Airway equipment failure due to a new staff member in Sterile Services

When a staff member needs to improve.

How to fire a staff member.

Gino J. Benedetti, JD Delivering bad news is not easy for anyone. It is natural to feel uncomfortable looking someone in the eyes and imparting news that will cause pain or anger. Yet this is an unavoidable part of taking care of patients and an unavoidable part of managing a staff. Good instincts and hiring skills, as well as a thorough understanding of your office processes and culture, will...

First Reported Case of Reactive Airway Dysfunction Syndrome in a Laborer Due to Porcelain Tile Dust

Reactive airway dysfunction syndrome (RADS) is a type of non-immunologically mediated asthma-like disease. It usually occurs after a massive exposure to an irritating substance in the atmosphere in the form of smoke, fumes, gases, and vapor. Unlike bronchial asthma, there is no latency to the symptoms seen in RADS. A number of agents are known to cause RADS, but tile dust, as an etiological age...

Respiratory failure due to expiratory central airway collapse.

We report a patient with respiratory failure due to expiratory central airway collapse successfully treated with airway stents. A 74-year-old male with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea had recurrent episodes of acute respiratory failure. Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation failed because of patient intolerance and lack of improvement, and soon after he stopped using the noninvasive ven...

Simulation to Assist in the Selection Process of New Airway Equipment in a Children's Hospital

INTRODUCTION To provide an informed choice of equipment purchase, we sought to use simulation to allow medical providers an opportunity to evaluate two potential laryngoscopes. METHODS The study followed a prospective, blinded comparison design. Participants were blinded to the laryngoscope brands by using alphabetic labels on the handles ("A" and "B"). Participants included a convenience sam...