anesthesia management system(OAMS),so as to provide technical support for efficiency analysis,benefit analysis and assets management of surgical equipment.The platform was composed of 3 layers:data extraction layer,data engine layer and AI data analysis layer,including 4 functional modules:automatic data acquisition,deep data fusion,data mining and analysis and data visualization.Results:This platform was launched in Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in June 2022,and had realized achieving intelligent daily management such as indoor positioning of operating room equipment,one click inventory.A set of performance analysis method based on IoT and integrated with information systems was established to automatically count the utilization efficiency and cost-effectiveness of key surgical equipment to realize intelligent service,intelligent management,and digital operation.Conclusion:The construction and application of this platform improved the efficiency of medical equipment in operating rooms,reduced the cost and increased the efficiency,assisted in the refinement and intelligent management of hospital surgical equipment,and provided data support for scientific decision-making of hospital managers.

Androcentric bias in surgical equipment - What challenges do women face?

BACKGROUND: Increasing diversity amongst surgeons results in a wide range of sizes and strengths. There are many types of biases affecting women surgeons. This study evaluates what challenges women surgeons may have with surgical equipment. METHODS: An online survey was distributed to Women in Surgery social media groups in North America and Australasia between April 2022-July 2022. RESULTS: There were 480 respondents across the range of specialties. 453 surgeons were included. Median glove size was 6.5. Difficulty with use of surgical instruments due to size was reported by 89% of surgeons and 71% reported difficulty due to the required grip strength. One hundred and twelve different tools were reported to be problematic. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights a potential source of androcentric bias which could be addressed to improve equity for women surgeons.

Neurosurgical robots in China: State of the art and future prospect.

Neurosurgical robots have developed for decades and can effectively assist surgeons to carry out a variety of surgical operations, such as biopsy, stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and so forth. In recent years, neurosurgical robots in China have developed rapidly. This article will focus on several key skills in neurosurgical robots, such as medical imaging systems, automatic manipulator, lesion localization techniques, multimodal image fusion technology, registration method, and vascular imaging technology; introduce the clinical application of neurosurgical robots in China, and look forward to the potential improvement points in the future based on our experience and research in the field.

Controller size matters: User proficiency is affected by endoscopic controller size.

BACKGROUND: Endoscope controllers are traditionally a one-size-fits-all design. However, this design may not fit the modern workforce in endoscopy-related fields. Our study aims to determine if endoscopic controller size, independent of user dexterity, affects user proficiency. METHODS: 54 endoscopically naive participants completed a baseline dexterity test, followed by large-controller endoscopic and small-controller bronchoscopic simulation exercises. Participants were stratified by surgical glove size (≥7.5 and < 7.5) and gender. RESULTS: Endoscopy time was longer in participants with <7.5 size gloves (p = 0.01) and in females (p < 0.001). However, participants with glove size <7.5 had better dexterity measures (p = 0.04). There was no difference in bronchoscopy time based on glove size (p = 0.61). CONCLUSIONS: Participants with larger hands were more proficient with the larger controller despite being less dexterous than their counterparts. This advantage was less pronounced with the smaller controller. Our findings suggest that endoscopic controllers should be modified in design to accommodate all providers.

Cambio rutinario de instrumental y guantes quirúrgicos en cirugía abdominal: ¿cuál es el impacto sobre el riesgo de infección? / Routine change of surgical instruments and gloves in abdominal surgery: what is the impact on the risk of infection?

Objetivo: Analizar la evidencia más actualizada sobre el cambio rutinario de instrumental y guantes quirúrgicos en cirugía abdominal, y su impacto en el riesgo de infecciones. Métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica, en las bases de datos PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, y MEDLINE. Resultados: A la fecha, la evidencia sumamente escasa sobre el potencial impacto del cambio rutinario de instrumental y guantes quirúrgicos en cirugía abdominal, y su relación con la incidencia de infección en el sitio operatorio. Sin embargo, no deja de ser un tema de interés en cirugía global. El estudio ChEETAh, ensayo realizado en siete países de bajos y medianos ingresos, que evaluó el cambio rutinario tanto de guantes como de instrumental quirúrgico en cirugía abdominal y su relación con la infección, demostró que, la frecuencia de infección en sitio operatorio fue del 16% (n=931) en el grupo intervención, comparado a un 18,9% (n=1280) en el grupo control (RR 0,87; IC 95%: 0,79 ­ 0,95; p=0,0032). Así, podría existir cierta protección adicional con el cambio rutinario de guantes e instrumental en cirugía abdominal. Conclusión: Aunque la evidencia es limitada y heterogénea, existe una tendencia respecto a un potencial beneficio frente a la incidencia de infección en sitio operatorio, en el cambio rutinario de guantes e instrumental quirúrgico en cirugía abdominal(AU)

