NEWS
A bacteriacidal copper compound, Cupron, is being piloted in 2 VA hospitals. The compound will be in items such as patient gowns, bed linens, countertops, and staff work stations. This pilot is the first large scale test for the technology. Hospital acquired infections cause around 100,000 deaths in the U.S. annually.
About 56,000 Sentara Healthcare patients could be affected by the theft of a device containing some of their personal information. Source: Newsleader.com
The annual Gallup poll once again found nurses were the most trusted professionals. To see how your profession ranked, click HERE
The National Association for Healthcare Quality has issued a call to action, urging stronger safety cultures to help healthcare professionals feel empowered and protected when reporting potential risks and adverse events. NAHQ's call to action provides detailed recommendations to enhance provider institution quality, improve ongoing safety reporting and protect staff. For a copy of the detailed report, click HERE
Researchers in Australia studied over 285,000 U.S. patients diagnosed with cancer between 1998-2008 who died within four weeks of their diagnosis. "Our analysis of a large database showed that death from cardiac causes was more common in patients that had surgery for their primary tumor compared to patients that did not undergo surgery," lead author Dr. Mark Voskoboynik, said. The rate of death was doubled in the surgical patients, their research showed. 12% of those patients who underwent surgery died of cardiac problems, compared to 6% of those who didn't undergo an operation. The study did not address specific surgical risk nor did it distinguish between different types of cancer.
Premature infants undergo repetitive painful procedures. A Canadian study found the pain induced by these procedures affected weight gain and body growth. The authors concluded the link between neonatal pain and postnatal growth was probably limited to the first few weeks of life. The study was limited to 78 infants born at 32 weeks or less. The median number of skinbreaking procedures for this group was 64.5, double that of babies born at greater than 32 weeks.
A study in the Journal of Nursing Administration noted recommendations from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses that nurses "be relentless in pursuing and fostering true collaboration as part of the solution to reducing preventable medical errors". A frequently missing piece in this collaboration was effective communication. The study focused on the nurses' barriers to speaking up when a patient's safety is at risk. The authors concluded, “Culture change must include hospital leaders expressing and demonstrating support for registered nurses who speak up when patient safety may be in jeopardy”.
Researchers at Columbia University in New York City combed through more than 230,000 patient records to determine unplanned post-op intubation. The risk factors identified were age, ASA physical status, preoperative sepsis, and total operative time. Editorial review of the study pointed out the decision of when to extubate a high-risk patient was complex taking into account the knowledge, training, and experience of the anesthesia provider. The review also cautioned against overemphasis on reducing unplanned intubations as it could result in unnecessarily prolonged intubation and over reluctance to reintubate.
The FDA recently issued a Drug Safety Communication regarding 3 children's deaths and one life-threatening case of respiratory depression after the children took codeine. The narcotic analgesic was prescribed post tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy.
An additional 27 cases were reported by U.S. health officials yesterday bringing the total of people sick to 91. Virginia's total increased to 18 from 11. Seven are confirmed dead related to aspergillus meningitis. The compounding pharmacy which produced the tainted steroid medication , New England Compounding Center, has suspended operations pending an investigation. Source: Reuters
Data from more than 60,000 U.S. surgeries performed between 2005 and 2007 showed no greater risk of serious complications when a surgical resident participated. The authors' definition of serious complication included severe bleeding or postop infection. The serious complication rate of about 6% was the same for both groups, i.e. with and without surgical residents.
