COVID-19 testing of all children before anesthesia saves PPE
Editor's Note Universal COVID-19 testing of children before they have general anesthesia promotes efficient use of personal protective equipment (PPE), finds this study presented October 3 at the Anesthesiology 2020 annual meeting. Overall, 1,033 children who had anesthesia at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia between March 26 and May 11, 2020,…
Healthcare employment up in September
Editor's Note US healthcare added 52,800 jobs in September for a seasonally adjusted 15, 839,600, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on October 2. Hospitals lost 6,400 jobs, but nursing and residential care facilities added 1,600 jobs. Ambulatory healthcare services also added jobs, including physicians (18,200), dentists (3,900), and home…
Survey of public’s priorities for COVID-19 vaccine allocation
Editor's Note This survey by researchers at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, between April 23 and 27, finds the public’s preferences for allocating a COVID-19 vaccine consistent with experts’ recommendations that offer vaccine priority to groups defined by age, risk of dying, and employment type. Of 1,007 American adults surveyed:…
FDA warns about hand sanitizers packaged in food, drink containers or containing methanol
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on August 27 (updated September 2) issued a warning about alcohol-based hand sanitizers packaged in containers that may appear as food or drinks and could put consumers at risk of serious injury or death if ingested.( https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/covid-19-update-fda-warns-consumers-about-hand-sanitizer-packaged-food-and-drink-containers ) Some hand sanitizers are…
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine generates immune response in older adults
Editor's Note Preliminary findings in Moderna’s (Cambridge, Massachusetts) COVID-19 trial show the vaccine elicits strong immune system responses in older adults similar to responses in younger recipients, and adverse events associated with the vaccine are mainly mild or moderate. In its expansion to include older adults, the trial enrolled 40…
Joint Commission revises EC standard for fluoroscopy services
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 30 announced a revision to its Environment of Care (EC) standard EC.02.04.03, element of performance (EP) 34, which will take effect January 1, 2021, for ambulatory care organizations, office based surgery practices, hospitals, and critical access hospitals. The Joint Commission has determined that…
New research project to determine COVID-19 postinfection immunity
Editor's Note A new study led by the University of Georgia (UGA) Center for Vaccines and Immunology will determine what protection the body develops after infection with COVID-19. The researchers also will examine immunological, demographic, and medical risk factors and the part they play in recovery and outcomes. Participants, which…
Survey: 31% of surgeons, OR nurses experience allergic skin reactions
Editor's Note A new global survey by SERMO for Mölnlycke of 550 surgeons and OR nurses finds that 31% have experienced a skin reaction on their hands, with 21% having to change sterile gloves during a surgical procedure because of an irritating or distracting reaction. Reactions include dry and itchy skin,…
Study: Viral load of COVID-19 patients, deaths declining
Editor's Note This study presented September 24 at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Conference on Coronavirus Disease finds that the initial SARS-CoV-2 viral load (VL) in nasopharyngeal samples has been decreasing as the pandemic progresses. The researchers from Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan, also…
ASCs reduce Medicare costs $4 billion annually
Editor's Note A new analysis of Medicare payment data by KNG Health Consulting shows that ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) reduced Medicare costs by $28.7 billion from 2011 to 2018, a savings of more than $4 billion each year. The analysis also shows that, without policy changes, performing procedures on Medicare…