Action steps for safe use of reprocessed single-use medical devices
In the United States and globally, the use of reprocessed medical devices labeled and marketed by their original equipment manufacturers as “for single use only” has become commonplace. Large health systems have saved many millions of dollars annually and diverted many hundreds of tons of medical waste by using reprocessed…
Joint Commission seeking input on HAI revisions
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced October 12 that it is seeking input on proposed revisions to its National Patient Safety Goals on healthcare associated infections (HAIs) for ambulatory care and office-based surgery and hospitals and critical access hospitals. The proposed revisions address surgical site infections and central line-associated blood…
Zika virus may be transmitted in sweat and tears
Editor's Note Physicians at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, announced on September 28 that the Zika virus may be transmitted in sweat and tears, NBC News reports. The case of a Utah man who infected his 38-year old son before he died in July leaves…
Air Force Academy alerts patients to improperly processed endoscopes
Editor's Note The Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, Colorado) is notifying 267 patients from the school’s medical clinic and the Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Health Care System that they are at risk of infections from improperly processed gastrointestinal endoscopy equipment, according to the September 21 MilitaryTimes. Air Force officials say…
Association between TAVR and endocarditis, mortality
Editor's Note In this study of patients having transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), younger age, male gender, history of diabetes, and moderate to severe residual aortic regurgitation were significantly associated with an increased risk of infective endocarditis. Patients who developed endocarditis had high rates of in-hospital and 2-year mortality. Of…
First clinical trial of HCV-infected kidney transplants
Editor's Note Researchers at Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, are conducting a clinical trial to test the effect of administering antiviral therapy to organ recipients after being transplanted with kidneys infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The first participant received a kidney transplant in July, and after being treated with Zepatier…
Effect of preop patient factors on 30-day readmissions
Editor's Note Postoperative readmissions are difficult to predict when the patient is discharged, and of the information available at that time, preoperative factors are the most important, this study finds. Of nearly 240,000 surgical patients included in the analysis, 43% were orthopedic, 39% were general, and 18% were vascular. The…
Three steps forward: Designing a superior sterile processing system
It is easy to overlook the sizable effort required to ensure that instrumentation and supplies are available to surgeons in the OR when needed, in the right amount, and in the right condition. Though sterile processing may not be the most glamorous element of a hospital or surgery center, it…
Trends in mortality, length of stay, hospital charges associated with HAIs
Editor's Note In this study of patients discharged from two tertiary-quaternary hospitals and one community hospital, researchers found no appreciable or consistent improvement in hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), mortality, or length of stay from 2006 and 2012. During this time, total charges declined by 11% for bloodstream infection and 13% for…
FDA advises testing of all donated blood, blood components for Zika
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 26 recommended testing of all donated blood and blood components for the Zika virus in the US and its territories. Because of much uncertainty about the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission, testing the entire blood supply will help…
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