Hospitals report modest growth as pandemic recovery continues
Editor's Note: Hospitals and health systems are reporting improved operating margins and increases in revenue as they continue their long recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a January 10 report from Chief Healthcare Executive. Citing the National Hospital Flash Report from Kaufman Hall, the article notes…
Esophagectomy complications more likely for Asian Americans
Editor's Note: Already shown to have a heightened risk of esophageal cancer, Asian Americans are also more likely to experience complications from esophagectomy, according to a study published January 4 in the American Journal of Surgery. The retrospective analysis, performed using ACS-NSQIP esophagectomy targeted database 2016–2021, compared 30-day postoperative outcomes…
Soundproof headphones alleviate orthopedic surgery discomfort
Editor's Note: Soundproof headphones may improve physiological indices and decrease length of stay in the PACU for orthopedic surgery patients under spinal anesthesia, according to a study published January 4 in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing. Aiming to investigate the effect of wearing soundproof headphones during orthopedic surgery under spinal…
Study: Less-painful propofol alternative non-inferior in general anesthesia induction
Editor's Note: HSK3486 injectable emulsion (ciprofol) is noninferior to propofol in successful induction of general anesthesia, according toa study published December 13 in Anesthesiology. The study also confirmed prior data indicating HSK3486 causes substantially less injection-site pain. The multicenter, randomized (2:1), double-blind, propofol-controlled, phase-4 study evaluated 255 adults undergoing elective surgery…
Pediatric cholecystectomy case volume increased during COVID-19 pandemic
Editor's Note: Cholecystectomy case volume significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to study results published in ScienceDirect December 30. While cholecystectomy is infrequently performed in children, the pandemic drove lifestyle changes, delays in healthcare access, and increases in childhood obesity. Further studies are needed to determine whether these braoder…
KPMG forecasts hospital closures, healthcare and life sciences mergers
Editor's Note: Investors see particular opportunity for mergers in healthcare and life sciences companies, Chief Healthcare Executive reported January 5. Citing the 2024 outlook of audit, tax, and advisory firm KPMG, the report notes that 61% of investors expect deal-making to increase in these sectors, while only 9% expect to…
FDA warns of chemical exposure from compressor, ventilator combos
Editor's Note: General Electric (GE) EVair and EVair 03 (Jun-air) air compressors can release dangerous levels of formaldehyde when paired with Carescape R860 and Engström Carestation/Pro ventilators, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned January 9. Designed to supply the respective ventilators when wall air is not available, the…
New COVID-19 surge led by JN.1 variant raises alarm amid 'tripledemic,' recent CDC data
Editor's Note Many people have reportedly been experiencing cold-like symptoms this winter, which have often been attributed to “some bug”; however, there’s a strong chance these symptoms were due to a new surge of COVID-19, Wired January 10 reports. There’s a new, large global surge in daily COVID-19 infections currently…
AI model trained to identify patients’ social circumstances
Editor's Note: Large language models trained to extract patients’ social determinants of health (SDoH) from clinician notes could help to identify patients who need additional support and resources. The findings, from investigators at Mass General Brigham, appeared in the Nature journal Digital Medicine on January 11. Housing circumstances, employment, access…
Superpotency concerns spur recall of IV bags for vancomycin, phenylephrine, and fentanyl
Editor's Note: Englewood, Colo,-based Leiters Health is voluntarily recalling 33 lots of vancomycin, phenylephrine, and fentanyl IV bags due to concerns that they may contain twice the labeled amount of drug, according to a January 8 safety alert from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “The semi-automated IV bag…