Patient & Staff Safety
TELETOM Equipment Management System
January 11, 2013 9:48 am | by Berchtold | Berchtold Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsBerchtold's TELETOM Equipment Management System is a completely customizable boom solution that allows facilities to create the boom they need for any clinical application and healthcare environment. The suspension system, placement of services, accessories, lights and shelves can all be custom selected to optimize the available space, enhance workflow and accommodate future equipment and service requirements.
Why Mistakes Are Happening In The OR
January 9, 2013 3:49 pm | by ABC News | Videos | CommentsHere is a major alert from doctors at one of America's leading medical schools. A recent report from Johns Hopkins University says more than 4,000 times a year, surgeons are making mistakes in the operating room that should never happen and can be stopped. Here is a breakdown of the recent news.
Americans Want Congress To Expand Medical Research
January 9, 2013 12:36 pm | News | CommentsA majority of Americans (72 percent) say the new Congress and the President should take action to expand medical research within the first 100 days of the 113th Congress. Public support for increased government spending on medical research holds particular relevance as Congress considers whether to further delay, eliminate or permit "sequestration," a budget cutting process that - if it moves forward - would mean drastic cuts in funding for medical research.
Studies Support DNA Testing On Biopsies To Prevent Misdiagnoses
January 9, 2013 12:23 pm | News | CommentsThe first study found that up to 3.5 percent of patients initially diagnosed with cancer were subject to undetected specimen switches or contaminations which may have compromised the accuracy of their diagnosis. The second concluded that performing a simple DNA test to confirm the provenance of malignant tissue samples is a cost-effective way to improve patient safety and diagnostic accuracy.
Health Systems Need Not Be Fallible
January 9, 2013 9:30 am | by Kenneth Lin, M.D. | Blogs | CommentsAll people are fallible, and health professionals no less so than others. But medicine is usually less forgiving of simple mistakes. A technically perfect surgery is a disaster because it was performed on the wrong body part. A patient develops a life-threatening infection because a doctor forgot to wash his hands.
Acetaminophen Can Ease Infant's Surgical Pain
January 9, 2013 9:14 am | by Michael Smith | Product Releases | CommentsWhen very young babies have major surgery, intravenous acetaminophen can reduce the need for morphine, researchers reported. In a randomized trial, postoperative acetaminophen, delivered four times a day, relieved pain as well as continuous morphine.
Breast Cancer Screenings Don't Ensure Better Outcomes
January 8, 2013 12:46 pm | News | CommentsEven though Medicare spends over $1 billion per year on breast cancer screenings such as a mammography, there is no evidence that higher spending benefits older women.
Most Do Not Meet Medicare Quality Reporting Requirements
January 8, 2013 12:34 pm | News | CommentsA new Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute study shows that fewer than one-in-five healthcare providers meet Medicare Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) requirements. Those that meet PQRS thresholds now receive a 0.5 percent Medicare bonus payment. In 2015, bonuses will be replaced by penalties for providers who do not meet PQRS requirements. As it stands, more than 80 percent of providers nationwide would face these penalties.
Specialization Improves Esophageal Cancer Surgery Results
January 8, 2013 12:21 pm | News | CommentsPatients operated on by surgeons with a high annual and total volume had 22 percent lower long-term mortality. Researchers also concluded that esophageal cancer surgery should be concentrated to fewer surgeons, giving them the opportunity to maintain a high annual volume for this major, complicated procedure.
Mom Nearly Dies; Twins' Amniotic Fluid Leaks Into Her Blood
January 8, 2013 9:18 am | by Susan Donaldson James | Articles | CommentsAngela Cottam was in the middle of heavy labor with a set of twins when she suddenly began choking and turned blue. She didn't know it at the time, but the amniotic fluid surrounding the babies in her womb had leaked into her blood system and was quickly killing her. Cottam's lungs collapsed and she nearly bled to death.
New Compound Overcomes MRSA In Mice
January 7, 2013 12:31 pm | News | CommentsResearchers have discovered a new compound that restores the health of mice infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an otherwise dangerous bacterial infection. The new compound targets an enzyme not found in human cells but is essential to bacterial survival.
