Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1412801
100 CMO / CARE DELIVERY COVID-19 vaccine not tied to miscarriage, updated CDC guidance says By Gabrielle Masson T he CDC released data Aug. 11 regarding the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant people and is recommending all people 12 and older get the COVID-19 vaccine. "CDC encourages all pregnant people or people who are thinking about becoming pregnant and those breastfeeding to get vaccinat- ed to protect themselves from COVID-19," Rochelle Walensky, MD, director of the CDC, said in an Aug. 11 news release. "e vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people." e CDC analysis of data from its pregnancy registry examined vaccination early in pregnancy. Researchers did not find an increased risk of miscarriage among almost 2,500 pregnant people who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy. For the general population, miscarriage typically occurs in about 11 percent to 16 percent of pregnancies, and this study found miscarriage rates aer a COVID-19 vaccine to be around 13 percent. Previous data from three safety monitoring systems didn't identify any safety concerns for pregnant people or their babies for those vaccinated late in pregnancy. n American Society of Anesthesiologists condemns AANA name change By Kelly Gooch A new name debuted by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists is confusing for patients, creates discord in the healthcare setting and amounts to medical title misappropriation, the American Society of An- esthesiologists said Aug. 14. On Aug. 14, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists announced it is moving forward as the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology as part of a yearlong rebranding ef- fort to advance the science of nurse anesthesiology and ad- vocate for the nearly 60,000 certified registered nurse anes- thetists and student registered nurse anesthetists in the U.S. "Our new name tells the story of who we are, what we do and what we stand for," AANA President Steven Sertich, CRNA, said in a news release. "We have now unified this un- derstanding behind a clear, revitalized brand." The American Society of Anesthesiologists values nurse anesthetist colleagues and their work, but it is also dedicat- ed to preserving a physician-led, team-based model of care, ASA President Beverly Philip, MD, said in a news release. Dr. Philip said the "AANA's title misappropriation is a de- ceptive use of established medical terms and is part of their continuing push for nurse-only practice, which can jeopar- dize our patients' safety and well-being. It also misleads the public and engages in the pretense that nurse anesthetists' education and training are equivalent to that of physicians." The American Society of Anesthesiologists has more than 54,000 members. n Cedars-Sinai's longest- serving nurse retires after 50 years By Mackenzie Bean L os Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai celebrated the retirement of its longest-serving clinical nurse, Patsi Saoud, RN. Ms. Saoud joined Cedars of Lebanon — which merged with Mount Sinai to become Cedars-Sinai — in 1971. She spent 49 of her 50 years at the sys- tem practicing as a cardiac surgery nurse. When Ms. Saoud joined Cedars-Sinai, the surgeons at its heart institute performed one to two heart sur- geries a week. Now, the Smidt Heart Institute is a global leader in heart surgery, recording more than 30 procedures a week. Ms. Saoud had a near perfect attendance record at work, which she credited in part to her colleagues. "I love the camaraderie, I love the friends that I've made," she said in an Aug. 5 news release. "I've met many lifelong friends here. It's just a very warm, friendly place to work. I would recommend it to anyone." Ms. Saoud's last day at Cedars-Sinai was July 30. In her retirement, she said she plans to take dance classes and astronomy and physics courses. After waking up before the sun rose for 50 years, Ms. Saoud said she also plans to enjoy life without an alarm clock. n