Same-Day Surgery – March 1, 2004
March 1, 2004
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Patient’s death after robotic surgery raises questions, results in lawsuit
In this first part of a two-part series on new technology, we discuss the training and informed consent issues regarding new technology. -
If you’re inexperienced, should you tell patients?
A recent Tampa, FL, lawsuit involving a patient who died after robotic surgery to remove a cancerous kidney has raised informed consent issues regarding new technology. -
Will robot Penelope replace a scrub nurse?
A portable robot may be available later this year that can stand in for a scrub nurse. Penelope (Manufacturer: Robotic Surgical Tech in New York City) can hand instruments to surgeons during basic general surgeries such as hernias. The robot is awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). -
Canadian warning: ORs should prepare for SARS
After a group of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients in Toronto in 2003 was tracked to a surgical patient, health care providers there realized no guidelines from international or U.S. groups addressed how to handle SARS patients or avoid SARS transmission in the OR. -
Tips on how to adjust your program for downtime
Recently at a conference, I was asked about what frustrates me the most out of all the work we do. It took me less than a second to reply: expense adjustment. -
Knowledge of language is no guarantee of accuracy
With 45 million people in the United States speaking a language other than English and another 19 million people with limited proficiency in English, it is more important than ever for same-day surgery programs to make sure that interpreters are available and qualified to translate pre-op and discharge instructions. -
These nurses are trained to perform minor surgery
Nurse practitioners in Glasgow, Scotland, will begin performing minor surgery in dermatology and plastic surgery after completing a credentialing program recently introduced by a large association of hospitals in Scotland and Glasgow Caledonian University. -
Physician-owned ASCs come under scrutiny
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) will discuss reimbursement for physician-owned ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) at its March 18-19 meeting. -
Liposuction most popular cosmetic surgery in 2003
While the greatest amount of growth in cosmetic procedures was seen in noninvasive techniques such as Botox and microdermabrasion, results of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgerys (AACS) 2003 Procedural Survey show that invasive procedures such as liposuction and breast augmentation continue to grow as well.