Editor's Note Published December 21, a year-long investigation by KFF Health News into medical device malfunctions found that the FDA allows the sale of most medical devices, including many implants, without requiring tests for safety or effectiveness. Instead, manufacturers need to show only that they have “substantial equivalence” to an…

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Editor's Note A survey of health system executives published January 4 by VMG Health finds that an increasing number are planning to expand into joint ventures with ambulatory surgery centers as they look to move more services from inpatient to outpatient facilities. The survey included 141 health system executives, including…

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Editor's Note The antibody shot Nirsevimab can protect infants from hospitalization from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The results from the new clinical trial were published December 28 in The New England Journal of Medicine. Affecting two of three children in their first year of life, RSV causes seasonal infection and,…

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Editor's Note A near doubling of ransomware attacks on healthcare systems from 2022 to 2023 could point to a problematic trend, according to a January 2 report from cybersecurity firm Emsisoft. Specifically, findings show 46 ransomware attacks in 2023 compared to 25 in 2022 and 27 in 2021. The 2023…

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Editor's Note A study published in BMJ Open is “the first to present an illustrative model of clinicians’ real-world decision making for managing DDIs,” the outlet reported on December 1. DDIs, or drug-drug interactions, are known to cause significant harm (including death), hundreds of thousands of patients hospitalized each year…

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Editor's Note According to a new study from the University of Michigan, a surge in multiple respiratory viruses was associated with different pediatric acute care across emergency departments (EDs) across the state. The findings appeared in JAMA Network Open on December 7. The study used data from more than 2.7…

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Editor's Note Mild electric stimulation to the back of surgeons’ heads could enhance robotic surgery accuracy and precision, according to findings published in the journal Scientific Reports on December 20. The study tasked 36 participants – approximately half male, half female, none of whom had experience with robotic surgery –…

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Editor's Note Mental health intervention significantly reduces the likelihood of trauma survivors returning to the hospital in crisis after discharge, according to a study in the January 2024 issue of Annals of Surgery. According to the data, as many as 4 out of 10 of the 1.5 to 2 million…

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Editor's Note Population growth in Florida is amplifying the nationwide shortage of doctors and nurses and putting the state on the verge of a healthcare crisis, Fox 13 Tampa Bay December 27 reports. An estimated 300,000 residents will relocate to Florida annually during the next 5 years. Meanwhile, a third…

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Editor's Note Researchers conducted the largest randomized study to date on use of the sedative midazolam in older patients, a drug sometimes used to calm patients prior to surgery. The results were published in JAMA Surgery on December 20. Highlights include: The study involved nine German hospitals and included more…

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