Safety/Quality
Study: Black, Hispanic patients more likely to die post-surgery than white patients
Editor's Note A new study found that Black and Hispanic patients are significantly more likely to die after a surgical procedure than white patients, Newsweek October 15 reports. The findings were presented at the 2023 Anesthesiology annual meeting. The study analyzed over a million surgical procedures at 7,740 US hospitals…
New epigenetic clock provides clues to accelerated aging in chronic kidney disease
Editor's Note Researchers from Europe used an epigenetic clock to accurately measure biological aging in a clinical setting, Wiley October 12 reports. The study, titled "Epigenetic clocks indicate that kidney transplantation and not dialysis mitigate the effects of renal ageing," was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. The researchers…
Stem cells from organ donor increase tolerance following transplant
Editor's Note An 8-year-old girl in the UK has been able to live a normal life without immunosuppressants following a kidney transplant in which both the organ and stem cells came from the same donor, The Independent October 12 reports. The patient was able to stop taking immunosuppressant drugs a…
Smaller volume blood draw tubes can prevent excess blood loss in sickest patients
Editor's Note Using a tube that collects about half the blood of a standard tube will still provide enough blood for a lab test while reducing transfusions for critically ill patients, a new investigative study published by JAMA Network reports. The study, titled "Small-Volume Blood Collection Tubes to Reduce Transfusions…
Primary care reminders key to timely follow up for cancer patients with abnormal screenings
Editor's Note Patient outreach efforts, including a reminder in the electronic health record (EHR) following an abnormal cancer screening, helped to ensure timely follow-up, a new investigative study in JAMA Network reports. This cluster randomized clinical trial, titled "A multilevel primary care intervention to improve follow-up of overdue abnormal cancer…
Patient perceptions of surgeon bias are influenced by race, gender
Editor's Note A new study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found that Black patients are more likely to perceive bias from their surgeons compared to White patients. The study, titled "Patient preferences and perceptions of provider diversity in orthopedic surgery," was published on October 6. The study…
The Joint Commission addresses pressure injury dangers in new Quick Safety
Editor's Note The Joint Commission has released a new Quick Safety Issue to call attention to the serious risks inherent with pressure injuries. "Quick Safety Issue 70: Early identification and evaluation of severe pressure injuries" was published on October 9. The following are some highlights: Pressure injuries can be caused…
Study evaluates the effectiveness of predictive AI in healthcare settings, identifies shortcomings
Editor's Note Implementing predictive AI models in healthcare settings can alter the baseline assumptions the models were trained on in ways that cause the models to perform worse, according to a recent simulation study published on October 6 by the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study analyzed 130,000 critical care…
Cybersecurity alert: Vulnerability in Cisco’s Emergency Responder communications platform
Editor's Note Cisco has released an update that fixes a critical vulnerability in their Emergency Responder communications platform, a system used throughout the health sector, an October 6 HC3: Sector Alert from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Information Security reports. The HHS recommends that healthcare systems…
First nasal vaccine in development for deadly Strep A
Editor's Note A new nasal vaccine in development by Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics in Australia could provide long-term protection against the deadly bacteria Streptococcus A (Strep A), Griffith University's Griffith News October 5 reports. Strep A causes 700 million human infections each year, and there are more than 500,000…
Free Daily News
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- TV station reports instrument concerns at St. Louis hospital
- Medical assistant’s personal experience helps anxious heart failure patients process their situations
- Georgia surgeon arrested for assaulting recovering patient at hospital
- ACS highlights three aspects of CMS’ 2026 coding and reimbursement changes
- Workers describe ‘disruptive’ ICE presence inside Minneapolis’ Hennepin County Medical Center
- ASA study says changes needed for pain management of surgical patients on MOUD treatments
- A closer look at how AI is changing surgery
- New study links higher postoperative mortality to income level