Carbon dioxide levels in children with, without face masks
Editor's Note This randomized controlled clinical trial led by German researchers finds a concern of mask-wearing causing hypercapnia (excessive carbon dioxide in the bloodstream) in children. In this analysis of 45 children, carbon dioxide levels were measured at baseline without a face mask and during inhalation and exhalation under surgical…
FDA: Class I recall of Medtronic angiographic guidewire
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 2 identified the recall by Medtronic Vascular of its angiographic guidewire component as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the devices were not sterilized before being shipped to hospitals. The guidewire is used during angiography or other interventional…
Utility of COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic patients before ambulatory, inpatient surgical procedures
Editor's Note In this study by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, mass COVID-19 preprocedure testing detected positive asymptomatic patients who were missed by clinical screening alone. The median test turnaround time was 7.8 hours. Of 75, 528 preprocedure tests performed: 318 (0.4%) patients tested positive…
FDA revokes EUA for non-NIOSH-approved respirators
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 30 announced that it is revoking the Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for non-NIOSH-approved disposable respirators (including N95s), effective July 6. The announcement also revokes EUAs for decontamination and bioburden reduction systems for disposable respirators, effective immediately. The FDA says the…
Use of Pandemic Escape Room to increase learner engagement in infection prevention education
Editor's Note Escape Rooms, which were conceived as a social activity, yielded themselves as a low-cost, high-impact and effective tool for healthcare education during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study from the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System finds. The Pandemic Escape Room ran every half hour for 4 days, providing 48…
ECRI chosen for data repository of promising medicines
Editor's Note ECRI announced June 30 that it had been chosen by the Belgium-based International Horizon Scanning Initiative (IHSI) to develop the first large-scale database of new and promising pharmaceutical products. ECRI will curate and maintain a database of pharmaceuticals expected to enter the European market within the next 2…
COVID-19 hospitalization, mortality rates before, after reopening US economy
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the department of economics, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, finds that state policies implemented in spring 2020 to protect hospital capacity and minimize deaths due to COVID-19 were associated with upward trends in hospitalizations and mortality after reopening. The researchers examined data collected…
FDA: Class I recall of Avid Medical convenience kits
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on June 25 identified the recall by Avid Medical of its convenience kits for medical-surgical procedures as Class I, the most serious. The company is recalling those kits that contain BD/Carefusion’s Chloraprep 3 mL applicator because of the risk of contamination of the…
Mental health of high school students during COVID-19 pandemic
Editor's Note This study from Austria finds a high prevalence of mental disorders in high school students 1 year after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Of 3,052 adolescents who participated in the study: 55% had clinically relevant depressive symptoms 47% had clinically relevant anxiety symptoms 22.8% had clinically relevant moderate insomnia…
Growing number of hospitals, healthcare systems mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for HCWs
Editor's Note The number of hospitals and healthcare systems mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for their healthcare workers (HCWs) is growing, the June 29 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. In chronological order, the organizations that have announced mandates as of June 29 are: Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, will require its workforce of…
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