Infection

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association released recommendations on how and when facilities should proceed with cases that should not be postponed due to the likely increase of significantly worse morbidity or prognosis for the patient.

With rising infection rates in the United States and numerous institutional shutdowns, the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak has been compounded by inaccurate medical information that has stoked fear and anxiety among adults and children alike.

The American College of Cardiology today announced it has canceled its annual Scientific Session together with the World Congress of Cardiology due to the increasing number of U.S. and worldwide travel advisories and restrictions placed on institutions and health care providers in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Adults with inflammatory disease prescribed glucocorticoid therapy experienced an improvement in several metabolic parameters after adding metformin therapy for 12 weeks compared with similar adults assigned placebo, according to findings from a phase 2 study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Published results showed failure of total elbow arthroplasty due to infection led to a higher likelihood of revision failure and a greater number of subsequent operations compared with failure due to other etiologies.

The FDA announced it has cleared a new version of a heater-cooler system for use during cardiac surgery and updated a safety communication for a previous version of the device associated with infection risks.

Eyelash extensions are becoming one of the most popular cosmetic treatments. Salons are offering silk, mink and synthetic additions to natural lashes, while Facebook and Instagram are awash in ads for magnetic lash extensions.

PHOENIX — Lumbar laminectomy or discectomy performed at teaching hospitals was associated with a shorter length of stay and higher costs compared with when these procedures were performed at non-teaching hospitals, according to data presented at the Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting, here.

Severe infections may increase the risk for developing substance-induced psychosis, according to a study conducted in Denmark and published in American Journal of Psychiatry.

Using a wrist-worn heart rate tracker, researchers were able to determine that resting heart rates varied from patient to patient by as much as 70 bpm, according to a study published in PLoS One.