Editor's Note Data published February 21 in The BMJ points to air pollution as a factor in increased hospital admissions for major heart diseases. According to the Global Burden of Disease study, exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) accounts for 7.6% of total mortality and 4.2% of disability-adjusted life years…
Editor's Note Nationwide pharmacy delays and disrupted internal systems are among the effects of a February 21 cyberattack on Change Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare technology companies in the United States. Systems were immediately disconnected to protect partners and patients, the organization reports, and “all other systems across UnitedHealth…
Editor's Note Using early postoperative endoscopy to detect anastomotic leakage after minimally invasive esophagectomy does not increase postoperative adverse events, according to a study published February 10 in the journal Surgery. Anastomotic leakage is one of the most severe adverse events of minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Often deadly,…
Editor's Note Although lumbar disc herniation surgery can alleviate symptoms of back pain and even prevent disability, the costs exceed the benefits for a sizeable minority of patients, researchers write in a study published February 7 in Jama Network. To address this concern, they investigated whether machine learning algorithms that…
Editor's Note A new method of measuring body composition using deep learning models and 3D scans is accurately depicts the distribution of fat and muscle in various body types, according to findings published January 30 Nature Communications Medicine. Creating tying an accurate digital map of a person’s shape and body…
Editor's Note The FDA has issued a warning regarding fraudulent, duplicated and otherwise unreliable data coming from third party test labs that produce data for medical device companies, including many based in India and China. Issued February 20, the alert warns medical device manufacturers that they are responsible for confirming the…
Editor's Note Although RN employment dropped significantly during the past few years, updated workforce forecasts with numbers similar to those projected prior to the pandemic indicate that the decline was likely temporary. Jama Health Forum published the data February 16. For the study, researchers pulled data on registered nurses aged…
Editor's Note A study published by JAMA Network on February 14 reveals cognitive symptoms to be common among individuals suffering from post-COVID-19 condition, also known as long COVID. Conducted by Abhishek Jaywant, PhD, and colleagues from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, the research focused on the prevalence of…
Editor's Note Without proper nail care, proper handwashing might not be enough to prevent infection and death among infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). That’s according to a February 8 report from nurse.org, which drove home the importance of following hygiene protocols by highlighting real-world evidence confirming the…
Editor's Note Billing, records, appointment scheduling and other systems at Lurie Children’s Hospital were still offline a week after representatives of had to cancel a planned OR Business Management Conference presentation due to a cyberattack. According to a February 12 report from the Chicago Sun-Times, the January 31 cyberattack is…