Editor's Note According to this report published by The Leapfrog Group this month, hospitals in the US have significantly improved hand hygiene compliance, with 74% meeting the Leapfrog Hand Hygiene Standard in 2023, up from 11% in 2020. Among other factors, the report attributes this improvement to increased use of…

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Editor's Note Often exceeding federal safety limits, OR noise contributes significantly to communication breakdowns, heightened cognitive load, and increased surgical errors, according to a review of literature published September 17 in Cureus. Identified noise sources include surgical instruments, alarms, and staff conversations, which can reach up to 120 decibels (dBA)—a…

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Editor's Note Although data suggest transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) using the MitraClip device may offer similar outcomes to mitral valve surgery in patients with heart failure and functional mitral regurgitation (FMR), experts have criticized the research, TCT MD reported September 1. Presented at the recent European Society of Cardiology (ESC)…

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Editor's Note Confusion about the scope of practice for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) prompted The California Department of Public Health to update guidelines for acute care hospitals, MedPage Today reported September 18. Issued after violations at two Modesto hospitals resulted in hundreds of cancelled surgeries, a letter from the…

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Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated the recall of Smiths Medical’s Bivona Neonatal/Pediatric and Adult Tracheostomy tubes as a Class 1, the most severe category indicating risk of serious injury or death. According to the agency’s September 18 report, the recall is due to a…

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Editor's Note Research shows antibiotic-resistant infections could lead to 8.2 million deaths annually by 2050, representing a 75% increase from current rates, according to a September 17 article in HealthDay. Published in the Lancet, the new study highlights the growing threat of growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), predicting that…

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Editor's Note Nearly 20 years of data on the first 50 face transplants in the world indicate that survival rates exceed those of several solid organ transplants, according to a global study published September 18 in Jama Surgery. Conducted between 2005 and 2021, the study involved 18 transplant centers, assessed…

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Editor's Note An analysis of two phase-III trials showed adjuvant administration of nivolumab (Opdivo) plus chemotherapy reduces the risk of recurrence or death in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by 40% compared to neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy alone, Medpage Today reported September 9. "With the caveat that…

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Editor's Note An American Hospital Association (AHA) analysis of data from Vizient reveals that hospital performance levels in the first quarter of this year was on par with performance prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite patients exhibiting more significant healthcare needs. Released this month, the report analyzes data from 2019…

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Editor's Note B. Braun Medical Inc. has expanded last year’s recall of lnfusomat Space Infusion Pump systems to include more models. Designated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Class 1—the most serious category indicating risk of severe injury or death—the recall was motivated by the risk of…

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