Today’s chat is with Ayumi Fielden, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, CPAN, Professional Practice Leader, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas. Q: What is something that went right at your facility and/or that you are thankful for this year? We have a lot to be thankful for this year. We lost some surgical…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut, finds that many patients have unplanned hospital visits within 7 days of outpatient surgical procedures performed in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs), often for potentially preventable reasons. The analysis included 1,135,441 outpatient surgical procedures performed at…

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Editor's Note This study from the Cleveland Clinic finds that COVID-19-positive patients have a higher risk of postoperative mortality, and risk factors should be carefully evaluated before intervention. The analysis included 2,543 patients who had 3,027 surgical procedures. About half of the patients were male with a mean age of…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, finds that full and partial COVID-19 vaccination reduced postoperative complications. Researchers analyzed data from patients having surgery at 1,283 VA medical facilities nationwide. Of 87,073 surgical patients, 20% were fully vaccinated, 15% were partially vaccinated, and 65% were unvaccinated. Among…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 1 identified the recall of Teleflex’s Iso-Gard Filter S as Class I, the most serious. Iso-Gard filters are breathing circuit bacterial filters that are connected to respiratory equipment or breathing systems in operating rooms and ICUs. The recall was initiated…

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Editor's Note As of November 1, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) listed 26 amoxicillin products on its current drug shortages site. The FDA says increased demand is the largest cause of the shortage. The FDA does not list resupply dates, but the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) estimates…

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Editor's Note Reducing noise in the OR positively affects children’s postoperative behavior, according to research presented October 24 at the Anesthesiology 2022 annual meeting in New Orleans. The study, led by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, included 64 preschool children (ages 4 to 5 years old) having general…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 19 identified the recall by Philips Respironics of certain masks for BiPAP and CPAP machines as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because magnetic headgear clips that hold the masks in place can cause injury or death…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, finds that between December 2019 and December 2021, nearly one-third of large, tax exempt hospitals improved their charity care policies. Across the 2-year period, 127 of 151 (84.15) hospitals updated their policies, and 77 (51.0%)…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, finds that overlapping clinical responsibilities of a supervising anesthesiologist are associated with increased surgical patient mortality and morbidity. A total of 578,815 adult surgical patients from 23 US academic and private hospitals were included in the analysis. The patients…

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