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Perioperative
A special week for perioperative nurses
Learn about Perioperative Nurse Week and perioperative nurisng.
Act fast when new neurologic deficits arise
Alert clinicians take immediate steps to eliminate a life threatening epidural hematoma.
Adherence to SCIP not always associated with lower postop infections
A study in JAMA found that adhering to a global all-or-none composite infection-prevention SCIP (Surgical Care Improvement Project) score reduced…
Consumer Reports rates heart-surgery groups
Heart-surgery groups have joined the ranks of cars and fast food in Consumer Report. The magazine teamed with the Society…
Davol XenMatrix Surgical Graft recall
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration notified healthcare professionals that several lots of XenMatrix Surgical Graft have been recalled because…
Dispelling pain myths
Read up on the latest evidence-based best practices in pain management.
Drugs Today – August 2008
Web Exclusive! An update of drug news, including alerts, approvals, and removals, at www.AmericanNurseToday.com/journal.
Drugs Today – July/August 2009
A weekly update of drug news, including alerts, approvals, and removals.
Drugs Today – May 2008
An update of drug news, including alerts, approvals, and removals.
Far from home, bringing smiles to children’s faces
During my three decades as a nurse, volunteering on a medical mission has always been on my “to do” list.…
FDA announces recall of Stryker cutting guide for TKA
On April 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Stryker Orthopaedics has recalled ShapeMatch Cutting Guides, used…
FDA approves gel to stop blood flow during blood vessel surgery
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved LeGoo, a gel that stops blood flow during blood vessel surgery so…
FDA updates safety data for silicone gel-filled breast implants
A new report of data from studies conducted by manufacturers confirms that silicone gel-filled breast implants are “safe and effective…
FDA warns of risk of death from postop codeine use in children
On Aug. 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about risk of death from postop codeine…
FDA warns of risk of surgical mesh used to repair pelvic organ prolapse
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning for surgical placement of mesh through the vagina to repair…
Get positive results with negative-pressure wound therapy
The author present tips to help you avoid pitfalls and ensure safe use of negative-pressure wound therapy, which applies subatmospheric pressure to accelerate the healing of complex wounds.
Handling with care: The bariatric patient
Technological advances, special equipment, and screening algorithms help healthcare facilities and nurses meet the needs of bariatric patients while reducing worker injury.
Higher percentage of BSN nurses associated with lower rates of postsurgery mortality
The March issue of Health Affairs includes “An increase in the number of nurses with baccalaureate degrees is linked to…
Hospital-acquired infections mortalities, costs
Two common conditions caused by hospital-acquired infections killed 48,000 people and ramped up health care costs by $8.1 billion in 2006 alone, according to a study released Feb. 22 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Improved surgical communication reduces communication breakdowns
An intervention to improve surgical communication led to “significant reductions in potentially harmful communication breakdowns” according to May’s Annals of…
Little Progress in fight against health care-associated infections, says AHRQ
Most health care-associated infections continue to increase, according to the 2009 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report…
Number of deaths after surgery declines
The number of inpatient deaths occurring within 30 days of surgery declined from 1996 to 2006 despite an increase in…
Nurse anesthetists: Demand is up and the secret is out
Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) were once called the “best kept secret in health care,” but not today. With the…
Perioperative nurses: Keeping surgical patients safe
Perioperative nurses work on the front line caring for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures. They collaborate with patients,…
Postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery associated with cognitive decline first year after surgery
Patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting or valve-replacement surgery and who developed postoperative delirium had a significant decline in…
Protocol reduces complications for complex spinal surgery
A team approach reduces rates of major complications for complex spinal reconstructive surgery by two thirds, according to a report…
Putting a stop to postop nausea and vomiting
GI distress after surgery is a scary prospect for patients, and an all-too-common reality. But it isn’t inevitable. Learn how to minimize your patients’ risk and relieve their symptoms.
Quality-improvement initiative: Classifying and documenting surgical wounds
Interprofessional collaboration promoted a successful initiative to improve wound classification.
Quiz Time
Which type of temporary pacing usually is used for a patient having major cardiac surgery? a. Epicardial pacing b. Transvenous…
Recent advances in cardiac diagnostic and surgical procedures
New techniques expand the options for high-risk patients and cause fewer complications than conventional surgery.
Reiki: Ancent healing art for today’s new healthcare vision
Perhaps you’ve heard of a complementary therapy called Reiki, or maybe you’ve experienced it yourself. Reiki is one of the…
Six more hot drugs for today and beyond
These six drug profiles, along with the six in the March issue of American Nurse Today, bring you up to date on significant advances in drug therapy.
Spotting trouble after spinal surgery
The rapid response team makes all the right moves when a patient experiences neck swelling and difficulty swallowing after an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.
Stemming the rising tide of acute kidney injury
By obtaining a thorough history and conducting a careful assessment, you can help patients avoid this condition.
Study in Health Affairs states surgical checklists save money
A study published in Health Affairs reports that use of the World Health Organization’s surgical safety checklist save hospital money…
Study: Delayed transfer to ICU increases mortality risk
A study that will be presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference has found that delayed transfer to the ICU…
Study: General anesthesia, gender affects ambulatory surgery anxiety
A study in Journal of Advanced Nursing found that anxiety associated with elective, ambulatory surgery was higher in women and…
Study: Health care organizations reduce SSIs by nearly half with Joint Commission project
A 2.5-year project under the direction of the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare in collaboration with the American College…
Study: High glucose in patients with diabetes increases risk of dehiscence after surgery for chronic wounds
A study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reports that preoperative and postoperative hyperglycemia and elevated A1c in patients with…
Study: High patient satisfaction not linked to surgical quality processes
A study of 31 hospitals in JAMA Surgery found that patient satisfaction was not associated with performance of surgical process…
Study: Preoperative hyponatremia associated with perioperative mortality
Preoperative hyponatremia is associated with higher risk of 30-day mortality and a greater risk of perioperative morbidity, including major coronary…
Study: Smoking increases risk of complications after colorectal surgery
A study published in the Annals of Surgery has found that smoking increases the risk of complications after major colorectal…
Study: Surgical checklist reduces 30-day morbidity
Using a surgical safety checklist, including providing comprehensive training on it, significantly decreases 30-day morbidity, according to a study in…
Surgeons between 35 and 50 years old provide safest thyroid surgery care
A multicenter study of 28 surgeons performing 3,574 thyroidectomies published in BMJ found that surgeons aged between 35 and 50…
Take Note – January 2009
A monthly round-up of clinical and practice news and alerts.
Take Note – June 2008
Failure to rescue is most common safety mistake in hospitals HealthGrades’ fifth annual Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study found…
Teaming up to improve the quality of surgical care
Using Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) to produce better patient outcomes
The dangers of postop abdominal distention
The rapid response team scrambles to save this patient.
Understanding the dangers of waste anesthetic gases
Exposure to volatile anesthetic gases poses a hazard to anyone who works in an operating or recovery room.
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