Boston hospital stops OR intruder posing as surgical resident
Editor's Note A middle-aged woman pretending to be a surgical resident was able to gain access to 5 ORs over 2 days at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital without an identification badge before she was stopped, the February 5 Boston Globe reports. For several days the woman walked the halls…
Impact of SSIs on costs after ambulatory surgery procedures
Editor's Note Surgical site infections (SSIs), especially serious infections resulting in hospitalization or surgical treatment, were associated with significantly increased health care costs after four common ambulatory surgical procedures, this study finds. The incidence of serious SSIs was 0.8% after 21,062 anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions, 0.5% after 57,750 cholecystectomies, 0.6%…
Biologists identify drug combinations to overcome antibiotic resistant bacteria
Editor's Note A team of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) biologists have found that combinations of three different antibiotics can overcome a bacteria’s resistance, even when none of the three on its own or two together is effective, the February 7 UCLA Newsroom reports. The biologists created a mathematical…
Effect of bundled payments on total joint costs
Editor's Note In this study, Medicare’s Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement bundled payment model resulted in a decrease of $5,577 in total spending per episode. Most hospital savings came from implants and supplies, and most postacute care savings came from decreased use of inpatient rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility care.…
ACS, Johns Hopkins launch new national ERAS program
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) in collaboration with Johns Hopkins has launched a new multimillion dollar surgical quality improvement initiative funded and guided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The new program will enable hospitals to implement Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocols, which have…
FDA: Class I recall of Bard Halo One Thin-Walled Guiding Sheath
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 30 classified the recall by Bard Peripheral Vascular Inc (Tempe, Arizona) of its Halo One Thin-Walled Guiding Sheath as Class I, the most serious. The recall was issued because the sheath body may separate from the sheath hub while removing…
Rigorous reprocessing doesn’t free scopes of contamination
Editor's Note This study by Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, and associates found that more rigorous reprocessing was not consistently effective in freeing endoscopes of contamination, and many had scratches and dents that could harbor blood, tissue, and bacteria. Even after reprocessing using current guidelines or additional measures, 12 of 20…
ACS opens enrollment for Children’s Surgery Verification QI Program
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on January 31 opened enrollment for participation in its Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program. The program was developed to improve the quality of children’s surgical care by creating a system to match each child’s individual surgical needs with a care environment…
FDA warns of allergic reactions to CHG
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 2 issued a warning that rare but serious allergic reactions have been reported with use of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG). The FDA is requesting that manufacturers add a warning label about this risk to over-the-counter (OTC) products containing CHG. CHG is…
Having big fun in the Big Easy
Editor's Note Social events during the OR Business Management Conference gave attendees a chance to sample Louisiana cuisine and ease the brain strain from the jam-packed days of sessions. The Creole House and Oyster Bar was the place to be on Wednesday evening, where attendees tucked into a three-course meal…
Free Daily News
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- The Joint Commission, NFQ announce 2024 Eisenberg Award recipients
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