Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced February 22 that it had updated its sentinel event statistics through the end of 2016. Of 824 events reviewed, unintended retention of a foreign object topped the list at 120. Wrong-patient, wrong-site, or wrong-procedure was second at 104 events, and operative/postoperative complication was seventh…

Read More

Editor's Note Implementation of a novel program by researchers from Emory University, Atlanta, for patients with newly created ileostomies reduced 30-day readmissions by 58% and cost of readmissions per patient by more than 80%. Typically, nearly 30% of patients with newly-formed ileostomies require readmission from severe dehydration or associated complications.…

Read More

Editor's Note The Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety, a multi-stakeholder collaborative convened and operated by ECRI Institute, has issued new safe practice recommendations for the use of health IT in improving the accuracy of patient identification. Mistaken identifications can lead to wrong patient care, improper care, or no care…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has categorized the recall by Zimmer Biomet (Warsaw, Indiana) of its Comprehensive Reverse Shoulder as Class I, the most serious. The recall was issued because the devices are fracturing at a higher rate than is stated in the labeling. Fractures may result…

Read More

What makes an OR subject to an immediate jeopardy finding from a Medicare inspection? Immediate jeopardy is cited when a provider’s noncompliance with one or more of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid’s (CMS) Conditions of Participation causes or is likely to cause serious injury, harm, impairment, or death.  …

Read More

Each year, more than 700,000 patients in acute care hospitals fall prey to healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), and approximately 75,000 hospitalized patients die from them. Such statistics have gotten the attention of regulatory agencies that are determined to reduce these numbers. The Healthcare-Acquired Infections and Medical Technology Stakeholder Event held in…

Read More

Cancellation of surgical cases, especially prescheduled elective surgeries, is a pervasive problem that reduces OR utilization and hospital revenue. The estimated direct and indirect annual cost of such cancellations across the US is approximately $39 billion per year, with an average OR cost between $20 and $65 per minute. Facilities…

Read More

Editor's Note Even mild postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are associated with increased early postoperative mortality, ICU admission, and length of stay, finds this study. Of 1,202 ASA physical status 3 patients from seven academic medical centers included in the analysis, at least one PPC occurred in 401 patients. All patients…

Read More

Editor's Note In this study of patients undergoing total hip or knee replacement, smoking was associated with an increased risk of infectious complications that required further surgery. In addition, the amount that a patient had smoked, regardless of current smoking status, significantly contributed to increased risk of readmission. A total…

Read More

Editor's Note Anastomotic leaks and postoperative ileus had significantly higher associations with 30-day patient outcomes after colon resection than surgical site infections (SSIs), urinary tract infections, and venous thromboembolism, this study finds. In 26,682 patients undergoing colon resection, the most common postoperative complications were ileus (11.8%), bleeding (7.6%), and incisional…

Read More