Editor's Note In this study from the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, patients with penicillin allergies had a 50% increased odds of developing surgical site infections (SSIs), which the researchers attributed to the second-line antibiotics administered to them.  A total of 8,385 patients who had surgery between 2010 and 2014…

Read More

Editor's Note Surgical patients who received antibiotic prophylaxis before low-risk procedures did not have an increased risk for postoperative antibiotic-resistant infections, this study finds. Of 22,138 patients included in the analysis, 689 developed an infection within 30 days after surgery. Of these, 550 (80%) had received antibiotic prophylaxis, and 338…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 20 cleared the first duodenoscope with a disposable end cap, which will improve access for cleaning and reprocessing. The new features of the Pentax ED34-i10T duodenoscope include a single-use detachable and disposable distal cap, simpler user interface, improved ergonomics, improved…

Read More

Editor's Note A risk-assessment system designed to avoid harm in private industry (ie, Socio-Technical Probabilistic Risk Assessment [ST-PRA]), was used by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-funded researchers to identify practices likely to pose infection risks in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). The ST-PRA ranks failure points (events) according to…

Read More

Editor's Note There are enough healthcare-associated infection (HAI) data reported on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website to meet minimal criteria for useful hospital comparisons in many geographic areas; however, it varies by type of HAI, this study finds. The analysis included data from 4,561…

Read More

Editor's Note Antimicrobial-impregnated scrub clothes are not effective at reducing healthcare provider contamination, this study finds. Cultures were obtained from each of 40 ICU nurses, the healthcare environment, and patients during each shift. Nurses wore standard cotton-polyester surgical scrubs (control), scrubs that contained a complex element compound with a silver-alloy…

Read More

Editor's Note Infection control practices that focus on perioperative patient skin and wound hygiene and transparent display of surgical site infection (SSI) data, not OR attire policies, were associated with lower SSI rates in this multi-center study. A total of 20 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 1 issued a Safety Alert notifying healthcare professionals and patients not to use alcohol pads or benzalkonium chloride antiseptic towelettes made by Foshan Flying Medical Products Co Ltd (China) because of lack of sterility and other quality issues. Use of…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 30 issued a Safety Alert reminding healthcare providers that using thermal regulating systems, including forced air systems, during surgical procedures has been shown to result in less bleeding, faster recovery times, and decreased risk of infections for patients. The FDA…

Read More

Editor's Note The Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in Buffalo, New York, is notifying 526 patients that they may be at risk of infection from improperly cleaned endoscopes, the August 16 Buffalo News reports. A recent hospital review of endoscope disinfection processes found that steps in the manufacturer’s instructions may not…

Read More