Surgery/Specialties Editor's Note Researchers have released a surgical technical evidence review for colorectal surgery (published online August 7 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons) as the first step in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery, a nationwide program to…
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on August 7 announced the release of a new manual, “Optimal Resources for Surgical Quality and Safety,” to help guide surgeons in leading quality improvement and patient safety efforts in their organizations. The collaborative publication from 135 contributing authors and two surgeon…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 4 classified the recall by Datascope Corp/Maquet (Mahwah, New Jersey) of its intra-aortic balloon pump as Class I, the most serious. The recall was issued because of the risk of a valve failure, which prevents the balloon from inflating and…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on July 28 issued a Safety Alert for compounded triamicinolone and moxifloxacin for intravitreal injection by Guardian Pharmacy Services (Dallas, Texas). [The Guardian Pharmacy Services in Dallas is not affiliated with the national long-term care Guardian Pharmacy Services, LLC headquartered in Atlanta.] The…
Editor's Note Early postoperative hyperglycemia was linked to increased readmissions after gastrointestinal surgery in insulin-dependent diabetic patients, but elevated preoperative hemoglobinA1c was not, this study finds. Higher preoperative hemoglobinA1c levels were associated with increased postoperative glucose level checks and insulin use as well as lower rates of postoperative complications. Though…
Editor's Note A new study finds a big drop in smoking rates when surgeons get involved in helping patients quit before surgery through the "Strong for Surgery" program. The study was presented July 23 at the 2017 American College of Surgeons (ACS) Quality and Safety Conference. Strong for Surgery is…
Editor's Note An Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) program for colorectal surgery patients shortened hospital length of stay by more than half, reduced complications by more than one-third, and cut costs by some $11,000 per procedure, finds a study presented July 23 at the American College of Surgeons 2017 Quality…
Editor's Note The Mayo Clinic is offering a 5-day surgery fellowship program for journalists, sponsored by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Journalists will see the surgical process from preop to recovery, including time in the operating room, and they will receive an in-depth look at the latest…
Editor's Note This population-based analysis finds that implementation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) interventions in total joint patients is limited, with some current trends virtually in contrast to practice guidelines. Of more than 1 million patients analyzed, anesthetic techniques did not differ by OSA status, and overall, less than 25%…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on July 19 announced that the University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City, is the first hospital in the nation to achieve its Comprehensive Cardiac Center (CCC) Certification. To achieve certification, hospitals must demonstrate compliance with consensus-based standards, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for cardiac care,…
