Editor's Note Bariatric surgery programs nationwide have reported a 20-25% decline in surgical volumes over the past year amid the rising use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications for obesity, OR Management News reported Dec 2. Although the connection between the decline and the popularity of the drugs cannot be definitively…
Editor's Note A 53-year-old woman with end-stage kidney failure became the first living person to receive a genetically modified pig kidney in a milestone surgery at NYU Langone Health, NPR reported December 17. Although the experimental procedure marks significant progress toward addressing organ shortages, it also drew commentary on ongoing…
Editor's Note A paper published March 29 in the journal Bioengineering examines the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into hospital and healthcare systems and the way in which it is augmenting clinical decision-making, optimizing hospital operation and management, improving medical image analysis, and transforming patient care and monitoring through…
Editor's Note Measuring gene activity in blood samples could help determine whether a child is at risk of sepsis and organ failure, according to findings published March 18 in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. It is often difficult for clinicians to diagnose sepsis because the symptoms are similar to…
Editor's Note A 62-year-old man in Weymouth, Massachusetts is reportedly recovering well several days after receiving the first kidney to be transplanted into a living person. As noted in a March 21 report in the Boston Globe, the operation at Massachusetts General Hospital marked a new milestone in the effort…
Editor's Note: A successful test of a genetically modified pig liver attached to a brain-dead human body could have significant implications for liver failure patients, the Associated Press reported January 18. Conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, the tested method is similar to kidney dialysis in that the genetically modified…
Editor's Note A new study that attempted to find genetic drivers of postoperative pain uncovered only two associated alleles, suggesting wider examination is needed. The findings were published in the American Society of Anesthesiologists journal Anesthesiology December 2023 issue. The researchers looked at 163 studies and evaluated 129 genes and…