Surgery center consolidation on the rise
Editor's Note A March 23 report by Axios finds โmassive consolidation among ambulatory surgery centersโ (ASCs), and more is expected because about half of some 5,500 ASCs are not owned by chains. ASCs are becoming a target for acquisition because they are high-profit organizations.ย Recent financial reports show: Envision Healthcare (260…
Total laparoscopic vs abdominal hysterectomy for stage I endometrial cancer
Editor's Note For women with stage I endometrial cancer, the use of total abdominal hysterectomy compared with total laparoscopic hysterectomy resulted in equivalent disease-free survival at 4.5 years and no difference in overall survival in this study. Of 760 women included in the analysis, disease-free survival at 4.5 years was…
Olympus redesigned duodenoscope linked to new infection outbreak
Editor's Note A new outbreak of infections outside the US have been tied to a duodenoscope Olympus modified last year to reduce the risk of transmitting bacteria between patients, the March 22 Los Angeles Times reports. The outbreak of Klebsiella pneumoniae in five patients occurred at the end of December…
Total hip improves 5-year QOL outcomes
Editor's Note Total hip replacement patients experience meaningful and lasting improvement in quality of life (QOL) through at least 5-years after the procedure, this study finds. The analysis included 188 total hip replacement patients at seven hospitals who were evaluated with a standard quality-of-life assessment, called the โShort Form 36,โ…
ACP position paper calls for reducing administrative tasks for physicians
Editor's Note A position paper from the American College of Physicians (ACP) makes recommendations on administrative tasks to mitigate or eliminate their adverse effects on physicians, their patients, and the whole healthcare system. Among the recommendations: Stakeholders external to physician practices (ie, payers, government and other oversight organizations, vendors, and…
Proposed ASTM standard supports preclinical testing for disc replacement
Editor's Note A proposed international standard, โWK33006, Guide for Impingement Testing of Total Disc Prostheses,โ being developed by ASTMโs committee on medical and surgical materials and devices could help manufacturers improve designs for total disc replacements. The proposed standard will guide manufacturers through the process of characterizing โimpingement behaviorโ of…
Reduced risk of pressure injuries in hospitals with WOC certified nurses
Editor's Note Hospitals that employ nurses certified in wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) care have lower rates of hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs), finds this study. Of 928 hospital included in the analysis, 36.6% employed WOC certified nurses. Hospitals with WOC certified nurses had lower HAPI rates and better pressure injury…
Methodology reduces postop mortality using VASQIP risk calculator
Editor's Note This study validates a methodology, using the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) risk calculator, to identify patients with a high risk of 30-day mortality after elective surgery who may benefit from referral for tertiary care. The methodology predicted that 16% (90 of 565) of patients would…
FDA: Class I recall of HeartStart MRx Monitoy/Defibrillator
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 24 identified the recall of the HeartStart MRx Monitor/Defibrillator by Phillips Healthcare (Amsterdam) as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of electrical and battery connection issues that may prevent the device from powering up, charging, and…
Effect of hospital and specialty factors on readmissions
Editor's Note Hospital surgical readmissions are primarily explained by patient- and procedure-specific factors and less by broader specialty and hospital effects, this study finds. There was no correlation between specialty-specific readmissions for general and orthopedic, general and vascular, and vascular and orthopedic procedures. Within specialties, there were modest correlations between…