Editor's Note The US News & World Report on August 14 released its 2018-2019 Best Hospitals rankings, which compared more than 4,500 hospitals and medical centers across 25 specialties. For the third consecutive year, the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota campus) topped the Best Hospitals Honor Roll, followed by the Cleveland…

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Editor's Note Naloxone administration by emergency medical services increased 75.1% between 2012 and 2016, mirroring a 79.7% increase in fatal opioid overdoes during the same time period, according to the August 10 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Young adults made…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on August 10 identified the recall of Spacelabs Healthcare’s (Snoqualmie, Washington) Arkon Anesthesia Delivery System as Class I, the most serious. The recall was issued because of the system going into a “failed state,” during which the mechanical ventilation function stops working. This…

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Editor's Note Limiting the level of sedation in elderly hip fracture patients with low comorbid states (Charlson comorbidity index [CCI] of 0) reduced postoperative delirium in this study. Of 200 elderly patients analyzed (100 in lighter sedation and 100 in heavier sedation levels), there was no statistically significant difference in…

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Editor's Note A new enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway has been developed and implemented at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to enhance recovery after cesarean delivery. Updated guidelines for the ERAS pathway include: Intake of water and clear sports drinks before surgery to keep mother hydrated. Walking after…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 3 issued a warning for azithromycin, saying the antibiotic should not be given long-term to prevent an inflammatory lung condition in patients with cancers of the blood or lymph nodes who undergo a donor stem cell transplant. A clinical trial…

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Editor's Note This study finds that irregularly shaped OR surfaces may require enhanced covering, cleaning, and monitoring protocols, compared to more regularly shaped surfaces. Researchers coupled ATP assays with traditional RODAC plate sampling and mass spectrometry to evaluate cleaning of five types of high-touch surfaces in the OR.  Whether surfaces…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced August 1 that beginning September 1, callers to its patient safety event phone line (1-800-994-6610) will receive automated instructions on how to file a report or concern. The line will no longer be answered by a staff member. The Joint Commission says the phone…

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Editor's Note The number of door openings in the OR and duration of procedure were significantly associated with increased colony-forming units (CFUs) in the OR overall and outside of laminar airflow (LAF), this study finds. In LAF conditions, however, only the number of OR personnel was significantly associated with increased…

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Editor's Note In a survey of more than 2,000 US adults, The Harris Poll on behalf of healthcare marketing firm Scout found that nearly half are extremely or very concerned about the security of their healthcare data, the July 30 Health IT Security reports. The survey also found that 47%…

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