Effectiveness of reprocessing reusable flexible bronchoscopes
Editor's Note In a study on the effectiveness of reprocessing flexible bronchoscopes presented June 14 by Ofstead and Associates at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control’s annual conference in Minneapolis, the majority of bronchoscopes were found to be contaminated and damaged even when cleaned and high-level disinfected according to…
FDA letter updates risks of Type III endoleaks with aortic endovascular graft systems
Editor's Note In a June 19 letter to healthcare providers, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) says it continues to evaluate information from several sources, including manufacturers, on the risks associated with Type III endoleaks with various endovascular graft systems used for treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and aorto-iliac…
Endoscope fluid, contaminants linger after faulty drying
What does it take to get endoscopes dry? That is the question that prompted a new study on endoscope drying effectiveness by Ofstead & Associates (St Paul, Minnesota). “We asked that question after a study we did 2 years ago found that increasing the automated endoscope reprocessor [AER] drying cycle…
Managing patient and family disruption in the perioperative setting--Part 2
Disruption in the healthcare setting occurs all too often and can be dangerous for patients and staff like. Part 1 of this series discussed some of the reasons behind the volatile behavior of patients or their families and provided a list of organizations with resources for managing the problem (OR…
Cybersecurity should be high on healthcare priority lists
No homeowners willingly allow a burglar to enter their home and steal their most valuable possessions. Instead, people put locks on doors, install alarm systems, build fences, or keep big dogs. The thieves may still get in, but deterrents like these will reduce the risk of a successful burglary. Ambulatory…
Perioperative RBC transfusions linked to postop VTE
Editor's Note In this study, perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusions were significantly associated with development of new or progressive postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) within 30 days of a surgical procedure. Of 750,937 patients included in the analysis, 47,410 (6.3%) received at lest one perioperative RBC transfusion. Of these, 6,309…
FDA issues Safety Alert for compounded drugs containing triamcinolone, moxifloxacin
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on June 14 issued a Safety Alert for compounded drugs containing triamcinolone and moxifloxacin by Guardian Pharmacy Services (Dallas, Texas). At least 43 patients have reported adverse events after receiving eye injections of the compounded triamcinolone and moxifloxacin drug during cataract surgery.…
CMS delays release of Hospital Quality Star Ratings
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on June 12 that it would postpone the planned July update to its overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings. CMS says the delay will allow time for more analysis of the effects of changes made to some of the measures…
American Heart Association, Joint Commission collaborating on cardiovascular certification programs
Editor's Note The American Heart Association (AHA) and Joint Commission are partnering to enhance cardiovascular patient care through a range of disease-specific hospital certification programs, the AHA announced on June 11. Both organizations are expanding their 15-year relationship in stroke certification to in-hospital cardiovascular patient care. The expansion will consolidate…
Study identifies gaps in infection prevention practices at critical access hospitals
Editor's Note Small, rural critical access hospitals have significant gaps in their infection prevention practices, finds this new study presented June 13 at the Annual Conference of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology in Minneapolis. In 36 Nebraska hospitals analyzed, researchers found important gaps in all domains,…
Free Daily News
- Study: COVID-19's impact on oncological surgery offers lessons for future crises
- Study links pandemic stress to persistent increases in nursing-sensitive quality indicators
- Save the date for the 2025 OR Business Management Conference
- Study: Education, exercise improve knee OA with or without prior surgery
- Study: Early surgery outperforms endoscopy for long-term pancreatitis
- Study: Blood thinner, NSAID combination raises bleeding risk
- Hospital financial report predicts stability, high cybersecurity costs for 2025
- IV fluid shortage drives innovation in hospital hydration practices
- FDA Class 1 recalls target anesthesia workstations, ambulatory infusion pumps, ventilators
- Five leadership lessons from an ASC CEO