Editor's Note The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced October 23 that free informational webinars will start October 29 for hospitals interested in implementing the AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery for gynecology, colorectal, hip fracture, or joint replacement procedures. The Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on October 22 announced the recall by Promise Pharmacy (Palm Harbor, Florida) of one lot of Prednisolone and Gatifloxacin Ophthalmic Solution 1%/0.5% sterile, 3 mL vials (Lot Number 09042018@2, Exp 12/03/2018). The recall was issued because the product was found to have…

Read More

Editor's Note A treatment protocol that sends patients home after colorectal surgery without any opioids, resulted in shorter hospital length of stay (LOS) in this study presented October 22 at the American College of Surgeons 2018 Clinical Congress in Boston. The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol included: patient education about…

Read More

Editor's Note The Leapfrog Group announced October 16 that it would expand its public reporting to outpatient settings. For the first time, Leapfrog will collect quality and safety data on ambulatory surgery centers through a new voluntary survey, and hospital outpatient surgery departments will report data through a new section…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on October 15 classified the recall by Endologix, Inc, of its AFX Endovascular AAA System as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk of Type III endoleaks. When a Type III endoleak occurs, blood continues to flow…

Read More

Editor's Note States with poor access to trauma centers have more deaths before injured patients arrive at the hospital than states with better access, finds this study presented October 22 at the American College of Surgeons 2018 Clinical Congress in Boston. Overall, the largest percentage of trauma deaths occurred before…

Read More

Editor's Note Physical activity may attenuate the risk of mortality associated with frailty in old age, this study finds. In this analysis of data on 3,896 adults aged 60 and older during a median of 14 years of follow-up, physical activity was associated with lower mortality in prefrail and frail…

Read More

Editor's Note The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on October 18 announced the availability of free, downloadable Quick Observation Tools to help facilities prevent healthcare associated infections (HAIs). The Tools include 20 sets of quick assessment forms that…

Read More

Editor's Note A multidisciplinary panel of experts recommended changing the way clinicians and patients describe cognitive changes experienced after anesthesia and surgery, in this session presented October 16 at the Anesthesiology 2018 annual meeting in San Francisco. The experts recommended that a new umbrella term, “Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorder (PND),” be…

Read More

Editor's Note Zimmer Biomet and Apple Inc have begun a multiyear study that will allow surgeons to use Apple Watches to monitor activities, including heart rate, steps taken, and standing hours of up to 100,000 patients before and after hip and knee replacement surgery, the October 15 Reuters reports. Providers…

Read More