Endoscopy case highlights risks of complex patients in ASCs
Editor's Note A malpractice case involving a 69-year-old man undergoing an endoscopy at an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) spotlights the risks of managing high-comorbidity patients outside a hospital setting. According to a May 13 report in Anesthesiology News, the patient experienced a hypoxic event that led to permanent brain injury…
FDA issues early alerts on multiple high-risk device recalls from J&J, Medtronic, Baxter, Boston Scientific
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a series of early alerts this month regarding high-risk recalls from several leading medical device makers, citing patient safety risks ranging from pump failures to vascular complications. These alerts highlight issues with products from Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J’s) Abiomed unit,…
Study: Global access to surgery deemed a crisis, leaves 160 million without care
Editor's Note At least 160 million people worldwide are unable to receive essential surgical care each year, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) most affected, News Medical Life Sciences July 15 reports. The study, published in The Lancet and led by the University of Birmingham’s NIHR Global Health Research Unit…
FDA publishes Baxter update to Novum IQ infusion pump instructions addressing underinfusion risk
Editor's Note Baxter has issued a correction notice for its Novum IQ Large Volume Pump (LVP) after identifying a serious risk of underinfusion linked to the device’s standby mode and power-off conditions. First published on April 24 on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website and subsequently reported by Healthcare…
Time for a surgical skills check? Inside the ACS stance on aging physicians
Takeaways • US surgeons have no mandated retirement age. According to the Aging Surgeon Program, “a patient death or serious negative event are currently the only things that prompt action to prevent a surgeon from practicing.” • Research on aging-related decline is clear, but nuanced, showing rates and scope vary…
Study: Patients of female surgeons experience fewer complications, lower long-term readmission
Editor's Note Female surgeons achieve better long-term outcomes for surgical patients—especially for female patients—according to a large national study published April 23 in JAMA Surgery. Using US Medicare data from over 2.2 million older adults, researchers found that patients of female surgeons had lower mortality rates and, for women, fewer…
Study: MRI contrast agent causes harmful metal buildup in some patients
Editor's Note New research offers a potential explanation for why some patients retain toxic metals long after undergoing an MRI. Published in the journal Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the findings show that gadolinium contrast agents used in MRI scans may react with common dietary compounds to form harmful metal nanoparticles in…
Study: Excessive nurse overtime, agency staffing harm patients
Editor's Note Overreliance on overtime and agency nurse staffing can significantly increase the risk of pressure ulcers and, in the case of agency hours, perioperative hemorrhage or hematoma, according to research published April 2 in JAMA Network Open. Using data from 70 US hospitals between 2019 and 2022, researchers…
Study: Implicit bias linked to low-value vascular procedures, worse outcomes for Black patients
Editor's Note Reducing the negative influence of implicit bias requires system-level interventions to ensure procedures align with best practices for all patients, according to results of new research on outcomes for vascular surgery patients. Published February 26 in JAMA Surgery, the study showed that implicit racial bias among vascular specialists…
Study: Weekend effect raises risk of surgical patient mortality, complications
Editor's Note A March 4 study in JAMA Network Open underscores the persistence of the “weekend effect,” a surgical care phenomenon in which the risk of postoperative complications, readmissions and mortality rises immediately before the weekend. The research suggests variations in staffing, resource availability, and care coordination may contribute to…
Free Daily News
- Remote monitoring speeds recovery, lowers complications after cancer surgery
- Common supplements may heighten bleeding risk during surgery, Polish study finds
- Keeping sensory aids in place during surgery reduces delirium risk in older hip fracture patients
- HFMA warns affordability crisis is driving up provider bad debt
- Report warns sterile processing staffing crisis threatens surgical safety
- Ascension swings to profit as outpatient push, cost cuts take hold
- High BMI alone did not raise early complication risk after outpatient TJA
- AAAHC report spotlights top accreditation deficiencies, strategies for safer ambulatory care
- ACS conference charts bold future for surgical quality with data, teamwork, frontline innovation
- Surgical leaders urged to weigh risks, rewards of innovation with a critical eye