Tag: Patient Safety

Preop cancer-related malnutrition depends on cancer type

Editor's Note Common definitions of malnutrition do not apply to all cancers, and the best approach for surgeons to identify malnourished cancer patients preoperatively is specifically related to the type of cancer the patient has, this study finds. Of 205,840 major cancer surgical procedures for six different cancers analyzed: 16%…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
February 27, 2020
Share

FDA: Class I recall of Tytek Medical TM-317 PneumoDart-Pneumothorax Needle

Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on February 25 identified the recall of Tytek Medical’s TM-317 PneumoDart-Pneumothorax Needle as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk of blockage in the needles caused by the presence of adhesive from the assembly process. The company…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
February 27, 2020
Share

Endoscope drying effectiveness, microbial levels in automated drying vs standard storage cabinets

Editor's Note An automated drying and storage cabinet with forced filtered air is advantageous for rapid drying of endoscope internal and external surfaces and reducing the risk of microbial growth after reprocessing, this study finds. Using the automated drying cabinet, internal channels of all bronchoscopes, colonoscopes, and duodenoscopes studied were…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
February 27, 2020
Share

Joint Commission makes minor modifications to on-site survey process

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 26 announced that it had made minor modifications to its on-site survey process that will go into effect March 1, 2020. The modifications were made to better accommodate critical survey activities for all accreditation programs, except for laboratory services accreditation. The modifications also…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
February 27, 2020
Share

Study: Inadequate precleaning can jeopardize sterilization of surgical tools

Editor's Note This study by William A. Rutala, PhD, MPH, and colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which compared three low-temperature sterilization technologies to steam sterilization of simulated inadequately precleaned surgical tools, found steam sterilization to be the most effective and with the largest margin of…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
February 26, 2020
Share

CDC urges communities, hospitals to prepare for spread of coronavirus

Editor's Note In a February 25 telebriefing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will spread in the US, and hospitals and communities should begin ramping up their preparedness efforts, AHA Today reports. The CDC urged communities to implement non-pharmaceutical interventions or community…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
February 26, 2020
Share

Challenges in achieving high-level endoscope disinfection

Editor's Note In this review article, Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, and associates highlight the reasons endoscope reprocessing is often ineffective and microbes frequently remain on endoscopes after high-level disinfection. Among the reasons: non-adherence to guidelines use of damaged endoscopes use of insoluble products during endoscopy insufficient cleaning contaminated rinse water…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
February 25, 2020
Share

FDA: Class I recall of Abbott coronary dilatation catheters

Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on February 19 identified the recall by Abbott Vascular of its NC Trek RX and NC Traveler RX Coronary Dilatation Catheters (diameter 4.0 mm, 4.5 mm, and 5.00 mm) as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of failure of…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
February 25, 2020
Share

Breathing easier in a smoke-free health system

Controlling electrosurgical smoke is a major challenge in many ORs. In 1996, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health published a policy on controlling smoke from lasers and electrosurgical procedures, and over the years, studies have linked adverse health effects with electrosurgical smoke exposure. Yet healthcare providers have differing…

Read More

By: Judith M. Mathias, MA, RN
February 21, 2020
Share

Latest sterilization packaging guideline backed by evidence

In October 2019, AORN released its updated Guideline for Sterilization Packaging, which is based on evidence from peer-reviewed literature. This article includes recommendations from that guideline and addresses common misconceptions about sterilization packaging. Other resources for proper use of sterilization packaging include the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation…

Read More

By: Susan Klacik, BS, CRCST, ACE, CIS, FCS
February 21, 2020
Share

Join our community

Learn More
Video Spotlight
Live chat by BoldChat