Editor's Note WiseGuyReports predicts the global market for hip and knee surgical implants will reach more than $12 billion by 2021, the August 21 Becker’s Spine Review reports. Three companies dominate the market: Zimmer Biomet, Stryker, and DePuy Synthes.
Editor's Note A safe and efficient postoperative telemedicine program is feasible using a commonly used electronic health record system (Epic), and it can improve patient satisfaction, optimize throughput, and increase revenue, this pilot study finds. After researchers constructed an eClinic platform in Epic, they enrolled 233 patients having laparoscopic cholecystectomy,…
Editor's Note Though the effects of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) vary, patients recount similar experiences in this review study. A total of 17 studies from 5 countries addressing 5 types of HAIs were analyzed: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, surgical site, Clostridium difficile, Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream, and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing bacterial infections. Four interrelated themes emerged:…
Editor's Note In this position paper, three global surgery groups advocate for global surgeons based in US academic healthcare centers. Though 30% of all diseases globally require surgical care and expertise, global surgeons based in academic healthcare centers often face institutional barriers that make it difficult to take time to…
Editor's Note In this study, researchers at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, found that physicians and patients alike are dissatisfied with the use of electronic health records (EHRs). Researchers surveyed patients, physicians, mid-level providers, and nonclinical staff at two OB-GYN practices and a regional hospital from 2009 to 2013 during implementation…
Editor's Note A blood management program at Johns Hopkins using a hemoglobin transfusion threshold of 7 g/dl in orthopedic surgical patients reduced blood use by 32.5% and resulted in similar or improved outcomes. Improved outcomes were primarily in patients 65 years of age or older. For this study, researchers evaluated…
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on August 17 issued a Safety Alert for SynCardia Systems’ (Tucson, Arizona) Temporary Total Artificial Heart Companion 2 Driver System. Final results from a post-approval study indicate higher mortality and stroke rates for patients initially supported with the C2 Driver System compared…
Editor's Note Interventions at the physician or organizational level (eg, workflow changes) were found to be better tools for creating change in postoperative opioid prescribing than interventions at the patient level (eg, patient education), in this review. This analysis of eight studies published after 2000 that included 2,272 patients found…
Editor's Note Preliminary data, reported August 15, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that drug overdose mortality in the US hit record high levels last year, increasing to more than 72,000 deaths. The increase in mortality was driven mainly by fatalities involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on August 15 that additional changes will be made to elements of performance (EPs) in the Nursing and Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services chapters of the accreditation manuals for critical access hospitals and deemed-status hospital programs, effective January 1, 2019. The Centers for…
