Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on May 25, identified the recall by SD BioSensor, Inc, of certain Pilot COVID-19 At-Home Tests as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the liquid solution in the test kit may be contaminated with bacteria such as Enterococcus,…
Editor's Note This study from the University of Florida Health, Gainesville, examines the complications, cost-utility, and value of a dedicated trauma-endovascular hybrid OR. A total of 292 trauma patients, who underwent immediate operative intervention at a Level I trauma center (106 before construction of a hybrid OR and 186 after…
Editor's Note The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) has updated the Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infection in Acute Care Hospitals, which was published in 2014. The update highlights practical recommendations designed to assist acute-care hospitals in implementing and prioritizing their surgical site infection (SSI) prevention efforts. Among…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on May 24, identified the recall by Draeger Medical of the Seattle PAP Plus as well as VentStar and other breathing circuit/anesthesia kits as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated after finding that glued connections may loosen before or…
Editor's Note This multi-center study, which is part of the National Institutes of Health’s Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) initiative and led by the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, was conducted to develop a definition of long COVID using self-reported symptoms of 9,764 participants (8,646 infected; 1,118 uninfected) at 85…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 24, announced that it is seeking comments on new infection control (IC) requirements for hospitals and critical access hospitals on preparedness for high-consequence diseases or special pathogens. These new requirements will replace the current standard IC.01.06.01 on preparing for an influx of potentially…
Editor's Note This Australian study compares the accuracy of monitoring personal protective equipment (PPE) donning and doffing between an artificial intelligent (AI) machine collaborating with a remote buddy support system and an onsite buddy. The researchers conducted a pilot simulation study with 30 procedural scenarios (15 donning and 15 doffing)…
Editor's Note This Israeli study finds that antibody levels were associated with protection against infection with the COVID-19 Omicron variant in vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs). Participants included 2,310 HCWs who had received 3 or 4 doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The odds of infection and substantial symptomatic disease caused…
Editor's Note The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners, on May 20, launched the International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) to prevent and detect infectious disease threats before they become epidemics or pandemics. The network provides a platform for helping countries and regions improve systems for collecting and analyzing samples,…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on May 22, identified the recall by ICU Medical of replacement batteries for its Plum 360, Plum A+, and Plum A+3 infusions systems as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because a manufacturing defect substantially diminished how long the…