Monthly Archives: September 2017

Today's Top Story Survey: Overtreatment often driven by liability concerns. Findings from a survey published online in the journal PLOS One suggest that many physicians believe overtreatment to be common and often driven by fear of medical liability. The research team surveyed 2,106 American Medical Association physicians and determined that an interpolated median of 20.6 percent of overall medical care may be unnecessary, including 22.0 percent of prescription medications, 24.9 percent of tests, and 11.1 percent of procedures. [...]

The U.S. and West Virginia are in the midst of an opioid crisis, with millions of Americans misusing prescription pain killers. “Orthopaedic surgeons acknowledge their role among the most frequent opioid prescribers,” said West Virginia Orthopaedic Society President Stan Tao, M.D.  “We are working diligently and collectively to improve the safety and efficacy of pain relief strategies.” The goal is no longer to relieve all pain, bucking a trend started in the 1990s with the “pain as the [...]

Today's Top Story Hospitals brace for Irma, evacuate patients. Hospitals and medical facilities in southern Florida and beyond are mobilizing as one of the strongest hurricanes on record bears down on the region. Hospitals in the Florida Keys evacuated patients and moved some to locations as far away as Alabama and North Carolina, as well as to other Florida facilities better prepared to withstand catastrophic weather and aftermath. By Wednesday, many south Florida hospitals were discharging patients who [...]

Today's Top Story Study: What happens after removal of an infected TKA device A study published online in The Journal of Arthroplasty examines trends after removal of an infected total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with spacer placement. The authors reviewed data on 18,533 Medicare beneficiaries who underwent removal of an infected TKA and placement of an antibiotic spacer for periprosthetic infection (PJI). At 1-year follow-up, they found that 691 patients (3.7 percent) had died in a hospital setting, 852 [...]

Today's Top Story FDA announces recall of one lot of Hospira Vancomycin Hydrochloride for Injection. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that Hospira is voluntarily recalling one lot of Vancomycin Hydrochloride for Injection, USP, 750 mg/vial (NDC 0409-6531-02) lot 632153A, to the hospital/retailer level, due to a confirmed customer report for the presence of particulate matter, confirmed as glass, within a single vial. In the event the particulate is administered to a patient, it may result [...]