FDA recommends use of thermal regulating systems during surgery
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 30 issued a Safety Alert reminding healthcare providers that using thermal regulating systems, including forced air systems, during surgical procedures has been shown to result in less bleeding, faster recovery times, and decreased risk of infections for patients. The FDA…
23 Houston-area hospitals move patients; 25 more are vulnerable
Editor's Note At least 23 hospitals in the Houston area affected by flooding from Hurricane Harvey have moved patients to other facilities, and another 25 are considered vulnerable to flooding or shortages of staff and supplies, the August 29 Houston Chronicle reports. The full tally of evacuated patients was not…
Costs vary widely for common surgical procedures
Editor's Note There is wide cost variation for five common surgical procedures in the US, this study finds. Cost observed-to-expected ratios ranged widely: 14.9-fold for colectomy 5.5-fold for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) 12.5-fold for lung resection 10.6-fold for total knee arthroplasty 28.0-fold for cesarean section. High-cost hospitals were more…
Joint Commission issues R3 Report on pain assessment and management standards for hospitals
Editor's Note The Joint Commission has issued a new R3 Report to help accredited hospitals better understand and comply with its new and revised pain management standards, which are effective January 1, 2018. This R3 Report provides in-depth rationale, references, and evidence used in the development of the new and…
Barriers, benefits of using mobile health technology postoperatively
Editor's Note This survey of 800 patients identified a range of potential barriers and benefits to using mobile health technology to enhance recovery after surgery. Potential barriers included: protecting personal health information technology effectiveness and failure preference for face-to-face interaction with their surgeons level of effort required ability of older…
FDA: Abbott updates pacemaker firmware to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on August 29 that it had approved a firmware update that is intended as a recall, specifically a corrective action, to reduce the risk of patient harm due to cybersecurity vulnerabilities for certain Abbott (formerly St Jude Medical) implantable cardiac pacemakers.…
Postop pain predicts readmissions, ED visits
Editor's Note Postoperative pain trajectories can identify patients at risk for 30-day readmissions and emergency department (ED) visits, and are not mediated by postdischarge complications, this study finds. In this analysis of 211,231 surgical procedures (45.4% orthopedic, 37.0% general, and 17.6% vascular), the 30-day unplanned readmission rate was 10.8%, and…
Flooding from Harvey prompts HHS to declare public health emergency
Editor's Note Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price, MD, has declared a public health emergency because of flooding and lingering rain in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the August 28 Healthcare Finance News reports. This declaration gives healthcare providers in Texas andย Louisianianย greater flexibility in treating peopleย displaced by the…
FDA: Cook Medical issues recall correction, removal of certain sizes of Zenith Alpha thoracic endovascular graft
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 25 announced a recall correction to the instructions for use by Cook Medical (Bloomington, Indiana) for its Zenith Alpha thoracic endovascular graft. This correction removed the indication for blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) because Cook has received an increase in…
Houston Hospitals hit by flooding from Harvey
Editor's Note Flooding from Hurricane Harvey is pushing some Houston hospitals to close or evacuate, the August 27 Modern Healthcare reports. Baylor College of Medicine and clinics closed Sunday, August 27, as did all Texas Childrenโs Hospitalโs pediatrics practices and urgent care locations. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer…