Orlando surgeons, OR staff saved dozens of lives
Editor's Note Orlando Regional Medical Center treated 44 of the Pulse nightclub shooting victims; nine died, the June 14 Modern Healthcare reports. A total of 26 surgical procedures were performed early Sunday morning, June 12, six more were performed on Monday, and eight were performed on Tuesday, June 14, with…
Simulation lab a safe way to practice crisis management
Emergencies such as the one described above don’t happen frequently in the OR, but it is important to prepare for them, and simulation has emerged as an ideal educational tool. This scenario took place in a simulation lab, not a real OR, so the danger to the “patient” (manikin) consisted…
ASA releases new checklist for mass casualty situations
Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists on December 7 released a new resource for hospitals, physicians, and OR personnel—the Operating Room Mass Casualty Management checklist. The tool helps anesthesiologists and OR personnel optimize their response and better manage the flow of patient care during mass casualty events. The checklist…
Disaster planning exercises prepare ASCs to care for patients and assist communities
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are taking a new look at the question of disaster response. Staff are not always informed about what emergencies might occur, or what they should do in response to the most likely scenarios. Likewise, many local emergency management agencies are not even aware of the ASCs…
Ebola surgical protocols enhance safety of patients and personnel
In the months since Ebola patients were first treated in US hospitals, much progress has been made in establishing protocols to protect patients and healthcare workers from harm. Though the number of Ebola patients in the US remains small compared with the thousands in African countries, the disease continues to…
Former OR Manager of the Year directs team at Nebraska biocontainment unit
Two OR nurses are part of a diverse team that cares for Ebola patients at the Nebraska Biocontainment Patient Care Unit in Omaha, and the team’s nursing director is Shelly Schwedhelm, MSN, RN, a former OR Manager of the Year. “I chose OR nurses to be on the team because…
Preparing for disaster: Boston hospitals know the drill but keep practicing
In the days after the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013, many praised the way the city’s hospitals responded to the attack. But clinicians in those hospitals aren’t resting on their laurels. They have examined what worked well (and not so well) after the event and continue to plan…
Surgeons call for community response to mass casualty incidents
Shooting incidents are occurring throughout the US with increasing and alarming frequency. Among those in late 2013: the Washington, DC, Navy Yard on September 16—12 dead, 3 injured before the gunman took his own life; the Sparks, Nevada middle school on October 21—1 dead, 2 wounded before the student wielding…
APIC guide highlights role of ambulatory care in disaster response
A new publication by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) zeros in on the role of outpatient care facilities in responding to disasters—specifically, how they can prevent infection in their patients, staff, and the community at large. The guide, “Infection Prevention for Ambulatory Care Centers During…
Surviving a disaster: Nurses recall Moore's fierce tornado
It had been a busy morning in the OR at Moore Medical Center in Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20. By 3 pm, the surgery patients had left the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) and gone home. PACU nurses Debra Breshears, RN, and Barbra Barrow, RN, were getting ready to leave when…
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- Legislation proposes to halt Medicare physician payment cuts
- Cigna ties executive pay to patient experience
- Proposed tax credit aims to bolster nurse preceptor ranks
- Study links financial conflicts of interest to favorable robotic bariatric surgery research
- Hospitals double down on ambulatory care expansion with major investments
- Study: Post-laparotomy incisional negative pressure wound therapy fails to reduce infection risk
- FDA announces multiple Class 1 recalls
- Study: ERAS protocol reduces opioid use after cardiac surgery
- Study: Prehabilitation reduces surgical complications, speeds recovery
- Commentary: Studies show how surgeon decisions follow the money