Editor's Note Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an important risk factor for postoperative complications in cardiac surgery patients, finds this meta-analysis led by Frances Chung, MD, a noted expert on OSA. After cardiac surgery, major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events and newly documented postoperative atrial fibrillation were 33.3% and 18.1%…

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Editor's Note Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, issued a statement December 4 on the FDA’s final guidance on medical device additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. The FDA has reviewed more than 100 devices currently on the market that were manufactured on 3D printers, including…

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Editor's Note Most patients who had cataract surgery from 2001 to 2014 did so at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) compared with hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs), this study finds. In this analysis of 369,320 patients who had 531,325 cataract surgeries, the proportion performed at ASCs increased from 43.6% in 2001 to…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 6 announced that revisions are continuing to be made to the Life Safety (LS) and Environment of Care (EC) chapters of its accreditation manuals. The revisions are a result of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ adoption of the 2012 editions of…

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Editor's Note Children under age 5 having minor surgery with anesthesia have a small but statistically significant increased risk of a mental disorder, developmental delays, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), this study finds. A total of 38,493 children with a single exposure to anesthesia before age 5 and 192,465…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 1 issued a Safety Alert for human albumin 25% solution (AlbuRx 25) by CSL Behring LLC (Kankakee, Illinois). During routine inspection, the company noted the potential for fading print on 50 mL and 100 mL vials, with more effect on…

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Editor's Note In this multicenter study of 7-year weight and comorbid health changes after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), most participants maintained much of their weight loss with variable fluctuations over the long term, and comorbid health improvements were sustained after RYGB. Of 2,348 participants,…

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  Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 5 announced the recall of 3 lots of Pharmacist Choice Alcohol Prep Pads by Simple Diagnostics (Coral Springs, Florida), which were manufactured by Foshan Flying Medical Products Co Ltd, located in China. The alcohol pads were recalled because of…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 30 announced a final rule that cancels the mandatory hip fracture and cardiac bundled-payment models, which were to begin on January 1, 2018, and implements changes to the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model. In the final…

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Editor's Note Increasing OR ventilation rates to improve outcomes and reduce surgical site infections did not provide cleaner air but did increase operating costs in this study. Air quality was measured at different ventilation rates in three ORs. Increasing air change rates did not provide an overall cleaner environment. Significant…

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