Groupe de Le Journal du Houblo

In 2026, over 35% of specialized clinics have transitioned to Laser-Assisted Blepharoplasty. Using a CO2 or Er:YAG laser instead of a traditional scalpel allows for simultaneous cutting and cauterizing.

This "bloodless" surgery significantly reduces intraoperative swelling and postoperative bruising. Radiofrequency (RF) "knives" are also widely utilized for their ability to provide extreme precision while minimizing thermal damage to surrounding delicate tissues.

These energy-based tools have shortened the actual "table time" of the surgery. An upper blepharoplasty that once took 60 minutes can now be completed in under 40. Furthermore, the use of Laser Shields—specialized protective inserts placed over the eyeball—is a mandatory safety protocol in 2026, ensuring that the underlying ocular structures are entirely shielded from accidental laser exposure or heat.

The primary tool used is the bioptome, a long, thin, flexible catheter with tiny "tweezer-like" jaws at the tip. In 2026, bioptomes have become more specialized:

• Micro-bioptomes: Allow for smaller samples in pediatric patients or those with thin heart walls.

• Echo-ready Tips: Enhanced visibility under ultrasound to ensure the surgeon is sampling the interventricular septum (the thick wall between chambers) and not the thinner outer walls, which could lead to perforation.

Typically, 3 to 6 samples are taken to ensure the pathologist has enough tissue to account for the "patchy" nature of many heart diseases.

A major breakthrough widely adopted in 2026 is the DynamX Bioadaptor. Unlike traditional permanent stents that "cage" the artery in a rigid metal tube, the bioadaptor features a unique "unlocking" mechanism.

• Phase 1 (Months 0–6): The device acts like a traditional stent, providing rigid support to keep the artery open.

• Phase 2 (Month 6+): The bioresorbable polymer coating dissolves, allowing the metallic coils to "unlock" and separate.

This restores the natural vasomotion of the artery—its ability to expand and contract with the heartbeat—which strengthens the vessel over time and significantly reduces the risk of late-stage cardiac events compared to traditional permanent caging.

In the United States, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the ESRD Prospective Payment System (PPS) for 2026, increasing the base rate for dialysis treatments to approximately $281.71 per session.

A significant change this year is the introduction of a "Non-Contiguous Area Payment Adjustment," which provides extra funding for centers in remote locations like Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Pacific Territories to account for their higher non-labor operational costs.

Regulatory focus has also shifted toward Health Equity and Data Quality. Centers are now evaluated on the Prevalent Standardized Waitlist Ratio (PSWR), a metric that tracks how effectively a center helps its patients get onto a kidney transplant waitlist. In 2026, centers that fail to meet these transplant-access benchmarks face payment reductions. Furthermore, CMS has streamlined the patient experience survey (ICH CAHPS) to 39 questions, focusing more on quality of life and communication than on facility aesthetics.