Editor's Note An observational study, led by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and released on November 30 in The BMJ, the flagship journal of the British Medical Association, shows that higher levels of oxygen given to patients under general anesthesia can add risk of injury, VUMC reported on November…

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Editor's Note Healthcare organizations in the US have seen almost 5,000 data breaches since 2009, notes a cybersecurity report from technology research company Comparitech published in August 2022. According to the report, these medical breaches have led to 342 million medical records being leaked. Here are some key findings from…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, finds that in the COVID-19 pandemic’s early phases, most deaths were in older people, but in 2021, deaths in younger people increased while deaths in older people decreased. The researchers, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data,…

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Editor's Note This study, by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and California Department of Public Health, finds significant increases in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in California acute-care hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically, central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (BSIs). The researchers found…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, finds that overlapping clinical responsibilities of a supervising anesthesiologist are associated with increased surgical patient mortality and morbidity. A total of 578,815 adult surgical patients from 23 US academic and private hospitals were included in the analysis. The patients…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on July 27 announced that it is revising its National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) Standard NPSG.15.01.01, element of performance (EP) 1, to now include long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals, effective January 1, 2023. The change will allow The Joint Commission to score environmental risk assessment…

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Editor's Note This Korean study finds that full COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a reduced risk of acute myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke after being infected with COVID-19. Of 592,719 patients with COVID-19 during the study period, 231,037 were included in the analysis, of whom 62,727 were never vaccinated…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers in New Zealand identify how post-viral fatigue syndromes, including Long COVID, become life-changing diseases and why patients have frequent relapses. Viral infections commonly result in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which causes brain-centered symptoms of neuroinflammation, brain fog, lack of refreshing sleep, and poor response…

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Editor's Note  This study from the American Cancer Society, Atlanta, finds that the prevalence of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening decreased during COVID-19. A total of 479,248 patients were included in the analysis for breast cancer screening, 301,453 for cervical cancer screening, and 854,210 for colorectal cancer screening. Between…

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