Patients overestimate postop pain they will experience
Editor's Note Patients significantly overestimate the amount of pain they will experience after surgery, which can cause unnecessary anxiety, finds a study presented October 21 at the Anesthesiology 2017 annual meeting in Boston. A total of 223 patients completed a questionnaire before and after surgery to evaluate the level of…
Preop antibiotics significantly lower SSI risk in left colorectal surgery
Editor's Note Adding oral antibiotics to mechanical bowel preparation for left colorectal cancer surgery significantly lowered the rate of surgical site infections (SSIs), but the effect was marginal in right-colon resections, this study finds. For 89 patients having left colorectal resections, the rate of SSIs was 27% with mechanical bowel…
FDA updates Safety Alert for St Jude defibrillators
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 19 issued an updated Safety Alert for implantable cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators by St Jude Medical. Because batteries for the devices may fail earlier than expected, St Jude has made available a new battery performance management tool,…
Penicillin allergy linked to SSI risk
Editor's Note In this study from the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, patients with penicillin allergies had a 50% increased odds of developing surgical site infections (SSIs), which the researchers attributed to the second-line antibiotics administered to them. A total of 8,385 patients who had surgery between 2010 and 2014…
ACS NSQIP recognizes 66 hospitals for meritorious outcomes
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) on October 18 recognized 66 of 680 hospitals participating in the adult program for achieving meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2016. ACS NSQIP hospitals are required to track outcomes for inpatient and outpatient…
Effect of hospital-wide measure of readmissions for HRRP
Editor's Note Changing to a hospital-wide measure of readmissions for the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) would result in only 76 more hospitals being eligible to receive penalties, but it would substantially increase the penalties for safety-net hospitals, this study finds. For the analysis, researchers used Medicare claims from 2011…
Survey finds nearly three-quarters of physicians prefer fee-for-service models
Editor's Note A survey of 980 physicians in eight specialties by New York City-based Bain and Company found that 73% prefer fee-for-service rather than value-based care models because of concerns about the complexity and quality of care associated with value-based models, the October 12 Healthcare Informatics reports. More than 60%…
ACS NSQIP pilot identifies geriatric–specific risk factors that affect surgical outcomes
Editor's Note A new pilot study from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) finds that adding geriatric-specific risk factors to traditional risk factors could significantly improve the ability of surgeons to predict poor surgical outcomes in older patients. The study involved 36,399 older surgical…
AMA, partners on initiative to develop integrated platform for big data analytics
Editor's Note The American Medical Association (AMA) and its partners, including the American Medical Informatics Association, IBM, and Cerner, are developing an integrated platform for clinical informatics and big data analytics, the October 16 HealthIT Analytics reports. The aim of the physician-led Integrated Health Model Initiative is to help healthcare…
FDA clears new surgical robot
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 13 cleared the Senhance System (TransEnterix Surgical Inc, Morrisville, North Carolina), a new robotically-assisted surgical device. The design of the Senhance System allows surgeons to sit at a console unit that provides a 3-D high-definition view of the surgical…
Free Daily News
- Infusion pumps deemed high-risk in FDA early alert
- Stem cell researchers tout potential for sickle cell disease cure
- Study: Stem cell therapy restores vision in LSCD patients
- AMSURG launches nationwide campaign to spotlight rising colon cancer rates, urges early screening
- AAAHC seeks stakeholder feedback on revised v44 standards to elevate patient-centered care
- Hospital’s anesthesia reforms slash carbon footprint, expenses
- Study: Shifting imaging to outpatient centers could save billions
- Report: Health system margins shrink as hospital revenue grows
- Study: Cataract surgery increases diabetic retinopathy progression
- FDA announces Class 1 endovascular system, anesthesia system recalls