Cardiovascular considerations before elective noncardiac surgery in COVID-19 patients
Editor's Note In this viewpoint, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine, note that it is unclear whether cardiovascular complications associated with COVID-19 persist beyond the acute phase of illness and whether a history of COVID-19 warrants any additional preoperative cardiac assessments before having elective surgery. They review the literature…
The Joint Commission revises Environment of Care Chapter
The Joint Commission revises Environment of Care Chapter The Joint Commission on January 26 announced that it has approved several revisions to Elements of Performance (EP) in the Environment of Care (EC) chapter, which will vary across accreditation programs. Among the revisions: Standard EC.02.04.01, EP 11, which addresses reporting incidents…
Participate in survey on effects of COVID-19 on evacuation of surgical smoke
Editor's Note Please participate in an important nationwide perioperative survey on surgical smoke evacuation. The purpose of the research, led by Brenda Ulmer MN, RN, CNOR, is to determine evacuation behaviors in hospitals before COVID-19, and then note changes as the virus continued to spread in the US. Ulmer and…
Association of COVID-19 with hospital readmissions
Editor's Note This study by researchers from New York University School of Medicine finds several factors associated with increased odds of readmission of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. In this retrospective cohort analysis of 6,191 adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in a New York safety-net hospital system between March 1 and…
Frequency of adverse events in placebo groups of COVID-19 vaccine trials
Editor's Note This meta-analysis, led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that the rate of nocebo responses in placebo groups of COVID-19 vaccine trials was substantial. The researchers analyzed adverse event reports for 45,380 COVID-19 vaccine trial participants (22,578 placebo recipients and…
Incidental COVID-19 hospital cases are hard to track
Editor's Note Incidental COVID-19—when patients are admitted to the hospital for something other than COVID-19 but test positive for the virus during their stay—is a reality for most, if not all, hospitals. However, a Becker’s study finds that the frequency of incidental COVID-19 cases is particularly challenging for hospital staff…
Socioeconomic differences in telemedicine use for ambulatory surgical care during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that Black patients used telemedicine platforms more often than White patients for ambulatory surgical care during Phase 2 of COVID-19. During Phase 1 (March 24 through June 23), there were 347 in-person and 638 virtual…
FDA: Class I recall of Medtronic’s HawkOne Directional Atherectomy System
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 21 identified the recall by Medtronic Inc of its HawkOne Directional Atherectomy System as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk of the guidewire within the catheter moving down ward or prolapsing when force…
CDC: Those recovered from COVID-19 less likely than vaccinated to get Delta variant
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on January 19, released a study showing that in New York and California, both vaccination and prior infection offered protection against COVID-19, but those who had recovered from COVID-19 were less likely than vaccinated individuals to get infected during the Delta…
The Joint Commission to begin surveying for HCW vaccinations
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on January 19 that beginning January 27, 2022, for applicable deemed program surveys in progress on that day, it will begin surveying to the “Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination” interim final rule published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). As…
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