Current endoscope reprocessing methods are not consistently effective in eliminating organic soil or microbes, and the off-label use of products for defoaming, lubrication, and bleeding control may be contributing to reprocessing failures. Though endoscope manufacturers have cautioned against the use of these products, endoscopists still commonly use them, and many…

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Our series on artificial intelligence (AI) concludes in this issue with part 2 of an in-depth look at legal and ethical questions (cover story) as well as advice for evaluating new AI products (“Consider all angles when choosing AI technology,” p 13). But insights about future trends like AI do…

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Innovative technology and surgical procedures, including artificial intelligence, will be explored in depth during the OR Manager Conference, September 18-20 in New Orleans. The new OR of the Future gives attendees a unique opportunity to learn through interactive experiences, educational sessions, and discussions with leading experts: product manufacturers as well…

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This article concludes OR Manager’s special series on artificial intelligence (AI). Parts 1 and 2 (May 2019 and June 2019) introduced AI, defining the different types of technology and describing its many current and potential applications for surgery. The series also presented examples of AI (June and July 2019). We…

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Surgeons are the biggest factor in any effort to streamline and standardize the purchase of new surgical devices—and thereby lower costs. But surgeons often balk at getting involved in product review and selection because of the additional demands on their time. Two leading healthcare organizations have moved past this stumbling…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on July 12 identified the recall by Hamilton Medical AG (Bonaduz, Switzerland) of its Hamilton-G5 Ventilators as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of a software failure that stops the ventilators after displaying an error message, leaving patients to…

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Editor's Note Preliminary experience in the automated detection and classification of fractures using artificial intelligence (AI) shows promise, and AI may enhance processing and communicating probabilistic tasks in orthopedic surgery, this study finds. For fracture detection, researchers compared the human findings in 10 studies with AI findings. In two studies,…

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Editor's Note Retooling paper-based measures to electronic format for reporting performance measures can help reduce hospitals’ reporting burden. However, in this study by Joint Commission and State University of New York researchers, a simplified risk model using electronic health record (EHR) elements could not capture most risk factors in the…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 21 issued final updates to its national coverage policy for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). The update provides more flexibility in how centers meet volume requirements for performing TAVR, while emphasizing the importance of the heart team for…

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Editor's Note A visible-light continuous environmental disinfection (CED) system, used with manual cleaning, resulted in a significant reduction in microbial surface contamination and surgical site infections (SSIs) in an orthopedic OR, in this study. Samples were taken from 25 surfaces within two contiguous ORs sharing an air supply after manual…

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