Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 3 announced that it is extending the reduced volume eligibility requirements for its advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) and Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) certification programs through May 31 because the number of patients seeking care for strokes continues to vary because of COVID-19.…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced March 3 that it has asked 25 firms to stop producing and issuing misleading “FDA registration certificates” and FDA logos that create the impression the FDA has approved or authorized their products. The firms include mask, respirator, face shield, and other…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 1 identified the recall by Medtronic of its HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) Pump Implant Kits as Class I, the most serious. The kit is part of the HeartWare HVAD System, which is used to help the heart pump blood…

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Editor's Note Nurse staffing expert Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, testified at the New York State (NYS) Health Committee budget hearing on February 25 about her research on staffing levels in New York State. Among her research findings: Each patient reduction in nurses’ workloads was associated with a 13% decrease…

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Editor's Note Up to 4 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) single-dose COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to states, community health centers, and pharmacies next week, if the vaccine receives Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the February 24 The Hill reports. An…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, shows that the proportion of asymptomatic patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 is significant, and why universal testing is important to prevent hospital-acquired infection. Of 2,882 patients admitted to the hospital, 103 were COVID-19 positive.…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 24 announced that it will be offering an Advanced Certification for Spine Surgery (ACSS) in collaboration with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). The new program will be available in July to hospitals, critical access hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers that perform…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on February 18, issued a statement saying there is no epidemiological evidence out of more than 100 million cases globally that COVID-19 can be transmitted through food or food…

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Editor's Note This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study finds a huge drop in routine vaccinations in Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Comparing data from January to July 2019 and January to July 2020, declines of 70% to 89% in routine vaccinations were seen in mid-April 2020.…

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Editor's Note This follow-up survey of 5,285 US adults, which was completed in September 2020, finds that overall: 1,710 (33.0%) reported anxiety or depression symptoms 1,536 (29.6%) reported COVID-19 related trauma- and stressor-related disorder symptoms 781 (15.1%) reported increased substance use 618 (11.9%) reported having seriously considered trying to kill…

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