Large Transfusions Add Risk For Heart Attack Patients With Anemia
January 4, 2013 1:19 pm | News | CommentsWhen heart attack patients present in the emergency department with some degree of anemia, or anemic patients have a heart attack, physicians have a tendency, but not much guidance, about whether to provide a blood transfusion.
Why Patients Lie To Their Doctors
January 2, 2013 4:21 pm | by NBC News | Videos | CommentsA survey shows more than half of Americans aren't totally truthful with their doctors, and physicians say even white lies may have consequences. Why does this continue to happen?
Racial Disparities Tied To Hospital Type
January 2, 2013 12:45 pm | News | CommentsWhen researchers from UCLA Medical Center investigated the link between racial disparities and appendicitis outcomes in children, they found that the type of hospital in which black, Hispanic and other minority patients receive care—community, children’s or county—affects their odds of developing a perforated appendix.
'Thousands' Of Errors Made By Surgeons
January 2, 2013 9:54 am | by Skeptical Scalpel | Blogs | CommentsI agree with those who say there are “never” events that are totally preventable and should never happen. But I want to set the record straight. Listen to me. Surgeons are not the cause of sponges being left in patients. I’ll explain.
Survival After Less-Invasive Abdominal Procedure Equal To Open Approach
December 21, 2012 11:58 am | News | CommentsDespite earlier signs that a less-invasive surgery is safer and better than "open" operations to repair potentially lethal abdominal aortic aneurysms, a study led by a Johns Hopkins professor shows survival rates after four years are similar for both procedures.
"Never" Events Occur 4,000 Times Every Year
December 21, 2012 11:42 am | News | CommentsAfter a cautious and rigorous analysis of national malpractice claims, Johns Hopkins patient safety researchers estimate that a surgeon in the United States leaves a foreign object such as a sponge or a towel inside a patient's body after an operation 39 times a week, performs the wrong procedure on a patient 20 times a week and operates on the wrong body site 20 times a week.
Hospitals Fined For Endangering Patients
December 21, 2012 11:27 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsState health officials fined 12 California hospitals $785,000 for mistakes that endangered patients on Thursday, including a doctor's improper use of a surgical device that investigators said resulted in a patient's death.
Respirator And Surgical Mask
December 21, 2012 10:32 am | by Ansell | Product Releases | CommentsAnsell's GAMMEX N95 respirator and surgical mask utilizes a hybrid technology that incorporates the comfort of a standard surgical mask with the protection of a respirator. It filters out 95% of airborne particles down to 0.1 micron in size.
Surgeons Still Make Preventable Mistakes
December 21, 2012 10:04 am | by Dr. Lauren Browne | Blogs | CommentsWithin the past 20 years, there were close to 10,000 reported instances when a foreign object was left in a patient, the wrong surgery was performed, or the surgery was performed on the wrong patient or wrong part of the body.
Purines Fend Off Surgery-Related Damage
December 19, 2012 11:30 am | News | CommentsResearchers determined that generating adenosine outside of cells can help protect organs from damage. And they saw that activating adenosine receptors on the lungs, the intestine, or the heart can help protect these organs. For patients who might face surgery with anesthesia, the findings are good news.
Telestroke Networks Benefit Patients, Save Hospitals Money
December 17, 2012 12:18 pm | News | CommentsTelestroke networks that enable the remote and rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke can improve the bottom line of patients and hospitals, researchers report.
Surgery Saves Santa's Holiday
December 17, 2012 11:57 am | by Chance Ryan | News | CommentsFor more than 24 years, Paul Crochet, 73, of Houma, LA, has played the role of Santa at Southland Mall, entertaining kids with his natural Claus-like features and jolly Cajun accent. But when Crochet sought relief from aortic stenosis, he learned his only option would be an unconventional trial surgery.
Aging Doctors Come Under Greater Scrutiny
December 17, 2012 9:22 am | by Sandra G. Boodman | Articles | CommentsStudies have found that approximately one-third of doctors don't even have a personal physician, who might be on the lookout for deteriorating hearing, vision or motor coordination, or the cognitive impairment that precedes dementia.
Improving Patient Data Security On Mobile Devices
December 14, 2012 1:27 pm | News | CommentsLaunched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today, a new education initiative and set of online tools provide healthcare providers and organizations practical tips on ways to protect their patients’ protected health information when using mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
