Editor's Note New and revised sterilization and reprocessing standards are reshaping the landscape for sterile processing departments, placing greater emphasis on chemical modalities, device-specific protocols, and system-wide quality management, according to the Healthcare Purchasing News May 27 update on compliance and standards. Among the most significant developments is the overhaul…
Editor's Note Implementation of the Composite Allocation Score (CAS) in lung transplantation significantly reduced the proportion of patients who died or were removed from the waitlist, including those with the most urgent medical need, according to a June 17 article in Healio. The findings were presented at the American Thoracic…
Editor's Note Drawing on survey data and leadership insights, a June 16 article in Staffing Industry Analysts showcases how personalized attention from managers and thoughtfully deployed technologies can improve nurse engagement, mitigate stress, and strengthen retention amid widespread burnout. Advising leaders to treat nurses “as an ‘I,’ not an ‘it,’”…
Editor's Note Surgeons are performing robotic shoulder replacements in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) for the first time, signaling a significant shift in the trajectory of outpatient total joint arthroplasty. According to Outpatient Surgery Magazine May 7, the world’s first robotic total shoulder replacement outside of a hospital took place on…
Editor's Note Centerline Biomedical’s recall of IOPS Guidewire ATW-2, Zyno Medical’s recall of Z-800 series infusion pumps, and Nipro’s recall of MedicaLyte Liquid Bycarbonate Concentrate have been designated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Class 1, the most serious designation indicating risk of severe injury or death.…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission and the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) are partnering to set national standards for responsible artificial intelligence (AI) use in healthcare, according to a June 11 announcement from the organizations. This effort will deliver AI implementation guidance, tools, and a certification program to over 80%…
Editor's Note Patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) do not need to discontinue these medications before undergoing anesthesia but should follow extended preoperative fasting protocols to reduce aspiration risk, according to a June 5 article in Medscape. As detailed in the article, this recommendation comes from a new multidisciplinary…
Editor's Note Stanford Medicine scientists have successfully grown heart and liver organoids with functioning blood vessels, potentially overcoming one of the biggest limitations in organoid research: size. As reported in a June 6 article from News-Medical.net, the breakthrough may expand organoid utility for modeling disease, testing drugs, and advancing regenerative…
Editor's Note As robotic-assisted surgery continues to expand across specialties, perioperative nurses are driving operational excellence, clinical outcomes, and team coordination—often serving as the linchpin of these high-tech surgical programs. According to an April 16 article from the Cleveland Clinic, the health system’s robotic surgery program illustrates how nurses are…
Editor's Note The global economy is losing steam, with the World Bank forecasting the weakest growth in a non-recession year since 2008—citing protectionist trade policies, stubborn debt, and rising interest rates as key drivers of the downturn. According to the Axios June 9 article, the World Bank’s latest economic outlook…