NGC Update Service: November 30, 2015 ► Announcements

NGC Update Service: November 30, 2015

Announcements

NGC Spotlight

• Visit the Hospital-Acquired Conditions page for evidence-based resources available on the NGC Web site to assist users in the prevention of CMS-identified hospital-acquired conditions.

Conference News

• The 8th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation will take place from December 14-15, 2015 in Washington DC. The theme is "Optimizing Personal and Population Health." Visit theconference home page for more information.
• The Guidelines International Network North America (G-I-N NA) continues to sponsor a monthly webinar series on topics of interest to the North American guideline community. Information on upcoming webinars, as well as audio files and slides from past webinars, are available on the G-I-N Web site.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisories

• November 17, 2015: Iodine-containing Contrast Agents for Medical Imaging: FDA is advising that rare cases of underactive thyroid have been reported in infants following the use of contrast media containing iodine, also called "contrast dye," for X-rays and other medical imaging procedures. In all of the reported cases, the infants were either premature or had other serious underlying medical conditions. Available evidence leads FDA to believe that this rare occurrence is usually temporary and resolves without treatment or any lasting effects. See the Drug Safety Communication for a data summary and a list of approved Approved Iodinated Contrast Media Products.
• November 23, 2015: Intravascular Medical Devices: The FDA wants to make health care providers aware of the possibility that hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic coatings may separate (e.g., peel, flake, shed, delaminate, slough off) from medical devices and potentially cause serious injuries to patients. Coating separation can be caused by a number of factors, ranging from the difficulty of the procedure and the patient's anatomy to practitioner technique or using the wrong device for the procedure, to improper preconditioning of the device and improper storage conditions as well as issues with device design or manufacturing processes. Based on current information, the FDA believes the overall benefits of these devices continue to outweigh the risks. However, health care providers should be aware of potential problems and consider certain actions prior to use.

How to Participate

• Submit Guidelines: Visit our Submit Guidelines page for information on how to submit your organization's guidelines.
• Suggest a Guideline for Possible Inclusion: Submit your suggestions for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines that you would like to see included in NGC.

NGC Update Service: November 30, 2015