Editor's Note Often exceeding federal safety limits, OR noise contributes significantly to communication breakdowns, heightened cognitive load, and increased surgical errors, according to a review of literature published September 17 in Cureus. Identified noise sources include surgical instruments, alarms, and staff conversations, which can reach up to 120 decibels (dBA)—a…

Read More

Editor's Note In this first-year analysis of a data capture system called the OR Black Box, frequent intraoperative errors, events, variation in surgeons’ technical skills, and a high amount of environmental distractions were identified. In 132 patients having elective laparoscopic general surgery: auditory distractions occurred a median of 138 times…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on August 16 announced a new Quick Safety that focuses on noise and distractions in the OR and how they can make it difficult to hear and discern information or communicate effectively. ORs are prone to high levels of noise, which can be distracting and…

Read More

Editor's Note Researchers in the departments of anesthesia and biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt University have created a device that removes alarm sounds while preserving an ICU patient’s ability to hear human and environmental stimuli, notably speech. The in-ear device, which is worn by the patient, eliminates alarm sounds from the…

Read More

Editor's Note Readmission after emergency general surgery procedures is common and varies widely according to patient factors and diagnosis, this study finds. Of more than 177,000 patients analyzed, nearly 6% were readmitted within 30 days. The most common reasons were surgical site infections (16.9%), gastrointestinal complications (11.3%), and pulmonary complications…

Read More

Noise in the OR, whether it is the sound of loud equipment, talkative team members, or music, is a patient and surgical safety factor that can affect the processing of auditory information by surgeons and other members of the OR team, finds a study. The study is the first to…

Read More

The time-out is called, but conversations are going on, and the staff is still assembling equipment. No one seems to be listening. Then during the case, the anesthesiologist has trouble hearing over the loud music and chatter. The circulating nurse needs confirmation on a specimen but can’t get the surgeon’s…

Read More

"Our society has become a lot louder, and we tolerate a lot more noise," says Verna Gibbs, MD, director of NoThing Left Behind and professor of clinical surgery, University of California, San Francisco. That includes the OR, where phones, overhead pages, alarms, suction, ventilation equipment, medical devices such as drills,…

Read More

Cell phone are everywhere including the OR. "Cell phones, especially smart phones, have become ubiquitous in our institution, including the OR," says Robert Cline, MD, medical director of perioperative services at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City Michigan. Nurses list texting as the number one use for their mobile phones…

Read More

When a chef at a local café decided to donate a kidney to a work colleague on dialysis, staff at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit saw a public education opportunity. The public followed the donor and recipient surgery on Twitter, and local media covered the event. "It was a good…

Read More