Editor's Note In this French study, the majority of ICU patients had at least one organ failure at the time of death. Of 698 patients analyzed, 84% had one or more organ failures and 89% required at least one organ support at the time of death. Deaths were considered unexpected…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on March 22 that MedStar-Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC received the first Patient Blood Management Certification by the Joint Commission and AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks). The certification provides a third party evaluation of patient blood management programs…

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Editor's Note In this study, discontinuity in nursing care was high and negatively impacted patient outcomes. The analysis of 3,892 medical-surgical inpatients found that discontinuity of nursing care declined from nearly 100% in the first 24 hours, to 70% at 36 hours, and to 50% by the 10th postadmission day.…

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Editor's Note Non-OR anesthesia (NORA) is a growing component of anesthesiology practice in the US, this study finds. The proportion of NORA cases overall increased from 28.3% in 2010 to 35.9% in 2014, and the proportion of NORA outpatient cases increased from 69.7% to 73.3%. Colonoscopy was the most common…

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The postanesthesia care unit (PACU) is no longer used just to recover patients after surgery. Multiple departments use it for various procedures, from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to regional blocks, as well as to ease emergency department (ED) overcrowding. This makes it difficult to manage bed availability, OR scheduling, and patient…

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Editor's Note A survey of critical care nurses found moderate levels of postcode stress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) of patients. In 490 nurses surveyed, four coping behaviors (ie, denial, self-distraction, self-blame, and behavioral disengagement) were significant predictors of PTSD symptom severity. Nurses who…

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If you told OR leaders they could onboard a nurse without previous surgical experience in just 12 weeks, most would scoff, “Impossible!” But at Sutter Health University, the impossible has become not only possible, but highly successful, thanks to an innovative program created by Renee Dodge, MSN, RN, RNFA, CNOR,…

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Editor's Note The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on December 13 issued a final rule allowing full practice authority for certain advanced practice registered nurses working in VA facilities, including certified nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and certified nurse midwives. The rule excludes certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), following lobbying…

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Editor's Note Nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) is a growing component of anesthesiology practice, this study finds. The proportion of NORA cases overall increased from 28.3% in 2010 to 35.9% in 2014, and the mean age of NORA patients increased significantly faster than OR patients. Compared with OR cases, more NORA…

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Editor's Note Discontinuity in nursing care in hospitals was high and negatively impacted patient clinical conditions in this study. Discontinuity in care declined from nearly 100% in the first 24 hours, to 70% at 36 hours, and to 50% by the 10th day after admission. Each instance of discontinuity lead…

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