Editor's Note Infection control practices that focus on perioperative patient skin and wound hygiene and transparent display of surgical site infection (SSI) data, not OR attire policies, were associated with lower SSI rates in this multi-center study. A total of 20 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 13 announced a new Sentinel Event Alert that focuses on inadequate hand-offs and tips to improve them. A common problem with hand-offs is communication, which is the focus of “Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 58: Inadequate hand-off communication.” The alert includes an infographic of…

Read More

Editor's Note The transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach can be safe for select patients, with outcomes similar to those of the open approach, this study finds. Of 425 patients analyzed, the operative time for the transoral approach was longer than the open approach (100.8 vs 79.4 minutes) but transoral patients…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 6 categorized the recall by Datascope/MAQUET of its CS100i, CS100, and CS300 intra-aortic balloon pumps as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of a false blood detection alarm and ingress of fluid into the balloon pump.…

Read More

Editor's Note In this study, preadmission clinical frailty independently predicted adverse discharge destination (ie, death or discharge to a long-term, chronic or acute care facility) in geriatric trauma patients. The analysis of 266 trauma patients 65 years and older using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and the laboratory Frailty Index…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 7 announced the recall by Genetech (South San Francisco, California) of three lots of Activase (alteplase) 100 mg vials that were co-packaged with sterile water for injection. The vials of water, manufactured by Hospira Inc (Lake Forest, Illinois), may be…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 5 announced the recall by Hospira Inc (Lake Forest, Illinois) of one lot of Hydromorphone HCL injection, USP, CII 2 mg/mL and four lots of Levophed (norepinephrine bitartrate) injection because of a lack of sterility assurance resulting from a damaged…

Read More

Editor's Note This database review of malpractice lawsuits against surgical residents highlights the importance of perioperative management, particularly among junior residents, and the importance of appropriate supervision by attending physicians as targets for education on litigation prevention. During a 10-year period, 87 malpractice cases involving surgical residents were identified. Results…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 1 issued a Safety Alert notifying healthcare professionals and patients not to use alcohol pads or benzalkonium chloride antiseptic towelettes made by Foshan Flying Medical Products Co Ltd (China) because of lack of sterility and other quality issues. Use of…

Read More

Editor's Note California's Santa Barbara County and other government employers are joining private employers in shopping for lower-cost bundled surgical care, even if it means going out of town, the September 1 Kaiser Health News reports. The voluntary program that includes incentives such as waived copays and deductibles as well…

Read More