Safety/Quality
WHO: Dire need to deal with huge volumes of COVID-19 medical waste
Editor's Note Tons of extra medical waste generated in response to COVID-19 has put tremendous strain on healthcare waste management systems, threatening human and environmental health, according to a February 1 World Health Organization (WHO) report. In this global analysis WHO says: A large share of 87,000 tons of personal…
AHA: Pandemic-allowed waivers that should be extended, formalized
Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) released a new fact sheet describing various waivers issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) during the COVID-19 pandemic that AHA opines should be extended or made permanent, as reported by the January 31 Healthcare Purchasing News. The waivers relate…
Reducing OR time for elective procedures helps address staffing shortages
Editor's Note Reducing OR time availability at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, Pittsburgh, by 15% helped address a 30% staffing shortage caused by COVID-19, according to a study presented January 29 at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ ADVANCE 2022, the Anesthesiology Business Event in Dallas. A five-phase approach was used, which included:…
FDA: Update on Class I recall of certain Philips Respironics ventilators, repair kits
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 26 updated the Class I recall of certain Trilogy Evo ventilators and repair kits for Trilogy Evo muffler assembly, which are manufactured by Philips Respironics. According to the update, the FDA has asked the company to have an independent laboratory…
Johns Hopkins robot performs first laparoscopic intestinal anastomosis without human help
Editor's Note The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), designed by a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University, has performed laparoscopic intestinal anastomoses in four experiments on pig tissue without human help. The robot outperformed surgeons using manual-laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgical techniques in the consistency of suture spacing and bite…
Creating work schedules with AI reduces physician burnout
Editor's Note Artificial intelligence (AI)-based scheduling significantly improved physician engagement and reduced burnout, in this study presented by Ochsner Health researchers, January 28, at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ ADVANCE 2022, the Anesthesiology Business Event, in Dallas. The AI-based scheduling software, which created fair and flexible schedules that supported work-life…
Cardiovascular considerations before elective noncardiac surgery in COVID-19 patients
Editor's Note In this viewpoint, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine, note that it is unclear whether cardiovascular complications associated with COVID-19 persist beyond the acute phase of illness and whether a history of COVID-19 warrants any additional preoperative cardiac assessments before having elective surgery. They review the literature…
Association of COVID-19 with hospital readmissions
Editor's Note This study by researchers from New York University School of Medicine finds several factors associated with increased odds of readmission of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. In this retrospective cohort analysis of 6,191 adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in a New York safety-net hospital system between March 1 and…
Frequency of adverse events in placebo groups of COVID-19 vaccine trials
Editor's Note This meta-analysis, led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that the rate of nocebo responses in placebo groups of COVID-19 vaccine trials was substantial. The researchers analyzed adverse event reports for 45,380 COVID-19 vaccine trial participants (22,578 placebo recipients and…
Incidental COVID-19 hospital cases are hard to track
Editor's Note Incidental COVID-19—when patients are admitted to the hospital for something other than COVID-19 but test positive for the virus during their stay—is a reality for most, if not all, hospitals. However, a Becker’s study finds that the frequency of incidental COVID-19 cases is particularly challenging for hospital staff…
Free Daily News
- Hospital touts benefits of virtual reality training for nurses
- Study: OR noise raises risk of surgical error
- Alternative to mitral valve surgery shows promise, but research criticized
- Study: Therapy dogs reduce healthcare worker burnout
- Localized nurse shortages to persist amid nationwide surplus, analysis predicts
- California updates guidance on CRNA scope of practice
- FDA designates Class 1 recall for tracheostomy tubes
- Study: Preventing antibiotic-resistant infection surge could save millions
- Face transplant survival rates “encouraging,” global study finds
- Vertical integration reshaping US healthcare: Impact on cost, access