Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 8 announced the recall by AuroMedics Pharma (Windsor, New Jersey) of two lots of Piperacillin and Tazobactam for Injection, USP 3.375 g in a single-dose vial. The vials were found to contain particulate matter after reconstitution that was confirmed to…

Read More

Editor's Note Ambient intraoperative OR temperature had a negligible effect on core temperature when patients were warmed with forced air in this study. The effect was larger when patients were passively insulated, but the magnitude remained small. A total of 292 adult patients were randomized to ambient temperatures 19º, 21º,…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 9 announced a Class I recall, the most serious, of Fabius Anesthesia Machines by Dräger Medical. The recall was initiated because of excessive oil that was not removed at the time of production. Excess oil may interfere with the position…

Read More

Editor's Note Opioid abuse or dependence after major surgical procedures was associated with increased readmission rates and healthcare utilization. Of 16,016,842 patients in the National Readmission Database analyzed, 94,903 (0.6%) had diagnoses of opioid abuse or dependence. Comparing patients with and without opioid abuse or dependence, researchers found that patients…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 8 sent a letter to healthcare providers that included recommendations on the use of neurovascular stents for stent-assisted coiling in the treatment of unruptured brain aneurysms. The FDA has received reports associated with these devices that suggest events of peri-procedural…

Read More

Editor's Note Early readmissions (within 7 days of discharge) were more likely to be preventable and amenable to hospital-based interventions, and late readmissions (8 to 30 days after discharge) were less likely to be preventable and more amenable to ambulatory and home-based interventions, this study finds. In this study of…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 8 announced the recall by AuroMedics Pharma (Windsor, New Jersey) of two lots of Ampicillin and Sulbactam for Injection USP, 3 g single-dose vials. The recall was issued because of customer complaints of the presence of red particulate matter in…

Read More

Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS), Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, AORN, Joint Commission, and three other organizations have developed consensus recommendations on OR attire. The recommendations focus on ear and hair covering and include: Evidence-based recommendations on surgical attire are best created collaboratively, with…

Read More

Editor's Note Patients having outpatient surgery in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) versus hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) are less likely to be admitted to a hospital or visit an emergency department a short time after surgery, this study finds. The study is the first to provide causal evidence on ASC quality,…

Read More

Editor's Note Surgeon preference for bouffant versus skull caps does not have a significant effect on surgical site infection (SSI) rates, after accounting for procedure type, this study finds. Of 1,543 procedures analyzed, surgeons wore bouffant caps in 39% and skull caps in 61% of cases. Overall, SSIs occurred in…

Read More