Editor's Note Based on this update of a systematic review and meta-analysis of 130 studies, led by researchers from the University of Bern, Switzerland, most COVID-19 infections were not persistently asymptomatic, and asymptomatic infections were less infectious than symptomatic infections. Because of variability among studies, the meta-analysis did not calculate…

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Editor's Note Modeling suggests that COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths will rise through at least mid-June, as the Omicron subvariants BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 spread through the US, the May 31 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Three COVID-19 forecasts to watch, include: Cases. Daily cases are projected to increase more than 84%…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 26 identified the recall of Abbott Medical’s Dragonfly OpStar Imaging Catheter as Class I, the most serious. Abbott is recalling certain lots of the imaging catheter because the marker band farthest from the catheter tip (proximal marker) may become loose…

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Editor's Note Cardiologists at the University of Washington School of Medicine (UW Medicine) in Seattle, Washington, are participating in a national clinical trial to test a device designed to control bleeding if a vessel near the heart is inadvertently perforated during a catheter-based procedure, Healthcare Purchasing News May 26 reported.…

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Editor's Note This South Korean study finds that fully vaccinated individuals have a shorter duration of viable viral shedding and a lower rate of secondary transmission than partially vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals. This study uses 2 cohorts to separately determine the transmissibility of COVID-19 according to vaccination status (ie, fully…

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Editor's Note ECRI on May 25 announced the three winners and three finalists of its 2022 Alerts Impact Award for excellence in recall management. The annual award is given to those who have demonstrated strong success in implementing recall management programs in their healthcare organizations. The winners are: Eskenazi Health,…

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Editor's Note This retrospective cohort study from researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, finds that children having surgical procedures while infected with COVID-19 may be at increased risk for development of pulmonary complications. The analysis included 73 pediatric patients who had surgical procedures within…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 25 announced that refreshed Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports are available for accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals to provide updated performance measurement data on a select subset of quality measures. The Interim ORYX reports contain data through the second quarter of 2021, and…

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Editor's Note On May 9, Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia signed into law SB573, which requires the evacuation of smoke during plume-producing surgical procedures. The law states: “Each hospital and ambulatory surgical center shall adopt policies for the reduction of human exposure to surgical smoke.” Brenda Ulmer, MN, RN, CNOR,…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, finds a low prevalence of COVID-19 in symptom-free healthcare workers (HCWs) working in the Minneapolis-St Paul area. In the 14 days before enrollment in the study, 40% of participants reported a known COVID-19 exposure. PPE use was…

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