Patient satisfaction scores are more important than ever in light of value-based care and their influence on Medicare reimbursement. Employing top-notch surgeons, improving teamwork and communication, and minimizing case delays are some ways to help boost HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey scores. But healthcare providers…

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In the United States and globally, the use of reprocessed medical devices labeled and marketed by their original equipment manufacturers as “for single use only” has become commonplace. Large health systems have saved many millions of dollars annually and diverted many hundreds of tons of medical waste by using reprocessed…

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Editor's Note The AABB has published updated recommendations to assist clinicians in decisions on red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. The original recommendations were released in 2012. The update, titled “Red blood cell transfusion: 2016 clinical practice guideline from the AABB,” includes two main recommendations: Restrictive RBC transfusion thresholds:    …

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Editor's Note At 10 years, prostate cancer mortality was low irrespective of the treatment and with no significant difference among treatments, this study finds. Treatments included active monitoring (1.5 deaths/1,000 person years), radical prostatectomy (0.9 deaths/1,000 person years), and external-beam radiotherapy (0.7 deaths/1,000 person years). Surgery and radiotherapy were associated…

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Editor's Note In older adults with unstable ankle fractures, close contact casting compared with surgery resulted in similar functional outcomes at 6 months, this study finds. The study, which included 620 patients (309 surgery, 311 casting) from 24 hospitals, found that postfracture symptoms, quality of life, pain, ankle motion, and…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on October 11 issued a Safety Alert for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds) by St Jude Medical (Little Canada, Minnesota). In some cases, full battery drainage can occur in a day to a few weeks after the patient…

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Editor's Note Identifying frailty in older patients could increase their chances of surviving surgery and improve their overall outcomes, this study finds. Researchers conducted frailty screening using five characteristics: weight loss, weakness (grip strength), exhaustion, low activity level, and slow gait. Of 125 patients screened in a thoracic surgery clinic,…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 5 announced the recall by Nurse Assist of its IV Flush Syringes because of a potential link to Burkholderia cepacia bloodstream infections. The syringes are being recalled until a thorough investigation can be completed by the FDA, Centers for Disease…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on October 5 announced the recall by Vascular Solutions, Inc, (Minneapolis, Minnesota) of its Twin-Pass Dual Access Catheters used in catheterization procedures. The catheters have been recalled because of the potential for excess manufacturing material to remain at the tip of the catheter…

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Editor's Note Variation in hospital readmissions is highest on the first day and declines rapidly in the first 7 days after discharge, which suggests that most readmissions after 7 days may be due to community and household factors beyond the hospital’s control, this study finds. The analysis included hospital readmissions…

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