CDC study finds nearly 30% increase in ED visits for opioid overdose
Editor’s Note Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) found that emergency department (ED) visits for opioid overdoses increased 29.7% from July 2016 to September 2017,...
View ArticleCivilian prehospital tourniquet use saves lives, limbs
Editor’s Note Though still underused, this study found civilian prehospital tourniquet application tied to a six-fold reduction in mortality in peripheral vascular injuries. The Texas Tourniquet Study...
View ArticleJoint Commission issues new Sentinel Event Alert on violence against...
Editor’s Note The Joint Commission on April 17 announced that it had issued a new Sentinel Event Alert 59: Physical and verbal violence against healthcare workers. The Joint Commission issued the alert...
View ArticleACS advocates for a consensus strategy on preventing firearm violence
Editor’s Note In an effort to bridge political differences and provide a constructive path forward, leaders of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma on April 19 released a set of...
View ArticleStudy: Procedures performed by older surgeons have lower mortality rates
Editor’s Note In this study, non-elective surgical procedures performed by older surgeons (aged 50 and up) had lower mortality rates than those performed by younger surgeons, and mortality rates did...
View ArticleMilitary-civilian partnership creates first fully integrated trauma system
Editor’s Note The American College of Surgeons on May 23 announced that a partnership between the Military Health System and civilian trauma institutions is underway to create the first fully...
View ArticleJune 8 is Hospitals Against Violence National Day of Awareness
Editor’s Note On June 8, the American Hospital Association (AHA) is hosting its second annual Hospitals Against Violence National Day of Awareness, termed “#HAVhope Friday.” The day has been set aside...
View ArticleManaging patient and family disruption in the perioperative setting–Part 2
Disruption in the healthcare setting occurs all too often and can be dangerous for patients and staff like. Part 1 of this series discussed some of the reasons behind the volatile behavior of patients...
View ArticleALS by physicians linked to increased survival
Editor’s Note In patients with traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) after traffic collisions, advanced life support (ALS) performed by physicians was associated with increased chance of...
View ArticleFreestanding EDs lower admission rates
Editor’s Note Patients assessed in hospital-based emergency departments (EDs) were 20% more likely to be admitted than patients at freestanding EDs, this study finds. Data for the 3,230 patient study,...
View ArticleCDC: Naloxone use by emergency medical services up 75% in 4 years
Editor’s Note Naloxone administration by emergency medical services increased 75.1% between 2012 and 2016, mirroring a 79.7% increase in fatal opioid overdoes during the same time period, according to...
View ArticleImproving patient flow from ED with electronic nursing handoff process
Editor’s Note Use of a standardized, electronic nursing handoff communication process resulted in decreased boarding time in the emergency department (ED) and increased bed flow efficiency, this study...
View ArticleCalifornia fires threaten safety of OR staff
On Monday, July 23, a trailer blew a tire at the intersection of Highway 299 and Carr Powerhouse Road in the Whiskeytown district of Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area in Northern...
View ArticlePoor access to trauma centers associated with higher prehopital mortality
Editor’s Note States with poor access to trauma centers have more deaths before injured patients arrive at the hospital than states with better access, finds this study presented October 22 at the...
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