Mortality lower at teaching hospitals
Editor's Note In this study, major teaching hospital status was associated with lower mortality rates for common medical and surgical conditions, compared with nonteaching hospitals. The analysis of 21.4 million hospitalizations of Medicare patients at 4,483 hospitals (250 major teaching, 894 minor teaching, and 3,339 nonteaching) found that 30-day mortality…
Survey: Nurses love their work, fatigue a problem
Editor's Note A new Kronos survey finds that 93% of nurses are satisfied with their career choice, but fatigue is a substantial issue, the May 8 Business Wire reports. In the survey titled, โEmployee Engagement in Nursing,โ 98% say their work is both physically and mentally demanding. More than 40%…
FDA: Class I recall of HeartMate II LVAS Pocket System Controller
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 23 identified the recall by Abbott-Thoratec (Pleasanton, California) of its HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist (LVAS) Pocket System Controller as Class I, the most serious. Abbott-Thoratec has receives 70 reports of incidents in which the controller malfunctions after an exchange,…
Clotting assay predicts need for massive transfusion in trauma patients
Editor's Note Using a new blood clot strength test based on a modified thrombelastography (TEG) assay with exogenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), researchers at the University of Colorado, Denver, were quickly able to assess the overall ability of blood to clot and identify trauma patients in need of a massive…
National Advocacy Day leads to new cosponsors for ASC legislation
Editor's Note The Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2017 (HR 1838/S 1001) has added new cosponsors in the US House of Representatives and was introduced in the Senate, the May 23 Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) News Digest reports. Many of the cosponsors signed on as a…
FDA: Class I recall of Wingman35 Crossing Catheters
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on May 17 identified the recall by ReFlow Medical (San Clemente, California) of certain lots of its Wingman35 Crossing Catheters as Class I, the most serious. The catheters are being recalled because of tip splitting or separation that has resulted in two adverse…
Effect of early discharge after surgery on costs
Editor's Note Early postoperative discharge after major inpatient surgery was associated with lower total surgical episode payments in this study. In this analysis of 639,943 Medicare beneficiaries undergoing colectomy, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), or total hip replacement, payments were significantly lower in hospitals with lowest vs highest length of…
Artificial disc market poised for growth
Editor's Note A GlobalData analysis predicts the US artificial disc replacement market will double by 2023, reaching $614.5 million, with a compound annual growth rate of 12.2%, the May 17 Beckerโs Spine Review reports. The growth is a result of the increasing number of degenerative spine conditions and the advantages…
FDA: Abbott recalls coronary catheters
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on May 16 announced the recall by Abbott of specific lots of three coronary dilation and balloon catheters: NC Trek RX Coronary Dilation Catheter NC Traveler Coronary Dilation Catheter NC Tenku RX PTCA Balloon Catheter. The affected lots were manufactured between January 2015…
Warmer weather linked to increase in SSIs
Editor's Note Temperatures above 90oย F were associated with a 28.9% increase in odds for surgical site infections (SSIs) compared to temperatures less than 40oย F in this study. Analyzing data on millions of patients in the National Inpatient Sample database from 1998 to 2011, researchers found that SSIs were seasonal, with…