Automated text messages improve joint replacement outcomes
Editor's Note An automated text messaging system increased patient engagement with home-based exercise and promoted faster recovery after knee and hip replacements, this study finds. In this analysis of 159 patients (83 controls, 76 intervention) having total knee or hip replacement surgery, those receiving timely texts showed improvement in the…
Robotics expanding rapidly in orthopedics, spine
Editor's Note The Healthcare Quarterly report by Moody’s Investors Service shows the orthopedics and spine sectors increasingly performing robotic-assisted procedures, the January 18 Becker’s Spine Review reports. This is resulting in strong growth for device firms with major investments in these specialties, particularly Medtronic with its Mazor robotics platform for…
FDA: Sun Pharmaceutical recalls four lots of Vecuronium Bromide
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on January 8 announced the recall by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc (Cranbury, New Jersey) of three lots of Vecuronium Bromide for Injection, 10 mg (lyophilized powder) (Lots: JKS0443A, JKS0444A, JKS0477A), and one lot of Vecuronium Bromide for Injection, 20 mg (lyophilized powder)…
Disruptive innovation in supply chain: Impact of Amazon Business and technology, Part 1
Supply chain is the lifeblood of the OR, so any disruption in the flow of that lifeblood can lead to outcomes ranging from dissatisfaction with backorders to chaos if a new implant doesn’t arrive on time. But disruption also can be a positive force, especially if it supports flow. When…
Comprehensive ROI pitch helps to procure OR equipment
Multiple requests for new equipment and technology—usually from surgeons but also sometimes from staff—are not uncommon. As part of their due diligence, OR leaders must determine whether the return on investment (ROI) justifies the purchase. Doing ROI calculations systematically—and involving key stakeholders—can help ensure that the organization makes the best…
Surgical VAC mines new software for deeper look at products
After transitioning from a paper-based data and operations management system to one that uses relational database software, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center (LHMC) in Burlington, Massachusetts, saved more than $1 million in product purchases in 2017. The surgical value analysis committee (VAC) evaluated 150 product requests and managed the conversion…
FDA: Class I recall of Medtronic’s Synergy, Stealth Station S7 Cranial Software
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on January 8 identified the recall of Medtronic’s Synergy Cranial Software and Stealth Station S7 Cranial Software as Class I, the most serious. The Software is used with the Stealth Station Surgical Navigation System to provide detailed 3D images of a patient’s…
FDA Pre-Cert Pilot Program to promote more efficient review of digital health innovations
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 7 issued a statement from Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, on the agency’s new actions under the Digital Health Pre-Certification (Pre-Cert) Pilot Program to promote a more efficient framework for the review of safe and effective digital health innovations. Because digital…
Healthcare executives investing more in data analytics, AI
Editor's Note A survey by NewVantage Partners finds that 77% of healthcare executives are increasing investments in big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), according to the January 4 HealthIT Analytics. Disruptive forces and industry competitors are the major motivators for the increase. Nearly 80% of data analytics leaders say…
Cost-effectiveness analysis of implants used in total hip replacements
Editor's Note New research from the Hip Implant Prosthesis Study (HIPS) team at the University of Bristol Medical School that analyzed hip replacements in more than 1 million patients in the United Kingdom and Sweden found that: Small-head (less than 36 mm in diameter) cemented metal-on-polyethylene implants were the most…
