Safety In yet another reminder that compliance with perioperative protocols should always be followed, refreshed and reexamined, a patient has been devastated, and numerous providers and facilities have been sued. According to a report from WCHS-TV, a lawsuit filed in Washington County, Ohio, alleges that a patient had her wrong leg…
Pediatric patients with multimorbidity (MM) are at increased risk of adverse perioperative outcomes. A new study published in the journal Pediatric Anesthesia examines the prevalence of MM and its association with same-day hospital admission following scheduled pediatric ambulatory surgery, which the researchers state has not been previously well described. “Despite…
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) announced that new research to be presented at its Clinical Congress 2026 will show that underweight patients “face 92% increased odds of death after emergency general surgery.” The study drew on ACS’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database, which covers more than…
A training program administered by the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University is “bringing advanced trauma skills directly to emergency room staff who need them most.” For the last year, a team of MCG physicians “has successfully piloted a state-funded portable simulation training course, called Rural Interactive Trauma…
ABC affiliate WMAR-TV reports that a nurse at Baltimore’s University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) has been convicted and sentenced for diverting morphine from a 10-year-old patient recovering from open-heart surgery last year. The nurse, who had been assigned to care for the child in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit,…
Nursing site allnurses has published an extensive article about the potential perioperative dangers facing patients who take GLP-1 drugs. The article, “Why GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Force Aborted Surgeries and Airway Crises Under Anesthesia,” begins with a lengthy patient scenario that brings those potential dangers home. “This emergency plays out daily…
Patient identification is a foundational element of perioperative care, yet errors continue to occur despite established protocols and regulatory requirements. While the use of two patient identifiers is standard practice, knowing the patient’s identity alone is not enough to ensure that the intended patient is receiving care. In fast-paced perioperative…
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) announced a new study that finds that blood pressure thresholds that are commonly used to identify dangerously unstable vital signs in pediatric patients “may not signal trouble soon enough” after they suffer a traumatic injury. The findings of the national study of more than…
As autumn approaches, awareness about COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses is on the rise. With some medical professionals and patients concerned about a lack of direction from the federal government on vaccines, the American Medical Association (AMA) has announced that it has collaborated with the Vaccine Integrity Project to complete…
The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission has released an 80-page report that details its investigation into the medication errors at Nashville hospital Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown that impacted four surgical patients. It determined the mistakes were primarily caused by human error. According to local TV station WKRN, “at least four out…
