Editorial
Attendees at the annual OR Manager Conference have enjoyed the opportunity to ask experienced OR leaders questions about difficult managerial and clinical issues. The popularity of these “Ask Me Anything” sessions reflects the hunger for knowledge about how things are handled in ORs around the country, and they will be…
'Coming clean' in the SPD requires collaboration and competency—Part 1
Contaminated surgical instruments made ECRI Institute’s 2019 annual top 10 list of health technology hazards, coming in at number five: “Mishandling flexible endoscopes after disinfection can lead to patient infections.” Number two on the list in 2018 was “Endoscope reprocessing failures continue to expose patients to infection risk.” It’s not…
Prioritizing patient safety unites and empowers OR team—Part 2
Several never events at The Medical Center of Aurora (TMCA) in Aurora, Colorado, over a 1-year period prompted leaders there to launch patient safety first (PSF) initiatives. Part 1 of this series discussed how these initiatives were identified and implemented, and the importance of evidence-based communication tools (OR Manager, March…
Protective garments get makeover in new cleaning protocol
Surgical site infections are multifactorial, and perioperative leaders often struggle with how to reduce or eliminate them. In 2013, after an unexplained increase in surgical site infections (SSIs) among patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty at our facility, we began to investigate the cause. A fairly robust ERAS (enhanced recovery after…
Non-opioid pain management gaining favor in ASCs
Pressure to contain opioid overuse in the United States is at a boiling point. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that overdose deaths linked to opioid prescriptions have increased fivefold over the last two decades. To reduce reliance on opioid prescriptions, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services…
No increased risk of complications after ambulatory total joint procedures
Editor's Note There were no increased risks of complications or readmissions after total hip replacements (THRs) and total knee replacements (TKRs) performed in a community-based ambulatory surgery center (ASC), finds this study reported in a Poster Session March 14 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in Las Vegas. A…
Joint Commission releases 2018 sentinel event stats
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 13 released its sentinel event statistics for 2018, the majority of which were voluntarily reported by an accredited or certified organization. Of the 10 most frequently reported events, falls and unintended retention of a foreign body were at the top with 111 reports…
ACDF can be performed safely in outpatient setting
Editor's Note Removal of multiple herniated or degenerative discs in the neck, known as anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), can be safely performed in an outpatient setting, finds this study presented March 13 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in Las Vegas. Of 103 patients included in the…
FDA: Guardian Pharmacy ordered to stop producing sterile compounded drugs
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on March 12 announced that a federal judge entered a consent decree against Guardian Pharmacy Services (Dallas, Texas) to stop the company from producing compounded drug products intended to be sterile until the company complies with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C)…
IV and oral acetaminophen work equally well after THA
Editor's Note Intravenous (IV) acetaminophen did not result in a significant difference in pain scores, opioid consumption, or opioid-related adverse events compared with oral acetaminophen, finds this study presented March 12 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. A total of 154 patients having total…