A graduate of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Melissa Macias has served as a neurosurgeon in Texas, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Dr. Melissa Macias currently treats patients through Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee.

1. Melissa Macias

2.  A graduate of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Melissa
Macias has served as a neurosurgeon in Texas, Illinois, and
Wisconsin. Dr. Melissa Macias currently treats patients
through Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee.
A common strategy used in neurosurgery is known as
overlapping surgery. During an overlapping surgery, a single
surgeon manages two operations at the same time and takes
care of critical parts while co-surgeons perform the more basic
parts of the procedures. This strategy gives patients better
access to in-demand professionals.
After a patient at Massachusetts General Hospital was
paralyzed during an overlapping surgery, concerns about this
process were raised.

3.  However, a recent study published in Neurosurgery
found that overlapping procedures actually result in
less time in the hospital, less blood loss, and lower
mortality rates. The researchers reviewed 7,350
neurosurgeries completed between 2012 and 2015
and tracked severity of illness, procedure, mortality
risk, and admissions data.
The outcomes of overlapping procedures were
evaluated based on expected length of stay in the
hospital and estimated blood loss. In the end,
overlapping procedures provided more benefits to
patients than separate surgeries.