Surgeons’ choice of skin disinfectant impacts infection risk, Canadian-American study shows

Researchers of the PREPARE trial, which enrolled nearly 8,500 participants at 25 hospitals in Canada and the United States, found the use of iodine povacrylex in alcohol to disinfect a patient’s skin could prevent surgical site infection in thousands of patients undergoing surgery for a closed fracture each year.

Infection Risk Is Rare With Epidural and Spinal Blocks, Higher With Peripheral Nerve Block Catheters

A review of medical literature found that infections following epidural and spinal blocks are rare. Infections following peripheral nerve block catheters are more common but have been less frequently studied; this may necessitate a review of patient and procedural aspects to lower the risk associated with these procedures.

SPECIAL ISSUE ON THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The international journal Risk Analysis has published a timely special issue for May 2021, “Global Systemic Risk and Resilience for Novel Coronavirus and COVID-19.” Featuring 11 papers written for this issue over the past year, the collection represents a sampling of insights and viewpoints from scholars across risk sciences and resilience analytics to guide decision-making and operations related to the COVID-19 pandemic.