Safety/Quality
FDA, CDC lift pause on J&J COVID-19 vaccine
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on April 23, announced that after a thorough safety review, the pause on the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine should be lifted, and use of the vaccine should resume. The pause was…
FDA: Class I recall of Medtronic’s Extracorporeal Blood Pumping Console
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on April 20, identified the recall of Medtronic’s Bio-Console 560 Extracorporeal Blood Pumping Console as Class I, the most serious. The Console is used during heart surgery to pump and return blood to a patient during cardiopulmonary bypass. The recall was initiated…
The Joint Commission: Aisle widths must have at least 36 inches of clearance
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced April 21 that, effectively immediately, Life Safety Code surveyors will cite noncompliance in suites with aisles that have less than 36 inches of clearance from side to side to facilitate egress in hospitals and critical access hospitals. The finding will be scored at Life…
Logistics, clinical outcomes associated with converting ORs into an ICU for COVID-19 patients
Editor's Note This study by researchers from the department of anesthesiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and the department of perioperative services-nursing, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, both in New York City, describes how OR and anesthesia personnel converted 23 ORs into an 82-bed operating room intensive care unit (ORICU), ensured staff…
Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic leading campaign to promote COVID-19 vaccination
Editor's Note Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic are leading a coalition of 60 hospitals and healthcare institutions in a nationwide campaign to encourage adults to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Cleveland Clinic announced in an April 20 news release. The “Get the Vaccine to Save Lives” campaign is designed to reassure…
Effect of indoor air changes on COVID-19 transmission
Editor's Note In this JAMA Insights article, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, conclude that increasing air changes per hour and air filtration are simple concepts that could be used to help reduce within-room, far-field (ie, within-room but beyond 6 feet)…
Effects of wearing cloth face masks during exercise
Editor's Note This study led by the sports therapy and research department at Baylor Scott and White Health, Frisco, Texas, finds that cloth face masks led to a 14% reduction in exercise time and 29% decrease in VO2max. In this randomized controlled trial of 31 healthy adults (14 women, 17…
FDA issues Class I recall of certain Medtronic ICDs, CRT-Ds
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on April 12, identified the recall of Medtronic’s Evera, Viva, Brava, Claria, Amplia, Compia, and Visia implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds) as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of an unexpected and rapid…
The Joint Commission's safety alert supports removal of surgical smoke
Surgical smoke is a complex issue that has not gained a lot of traction over the years. Legislation to mandate smoke evacuation was introduced more than 20 years ago, but the first law wasn’t passed until 2018, and only three US states thus far have enacted legislation. Release of The…
First assistants bring expertise and efficiency to the OR table--Part 1
Non-physician surgical first assistants (FAs) perform a variety of tasks—everything from closing an incision and inserting drains to harvesting veins for bypass procedures and preparing anterior cruciate ligament grafts. A significant benefit of FAs is shorter case times, which may help reduce patient morbidity and mortality and increase case volumes.…
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