Higher performing ICUs had significantly lower mortality rates during pandemic
Editor's Note High-performance intensive care units (ICUs) may have better patient outcomes during health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new findings published by the journal CHEST. The study, titled "The association between pre-pandemic ICU performance and mortality variation in COVID-19: A multicenter cohort study of 35,619 critically…
'Million Hearts Model' reduces likelihood of first-time heart attack, stroke
Editor's Note The Million Hearts Model program—an initiative to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes within 5 years—reduced the probability of a first-time myocardial infarction or stroke without significant changes in Medicare spending. The findings were published by JAMA Network on October 12. The Million Hearts Model paid healthcare…
Survival rates strong following low-risk cardiac surgery
Editor's Note A new study in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery finds that long-term survival rates are extremely promising for patients who receive low-risk isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). The study, titled "Survival Following Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Low-Risk Patients: A Contemporary Trial Benchmark," was published on October…
Rethinking the standard 98.6 degree body temperature
Editor's Note Looking at the temperature measurements of more than 126,000 patients, researchers have found that the once-accepted standard body temperature of 98.6 degrees may not be an accurate measure, as reported in JAMA Internal Medicine on September 5. The 98.6 degree average was originally arrived at in 1868 by…
VR interventions offer benefits to patients with cancer
Editor's Note Virtual reality (VR) appears to ease the pain and distress felt by patients with cancer, according to a new study published in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. Researchers looked at 31 relevant studies published between 1993 and 2023 in which VR technology was used to help patients, including…
Patients more likely to be discharged home with anesthesiologist-administered sedation
Editor's Note Anesthesiologist-administered or -directed sedation leads to higher rates of patient discharges to home rather than a long-term care (LTC) facility, according to a study presented at the Anesthesiology 2023 annual meeting. The study focused on interventional radiology (IR) procedures–specifically 9,682 patients who had sedation in the IR suite…
Women neurosurgeons receive half the Medicare reimbursement of male counterparts
Editor's Note From 2013 to 2020, women neurosurgeons received half the reimbursement dollars from Medicare compared to their male counterparts, JAMA Network October 11 reports. This investigative study, titled "Gender differences in Medicare practice and payments to neurosurgeons," was published by JAMA Surgery. The researchers analyzed data for 6,052 neurosurgeons…
Limiting opioid medication did not negatively impact patients post-surgery
Editor's Note A 5-day limit on opioid pain medication prescriptions in Michigan did not negatively impact patient-reported pain levels or satisfaction, JAMA Network October 13 reports. The study, titled "Changes in surgical opioid prescribing and patient-reported outcomes after implementation of an insurer opioid prescribing limit," was published by JAMA Health…
Study: Black, Hispanic patients more likely to die post-surgery than white patients
Editor's Note A new study found that Black and Hispanic patients are significantly more likely to die after a surgical procedure than white patients, Newsweek October 15 reports. The findings were presented at the 2023 Anesthesiology annual meeting. The study analyzed over a million surgical procedures at 7,740 US hospitals…
New epigenetic clock provides clues to accelerated aging in chronic kidney disease
Editor's Note Researchers from Europe used an epigenetic clock to accurately measure biological aging in a clinical setting, Wiley October 12 reports. The study, titled "Epigenetic clocks indicate that kidney transplantation and not dialysis mitigate the effects of renal ageing," was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. The researchers…
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