Editor's Note Pfizer alerted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 12 that its supply of two forms of injectable penicillin—Bicillin L-A and Bicillin C-R—may run out by the end of this month, the June 13 The Hill reports. Pfizer cited a combination of factors for the shortage, including…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration, on June 12, identified the recall of the rechargeable Walnut Wearable Smart Thermometer as Class I, the most serious. BearCare, Inc, is recalling the thermometers after receiving reports of skin burns and irritation resulting from use of the device. The company reports five…

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Editor's Note In a June 5 letter to healthcare providers, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is aware of US healthcare facilities and providers experiencing supply constraints of nonsterile, single-use pneumatic tourniquet cuffs. The cuffs are used in elective limb surgeries and in emergency and trauma settings. During…

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Editor's Note This Chinese study finds that wearing N95 face masks for 14 hours significantly affects physiological, biochemical, and perception parameters. The effect was primarily caused by increased respiratory resistance and subsequent decreased blood oxygen and pH. This randomized clinical trial included 30 healthy participants between March 7 and August…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on May 25, identified the recall by SD BioSensor, Inc, of certain Pilot COVID-19 At-Home Tests as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the liquid solution in the test kit may be contaminated with bacteria such as Enterococcus,…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on May 24, identified the recall by Draeger Medical of the Seattle PAP Plus as well as VentStar and other breathing circuit/anesthesia kits as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated after finding that glued connections may loosen before or…

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Editor's Note On April 17, electronic health records (EHR) vendor Epic and Microsoft announced a partnership to train Azure OpenAI on a large collection of information so it can “asynchronously draft responses to patient messages for providers,” Becker’s Health IT May 25 reports. According to Becker's, there are four major…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on May 22, identified the recall by ICU Medical of replacement batteries for its Plum 360, Plum A+, and Plum A+3 infusions systems as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because a manufacturing defect substantially diminished how long the…

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The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has revised the ANSI/AAMI PB70 Liquid barrier performance and classification of protective apparel and drapes intended for use in healthcare facilities. This revised standard provides healthcare professionals with a better understanding of the barrier protection properties of available protective apparel. The…

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Surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance has rapidly grown in the ambulatory setting over the last decade, with the expansion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network’s (NHSN) Outpatient Procedure Component (OPC). OPC-SSI is designed to track and monitor SSIs in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs)…

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