Editor's Note Reducing noise in the OR positively affects children’s postoperative behavior, according to research presented October 24 at the Anesthesiology 2022 annual meeting in New Orleans. The study, led by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, included 64 preschool children (ages 4 to 5 years old) having general…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 19 identified the recall by Philips Respironics of certain masks for BiPAP and CPAP machines as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because magnetic headgear clips that hold the masks in place can cause injury or death…
Editor's Note This study by researchers at Kaiser Permanente and the University of California, San Francisco-East Bay, Oakland, finds that having a surgical procedure shortly after COVID-19 infection was not associated with higher risks in fully vaccinated patients or those who did not have general anesthesia. The analysis included 228,913…
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on October 11 issued comments on a European study examining colonoscopies that was published October 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which looked at colonoscopies in Sweden, Poland, Norway, and the Netherlands, seemed to question the effectiveness of…
Editor's Note In this study from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, researchers find that nearly a fifth of cases canceled on the day of surgery are never rescheduled, and, if they are rescheduled, the delay can be substantial. During the 2-year study period, 4,472 cases were canceled on the day…
Editor's Note This study led by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, finds that it may be reasonable to consider performing cataract surgery without routine anesthesia support. Medicare claims for 36,652 patients who had cataract surgery were analyzed. Among the findings: 89.8% had an anesthesia provider, compared to…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 23 identified the recall by Philips Respironics of certain models of its BiPAP machines as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because certain machines may contain a plastic contaminated with a noncompatible material. If the plastic is…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 15 identified Baxter Healthcare Corporation’s recall of its ClearLink Basic Solution Set with Duovent as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk for leaks that may expose providers and patients to hazardous toxic substances…
Editor's Note This study from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, finds that overlapping clinical responsibilities of a supervising anesthesiologist are associated with increased surgical patient mortality and morbidity. A total of 578,815 adult surgical patients from 23 US academic and private hospitals were included in the analysis. The patients…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on September 12 identified the recall by Medtronic Xomed of its NIM Contact Reinforced EMG Endotracheal Tube and NIM Standard Reinforced EMG Endotracheal Tube as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated after Medtronic Xomed received customer complaints about obstruction of…