Editor’s Note "The pandemic is to healthcare what 9/11 was to the transportation industry. Just like you will never fly the same way, you will never get your hip replacement the same way," Andrew Martin, MSN, RN, CPHRM, Patient Safety Analyst / Consultant, ECRI Institute, told the audience in the…

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Editor’s Note Michelle Larson, DNP, RN, NE-BC, Nurse Administrator at Mayo Clinic, posed this quote from Dr Charles Mayo, founder of the Mayo Clinic, when opening the session, “Designing a Sustainable Model for your Future OR Today”: “If we excel in anything, it is in our capacity for translating idealism…

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Editor’s Note Three panelists weighed in on which trends are impacting profitability in an OR Business Management Conference session titled, "Trends in the OR—What's Driving Profitability?" What is the area most affected by last year’s high inflation and supply shortages? Staffing expenses and shortages are continuing to "put pressure on…

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Editor's note Researchers at Australia-based RMIT University have developed a new antimicrobial suture material that can reduce infections and simplify postoperative monitoring. Laboratory testing on the surgical suture finds it is easily visible in CT scans and that it has strong antimicrobial properties, killing 99% of highly drug-resistant bacteria after…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 27 posted an addition to the Class I recall by LivaNova (TandemLife) of its LifeSPARC System Controller. The addition to the recall provides information about a software update now available to address the previous software malfunction and recall. The System…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, finds a large degree of variation in fit testing results for N95 masks in healthcare workers (HCWs). The researchers retrospectively analyzed 12,582 qualitative fit testing results for several models of N95 masks in 8,809 HCWs. Among the…

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Editor's Note ECRI on January18 published its Top 10 Health Technology Hazards report for 2023, which includes: Gaps in recalls for at-home medical devices Defective single-use medical devices Automated dispensing cabinet overrides Undetected venous needle dislodgement Cybersecurity risks associated with cloud-based clinical systems Inflatable pressure infusers Confusion about ventilator cleaning…

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Editor's Note The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) on January 18 released a revised American National Standard that includes new information for manufacturers and users of personal protective equipment (PPE). The new edition of “ANSI/AAMI PB70:2022, Liquid barrier performance and classification of protective apparel and drapes intended…

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When making decisions about technology and equipment, there is a tendency to focus on immediate productivity increases—or perhaps, practical aspects such as carrying out an implementation or training staff. But here is another major issue: how to maintain OR equipment once the warranty runs out. This is more complex than…

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Over my 40-year career—after starting at the bedside in surgical intensive care, moving to emergency medicine, and then to perioperative services—I have been fortunate to progress into executive leadership positions in academic medical center health systems and community hospitals, consult with a top global advisory firm, and now work in…

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