Safety/Quality
Fresno, California hospitals struggle to meet demand
Editor's Note Hospitals in Fresno County, California are operating over capacity by 20% to 40% due to a sharp rise in respiratory diseases such as flu, COVID-19 and RSV, according to a December 18 press release from the Fresno County Department of Public Health. In addition to straining resources, the…
CDC issues advisory on low COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccination rates
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sounding the alarm regarding low vaccination rates for COVID-19 and flu for all adults, as well as low RSV vaccination rates for adults 60 and older. According to the December 14 announcement, study data show anti-virals are also being…
Study on cholecystectomy robotic surgery raises safety concerns
Editor's Note Despite the increasing prevalence of robotic-assisted surgery, recent data on cholecystectomy results indicates minimally invasive laparoscopic methods could be a safer option. Published in JAMA Surgery on September 20, the nationally representative study of Medicare beneficiary cholecystectomy patients showed a higher rate of bile duct injury (0.7%) for…
CDC, California OSHA at odds over N95 rules
Editor's Note Guidelines for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about when healthcare workers should wear N95 masks are less stringent than those from California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA), Medical Xpress reported on December 21. Specifically, the CDC’s advisory committee has suggested that health workers wear surgical…
Burns prompt recalls of airway scopes, electrosurgical pads
Editor's Note Reports of burn injuries have prompted two medical device recalls: one for Megadyne patient return electrodes and one for Olympus bronchofiberscopes and bronchovideoscopes. According to a December 21 notice from AORN, the former recall is a voluntary correction on the part of Megadyne Medical Products, Inc. Following reports…
FBI disrupts major ransomware group, Blackcat
Editor's Note The FBI has infiltrated the ransomware group BlackCat—the group responsible for a February cyberattack on the Lehigh Valley Health Network—and issued a decryption tool enabling victims around the world to restore their systems, according to a December 19 Justice Department press release. Emerging during the past 18…
Stem cell subset shows promise for preventing amputation
Editor's Note Researchers have discovered a new way to prompt blood vessel growth and prevent amputations in diseases such as diabetes and peripheral arterial disease. Findings were published December 19 in Cell Reports Medicine. The study consisted of an in-depth examination of two patients involved in a clinical trial who…
Meeting the SPD staffing challenge
Takeaways • Failure to understand the complexity of the work performed in the sterile processing department (SPD) can lead to staff shortages, errors, and significant financial loss. • Strategies for addressing SPD staffing include effective orientation, certification, competency assessment, analyzing staffing needs, and leader visibility. • SPD schedules should reflect…
Hybrid OR: Continued advancement in diagnostic, surgical care
The concept of the hybrid OR was born in the 1990s, but healthcare institutions were originally slow to adopt the model due, in part, to the initial sizable investment required. While there was a steady uptick in adoption around 2008, today there are still only some 100 hybrid ORs in…
Role of data in surgical, patient preparedness for MSK cases
An estimated 126.6 million Americans are dealing with the impact of a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition, according to a US Bone and Joint Initiative report. That means, one in two adults in the US have gone or will be going through a wide range of hip, knee, shoulder, and/or spine procedures.…
Free Daily News
- Study: Predictive model improves nosocomial infection risk assessment after colon cancer surgery
- New colonoscopy guidelines increase bowel prep quality expectations
- Healthcare employment up in February
- New legal standard redefines medical negligence
- Study: Machine learning improves OR efficiency, but challenges remain
- Study: Weekend effect raises risk of surgical patient mortality, complications
- 4-day workweek boosts job satisfaction, work-life balance for nurse leaders
- Open-heart surgery performed on infant mid-delivery
- Infusion pumps deemed high-risk in FDA early alert
- Stem cell researchers tout potential for sickle cell disease cure