Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on May 6 issued a guidance to implement section 3121 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) as it relates to shortages and potential shortages of medical devices occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturers are required to notify…

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Editor's Note Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago are using artificial intelligence (AI) to expedite the search for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines by shortening the expert review period. The AI tool prioritizes research that has the most potential to produce real solutions and ignores research that is unlikely to yield…

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Editor's Note Abbott’s new COVID-19 antibody test that has 99% sensitivity and specificity has been given CE Mark approval for use across Europe, the April 29 Mass Device reports. The test is 99% accurate in identifying the IgG protein in patients infected by COVID-19, 14 days after symptoms develop. Abbott…

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Editor's Note The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on April 24 issued interim guidance on the reuse and decontamination of N95 and other filtering-facepiece respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic. OSHA notes that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has identified research that suggests the following methods…

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Editor's Note In this study from BJC HealthCare and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, a multidisciplinary team that included surgeons created a new process for disinfecting and reusing N95 masks, using vaporized hydrogen peroxide. The process allows healthcare workers (HCW) to reuse masks up to 20 cycles, and…

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Editor's Note An artificial intelligence (AI) tool that analyzes CT scans of the chest was 75% accurate in determining COVID-19 patients who required ventilators, the April Radiology Business reports. Researchers at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University built the tool using scans and datasets from the web, COVID-19 chest images from…

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Editor's Note: A research team led by the University of Singapore has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) platform called, “IDentif.AI” (Indentifying Infectious Disease Combination Therapy with Artificial Intelligence) to increase efficiency in the development of treatments that combine several different drugs. The researchers selected 12 drugs that are viable candidates…

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Editor's Note: Epic’s deterioration index, an artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning-based system that can predict which patients with COVID-19 could become seriously ill, has been put into use at hospitals nationwide, the April 24 STAT reports. Though normally hospitals would take weeks or months to test a new tool on…

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Editor's Note Israel-based Scentech Medical and Meir Medical Center will start a trial of Scentech’s breath technology, which is designed to detect COVID-19 before it becomes symptomatic, the April 22 Times of Israel reports. The breath test technology—similar to breathalyzers used on suspected drunk drivers—is a mix of software and…

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When the coronavirus pandemic begins to subside, hospital leaders will be sorting out the repercussions and trying to resume normal operations. The main impact on ORs has been the widespread cancellation of non-essential procedures. Case cancellations in March and April have reduced elective procedure volumes as much as 90%. Most…

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