Editor's Note Looking at the temperature measurements of more than 126,000 patients, researchers have found that the once-accepted standard body temperature of 98.6 degrees may not be an accurate measure, as reported in JAMA Internal Medicine on September 5.   The 98.6 degree average was originally arrived at in 1868 by…

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Editor's Note Virtual reality (VR) appears to ease the pain and distress felt by patients with cancer, according to a new study published in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. Researchers looked at 31 relevant studies published between 1993 and 2023 in which VR technology was used to help patients, including…

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Editor's Note Anesthesiologist-administered or -directed sedation leads to higher rates of patient discharges to home rather than a long-term care (LTC) facility, according to a study presented at the Anesthesiology 2023 annual meeting. The study focused on interventional radiology (IR) procedures–specifically 9,682 patients who had sedation in the IR suite…

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Editor's Note From 2013 to 2020, women neurosurgeons received half the reimbursement dollars from Medicare compared to their male counterparts, JAMA Network October 11 reports. This investigative study, titled "Gender differences in Medicare practice and payments to neurosurgeons," was published by JAMA Surgery. The researchers analyzed data for 6,052 neurosurgeons…

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Editor's Note A 5-day limit on opioid pain medication prescriptions in Michigan did not negatively impact patient-reported pain levels or satisfaction, JAMA Network October 13 reports. The study, titled "Changes in surgical opioid prescribing and patient-reported outcomes after implementation of an insurer opioid prescribing limit," was published by JAMA Health…

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Editor's Note A new study found that Black and Hispanic patients are significantly more likely to die after a surgical procedure than white patients, Newsweek October 15 reports. The findings were presented at the 2023 Anesthesiology annual meeting. The study analyzed over a million surgical procedures at 7,740 US hospitals…

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Editor's Note Researchers from Europe used an epigenetic clock to accurately measure biological aging in a clinical setting, Wiley October 12 reports. The study, titled "Epigenetic clocks indicate that kidney transplantation and not dialysis mitigate the effects of renal ageing," was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. The researchers…

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Editor's Note An 8-year-old girl in the UK has been able to live a normal life without immunosuppressants following a kidney transplant in which both the organ and stem cells came from the same donor, The Independent October 12 reports. The patient was able to stop taking immunosuppressant drugs a…

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Editor's Note Using a tube that collects about half the blood of a standard tube will still provide enough blood for a lab test while reducing transfusions for critically ill patients, a new investigative study published by JAMA Network reports. The study, titled "Small-Volume Blood Collection Tubes to Reduce Transfusions…

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Editor's Note A new study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that adults with moderate to severe depressive symptoms have a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease compared to those without depressive symptoms. The investigative study, titled "Depressive Symptoms…

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