The horror and heartbreak of a retained object. Nurses with firsthand experience of retained surgical items carry deep emotional scars.

Lessons from 3 wrong-site surgeries. Focus on what really happened, not what's supposed to happen.

Are your patients at risk of DVT? The vascular surgeon who created the Caprini Score discusses how to protect your patients from life-threatening blood clots.

Let's ban surgical smoke. It's time to protect all surgical professionals from the harmful effects of toxic plumes.

Make MH drills count. Realistic practice sessions could someday prove to be life-saving exercises.

Inmate claims he was needlessly handcuffed and shackled during and after emergency appendectomy. Despite objections from surgeon, prison guards kept patient restrained for days, according to lawsuit.

Deep dive into VTE prevention. Match prophylaxis to patient-specific risks to guard against clot formation.

Can you pass our electrosurgery quiz. Find out how much your surgeons and staff know about the science of surgical energy.

8 ways to prevent pressure ulcers. How to maintain the integrity of each patient's skin.

Reducing the risk of wrong-site surgery. Key defenses in the battle to eliminate preventable harm include the time out, pre-operative verification process and site marking.

Novel stress test determines when surgeons are ready to cut loose. At the Missouri University School of Medicine, they're measuring how much residents sweat during surgery.

Safety: What good are surgical safety checklists? They're effective only if your team uses them -- and uses them properly.

You can't count on counts alone. Preventing retained objects not as easy as 1-2-3.

Patient positioning advances. Devices designed to improve the efficiency and safety of even the most complex cases.

How safe are your patients in 2017? Challenges remain, but many surgical leaders are finding ways to overcome them.

Manning the MHAUS hotline. Answers to 10 common questions about malignant hyperthermia.

Take our medication safety quiz. Just like look-alike and sound-alike drugs, things aren't always as they seem.

The courage to speak up. Will your staff stick up for your patients when they sense trouble in the OR?

Morcellator Opponent Amy Reed, MD, Succumbs to Cancer. Dr. Reed and her husband, Hooman Noorchashm, MD, led a years-long campaign to expose the hazards posed by power morcellators.

Judge awards $88K to surgeon "forced out" for double-booking complaints. Neurosurgeon James Holsapple, MD, alleged he was pressured to leave his job at Upstate University Hospital because he voiced safety concerns over a spine surgeon being permitted