Editor’s Note Towana Looney, a 53-year-old Alabama woman, has become the longest-living recipient of a pig organ transplant, thriving 61 days after receiving a gene-edited pig kidney. The Associated Press (AP) reported the news January 25. As detailed in the article, her recovery offers critical insights into the development of…

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Editor's Note Research shows combining music with preoperative education not only reduces anxiety, but also enhances recovery outcomes in patients undergoing open cardiac surgery. Published January 21 in the Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing, the randomized controlled study involved 322 patients, evenly randomized into an experimental group (music and preoperative education)…

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Editor's Note Analysts say proposed tariffs on imported goods could increase costs for approximately 75% of medical devices marketed in the United States, 69% of which are manufactured solely abroad, according to a January 20 article in Medical Product Outsourcing. Valued at $197.8 billion in 2023, the US medical device…

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Editor's Note Escalating administrative hurdles from insurers are heightening tensions between healthcare payers and providers who criticize the measures for threatening patient care, Modern Healthcare reported January 22. According to the article, policies attracting criticism include stringent prior authorization rules, claims denials, and new fees for appeals. For their part,…

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Editor's Note An EHR-integrated closed-loop clinical decision support system (CDSS) significantly reduced unnecessary preoperative testing, improved patient safety, and significantly reduced costs across two hospitals in Madrid, Spain. As detailed in a study published January 3 in npj digital medicine, this system demonstrates the potential of automated guidelines to optimize…

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Editor's Note New infection control recommendations from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA Pain Medicine) are purportedly the first comprehensive guidelines tailored specifically for regional anesthesia and interventional pain management procedures, such as cortisone injections and drug-delivery implants.   As detailed in the organization’s January 21…

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Editor's Note Optimizing surgeon stress could enhance surgical performance and patient outcomes, according to a large cohort study published January 15 in JAMA Surgery. Researchers focused particularly on physiological markers of surgeon stress during the first 5 minutes of a procedure, revealing a significant inverse relationship with major patient complications.…

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Editor's Note Individuals with negative colonoscopy screening (NCS) results face significantly lower long-term risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality, suggesting the recommended 10-year rescreening interval could be safely extended for low-risk populations, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology. Healio reported on the results January 15. As…

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Editor's Note The first large-scale, randomized pediatric trial of its kind reveals the potential of treating acute, non-perforated appendicitis in children with antibiotics instead of surgery, Medical Xpress reported January 20. Published in The Lancet, the APPY study involved collaboration among 11 children’s hospitals worldwide to compare the effectiveness of…

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Editor's Note Known for managing Type 2 diabetes and promoting weight loss, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also reduce the risks of numerous other conditions, including Alzheimer’s, substance use disorders, and certain cancers, according to an article published in Fortune January 20. Led by the Veterans Affairs St.…

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