Editor's Note The recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare created a financial impact for the lion’s share of US hospitals surveyed recently by the American Hospital Association, with more than half reporting “significant or serious” impact and three of every four also reporting direct impacts on patient care. These data reflect…

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Editor's Note Researchers at MIT have developed a new gel called GastroShield to help prevent gastrointestinal bleeding during and after surgery performed during colonoscopy screenings. Advanced Materials published the findings on February 29.  Colonoscopy screenings—undergone by some 20 million Americans each year—often result in doctors finding and removing polyps. These…

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Editor's Note A patient undergoing emergency neurosurgery at Northwestern Medicine became the first to benefit from a neurosurgical drill designed to eliminate the need for hand-crank operation. According to a March 5 report from Northwestern, the procedure occurred in October at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, “when Northwestern Medicine neurosurgeon Matthew Potts, MD used…

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Editor's Note A research team from Penn State University is using 3D printing to produce a living system of multiple skin layers that could be used to print tissues during surgery and has the capacity to grow hair. The findings were published November 9 in the journal Bioactive Materials.  The…

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Editor's Note In a March 9 Press release, CMS announced it will offer emergency funding for healthcare providers experiencing continued disruptions in the wake of a February 21 cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealthGroup and a major processor of medical claims. According to the release, CMS will extend…

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Editor's Note The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has introduced the CV ASC Registry Suite, a pioneering data registry targeting cardiac procedures at ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), Cardiovascular Business February 13 reports. This initiative marks a significant development that reflects the trend of cardiac care shifting from hospitals to ASCs.…

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Editor's Note The Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai has introduced a pioneering device aimed at treating patients with difficult-to-manage hypertension, making it one of four institutions in the US and the first on the West Coast to make use of this technology, a March 8 press release published by Cedars…

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Editor’s Note ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) every year compiles and unveils a list of the top 10 patient safety concerns affecting the healthcare industry. The report highlights issues what healthcare leaders should focus on within their own organizations and opportunities to address preventable harm. The…

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Editor's Note Successful use of augmented reality in a cardiac ablation procedure holds additional promise for training as well as more advanced OR applications, according to a February 29 report from Stanford Medicine. During ablation, a treatment for heart arrythmias, surgeons typically refer to as many as eight screens depicting…

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Editor's Note A medical device developed by researchers at Northwestern University and Washington University School of Medicine could enable clinicians to monitor the health of a patient’s organs following surgery. The findings appeared in the journal Science on March 7.  Patients who undergo gastrointestinal surgeries—including pancreatic surgery—can develop anastomotic leaks…

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