Simultaneously recorded leads II and MCL1 rhythm strip obtained from a middle-aged adult with heart disease. Despite this "run of VT", the patient remained alert, hemodynamically stable, and asymptomatic during tachycardia.
It was a provider's worst nightmare. An 86-year-old woman had just undergone surgery in Boston to replace a broken hip. As the staff prepared to transfer her to a bed, a nurse removed a safety strap, according to a media report.1 She then walked toward the patient's left side so a bed could be placed on the right side for the transfer.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis puts a special emphasis on educating its patients and staff about falls.
Facilities that offer bariatric surgery need to purchase equipment that can be used safely with those patients, says Michael Silverstein, MD, MPH, clinical professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.
While there are no quick-and-easy solutions to ensuring effective infection control practices in the ambulatory surgery setting, there are steps managers can take, say infection control experts. Consider these suggestions:
As one recent case shows, it is difficult to prevent a nurse or other health care professional under investigation in one state from moving to another state and practicing.
How many times have you thrown up your hands in frustration and said, "Nothing pleases this surgeon! No matter what we do, it is not good enough."
Do ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and other freestanding health care facilities resemble the Wild West when it comes to infection control practices? This appears to be the perception among at least some members of the infection control profession.
