Background: In the emergency department (ED), there are pre-assembled tonsillar hemorrhage trays for management of post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage and peritonsillar abscess. After use, the tray is sent to the medical device reprocessing (MDR) department for decontamination, sterilization, and re-organization, all at a significant cost to the hospital and environment.
Objective: The goal of this project was to reduce unnecessary instruments on the tonsil hemorrhage tray by 30% by 1 year and report on the associated cost and carbon dioxide (CO) emissions savings.
Methods: This quality improvement project was framed according to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Model for Improvement. ED and Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery staff and residents were surveyed to determine which instruments on the tonsil hemorrhage trays were used regularly. Based on results, a new tray was developed and compared to the old tray using MDR data and existing CO emissions calculations.
Results: Tray optimization resulted in a total cost reduction from $1092.63 to $330.21 per tray per year, decreased processing time from 12 to 6-8 minutes per tray, and decreased CO emissions from 6.11 to 2.85 kg per year for the old versus new tray, respectively. Overall, the new tray contains half the number of instruments, takes half the time to assemble, produces 50% less CO emissions, and will save the hospital approximately $100,000 over 10 years.
Conclusion: Healthcare costs and environmental sustainability are collective responsibilities. Surgical and procedure tray optimization is a simple, effective, and scalable form of eco-action.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/19160216241267719 | DOI Listing |
Turk J Pediatr
November 2024
Department of Pediatric Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Ankara, Türkiye.
Background: Pseudothrombocytopenia is a spurious thrombocytopenia caused mostly by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) use, and if detected early, unnecessary testing and treatment can be avoided. We present pseudothrombocytopenia caused by EDTA and citrate in an asymptomatic healthy child, as well as the value of using peripheral blood smear, platelet histogram, and flag data.
Case: A previously healthy 13-year-old girl with thrombocytopenia who developed tonsillitis 12 days previously was referred to our hematology department.
J Plast Surg Hand Surg
November 2024
Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol
October 2024
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Purpose: To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of tonsillotomy (TT) compared to tonsillectomy (TE) with respect to disease-specific quality of life (QOL), sleep-disordered breathing symptoms, throat infections, and rate of reoperations over a median follow-up period of 12 years.
Methods: All patients < 16 years of age who underwent tonsil surgery between 2010 and 2011 at Helsinki University Hospital, Finland, were included in the study. In 2023, the patients answered a questionnaire concerning tonsil-related issues and a modified Tonsil and Adenoid Health Status Instrument (disease-specific QOL).
Healthcare (Basel)
September 2024
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, P.O. Box 157, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden.
Background: Even though children after tonsil surgery experience pain and other limitations in their daily lives, nursing care is transferred to parents after tonsil surgery, and they might need some kind of support. The aim of the study was to test the design of a randomized controlled trial intended to evaluate a nurse-led telephone follow-up after tonsil surgery on postoperative symptoms and quality of life.
Methods: Of the seventeen children aged 3-17 years scheduled to tonsil surgery, nine were randomized to the intervention group and eight to the control group using a randomization list.
Heliyon
September 2024
Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 656/123, 61200, Brno, Czech Republic.
People are exposed to microplastics (MPs) on a large scale in everyday life. However, it is not clear whether MPs can also be distributed and retained in certain tissues. Therefore, the development of analytical methods capable of detecting MPs in specific human organs/tissues is of utmost importance.
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