Joint Commission revises Safety Goal on HAIs
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 31 announced the revision of requirements for National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) 7: Reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections. The changes are effective January 1, 2018. The requirements include: NPSG.07.03.01−Multidrug-resistant organisms. The changes help address infection prevention strategies to contain outbreaks, which now…
Postop program reduces delirium risk, LOS for elderly
Editor's Note Older patients who had major abdominal surgery and received interventions that included daily orienting communication, oral and nutritional assistance, and early mobilization were less likely to experience delirium and had a shorter hospital length of stay (LOS), this study finds. A total of 377 patients were included in…
Joint Commission posts addendums for radiation risks of diagnostic imaging
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 30 posted addendums to its Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 47: Radiation risks of diagnostic imaging. Risks associated with ionizing radiation in diagnostic imaging included cancer, burns, and other injuries. The addendums update broken links, resources, and references. Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 47: Radiation…
FDA: Class I recall of Zimmer Biomet implantable spinal fusion stimulators
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 30 identified the recall by Zimmer Biomet (Warsaw, Indiana) of its SpF PLUS-Mini and SpF XL IIB implantable spinal fusion stimulators as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of higher than allowed levels of potential harmful…
Improving postop transitional care with phone-based program
Editor's Note A phone-based transitional care program after complex abdominal surgery has high patient engagement and can be implemented using existing hospital infrastructure, this study finds. For the program, nurses met patients before hospital discharge and then contacted them within 24 to 72 hours to review: medication reconciliation any symptoms…
Joint Commission: Safety update on improperly sterilized, HLD equipment
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 24 issued a new Quick Safety update on improperly sterilized or high-level disinfected (HLD) equipment, which continues to be a frequently scored noncompliant standard (IC 02.02.01). The update includes expanded safety actions to help leaders oversee sterilization and HLD processes and ensure that…
Mortality lower at teaching hospitals
Editor's Note In this study, major teaching hospital status was associated with lower mortality rates for common medical and surgical conditions, compared with nonteaching hospitals. The analysis of 21.4 million hospitalizations of Medicare patients at 4,483 hospitals (250 major teaching, 894 minor teaching, and 3,339 nonteaching) found that 30-day mortality…
FDA: Class I recall of HeartMate II LVAS Pocket System Controller
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 23 identified the recall by Abbott-Thoratec (Pleasanton, California) of its HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist (LVAS) Pocket System Controller as Class I, the most serious. Abbott-Thoratec has receives 70 reports of incidents in which the controller malfunctions after an exchange,…
Clotting assay predicts need for massive transfusion in trauma patients
Editor's Note Using a new blood clot strength test based on a modified thrombelastography (TEG) assay with exogenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), researchers at the University of Colorado, Denver, were quickly able to assess the overall ability of blood to clot and identify trauma patients in need of a massive…
FDA: Class I recall of Wingman35 Crossing Catheters
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on May 17 identified the recall by ReFlow Medical (San Clemente, California) of certain lots of its Wingman35 Crossing Catheters as Class I, the most serious. The catheters are being recalled because of tip splitting or separation that has resulted in two adverse…
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