Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration, on March 9, identified the recall by Medtronic of its TurboHawk Plus Directional Aherectomy System as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk of the guidewire in the catheter moving downward or prolapsing when force is applied…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers report the 2-year outcomes for patients enrolled in the Evolut Low Risk Trial (Medtronic Evolut Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Low Risk Patients), which show that transcather aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with a supra-annular, self-expanding valve is noninferior to surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR).…

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Editor's Note OR Manager recently reported on the increased cybersecurity risk the Russia/Ukraine conflict poses to US healthcare systems. With two new malware threats identified last week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI are urging US organizations and the private sector, including healthcare, to stay vigilant and…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 3 posted the recall by B. Braun Medical Inc of its nationwide recall of five lots of 0.9% Sodium Chloride for Injection USP 250 ml in Excel. The recall was initiated because of fluid leakage or low fill volume of…

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Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in February to a seasonally adjusted 16,184,800 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on March 4. That’s up 63,500 since January. Hospital employment also was up by 2,700 jobs. The overall unemployment rate for February was 3.8%, for a…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Chicago finds an association between social determinants of health measures and COVID-19 mortality rates that varied across racial and ethnic groups and community types. Among 3,142 counties in the study, 531 were identified as concentrated longitudinal-impact counties. Of these, 347 (11%) had…

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Editor's Note After 7 years, ANSI/AAMI has updated its standard for cleaning and storing medical devices, such as flexible bronchoscopes and various endoscopes. The updated standard, “ANSI/AAMI ST91:2021, Flexible and semi-rigid endoscope processing in health care facilities,” addresses new technologies and concerns about device cleanliness and patient safety. “ANSI/AAMI ST91:2021…

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Editor's Note In this survey by the American Nurses Foundation, published March 1, 63% of nurses younger than 35 years said they intend to leave or are considering leaving the profession. A total of 12,694 nurses were surveyed. Other findings for nurses under 35 years of age, include: 46% said…

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Editor's Note On March 1, the American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee urging Congress to consider and address the challenges the healthcare workforce is currently facing. As healthcare workers enter the third year of the pandemic, AHA likened current challenges to “a…

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Editor's Note Three American hospitals top Newsweek’s annual World’s Best Hospitals list, published on March 2. These hospitals have learned to adapt to new and existing challenges quickly during medicine's 2-year war against COVID-19, Newsweek says. The top three are: Mayo Clinic-Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio Massachusetts General…

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