Adherence to ERAS protocols associated with fewer postop complications
Editor's Note An increased in adherence to Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocols was associated with a decrease in postoperative complications in this study. Of 2,084 patients analyzed, 566 had moderate to severe postoperative complications. The number of patients with moderate to severe complications was lower in the ERAS group…
CDC: Hepatitis A infections up nearly 300%
Editor's Note In the May 10 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that hepatitis A infections were up 294% in 2016-2018, compared with 2013-2015. The increases are related to outbreaks among homeless people, men who have sex with men, people who use drugs,…
CMS Physician Compare website lacks physician data
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Compare website contains quality information on just 23.3% of the more than 1 million physicians who care for Medicare patients, this study finds. A total of 76.6% of physician had no performance data, and almost none (99.7%) listed on…
FDA issues alert on premature battery depletion in certain Medtronic pacemakers
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on May 7 issued a Safety Alert on the risk for premature battery depletion in nearly 132,000 biventricular and conventional cardiac resynchronization therapy implantable pacemakers by Medtronic. The FDA is aware of three patients in which a battery fully drained because of…
Study: How patient registries could help control spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Editor's Note This study by Johns Hopkins researchers finds that the spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteria that have high levels of resistance to most antibiotics could be reduced if only 25% of large healthcare facilities in a region used a patient registry. The researchers developed a computer simulation model…
Joint Commission Ambulatory Care Accreditation team launches new campaign
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 8 announced that its Ambulatory Care Accreditation team is launching a "We Know Surgery" campaign to highlight its 45-year history accrediting ambulatory care organizations. The campaign, which is being launched in conjunction with the Ambulatory Surgery Centers Association (ASCA) conference in Nashville May…
Patient, surgeon outcomes reporting app helps predict success of ventral hernia repair
Editor's Note Researchers have developed an online app that patients and surgeons can use to guide preoperative planning and provide predictive data for how a patientโs ventral hernia repair will turn out. The basis of the app is a tool named the โOutcomes Reporting App for CLinical and Patient Engagementโ…
FDA: Class I recall of Neuro Omega System
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 6 identified the recall my Alpha Omega Engineering of its Neuro Omega System, including the Drive Headstage unit, as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because a design flaw in the device may connect two separate electrode…
Presentation Proposal Submissions
Help Lead the OR Manager Community Enrich your professional life by actively participating in the OR Manager community. Do you have a case study to share or first-hand experience in managing an OR suite? We're always looking for new abstracts with take-home tools, poster presentations, and case studies with fresh…
Intervention to reduce low-value preop tests before cataract surgery
Editor's Note Reducing low-value testing before cataract surgery was associated with cost savings for financially capitated healthcare systems, but it was also associated with losses for fee-for-service healthcare systems, which could be a barrier to eliminating low-value care, this study finds. Of 1,054 patients (469 intervention, 585 controls) included in…