Editor's Note Two recent reports highlight a widening gap in life expectancy between the US and other high-income nations. According to a December 6 article in Healio, the data point to modifiable risk factors and rising obesity rates as key contributors to what experts call a public health crisis. The…
Editor's Note Survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have not returned to pre-pandemic levels and continue to reflect racial disparities, according to a preliminary study set for presentation at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2024. Analyzing data from over half a million U.S. adults who experienced OHCA between…
Editor's Note Music-based interventions administered preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively can significantly reduce postoperative opioid use and improve mood in patients undergoing same-day surgeries, according to research published October 15 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. The single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial evaluated 75 patients aged 18 to 80 who received…
Editor's Note The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has announced nearly $75 million in funding to address critical challenges in rural health, including opioid treatment, maternal health care in the South, and supporting the financial stability of rural…
Editor's Note Many youths continue to take opioids months after undergoing surgery, according to a recent multi-institutional study published in JAMA Network. Medical Xpress covered the news July 11. Conducted by researchers from CHOP, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford Medicine, the study found 1 in 6 youths…
Editor's Note: An FDA-approved anti-inflammatory drug used to treat poisoning and liver damage could help reduce patient requests for opioids after surgery, according to findings published October 25 in the Future Medicine journal Pain Management. The study involved 50 patients who were given either a set dose of the anti-inflammatory…
Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), on March 29, issued a news report urging the public to learn to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose, now that the Food and Drug Administration has approved naloxone for sale over the counter. Naloxone, which is commonly sold as a…