Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 5 announced that a new performance improvement (PI) Accelerate PI dashboard is now available for accredited hospitals. It is posted in the “Resources and Tools” section of the Joint Commission Connect extranet site. The dashboard, which is intended to be a springboard for…

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Editor's Note The ECRI Institute on February 5 announced the launch of its Coronavirus Outbreak Preparedness Center, which was developed to help hospitals protect healthcare workers and patients as the coronavirus spreads across the world. Included in this free compendium of resources are: Preparation and patient handling checklists Equipment and…

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Editor's Note The US healthcare industry should prepare for a disruption in the supply chain for disposable medical-surgical devices and high-tech therapeutic and diagnostic products from China amid the coronavirus outbreak, the January 31 Modern Healthcare reports. Data show that devices and diagnostic products from China account for about 3%…

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Editor's Note Cardinal Health is voluntarily recalling 9.1 million potentially contaminated surgical gowns, 7.7 million of which were distributed to 2,807 facilities across the country, the January 22 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The company took the action after learning of unsanitary environmental conditions at a plant in China that manufacturers…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 21 confirmed the first case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from China in the state of Washington. The patient recently returned from Wuhan, China, where an outbreak of pneumonia caused by this virus has been ongoing since…

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Editor's Note In this study from Israel, researchers found that surgical scrubs worn outside the OR were contaminated with a low bacterial load and only a small number of pathogenic bacteria. For the study, specimens were collected at the entrance to the OR from surgical scrubs worn by 133 surgeons.…

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Editor's Note Boston Scientific announced December 13 that it had received Food & Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for the EXALT Model D Single-Use Duodenoscope for use in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures. The EXALT Model D, which was granted Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA, eliminates the need for…

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Editor's Note More than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the US each year, resulting in more than 35,000 deaths, according to a new “Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States 2019” report from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). The CDC also notes that 223,900 cases of…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on November 26 announced a voluntary recall by B. Braun Medical (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) of 22 lots of blood administration sets. The recall was initiated because of the potential for leakage at the joint between the blood filters and tubing. This could force…

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Editor's Note In this study, the use of alcohol-based hand rub on nitrile examination gloves did not compromise glove integrity or hamper the ability of anesthesia providers to safely perform anesthesia functions. A total of 50 new gloves (not exposed to alcohol-based hand rub) were tested for integrity, and one…

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