Mediastinitis and blood transfusion in cardiac surgery: a systematic review.

Background: Mediastinitis, a serious complication after cardiac surgery, increases morbidity, mortality, and cost of care. Accumulating evidence implicates blood transfusions in the development of mediastinitis.

Objectives: We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the association between allogeneic blood transfusion and mediastinitis in adult cardiac surgery patients.

Impact of a patient safety curriculum for nurse anesthesia students.

Patient safety has become an important aspect of national health care initiatives. The purpose of this evaluation was to measure the impact of a patient safety education series for students enrolled in a nurse anesthesia program. Baseline surveys that measured patient safety competencies across three domains, attitudes, skills and knowledge, were administered to the students.

Case study involving suctioning of an electromyographic endotracheal tube.

The electromyographic endotracheal tube (EMG-ETT) is a relatively new tool used to measure integrity of the vocal cord structures during surgery. We describe a case in which an EMG-ETT was inserted for the operative period but not replaced with an ETT during the immediate postoperative period. Intensive care unit nurses had difficulty suctioning the EMG-ETT.