Editor's Note In its process for issuing a new recommendation on screening for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in asymptomatic adults or adults with unrecognized symptoms, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) found insufficient evidence on screening for or treatment of OSA. The USPSTF concluded that the current evidence is…

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Editor's Note Three out of four surgery patients may be receiving anticoagulants they don’t need, the January 23 EurekAlert reports.  Researchers reviewed 14,776 records from 13 studies to determine which surgical patients would and would not benefit from anticoagulants. High-risk patients who were given anticoagulants had a significantly decreased risk…

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Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has published new “Practice guidelines for preoperative fasting and the use of pharmacologic agents to reduce the risk of pulmonary aspiration: Application to health patients undergoing elective procedures.” The document updates its guidelines published in 2011. The guidelines are intended for use…

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Editor's Note Despite guidelines from professional societies, significant variation exists in the management of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), especially for AAA size at repair, use of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), and the treatment of elderly patients, this study finds. In countries with a private health care system and fee-for-service reimbursement,…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and Surgical Infection Society (SIS) on December 1 announced their newly released guidelines for the prevention, detection, and management of surgical site infections (SSIs). The guidelines give clinicians step-by-step ways to address SSIs and educate patients on ways to contribute to their…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is accepting comments on the draft update to its recommendations for the use of chlorhexidine (CHG)-impregnated dressings to prevent intravascular catheter-related infections. The draft addresses new and updated strategies and is based on a review of the evidence since 2010…

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Editor's Note The World Health Organization (WHO) on November 3 released the “Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection,” which includes a list of 29 recommendations (13 preoperative and 16 intra- and postoperative). Included in the recommendations are: ensuring patients take a preoperative bath or shower no shaving…

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Editor's Note The AABB has published updated recommendations to assist clinicians in decisions on red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. The original recommendations were released in 2012. The update, titled “Red blood cell transfusion: 2016 clinical practice guideline from the AABB,” includes two main recommendations: Restrictive RBC transfusion thresholds:    …

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Editor's Note The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has updated its “Preventing hospital-associated venous thromboembolism [VTE]: A guide for effective quality improvement.” The guidelines were originally published in 2008. The update includes: new and improved metrics for tracking the adequacy of VTE prophylaxis good and bad aspects of…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 8 published draft guidance on when medical device manufacturers and software developers must obtain FDA clearance before making changes to existing products, the August 8 Modern Healthcare reports. The draft says if the “overall structure” of a device’s software is…

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