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The effects of operating room fires can be devastating. An estimated 50 to 100 surgical fires per year is one of the reasons that the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has developed a practice advisory to address the issue.
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As part of his efforts to educate the public about heart health, Frederick Meadors, MD, a surgeon at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in Little Rock, AR, had planned to perform surgery on a patient while 330 people watched the procedure live through a video feed in a hospital auditorium.
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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.
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In light of a hepatitis C virus outbreak that resulted in public health officials advising 40,000 patients to be tested, Dipak Desai, MD, majority owner of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, issued the following statement on March 10, 2008:
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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:
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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.
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Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis puts a special emphasis on educating its patients and staff about falls.