Olympus Receives FDA Clearance For Duodenoscope With Disposable Component

February 11, 2020 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Olympus has joined the list of duodenoscope manufacturers receiving the green light to market a duodenoscope with disposable components by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Following closely on the heels of Pentax and Fujifilm’s models with disposable components, and Boston Scientific’s fully disposable duodenoscope, Olympus is now cleared to sell a duodenoscope […]

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How One Hospital Avoided A Patient Safety Disaster Using Scope Tracking Software

January 31, 2020 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Operating Rooms, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Flexible endoscopes present a unique challenge for hospitals to track and manage – these expensive medical instruments must be quickly re-processed after usage in order to provide the required instrumentation for the next procedure, yet they must undergo rigorous, time-consuming reprocessing after every use to ensure the highest levels of patient safety. Due to different

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FDA Issues Recommendation For Use Of Duodenoscopes With Disposable Components

January 24, 2020 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Shortly following the recent United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of the first duodenoscopes with disposable components, the bureau is now recommending that facilities move to the new models where available. The FDA firmly believes that a move to disposable parts, and in some cases fully disposable scopes, will help reduce infection risks.

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Physicians Are Spending Too Much Time Documenting In EHRs – And Hospitals Have To Find New Solutions

October 12, 2021 / Clinical Documentation, Hospital Finance, Hospital Management, Operational Efficiency, The Business of Surgery /

A recent New York Times op-ed reinforced the widespread feeling among US physicians that they are spending too much time documenting their work in electronic health record (EHR) software. Recent estimates put physician time spent in their EHR at 50% of their workday, significantly reducing the amount of time they can spend on patient care.

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How One Hospital Transitioned Endoscope Reprocessing To Central Sterile

January 9, 2020 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), based in Portland, OR, recently underwent a dramatic change in their endoscopy practice with the opening of the new Center for Health & Healing Building 2 (CHH2). As part of the opening, OHSU moved its endoscopy operations to a new building, with the endoscopy department and central sterile department

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Duodenoscope Safety Continues To Move Forward With First Disposable Model

January 3, 2020 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the first fully disposable duodenoscope on the market. The industry believes that a move to disposable parts, and now fully disposable scopes, will help reduce infection risks. Poorly disinfected duodenoscopes have been linked to numerous cases of superbug outbreaks over the past several years. The

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Joint Commission Increases Scrutiny Of Endoscope Reprocessing Procedures

October 12, 2021 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

With endoscope cleaning procedures continuing to be a focus for hospitals emphasizing patient safety, the Joint Commission has also increased its scrutiny of reprocessing protocols at its member hospitals. In order to minimize the chances of using poorly reprocessed endoscopes, hospitals should concentrate on understanding endoscope instructions for use and knowing the evidence-based guidelines put

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Study Reveals Up To One-Third Of Endoscopes Carry Bacteria

December 19, 2019 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

A recent study conducted by biotech company OneLife showed that between 10% and 30% of endoscopes in use at Belgian hospitals are contaminated by bacteria. This is the result even though the endoscopes in question were tested after going through the high-level disinfection process. Due to the complex nature of endoscopes, they are high-level disinfected

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FDA Introduces Pilot Programs For EtO Sterilization Initiatives

December 16, 2019 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new initiatives to spur innovation in Ethylene Oxide (EtO) sterilization for medical devices. EtO has recently come under pressure as a practice due to the hazardous release of ethylene oxide into the environment from facilities performing the sterilization process. This year, the United States Environmental Protection

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FDA Recalls Allergan Textured Breast Implants

December 5, 2019 / Hospital Management, Operating Rooms, Patient Safety, The Business of Surgery /

The United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recalled a specific type of breast implant manufactured by Allergan. The recall, announced earlier in 2019, included the textured Biocell breast implants and expanders. The implants have been linked to a certain cancer, called BIA-ALCL. While the exact link between these implants and the cancer is unknown,

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