Surgical site infections are multifactorial, and perioperative leaders often struggle with how to reduce or eliminate them. In 2013, after an unexplained increase in surgical site infections (SSIs) among patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty at our facility, we began to investigate the cause. A fairly robust ERAS (enhanced recovery after…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on March 12 announced that a federal judge entered a consent decree against Guardian Pharmacy Services (Dallas, Texas) to stop the company from producing compounded drug products intended to be sterile until the company complies with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C)…

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Editor's Note Provider attire is a potential source of pathogenic bacterial transmission in healthcare settings, this review study finds. A total of 22 articles were included in this analysis, which found that provider attire was commonly colonized by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), with white coats laundered less frequently than scrubs. The…

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Editor's Note Terminal sterilization of duodenoscopes can be achieved with a hydrogen peroxide-ozone sterilizer, this study finds. A sterility assurance level of 10-6 was achieved under laboratory worst-case conditions and under clinical conditions using a hydrogen peroxide-ozone sterilizer with regulatory clearance for terminal sterilization of duodenoscopes (STERIZONE VP4, TSO3 Inc,…

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Editor's Note The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) on February 26 announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Memorandum Summary with updates to Appendix Z of the State Operations Manual, which outlines the Emergency Preparedness requirements for CMS providers and suppliers. The primary change that affects…

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Editor's Note Making a simple change to the electronic system used by physicians to order urine tests can cut by 45% the number of bacterial cultures ordered without compromising the identification of patients who need treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs), this study finds. In this analysis of 18,954 patients…

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Much emphasis has been placed on high-level disinfection over the past several years; however, low- and intermediate-level disinfection are also performed in healthcare facilities and are an important part of an infection prevention program. Noncritical items, defined by the Spaulding Classification as those that may contact intact skin, are cleaned…

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Editor's Note This study found no evidence that value-based incentive programs (VBIPs), which link financial incentives or penalties to hospital performance, had any measurable association with changes in catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine analyzed 592 hospitals across the country, and found that…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 6 announced its new Speak Up campaign that focuses on ways to prevent infection. The Joint Commission offers free educational resources that include: an infographic poster/flyer an animated video a guide with recommendations on how healthcare organizations can use and provide the materials…

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Editor's Note New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that so far, during the 2018-2019 season, between 6 and 7 million people have been sick with the flu. Up to half have sought medical care, and between 69,000 and 84,000 have been hospitalized. These estimates…

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