Objective: To analyze the most recent evidence regarding the routine change of surgical instruments and gloves in abdominal surgery and its impact on the risk of infections. Methods: A literature search was conducted in the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and MEDLINE databases. Results: To date, the evidence regarding the potential impact of routine changes in surgical instruments and gloves in abdominal surgery and their relationship with the incidence of surgical site infections is extremely scarce. Nevertheless, it remains a topic of interest in global surgery. The ChEETAh study, conducted in seven low and middle-income countries, which assessed the routine change of both gloves and surgical instruments in abdominal surgery and its relation to infection, demonstrated that the frequency of surgical site infection was 16% (n=931) in the intervention group compared to 18.9% (n=1280) in the control group (RR 0.87; 95% CI: 0.79 ­ 0.95; p=0.0032). Thus, there may be some additional protection with the routine change of gloves and instruments in abdominal surgery. Conclusion: Although the evidence is limited and heterogeneous, there is a trend suggesting a potential benefit in reducing the incidence of surgical site infections through the routine change of gloves and surgical instruments in abdominal surgery(AU)

The Impact of Sterile Instrument Set Wrapping Defects on Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery Theatre Lists.

Introduction Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a universally dreaded complication of any surgical procedure. The goal of this single-center study was to examine the issue of orthopaedic instrument wrapping defects with a focus on the importance of a high level of surveillance to enable identification of these defects in order to reduce the risk of instrument contamination. We also evaluated the impact on patient care, theatre staff, hospital finances and resource utilization during a defined study period in order to stimulate critical discussion and further research into potentially eliminating this problem via change in practice and advances in technology. To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first paper that looks at this problem from the above perspective within the United Kingdom National Health Service. Methods  We conducted a prospective service evaluation project over a 30-week period from December 2021 to July 2022 across our three hospital sites within the United Kingdom National Health Service. We collated data on defects found in orthopaedic instrument wrappings as detected by visual inspection under ambient or theater lighting and the resulting surgical case cancellations. Defect types included in the study were all puncture holes, abrasions or tears visible to the naked eye irrespective of their size.  Results  A total of 601 orthopaedic sets were rejected during the study period due to defects identified in the sterile instrument wrappings. Of these, 437 were due to holes/tears in the wrapping, 129 were due to wet inner wrappings and 35 were due to insecure wrappings. This directly resulted in same-day cancellation of 13 surgical cases or 0.27% of booked cases with extra sets required for the other affected cases. These 13 cases could not proceed as they involved loan kits where no remedial action could be taken. Remedial action was required for the other 588 operation list cases affected by the sterile wrapping defects. The majority of the identified defects and resulting theatre case cancellations (61.5%) were in hip and knee arthroplasty surgery. The calculated potential financial loss due to these problems was £145,000 over the seven-month study period. This financial cost is equivalent to the best practice top-up tariff in England for treating approximately 108 hip fracture patients based on £1,335 per patient.  Conclusion  Our study identified defects in the sterile instrument wrappings affecting both the inner with or without involving the outer wrapping layer and resulting in cancellation of elective and trauma orthopaedic cases with resultant clinical and financial implications. There is a need to be more vigilant in identifying defects in drapes. Further research is warranted to improve ways of identifying defects in sterile wrappings and devise new protective mechanisms during sterilisation that can eliminate the use of sterile instrument wrappings.

Impact of surgical drain output monitoring on patient outcomes in hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Surgical drains are widely utilized in hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery to prevent intra-abdominal collections and identify postoperative complications. Surgical drain monitoring ranges from simple-output measurements to specific analysis for constituents such as amylase. This systematic review aimed to determine whether surgical drain monitoring can detect postoperative complications and impact on patient outcomes. METHODS: A systematic review was performed, and the following databases searched between 02/03/20 and 26/04/20: MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov. All studies describing surgical drain monitoring of output and content in adult patients undergoing hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery were considered. Other invasive methods of intra-abdominal sampling were excluded. RESULTS: The search returned 403 articles. Following abstract review, 390 were excluded and 13 articles were included for full review. The studies were classified according to speciality and featured 11 pancreatic surgery and 2 hepatobiliary surgery studies with a total sample of 3262 patients. Postoperative monitoring of drain amylase detected pancreatic fistula formation and drain bilirubin testing facilitated bile leak detection. Both methods enabled early drain removal. Improved patient outcomes were observed through decreased incidence of postoperative complications (pancreatic fistulas, intra-abdominal infections, and surgical-site infections), length of stay, and mortality rate. Isolated monitoring of drain output did not confer any clinical benefits. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical drain monitoring has advantages in the postoperative care for selected patients undergoing hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery. Enhanced surgical drain monitoring involving the testing of drain amylase and bilirubin improves the detection of complications in the immediate postoperative period.

Curtailing Unnecessary Waste Among Operating Room Personnel: Evaluating the Cost Awareness of Commonly Used Surgical Items.

