Editor's note The ECRI Institute on April 2 issued a free white paper on “5 Ways to Drive Savings and Quality on Your Purchased Services.” The 5 key areas to consider when developing a best practice process to evaluate purchased services, reduce spending, and make informed vendor selections are: Making…

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Editor's Note Movement in the OR is associated with microbial load, this study finds. Researchers determined areas in the OR with high and low numbers of people in transit and placed air samplers and settle plates in representative locations during 21 surgical procedures, in four ORs, during two seasons of…

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Author's Note The Food & Drug Administration on March 23 announced the Class I recall of Becton Dickinson (BD) Vacutainer® EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) blood collection tubes with lavender, tan, pink, and green rubber tube stoppers. Class I recalls are the most serious. The recall was initiated because of a chemical…

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Editor's Note Frailty is an important risk factor for postoperative complications and failure to rescue, after both low-risk and high-risk surgical procedures, this study finds. In this study of 984,550 patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, there was a dose-response association between increasing patient…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 21 announced that the first hospital to earn its Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) certification is St Joseph Mercy Oakland, Pontiac, Michigan, a member of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. In collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA), the TSC certification signifies…

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Editor's Note In this study from the UK, researchers found a robust relationship between a surgeon’s daily OR schedule and surgical performance (indexed by duration of procedure). The researchers say surgeons should reorder their OR schedule, starting their days with the simpler cases and building up to the more difficult…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 20 announced the deletion of RI.01.01.01, element of performance (EP) 8: “The hospital respects the patient’s right to pain management” because it is no longer relevant and necessary to ensure quality of care and safety. The deletion is effective immediately. The Joint Commission’s…

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Editor's Note Transparency Market Research predicts the global spinal fusion devices market will reach more than $10.97 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.65%, the March 19 Becker’s Spine Review reports. Growth will be driven by the aging US population that is susceptible to degenerative spine…

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Editor's Note Children younger than 3 years of age may benefit from 23-hour observation after tonsillectomy, this study finds. In this multicenter study of 1,817 healthy children having outpatient tonsillectomy, those younger than 3 years were at an increased risk for complications within the first 24 hours, and the complications…

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Editor's Note The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) on March 19 expressed strong opposition to the decision by insurer Anthem, Inc, that ophthalmologists assume responsibility for the administration of anesthesia and patient monitoring during cataract procedures. “Ophthalmologists are no more qualified to administer anesthesia than CRNAs are to perform…

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