Editor's Note Infection control practices that focus on perioperative patient skin and wound hygiene and transparent display of surgical site infection (SSI) data, not OR attire policies, were associated with lower SSI rates in this multi-center study. A total of 20 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 1 issued a Safety Alert notifying healthcare professionals and patients not to use alcohol pads or benzalkonium chloride antiseptic towelettes made by Foshan Flying Medical Products Co Ltd (China) because of lack of sterility and other quality issues. Use of…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 30 issued a Safety Alert reminding healthcare providers that using thermal regulating systems, including forced air systems, during surgical procedures has been shown to result in less bleeding, faster recovery times, and decreased risk of infections for patients. The FDA…

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Editor's Note The Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in Buffalo, New York, is notifying 526 patients that they may be at risk of infection from improperly cleaned endoscopes, the August 16 Buffalo News reports. A recent hospital review of endoscope disinfection processes found that steps in the manufacturer’s instructions may not…

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Editor's Note When colorectal surgical patients, who were given a single dose of antibiotic before surgery and re-dosing if the procedure lasted longer, were compared to patients given additional antibiotics for 24 hours postoperatively, infection rates were identical, this study finds. A total of 965 patients were included in this…

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Editor's Note The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care on July 25 released a new toolkit that focuses on flexible endoscope reprocessing failures. The toolkit is designed to help eliminate failures or lapses in reprocessing through detailed guidelines and checklists in order to mitigate the risk of patient infections. The…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 21 announced the recall by Fujifilm of its ED-530XT duodenoscopes. The recall includes replacement of the ED-530XT forceps elevator mechanism including the o-ring seal, replacement of the distal end cap, and a new operations manual. The FDA cleared the updated…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on July 26 issued a new report titled “Antibiotic Use in the United States, 2017: Progress and Opportunities.” The report includes information on the current status of antibiotic use in healthcare settings, highlighting programs and resources to support antibiotic stewardship (ie,…

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Editor's Note The LivaNova factory in Munich, Germany, a manufacturer of heater-cooler units used in cardiothoracic surgery, appears to be the source of a global outbreak of Mycobacterium chimaera, this study finds. Researchers matched the DNA of samples taken from 21 infected cardiothoracic surgical patients to samples from heater-cooler units…

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Editor's Note Reporting of surgical site infections (SSIs) after pancreatic surgery should distinguish between superficial and organ-space infections, which will require different preventative strategies, this study finds. Results showed that risk factors for superficial and organ-space SSIs after pancreatic surgery differed. Preoperative biliary stenting was an independent risk factor for superficial…

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