Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 4 announced the recall by Cook Medical (Bloomington, Indiana) of all lots of its catheters with Beacon Tip technology. The catheters are used in angiographic, radiographic, interventional, and urologic procedures. The catheters have been found to exhibit polymer degradation of the…
Editor's Note A Black Book survey found that 87% of financially struggling hospitals regret their decision to replace their electronic health records (EHRs) systems, the April 29 Healthcare IT News reports. Of those that changed their original EHRs since 2011, 14% are losing inpatient revenue at a pace that wouldn’t…
Editor's Note The overall risk of complications after colonoscopy increases when patients receive anesthesia, this study finds. The use of anesthesia was associated with a 13% increase in complications within 30 days, including a higher risk of perforation, hemorrhage, and abdominal pain. The risk of perforation was 26% higher in…
Editor's Note Psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety, were independently associated with higher all cause 30-day readmissions after elective spine surgery in this study. Of 400 patients involved in the study, outcomes data was available for 107. Results showed the rate of readmission was three-fold greater for patients with…
Editor's Note In this meta-analysis, the majority of studies suggest that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications. The studies reported worse outcomes for a number of events, including pulmonary and combined complications among OSA patients versus control patients. The association between OSA and…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on April 27 announced that Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, is the first hospital in the US to achieve its Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement. The certification recognizes that Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is committed to providing safe and efficient care…
Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) on April 29 asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend their pain-related questions in the Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program until concerns are addressed that the questions may contribute to the opioid epidemic, AHA News Now reports. The AHA says…
Editor's Note National Nurses Week is May 6-12, with May 12 celebrated as International Nurses Day in honor of Florence Nightingale’s birthday. National Nurses Week is celebrated annually to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society. This year’s theme is “Culture of Safety: It starts with You.”…
Editor's Note Liver transplant candidates who are the sickest and should be first in line for a donor liver are increasingly being removed from the wait list because they are considered too sick to transplant, finds this study. Between 2007 and 2012, more than 4,300 patients were taken off the…
Editor's Note Seven emergency general surgery procedures account for about 80% of all admissions, deaths, complications, and inpatient costs, this study finds. The seven procedures are: partial colectomy small bowel resection cholecystectomy operative management of peptic ulcer disease lysis of peritoneal adhesions appendectomy laparotomy. These seven procedures represent the greatest…
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