First Case Podcast

 What does postoperative pain management look like in children? Is it the same as adults? In today’s episode, Dr. Erik Pearson, a pediatric surgeon in Las Vegas, NV, sheds light on this important topic and draws attention to the unique nature of pediatric pain. Tune in to discover the alarming statistics surrounding opioid addiction in...

Regional anesthesia (nerve blocks) improves the patient’s surgic...

Is your hospital clean? Do patients see the privacy curtain and see that it hasn't been exchanged in over a year? 

"It’s not surprising that patients and their loved ones “know
clean when they see it” and that they value it. If enough
patients are saying the hospital is not clean as evidenced
by a curtain that hasn’t been changed, hospital leadership
should listen to them. Patients are making judgements
about the quality of care wh...

Are you ready for Season 11 to begin??  In this season, we’re “Going Beyond Opioids” and focusing on the opioid cris...

How many times have you been asked to operate the laser during a case? Were you trained to operate that laser, and did you feel confident you could troubleshoot issues if anything went wrong?

Is the "inexpensive" curtain you signed up for actually costing you more money?

"When looking at “no-ladder” solutions that deploy a
standardized curtain size (whether fabric or disposable) one
should not just consider the per panel cost, but more
importantly HOW MANY curtain panels are required based
on your track lengths."

This is episode 11 of our 12-Part Expert Series On-The-Go series! In this series, we're learning from indust...

Have you ever wondered what it was like to work in an operating room in another country? Or, have you ever thought about serving on a medical mission team? In this week's Special Release interview, join host Chris Blevins as she interviews Melanie Perry about her recent medical mission trip to Honduras. Find out what it was like to work in a foreign operating room, learn about the preparations that went into making the trip happen,...

Are ceiling-mounted cubicle tracks hindering room cleaning and patient turnovers?

"It’s not surprising that curtains fly under the radar, creating significant patient and staff infection risk as they
frequently remain in place too long. But how on earth can we expect EVS departments to figure out how to exchange these curtains, touched by everyone, in a timely fashion when they’ve been dealt such a bad hand due to terrible design!"

In between Seasons 10 and 11, we're re-releasing 4 exciting episodes from Season 5!

Once our patients are intubated, what’s going on inside their airway? Is it protected from drainage and secretions? On today’s episode, we speak with anesthesiologist Dr. Benjamin Wang, MD, CMO and Founder of NeVap. We are going to learn about healthy airway design, how anesthetics and paralytics affect the airway, and how subglottic drainage can le...

Are anti-microbial curtains making us feel safer than we are? "Current studies show that even pre-treated textiles can
become contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. It
is unfortunate that this “fecal patina” is not visible to the
naked eye because this limitation allows for curtains to be
bypassed for months by EVS management."

This is episode 9 of our 12-Part Expert Series On-The-Go series! In this series, we're learning fro...

In between Seasons 10 and 11, we're re-releasing 4 exciting episodes from Season 5!

What is moral injury? How does it apply to healthcare workers? How did the Covid-19 pandemic highlight this phenomenon? Helping us understand more about moral injury is Dr. Mike Rempel, DNP, RN, CNOR, education specialist, at University Hospital, Newark, NJ. If you haven’t heard of moral injury, you’re not alone! It has only recently been applied to...

"Have you ever wondered what happens to items like used
facemasks, gowns, or even those “recyclable” privacy
curtains? You may assume they go “away,” but did you know
there is no “away” when it comes to these Single Use
Disposables (SUDs)?"

Find out more in today's Expert Series On-The-Go!

This is episode 8 of our 12-Part Expert Series On-The-Go series! In this series, we're learning from industry expert Karen Goelst, CEO and Found...

In between Seasons 10 and 11, we're rereleasing 4 exciting episodes from Season 5!

In this week's re-release, we're talking all things fire safety! We’re familiar with fire safety drills, evacuation drills, and we’ve probably taken the same fire safety test (with the same answers) for a few years in a row. Today’s interview with Kamil Makhnejia, VP of Clinical Development at Jackson Medical, reminds us of the importance of fire saf...

In this episode, Karen dispels the myths surrounding UV-C light disinfection for privacy curtains, and discusses how UV-C light disinfection is less efficient than laundering. Plus, discover how long it can take to adequately terminally clean a patient room if the privacy curtain is exchanged as well. 

This is episode 7 of our 12-Part Expert Series On-The-Go series! In this series, we're learning from industry expert Karen Goelst, ...

In between Seasons 10 and 11, we're rereleasing 4 exciting episodes from Season 5!

How can the OR and SPD benefit from strong vendor relationships? How can our current vendor management process be improved? We’re talking all things vendor management on today’s episode of First Case with Jeff Wertz, Chief Commercial Officer at Sergio Health. Tune in as we discuss the current state of frustration from the OR/SPD perspective, but also...

We're halfway through our 12-Part Expert Series On-The-Go series! In this 6th episode, we're continuing the conversation with industry expert Karen Goelst, CEO and Founder of KleenEdge. With a 20-year background in architectural specialties and textiles, Karen became passionate about solving the issues surrounding privacy curtains following her 15-year-old son’s hospital stay with MRSA.

In this episode, learn the key to targeted di...

What does advocacy look like within your facility? How can you speak to leadership in a way that can bring about change? Joining us to answer these burning questions is Dustin Cain, Coordinator of Quality and Education at a hospital in Atlanta, GA, and Current Treasurer for AST. In this final episode of Season 10 we’ll discuss the benefits of belonging to your professional organization and learn what it looks l...

Welcome to episode 5 of our 12-Part Expert Series On-The-Go series, where we're continuing the conversation with industry expert Karen Goelst, CEO and Founder of KleenEdge! With a 20-year background in architectural specialties and textiles, Karen became passionate about solving the issues surrounding privacy curtains following her 15-year-old son’s hospital stay with MRSA.

In this episode, Karen uncovers the reasons why many hospi...