Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on August 30, identified the recall by Hamilton Medical of its HAMILTON-C1, C2, C3, and T1 ventilators as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of software issues that may cause the ventilators to stop without notice. There have…

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Editor's Note This Canadian study examines whether surgeon gender is associated with long-term postoperative patient outcomes. A total of 1,165,711 patients (151,054 treated by female surgeons and 1,014,657 treated by male surgeons) were included in the analysis. Multivariate adjusted rates of adverse postoperative events (ie, death, readmission, or complication) showed…

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Editor's Note This study from the Minneapolis VA Healthcare System finds that intraoperative stress in surgical teams is common and has multiple sources, including adverse events. Researchers conducted 28 interviews with surgical team members on intraoperative stress and emotional and behavioral responses to stressors. The researchers then identified themes in…

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Editor's Note This study by nurse researchers at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, and Hackensack Meridian Health, Edison, New Jersey, finds that a nature-themed recharge room helped reduce healthcare worker (HCW) stress and anxiety. A total of 160 HCWs who used the recharge room and 131 who…

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Editor's Note The Cleveland Clinic announced, on August 16, that surgeons at its London facility successfully performed a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with the assistance of an augmented reality-based platform designed with artificial intelligence and machine learning. Augmented reality, which gives a 3D visualization of the joint, helps with planning…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham examines the associations between sociodemographic factors and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and clinician adherence to PONV prophylaxis protocols. A total of 8,384 patients were included in the analysis. When PONV prophylaxis protocols…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, examine the feasibility of transitioning back to reusable surgical gowns and the corresponding cost savings and reductions in solid waste. Disposable surgical gowns were replaced with polyester reusable surgical gowns with AAMI level III barrier protection that…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, examines whether the decision to operate or not operate for an emergency general surgery condition affects Black and White patients differently. A total of 556,087 Medicare patients (59,519 Black and 496,568 White) were included in the analysis. Overall, 165,932 (29.8%)…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, examines the use of a machine learning (ML) model to predict the suitability for having a surgical procedure performed at an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) vs a hospital-based outpatient department (HOPD). To augment a labor intensive manual process in…

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Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA), on August 9, announced that COVID-19 HIPAA rules for telehealth would expire at 11:59 pm. The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) implemented a HIPAA policy for telehealth during the COVID-19 public health emergency, which provided enforcement discretion…

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