Hospital hacking threats persist amid continued chaos of Change Healthcare cyberattack
Editor's Note The ransomware group behind a recent cyberattack on one of the nation’s largest health systems has its sights set on hospitals, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) warned February 27. According to a report in Chief Healthcare Executive one day later, systems were…
Study: Dedicated smoke evacuators reduce exposure to particles, VOCs
Editor's Note Dedicated smoke evacuators reduce the number of particles and levels of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde in surgical smoke during laparotomy, according to a study published online October 25, 2023 and in the March 2024 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons The randomized, double-blind clinical trial…
Bedside portable device offers real-time monitoring for pancreatic fistulas, other conditions
Editor's Note Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the University Hospital Dresden (UKD) have developed a portable, droplet-based millifluidic device that can monitor patients for postoperative pancreatic fistula in the critical first days after surgery. The same technology might also be expanded to analyze other body fluids and diseases.…
Space Station surgery experiment portends bright future for exploration, Earth-based medicine
Editor's Note Surgeons in Lincoln, Nebraska performed the first “operation” in space via remote control of a robot wielding scissors to cut through rubber bands, a historic first that has implications beyond space travel. Space.com reported the news February 22. Guided by onboard cameras and facing nearly second-long communications delays,…
Unveiling ECRI’s 2024 top 10 health technology hazards list
What is the purpose of the top 10 health technology hazards list, released every year by ECRI? “Our number one goal at ECRI is to reduce preventable harm,” stresses Jason Launders, MSC, former director of operations, device evaluation, at ECRI. “We know that every healthcare provider has a lot they…
Why OR leaders should revisit sterile processing basics
Sterile Processing Department (SPD) managers and technicians know a thing or two about pressure. In a recent webinar covering sterile processing basics, Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, president and CEO of Ofstead & Associates, Inc, and Abby Smart, MPH, research associate, cited the example of a 480-bed hospital that performed 13,650…
Virtual-reality brain measurements illuminate real-world health conditions
Editor's Note Two researchers from South China University of Technology have developed an affordable electroencephalogram (EEG) measurement system that can be incorporated into virtual reality (VR) headsets. In the future, the researchers hope to use the device to explore people's brain activity while navigating specific virtual environments and to study…
Cyberattack disrupts systems at health technology giant Change Healthcare
Editor's Note Nationwide pharmacy delays and disrupted internal systems are among the effects of a February 21 cyberattack on Change Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare technology companies in the United States. Systems were immediately disconnected to protect partners and patients, the organization reports, and “all other systems across UnitedHealth…
Machine learning shows potential to prevent costly, ineffective back surgery
Editor's Note Although lumbar disc herniation surgery can alleviate symptoms of back pain and even prevent disability, the costs exceed the benefits for a sizeable minority of patients, researchers write in a study published February 7 in Jama Network. To address this concern, they investigated whether machine learning algorithms that…
3D scans, deep-learning AI show promise for measuring body composition
Editor's Note A new method of measuring body composition using deep learning models and 3D scans is accurately depicts the distribution of fat and muscle in various body types, according to findings published January 30 Nature Communications Medicine. Creating tying an accurate digital map of a person’s shape and body…
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