BACKGROUND: Operating rooms (ORs) generate 70% of hospital waste, leading to increased costs for the hospital, patient, and the environment. The lack of cost awareness among physicians has been well documented; however, there is little information on anesthesiologists or ancillary OR staff. This study aimed to evaluate the cost awareness of commonly used items at an academic medical center among OR personnel. METHODS: Anonymous surveys were distributed to OR personnel (nurses, surgical technicians (STs), nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologists, surgeons, and residents), asking for the estimated costs of ten commonly used items. These costs were then compared against actual costs to evaluate the accuracy of participants' estimates. Responders were clustered by job, highest level of education, and years of experience for comparison. RESULTS: 167 surveys were collected, and overall only 16.4% of estimates were accurate within 50% of actual price. No significant differences in accuracy between groups were identified overall (P = .2), but both surgical and anesthesia attendings had significantly higher rates of correct responses than their respective residents. No difference was seen in accuracy when all attendings (surgeons and anesthesiologists) were compared with either nurses or STs. Linear regression demonstrated no correlation between number of years at current position or years at institution and number of correct responses (R2 = .0025 and R2 = .005, respectively). DISCUSSION: Addressing the knowledge deficit around item costs via global education of all OR personnel (surgeons, anesthesia providers, and ancillary staff) could be a viable pathway to reduce waste, and thus cost, for our healthcare system.

Toward optical spectroscopy-guided lung biopsy: Demonstration of tissue-type classification.

The diagnostic yield of standard tissue-sampling modalities of suspected lung cancers, whether by bronchoscopy or interventional radiology, can be nonoptimal, varying with the size and location of lesions. What is needed is an insitu sensor, integrated in the biopsy tool, to objectively distinguish among tissue types in real time, not to replace biopsy with an optical diagnostic, but to verify that the sampling tool is properly located within the target lesion. We investigated the feasibility of elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS), coupled with machine learning, to distinguish lung lesions from the various nearby tissue types, in a study with freshly-excised lung tissues from surgical resections. Optical spectra were recorded with an ESS fiberoptic probe in different areas of the resected pulmonary tissues, including benign-margin tissue sites as well as the periphery and core of the lesion. An artificial-intelligence model was used to analyze, retrospectively, 2032 measurements from excised tissues of 35 patients. With high accuracy, ESS was able to distinguish alveolar tissue from bronchi, alveolar tissue from lesions, and bronchi from lesions. This ex vivo study indicates promise for ESS fiberoptic probes to be integrated with surgical intervention tools, to improve reliability of pulmonary lesion targeting.

The learning curve of robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery - A randomized trial in a simulated setting.

PURPOSE: To investigate the learning curve of robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery compared to manual surgery in a simulated setting. METHODS: The study was designed as a randomized controlled longitudinal study. Eight ophthalmic trainees in the 1st or 2nd year of their specialization were included. The participants were randomized to either manual or robot-assisted surgery. Participants completed repetitions of a test consisting of three vitreoretinal modules on the Eyesi virtual reality simulator. The primary outcome measure was time to learning curve plateau (minutes) for total test score. The secondary outcome measures were instrument movement (mm), tissue treatment (mm2 ) and time with instruments inserted (seconds). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in time to learning curve plateau for robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery compared to manual. Robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery was associated with less instrument movements (i.e. improved precision), -0.91 standard deviation (SD) units (p < 0.001). Furthermore, robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery was associated with less tissue damage when compared to manual surgery, -0.94 SD units (p = 0.002). Lastly, robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery was slower than manual surgery, 0.93 SD units (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference between the lengths of the learning curves for robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery compared to manual surgery. Robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery was more precise, associated with less tissue damage, and slower.

Left atrial appendage elimination techniques: stapled excision versus internal suture obliteration.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of left atrium appendage (LAA) elimination using stapled excision with those using internal suture obliteration. METHODS: In all, 158 patients with atrial fibrillation who underwent surgical elimination of the LAA during cardiac surgery and later underwent postoperative computed tomography (CT) were enrolled. Of these, 102 patients underwent stapled excision (SE group), and 56 underwent internal suture obliteration (IO group). The efficacy endpoint was LAA excision failure, including a remnant LAA (>1 cm) or communication between the left atrium (LA) and LAA. The safety endpoint was bleeding from the elimination site. The CT was performed at a median of 12.8 months (interquartile range, 0.3-39.9) after surgery. RESULTS: The efficacy endpoint was observed in 5 (4.9%) and 9 patients (16.1%) in the SE and IO groups, respectively (P=0.036). In the SE group, a remnant LAA was found in 5 patients and extravasation of the dye was not observed. In the IO group, a remnant LAA, a communication between the LA and LAA, and both findings were observed in 1, 6, and 2 patients, respectively. The safety endpoint occurred in 12 (11.8%) and 0 patients (0%) in the SE and IO groups, respectively (P=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Stapled excision of the LAA was associated with a lower rate of LAA elimination failure compared to internal suture obliteration. However, care should be taken to prevent staple-related bleeding.

