Editor's Note The rate of major complications was significantly higher in Canada than the US after total knees, but there was no significant difference after total hips, this study finds. US patients also had substantially shorter lengths of stay, which perhaps reflects more efficient postoperative care and discharge planning, the…

Read More

Editor's Note Characteristics of total hip replacements (THRs) were found to be related to early prosthetic revision in this French study.  Antibiotic-free cemented and antibiotic-impregnated cemented THRs were compared with uncemented. Ceramic-on-ceramic, ceramic-on-polyethylene, and metal-on-metal THRs were compared with metal-on-polyethylene.  The antibiotic-impregnated cemented THRs had a better prognosis than uncemented,…

Read More

Editor's Note Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, California, alerted health authorities on August 19 to a suspected outbreak of bacterial infections associated with contaminated duodenoscopes, the Los Angeles Times reports. Three patients with Pseudomonas bacterial infections had procedures with Olympus duodenoscopes. The bacteria are similar to the carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae superbug at…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on August 18 posted a warning to alert health care professionals not to administer compounded or repackaged drugs stored in 3 mL and 5 mL syringes manufactured by Becton-Dickinson unless there is no suitable alternative.  Preliminary information indicates that drugs stored in these…

Read More

Editor's Note Consolidation of hospitals into massive chains threatens healthy competition, reduces patient choice, and could drive up costs, Martin A. Makary, MD, and other Johns Hopkins researchers say. In this commentary, they caution the Federal Trade Commission to be more vigilant when hospital systems seek approval to consolidate and…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent warning letters August 12 to three manufacturers of duodenoscopes involved in transmitting deadly bacteria earlier this year, the Boston Globe reports. The FDA says the companies (Olympus, Pentax, and Fujifilm) failed to: report problems with the scopes as required by law…

Read More

The French proverb, “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” is one way to view the readmission penalties imposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). About a year ago, a Kaiser Health News report said more than 2,600 hospitals in fiscal year 2015 were…

Read More

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has published its first standard on flexible endoscope reprocessing. ANSI/AAMI ST91: 2015 Flexible and Semi-rigid Endoscope Processing in Health Care Facilities was developed from research and input from manufacturers of flexible endoscopes, users, consultants, and regulatory bodies. The new standard, which…

Read More

Editor's Note Patients who listened to music before, during, or after surgical procedures had less postoperative pain and anxiety and higher patient satisfaction, in this study. Choice of music and timing of delivery made little difference. Music was effective even when patients were under general anesthesia.   

Read More

Editor's Note Many high risk therapeutic devices receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) premarket approval with few studies to back their safety and efficacy, Yale researchers find. Studies of how the devices perform once on the market also are few. Of 28 high risk devices that received premarket approval between…

Read More