DECEMBER COVER STORY
Managing Surgical Risk: From Infection Control to Staff Well-Being
New technology tools are lowering the risk of surgical complications. These include robotic surgical systems, real-time imaging, intraoperative image guidance, smart OR analytics, augmented reality, machine learning, and artificial and ambient intelligence.
CORPORATE PROFILE
[Sponsored] Corporate Profile: Innovative Medical Products (IMP)
Specializing in surgical patient positioning, Innovative Medical Products, Inc., covers all these advancements. The positioning equipment provides another “pair of hands” to increase efficiency and convenience for the surgeon and surgical team.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
How Hiring Veterans Can Strengthen the Workforce
As organizations across industries seek dependable employees who can adapt and lead, veterans bring experience that translates directly to business success.
Surgeon Performs First U.S. Knee Replacement Using Pixee’s Knee+ NexSight Smart Glasses
Dr. Safa S. Kassab has become the first surgeon in the United States to perform a total knee replacement using Pixee Medical's Knee+ NexSight augmented reality (AR) glasses – a wearable heads-up display that delivers real-time surgical guidance directly into the...
Bayesian Health Receives FDA Clearance for Continuous AI Sepsis Monitoring
Bayesian Health today announced that its sepsis flagging device has received FDA 510(k) clearance—the first continuous AI sepsis monitor ever to do so. Early sepsis detection is a core module within Bayesian's real-time clinical intelligence platform, which...
Southeast Councils of periOperative Nurses Conference Returns in 2026
Perioperative nurses and surgical professionals from across the Southeast are invited to gather for one of the region’s premier educational and networking events as the 2026 Southeast Councils of periOperative Nurses Conference comes to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Nov. 13-15, 2026.
Ballad Health Academy Welcomes Second Class of Students Amid New Program Offerings & Expansions
Launched in 2025 with an inaugural class of 243 students across seven high schools and 11 middle schools in six Northeast Tennessee school districts, the Ballad Health Academy serves as both a unique career development program for high school students across the Appalachian Highlands and as a forward-thinking strategy to address workforce shortages in healthcare by creating local talent pipelines. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the program takes an innovative school-within-a-school approach to create accelerated pathways from high school into healthcare careers.
SPOTLIGHT
Spotlight On: Kim Tuemler, JD, BSN, RN, CNOR
There are a lot of different paths than can lead someone into the perioperative nursing field. But it’s probably safe to say that very few nurses have followed the path taken by Kim Tuemler.
Spotlight On: Colleen Becker Ph.D., MSN, RN, CCRN
When Colleen Becker was offered the opportunity to work as the Director of Perioperative Education for the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) in 2021, this fulfilled a passion for surgical education that had grown throughout her four-decade nursing career.
Spotlight on: Travis Tingle
Travis Tingle’s journey into perioperative nursing was inspired by his grandfather, who was a medic in World War II. “My grandfather was very influential in my upbringing,” Travis says. “I heard lots of stories growing up about his experience as a World War II medic so I knew I wanted a career in medicine.”
Spotlight On: Jamie Ridout, CNOR, NEA-BC, CASC
It’s funny how a chance encounter can alter the course of one’s life. After she graduated with her BSN from the West Virginia School of Nursing in 1993, Jamie Ridout was sitting with some fellow graduates at the Sigma Theta Tau induction ceremony. A woman she didn’t know asked Jamie if she could sit down next to her.
Spotlight On: Joanne Oliver-Coleman, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, CNOR-E
Joanne first became a registered nurse in 1962 after graduating from the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing. “There was a six-week tour through the operating room and that’s when I decided that perioperative nursing is what I really wanted to do,” she says.
Spotlight On: Pat Thornton
Next year, Pat Thornton will celebrate a milestone career achievement: Her 50th year in nursing. Pat’s career started in 1976 when she graduated from Clayton Junior College with her ASN and went to work as an RNFA private surgical nurse.
PRODUCT SHOWROOM
Temperature Management Market Expands as Surgical Demand Drives Growth
The global patient temperature management market is experiencing steady expansion as healthcare providers place greater emphasis on maintaining normothermia before, during and after surgical procedures. Increasing surgical volumes, advances in medical technology and...
ZOLL IQool Advanced Surface System
The IQool Advanced Surface System manages and maintains patient temperature for warming or cooling applications or to maintain normothermia. Designed with intelligence to accurately and rapidly reach target temperature, the IQool System offers 3 separate zones of...
Solventum 3M Bair Hugger Temperature Management Solutions
Temperature management is an essential part of patient care. If you’re not monitoring the body’s core temperature continuously and managing it consistently, you could be putting patients at risk for unintended perioperative hypothermia. However, this complication can...
Augustine Surgical Inc. HotDog Patient Warming System
The established efficiency of the HotDog Patient Warming System is now enhanced by the Warming Mattress + Return Electrode. This integrated system combines electrosurgical grounding with premier underbody warming, promoting intraoperative safety and simplicity. The...
C Change Surgical SurgiSLUSH
SurgiSLUSH fully automated, set and forget freezers with sealed, portable containers keep sterile slush safely protected until dispensed for use, rather than exposed to ambient for hours. Fully automated freezers with sealed, portable containers enable multi-room,...
Encompass Thermoflect products
In today’s demanding surgical landscape, healthcare teams need every tool working in their favor. Maintaining normothermia is not only a clinical priority – it’s a critical strategy in reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs). That’s...
Aesculap SQ.line KERRISON Bone Punches
As an industry leader in sterile processing and operating room solutions, Aesculap continues to raise the bar with its next generation of bone punches, SQ.line KERRISON Bone Punches. Designed specifically to meet the demands of spinal and cranial neurosurgery, SQ.line KERRISON Bone Punches help to ensure the surgeon and staff are equipped with a dependable and comfortable instrument.
OUT OF THE OR
A Morning Favorite Made Fresh
It’s often true that the best warm-weather meals, from filling breakfasts to flavorful dinners, are made with the freshest ingredients.
Walk More to Stress Less: Get Moving to Improve Well-Being
Research continues to show physical activity, like walking, reduces stress, boosts mood and promotes overall well-being.
Why Simple Daily Habits Matter
Small, repeatable choices around sleep, exercise, nutrition, mental well-being and social connection can support how the body and mind function over time.
Busy Families Can Balance Time, Taste & Nutrition
With snackers increasingly mindful about what they put in their bodies, you’re not alone if you’re looking for a snacking shakeup
Savvy Weeknight Family Meal
Because this time of year can be crazy busy, drive-thru meals can easily become the norm. While fast-food burgers may do the trick once in a while, they can get old quick if your family is eating them every other night. This quick and easy Baked Spaghetti can bring everybody back to the table and it won’t break the bank either.
One Type of Hidden Fat May Signal Greater Brain Risk
The effect of obesity on brain health may depend not only on how much fat is in the body, but also on the areas of the body where fat is stored, according to a study published in Radiology, the flagship journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