Cold Technique in Adult Tonsillectomy Reduces Waste and Cost.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify differences in waste and cost of disposable equipment between different tonsillectomy techniques. METHODS: Prospective study of waste attributable to disposable waste produced by tonsillectomy surgery. Disposable equipment required for tonsillectomy using cold, monopolar electrocautery (ME), and coblation techniques was measured; and differences in mass, volume, and cost of equipment between the 3 techniques were quantified. RESULTS: Cold technique was found to produce the least waste and have the lowest cost attributable to disposable surgical equipment. Projected single-case savings in mass and volume of waste resulting from using cold technique compared to ME were 1.272 kg and 1.013 L, respectively, and 1.043 kg and 1.723 L compared to coblation. Projected single-case savings in cost of disposable equipment for cold technique compared to ME were US$9.35 and US$185.05 compared to coblation. DISCUSSION: Using cold technique for adult tonsillectomy reduces waste and cost of disposable equipment compared to ME and coblation. Implications for Practice: Surgeons desiring to reduce cost and waste associated with tonsillectomy surgery may consider transitioning to cold technique.

Hand Skin Burn as a Complication of Electrosurgery Use in Prone Position in Surgery: A Case Report.

Electrosurgery is one of the advances in the surgical field and used commonly. Modern electrosurgical units considered relatively safe. Although rare, inadvertent skin burns due to electrosurgery caused by different mechanisms were reported in the literature. Positioning the patient in prone is required for some surgeries and utilizing this position in a proper manner is essential to avoid complications. We present a case of a 47-year-old female patient who underwent uneventful spinal surgery in a prone position. The patient complained of pain in fingers postoperatively that revealed third-degree skin burn. Plastic surgery was involved in the treatment of burns and the patient followed regularly until fully healed. This case study aims to prompt awareness among surgeons and the staff of the operation-room regarding the unintended burn of patients caused by aberrant circuit related to electrosurgery in prone position.

Instruments of health and harm: how the procurement of healthcare goods contributes to global health inequality.

Many healthcare goods, such as surgical instruments, textiles and gloves, are manufactured in unregulated factories and sweatshops where, amongst other labour rights violations, workers are subject to considerable occupational health risks. In this paper we undertake an ethical analysis of the supply of sweatshop-produced surgical goods to healthcare providers, with a specific focus on the National Health Service of the United Kingdom. We contend that while labour abuses and occupational health deficiencies are morally unacceptable in the production of any commodity, an additional wrong is incurred when the health of certain populations is secured in ways that endanger the health and well-being of people working and living elsewhere. While some measures have been taken to better regulate the supply chain to healthcare providers in the UK, further action is needed to ensure that surgical goods are sourced from suppliers who protect the labour and occupational health rights of their workers.

Mathematical modeling of clinical engineering approach to evaluate the quality of patient care.

At present, the patient care delivery system (PCDS) in a hospital/medical institute/clinic is absolutely medical technology-dependent and this tendency is found to increase day by day. To ensure the quality of patient care (QPC) appropriate implementation of the patient care technology management system (PCTMS) is necessary. Unfortunately, it is found to be absent in the healthcare delivery system in most of the countries in the world. The situation is very much severe, particularly, in medium- and low-income countries like Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc. The opposite scenario is found in high-income countries, specifically, in Japan where QPC has been improved significantly by adopting the clinical engineering approach (CEA) in their PCDS. Up to now, QPC is determined based on prediction as there are no mathematical ways to evaluate it properly. In this study, we for the first time, propose a mathematical model to evaluate the QPC quantitatively based on feedback control analogy taking into account of CEA in PCTMS, particularly, for clinical and surgical equipment. The model consists of three subsections: the clinical engineering department (CED), PCTMS, and health care engineering directorate (HCED). The correlation among the subsections and their performance parameters are defined and standardized. Multiple linear regression method is applied to derive the least square normal equations for each of the subsections and then the regression coefficients are solved by the standard data taken from 1000 beds hospitals of different countries. The model is applied to reveal the present status of QPC for 18 different countries including high-, middle-, and low-income countries of the world. The results obtained from the model demonstrate that the present status of QPC in Japan is 84.69% and in Pakistan, it is only 0.20%. This huge discrepancy is identified to be caused by the inclusion of CEA in PCDS of Japan. The proposed model can be applied to evaluate the QPC of a hospital/in a country and hence to take necessary steps accordingly for establishing the proposed research methodology. It is to be mentioned here that the proposed model cannot be applied to evaluate the QPC in some countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, etc. due to the unavailability of data related to the model parameters.