Partial COVID-19 vaccination tied to decreased postop mortality, infection
Editor's Note This study from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, finds that full and partial COVID-19 vaccination reduced postoperative complications. Researchers analyzed data from patients having surgery at 1,283 VA medical facilities nationwide. Of 87,073 surgical patients, 20% were fully vaccinated, 15% were partially vaccinated, and 65% were unvaccinated. Among…
The Joint Commission adds safety briefing to accreditation surveys
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 2 announced that it has added safety briefings to all accreditation surveys as well as certification and verification reviews, effective January 1, 2023. The informal, 5-minute briefing allows organizations to tell surveyors and reviewers about any potential safety concerns and how they should…
Complexity, challenges of diagnosis, management of long COVID
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and University of Washington, Seattle, highlights the complexity of diagnosing long COVID and the challenges of caring for patients with this condition. Included in the analysis were 200 randomly sampled COVID-19 patients receiving care in…
FDA: Class I recall of Teleflex Iso-Gard Filter S
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 1 identified the recall of Teleflex’s Iso-Gard Filter S as Class I, the most serious. Iso-Gard filters are breathing circuit bacterial filters that are connected to respiratory equipment or breathing systems in operating rooms and ICUs. The recall was initiated…
Benchmark Questionnaire on OR Operations Best Practices—Part 1 Now Open
Editor's Note There is scarce information currently available about perioperative industry averages and OR operations best practices. OR Manager, as the leading source where perioperative managers and directors go to find answers to current problems, is leading the effort to pool information for both inpatient and outpatient facilities in 7…
Wildfire smoke linked to adverse events in pediatric patients under anesthesia
Editor's Note This study from the University of California San Francisco finds that pediatric patients with risk factors for respiratory complications had a greater incidence of adverse events under general anesthesia during periods of unhealthy air quality caused by wildfire smoke. A total of 625 pediatric patients were included in…
FDA issues Safety Communication on tracheostomy tube shortages
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 31 issued a Medical Device Safety Communication on tracheostomy tube shortages. Included in the shortages are Bivona tracheostomy tubes manufactured by ICU Medical, which are more likely to affect pediatric patients. Also on the shortage list are JOH Tube Tracheostomy…
CHG irrigation performed best in intraop treatment of bone tumors
Editor's Note This experimental study, led by researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, finds that chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) is the most effective irrigation solution for use as part of the surgical treatment of bone tumors. Cultures of two types of bone tumors (giant cell and chondrosarcoma) were treated with…
FDA: Five companies are having amoxicillin shortages
Editor's Note As of November 1, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) listed 26 amoxicillin products on its current drug shortages site. The FDA says increased demand is the largest cause of the shortage. The FDA does not list resupply dates, but the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) estimates…
CMS penalizes 2,273 hospitals for high readmission rates, lowest since 2014
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), through the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, evaluated more than 2 years of readmission cases for Medicare patients and penalized 2,273 hospitals, Kaiser Health News November 1 reports. This is the lowest number of penalties since 2014. The Hospital Readmissions Reduction…
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