Safety/Quality
FDA announces Class 1 recall for ventilator adapter assemblies
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated Baxter’s recall of certain Single Patient Use Circuits and Blue Ventilator Adapter Assemblies as Class 1, the most severe recall category indicating significant risk of injury or death. The Single Patient Use Circuit and Blue Adapter Assembly are patient circuit…
APIC calls for improved medical device reprocessing instructions, guidelines
Editor’s Note The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is advocating for clearer reprocessing instructions for medical devices to improve patient safety and efficiency, Outpatient Surgery Magazine August 19 reports. Many current instructions for use (IFUs) are considered overly complex, outdated, and difficult to interpret, especially for…
Study: New fluorescent light technology detects hidden bacteria in wounds
Editor's Note Research led by the University of Southern California and published in the journal Advances in Wound Care showed new technology using fluorescent light has proven effective in detecting bacteria missed during standard wound cleaning, US News & World Report August 30 reports. In a review of 26 medical studies,…
Perioperative mortality for living kidney donors drops significantly
Editor's Note A recent study analyzing 30 years of national registry data shows a significant decline in perioperative mortality among living kidney donors, MedPage Today August 28 reports. From 2013 to 2022, the mortality rate within 90 days post-donation was 0.9 per 10,000 donations, compared to 2.9 per 10,000 in…
The Joint Commission, NQF open applications for 2024 Eisenberg awards
Editor's Note The Joint Commission and National Quality Forum (NQF) announced on September 3 they are now accepting applications for the 2024 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards. The application window is open until October 29, 2024. The annual awards, which recognize major achievements by individuals and organizations…
AAAHC releases updated medication reconciliation toolkit to reduce errors in ambulatory care
Editor's Note The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) announced on August 21 the release of an updated version of its Medication Reconciliation Toolkit, designed to help ambulatory healthcare professionals minimize medication errors and improve patient outcomes. The toolkit emphasizes the importance of accurately documenting all medications including vitamins,…
Flexibility for clinicians in managing RAS inhibitors in noncardiac surgery
Editor's Note A new study, the Stop-or-Not Trial, has found no significant difference in outcomes for patients undergoing noncardiac surgery who either continued or discontinued their renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitor therapy, MedPage Today August 31 reports. The randomized clinical trial, which included over 2,200 patients, reported the rate of death…
Study: Women face higher mortality risk than men for postop atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery
Editor's Note A recent study from two tertiary care centers highlighted significant sex differences in long-term outcomes after cardiac surgery, especially concerning postoperative atrial fibrillation (postopAF), MedPage August 21 reports. The study, published in JAMA Network, found that while women were less likely than men to develop postopAF following a…
Study: Nearly 10% of patients on prescription opioids develop dependency or disorder
Editor's Note Research reveals nearly 10% of patients treated with prescription opioid painkillers develop opioid dependency or opioid use disorder (OUD), Healio reported on August 13. Additionally, nearly 30% of patients exhibit signs and symptoms indicating potential OUD. Originally published in the journal Addiction, the data are from a systematic…
Origami-inspired brain implants hold promise for Epilepsy surgery
Editor's Note Human trials may begin soon on patients in the UK using tiny, folding brain implants that could improve epilepsy surgery, according to an article published August 12 in The Telegraph. Developed by scientists at Oxford and Cambridge, who published their research in the journal Nature Communications, the implants…
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