8. Surgeons and centers have been sued over TASS.
Something else to keep in mind when assessing your exposure to the
risks of TASS: Patients who have contracted TASS have filed lawsuits,
says Dr. Mamalis, who has served as an expert witness periodically
over the years in such suits (he declined to discuss specifics).
9. You need a TASS plan.
If your facility hosts eye surgeries, you
need a strategy and protocol in place to prevent, identify, treat and
investigate incidences of TASS. Dr. Lee last October co-authored a
paper, "Toxic anterior segment syndrome-an updated review," published
in the BMC Ophthalmology journal that combs through dozens of stud-
ies to present the most recent findings and information about TASS.
While it's a compelling read just for that, it also provides a customizable
TASS protocol algorithm for OR leaders (osmag.net/zYV7Eq).
Forgotten, but not gone
While TASS is no longer headline news, behind the scenes, a core
group of researchers around the world has continued to study the
condition. And it seems the more they find out about TASS, the more
they realize there's so much that still isn't known about it.
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"The causes go much beyond sterilization
methods in the OR," says Dr. Lee. "It's not
just cleaning and care of instruments. It
can be from medications, drapes and
devices such as ophthalmic viscoelastic
agents (OVDs), even intraocular lenses."