Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on December 20, identified the recall by Arrow International, LLC, subsidiary of Teleflex, Inc, of its Arrow AutoCAT 2 and AC3 intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABPs) as Class I, the most serious. IABPs are used in patients having cardiac and non-cardiac surgery, and…

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Editor's Note Hospital leaders are preparing for what is expected to be a turbulent 2023, according to results of a December 13 survey from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, reports December 19 Healthcare Purchasing News. The majority of health system leaders said that staffing challenges (85%) and inflation (76%)…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, find that mortality after major surgery is elevated in older adults who are frail or who have probable dementia. A total of 1,193 major surgical procedures in 992 Medicare beneficiaries were analyzed. Among the findings: Overall,…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 29 posted Exela Pharma Sciences’ expansion of its recall of Sodium Bicarbonate Injection, USP, 8.4%, 50 mEq/50 mL vial, 20-count carton. The product poses a safety concern because of vial breakage with flying glass when pressurized while preparing the product for…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, is one of the first to link long COVID symptoms at more than 1 year with changes in gene expression that occurred during the acute stage of COVID-19. The researchers examined blood…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 9 identified the recall by Remel, Inc, of its Thermo Scientific Gram Negative IVD AST Sensititre Plate as Class I, the most serious. The Plates are used to test the susceptibility of Gram-negative bacterial infections to specific antibiotics. The recall…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 8 identified the recall by Dewei Medical Equipment Co of its DNA/RNA Preservation Kits as Class I, the most serious. The kits are used to collect, preserve, and transport clinical samples that will be tested for viruses, including COVID-19. The…

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Editor's Note This prospective Danish study finds that transfer to a postanesthesia care unit (PACU) immediately after elective hip and knee arthroplasty might be unnecessary in low-risk patients. A total of 696 total knee (274), total hip (287), and unicompartmental knee (135) arthroplasty patients were analyzed. Of those, 307 bypassed…

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Editor's Note Ocean University Medical Center, Brick, New Jersey, is testing an in-room, live-video virtual nursing platform to ensure that patients receive the attention they need and help address a shortage of nurses, the December 6 NJ.com reports. The technology is being tested in a pilot program on the fourth…

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Editor's Note Healthcare organizations in the US have seen almost 5,000 data breaches since 2009, notes a cybersecurity report from technology research company Comparitech published in August 2022. According to the report, these medical breaches have led to 342 million medical records being leaked. Here are some key findings from…

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