Editor's Note This study by researchers with the University of Birmingham, England-led COVIDSurg-GlobalSurg Collaboratives (global partnerships of more than 15,000 surgeons) finds that patients who isolate before their surgical procedures to protect themselves from COVID-19 have a higher risk of postoperative pulmonary complications than those who don’t isolate. Researchers analyzed…
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on August 4 announced the launch of a “Talk It Up” campaign to help surgeons address their patients’ concerns and help them understand the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The campaign includes a series of videos about the importance of vaccination,…
Editor's Note As of August 1, 2021, more than 10,200 people in Florida were hospitalized with COVID-19, which surpasses the 10,179 reported during the previous peak on July 23, 2020, Becker’s Hospital Review reported on August 2. Because of this peak in hospitalizations, some Florida hospitals and healthcare systems are…
Editor's Note US News & World Report on July 27 released its best hospital rankings for 2021-2022, with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, earning the top spot for the 6th year in a row. Rounding out the top five in the Honor Roll were: Cleveland Clinic UCLA Medical Center…
Editor's Note In this case study, craniofacial surgeons from Brazil describe their experience with a 28-year-old COVID-19-positive man who developed orbital cellulitis, requiring surgical intervention. A few weeks before, the man had a mild illness with fatigue and loss of smell and taste. He didn’t seek medical care until he…
Editor's Note In a July 14 news release, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) said the proposed Medicare physician fee schedule for CY 2022 poses a threat to surgical patient care. The proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) maintains cuts to surgical care that Congress…
Editor's Note This study by researchers from the UK finds that insertion and removal of supraglottic airway devices for general anesthesia do not generate aerosols and should not be designated as aerosol generating procedures (AGPs). Working in an ultraclean environment, the researchers used a highly sensitive aerosol detector to measure…
Editor's Note This study by researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern and Children’s Health, Dallas, finds that children with nonsevere COVID-19 had higher rates of respiratory complications during and after general anesthesia than controls, but severe morbidity was rare and there were no deaths. A total of 99 patients…
Part 1 of this two-part series discussed the splashes and the potential for exposure to pathogens that personnel face daily in sterile processing and endoscopy departments, as well as the current guidelines and strategies for reducing exposures (OR Manager, July 2021, pp 1, 9-11, 15). These risks were derived from…
This year, the American Hospital Association reports that hospitals could lose between $53 billion and $122 billion in revenue. Public health and the healthcare sector faced severe physical, mental, and financial stressors in 2020. Although some pandemic-driven burdens are finally easing, US hospitals are expected to face enormous fiscal losses…
