ECRI Institute announces new consultative service to prevent surgical fires
Editor's Note ECRI Institute on June 5 announced a new consultative service focused on helping healthcare organizations prevent surgical fires by uncovering hidden vulnerabilities. There have been guidelines published by ECRI Institute and others to prevent and extinguish fires for many years, but implementation of the guidelines is the challenge,…
FDA: New labeling for liquid-filled intragastric balloons
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on June 4 announced that it had approved new labeling on potential risks for liquid-filled intragastric balloons by Apollo Endosurgery and ReShape Lifesciences. The new labeling for the Orbera and ReShape balloon systems includes more information about possible deaths linked to the use…
Radial-artery vs saphenous-vein grafts in CABG surgery
Editor's Note In this study, the use of radial-artery grafts for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) resulted in a lower rate of cardiac adverse events and a higher rate of patency at 5 years than saphenous-vein grafts. A total of 1,036 patients (534 radial artery, 502 saphenous vein) from six…
Hospital employment up 0.12% in May
Editor's Note US hospitals added 6,200 jobs in May to a seasonally adjusted 5,167,400, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on June 1. That is 99,800 more employees than a year ago. The overall unemployment rate fell by 0.1 in May to 3.8%, an 18-year low.
FDA: Recall of STAT-Check and Medline manual resuscitator bags
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on June 1 announced the recall by SunMed Holdings of 18,808 units of its STAT-Check and Medline manual resuscitator bags. The recall was initiated because the patient port retaining ring of the bags may not fully seat, which could allow the patient port…
Study finds high rates of infection after colonoscopy, OGD performed in ASCs
Editor's Note Rates of infection after colonoscopies and osophagogastroduodenoscopies (OGDs) performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are higher than previously thought and vary widely by facility, this study from Johns Hopkins finds. Rates of postendoscopic infection per 1,000 procedures within 7 days were: 1.1 for screening colonoscopy 1.6 for nonscreening…
Joint Commission issues new Quick Safety to prepare healthcare organizations for disasters
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 31 issued a new Quick Safety advisory to help prepare healthcare organizations for disasters such as, power failure, fire, flood, industrial accident, or cyberattack. The advisory, "Quick Safety 41: Emergency management: Need for continuity of operations planning," provides risk factors, safety recommendations, and…
FDA: Class I recall of HeartWare HVAD system by Medtronic
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on June 1 identified the recall by Medtronic of its HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) system as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the possibility for an interruption to occur in the electrical connection between the system’s power…
12-year analysis of nonbattle injuries in US service members
Editor's Note Approximately one-third of casualties during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars resulted from nonbattle injuries (NBIs), this study finds. In this analysis of 29,958 casualties (battle injuries and NBIs), NBIs caused 34.1% of total casualties and 11.5% of all deaths. Rates of NBIs were higher among women than men…
Spend time with staff to influence performance
Editor's Note Getting to know staff members and supporting that interaction with data helps leaders grow teams, S. Chris Edmonds says in the May 24 Great Leadership. To influence others in the workplace, Edmonds says: Connect with people at all levels and learn their names, their passions, what hinders their…