Study: Robotic surgery safer than open surgery, less recovery time
Editor's Note In this clinical trial, scientists at University College London and the University of Sheffield found that robot-assisted surgery to remove and rebuild bladder cancer allowed patients to “recover much faster and spend considerably (20%) less time” in the hospital, SciTechDaily June 13 reports. Other findings included 52% less…
Borescope examination and microbial culture findings in endoscopes
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Mercy Hospital, find that routinely doing borescope examinations and microbial culturing during endoscope reprocessing is a highly effective way to identify endoscopes with damage, abnormalities, and microorganisms of concern. A total of…
FDA: Class I recall of one lot of Draeger SafeStar 55 Breathing System Filters
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 21 identified the recall by Draeger, Inc, of one lot (LT2103) of its SafeStar 55 Breathing System Filters as Class I, the most serious. The Breathing System Filter is used as part of a ventilator when a patient is under…
OR Business Management Conference 2023 call for proposals deadline extended
Editor's Note The 2023 OR Business Management Conference, which will take place February 6-8 at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa in Georgia, is actively seeking proposals from OR business leaders. If you have a revenue generation idea or cost reduction strategy for the OR, we want to…
Staffing, supply chain, lack of reimbursements are top issues for ASC leaders
Editor's Note Becker’s ASC Review June 15 featured interviews with 17 ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders to discuss their day-to-day challenges. The most pressing issues that emerged were staffing concerns (11 out of the 17 interviewed cited staffing), supply chain obstacles, and mitigating rising costs against less reimbursements. Here are…
Study: Life expectancy rates on the rise in the US
Editor's Note A new study, led by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, Seattle, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and published by The Lancet on June 16, has examined trends in life expectancy in the US…
FDA, CDC recommend COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 years old
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old, which expands eligibility to some 20 million babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, CBS News June 17 reports. After convening on Saturday, June 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also…
AHA urges ‘swift’ passing of Senate package to reduce gun violence
Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) this week voiced support for the Senate’s bipartisan framework to help reduce gun violence in communities, AHA June 14 reports. The proposal includes provisions to help the country to combat violence and make “critical investments” in behavioral healthcare, school safety resources, and support…
CMS citation trends show infection control in top 10 cited areas
Editor's Note According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality, Certification, and Oversight Reports (QCOR) page, which gives the public access to citation frequency reports, infection control was a top area of focus for CMS surveyors in 2021, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association journal ASC Focus June…
New Moderna booster candidate announced, Omicron deemed ‘immune evader’
Editor's Note Moderna, Inc announced new clinical data on its “Omicron-containing bivalent” COVID-19 booster candidate and a vaccine candidate targeting the Omicron variant of concern, Healthcare Purchasing News (HPN) June 9 reports. The booster dose of the new mRNA vaccine reportedly had a “superior neutralizing antibody response…against the Omicron variant…