Editor's Note New and revised sterilization and reprocessing standards are reshaping the landscape for sterile processing departments, placing greater emphasis on chemical modalities, device-specific protocols, and system-wide quality management, according to the Healthcare Purchasing News May 27 update on compliance and standards. Among the most significant developments is the overhaul…
Editor's Note Implementation of the Composite Allocation Score (CAS) in lung transplantation significantly reduced the proportion of patients who died or were removed from the waitlist, including those with the most urgent medical need, according to a June 17 article in Healio. The findings were presented at the American Thoracic…
Editor's Note A multidisciplinary expert panel has released the first evidence-based airway management guidelines specific to patients living with obesity. Published June 5 in Anaesthesia, the 43-point framework—developed by the Society of Obesity and Bariatric Anaesthesia (SOBA)—offers perioperative strategies aimed at improving the safety and consistency of care in a…
Editor's Note Drawing on survey data and leadership insights, a June 16 article in Staffing Industry Analysts showcases how personalized attention from managers and thoughtfully deployed technologies can improve nurse engagement, mitigate stress, and strengthen retention amid widespread burnout. Advising leaders to treat nurses “as an ‘I,’ not an ‘it,’”…
Editor's Note Centerline Biomedical’s recall of IOPS Guidewire ATW-2, Zyno Medical’s recall of Z-800 series infusion pumps, and Nipro’s recall of MedicaLyte Liquid Bycarbonate Concentrate have been designated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Class 1, the most serious designation indicating risk of severe injury or death.…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission and the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) are partnering to set national standards for responsible artificial intelligence (AI) use in healthcare, according to a June 11 announcement from the organizations. This effort will deliver AI implementation guidance, tools, and a certification program to over 80%…
Editor's Note Patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) do not need to discontinue these medications before undergoing anesthesia but should follow extended preoperative fasting protocols to reduce aspiration risk, according to a June 5 article in Medscape. As detailed in the article, this recommendation comes from a new multidisciplinary…
Editor's Note Stanford Medicine scientists have successfully grown heart and liver organoids with functioning blood vessels, potentially overcoming one of the biggest limitations in organoid research: size. As reported in a June 6 article from News-Medical.net, the breakthrough may expand organoid utility for modeling disease, testing drugs, and advancing regenerative…
Editor's Note A new digital resource is helping hospital leaders strengthen infection prevention efforts by focusing not just on bedside protocols, but on management strategies proven to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The “SMART Toolkit,” developed by researchers at The Ohio State University and launched in July 2022, offers a free,…
Editor's Note The Trump administration ordered federal health officials this week to share personal data from Medicaid enrollees with deportation authorities, the Associated Press (AP) reported June 14. According to the report, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) was given just 54 minutes on Tuesday to transfer enrollee…