Editor's Note This study, led by researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, finds that despite the challenges associated with COVID-19, many US hospital systems were able to implement strategies in keeping with time-to-surgery standards for orthopedic trauma patients. Of 3,589 patients from 20 sites in the US and…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on October 29, identified the recall by Datascope/Getinge/Maquet of its Cardiosave Hybrid/Rescue Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump battery packs as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk of the battery failing and having a shortened run time, which…

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Editor's Note This study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, finds that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can infect cells of the inner ear, including hair cells, which are critical for hearing and balance. A series of 10 COVID-19 patients with audiovestibular symptoms, such as…

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Editor's Note In FY 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will penalize 2,499 (47%) hospitals for excessive patient readmissions, the October 28 Kaiser Health News reports. In its 10th year of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, CMS will cut payments to the penalized hospitals by as much…

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Editor's Note About half of patients with appendicitis do not need an appendectomy for up to 4 years after receiving antibiotics, finds this study presented October 25 at the American College of Surgeons virtual Clinical Congress 2021. The study was conducted at 25 US medical centers in 1,552 adults with…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on October 6, identified the recall by Deroyal Industries of its procedure packs containing Smiths Medical Normoflo irrigation warming sets as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the possibility of harmful levels of aluminum leaching into the…

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Editor's Note This study from the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that the transition to incorporate virtual care into ambulatory healthcare during COVID-19 was not associated with an increased overall number of visits. The researchers identified 10,559,857 ambulatory visits by 1,530,772 patients at their large New…

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Editor's Note In an October 26 news release, ECRI announced the publication of a Position Statement on “COVID-19 Vaccines: Mitigating Disease and Promoting Global Health Equity.” Speaking in support of the Statement, Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and chief executive officer, ECRI, says: “Despite the FDA and CDC’s advancement of…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, finds that a high-risk allergy history was associated with a 2.5-fold higher risk of allergic reactions after mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations. However, most of the allergy symptoms did not hold up completion…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, on October 21, endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation for a booster of COVID-19 vaccines in certain populations. For individuals who received Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, the following are eligible…

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