Editor's Note In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of IV remdesivir in adults hospitalized with COVID-19 and lower respiratory tract infection, remdesivir was found to be superior to placebo in shortening the time to recovery. A total of 1,062 patients were randomized to either remdesivir (541) or placebo (521). Remdesivir…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 23 announced that it is seeking feedback on proposed requirements for its Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery. In collaboration with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Joint Commission developed the proposed spine surgery related requirements to include: program structure delivery of care…

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Editor's Note In this study from Mount Sinai Hospital and School of Medicine, New York City, researchers identify two markers of inflammation that reliably predict the severity of COVID-19 and likelihood of survival. A total of 1,484 patients were followed up to 41 days after admission, and the findings were…

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Strategies that can achieve the aims of excellence in clinical care, fewer complications, and reduced costs are sorely needed, and the comprehensive implementation of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program can help achieve these aims in the surgical population. ERAS pathways have been found to reduce morbidity, hospital stay,…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Henry Ford Health System in Michigan found that hydroxychloroquine alone decreased the mortality hazard ratio of COVID-19 by 66%, and hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin decreased the ratio by 71%, compared to neither treatment. The vast majority of the 2,541 COVID-19 patients included in the…

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Editor's Note: The American College of Physicians (ACP) on June 18 issued new practice points on the effectiveness of N95 respirators, surgical masks, and cloth masks for the prevention of COVID-19 in addition to standard precautions in healthcare and community settings. The ACP Practice Points, which were funded by the…

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Editor's Note The Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) have both retracted COVID-19 treatment studies because of concerns about the validity of the data and how the research was conducted by Chicago-based Surgisphere Corp, the June 4 Medscape Medical News reports. Authors of the Lancet study, which was…

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Editor's Note The National Institutes of Health (NIH) on May 14 announced that it is enrolling adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 in a study of treatment with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. The Phase 2b trial is enrolling around 2,000 adults across the US. Participants must have confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2…

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Editor's Note Treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients with anticoagulants may improve their chances of survival, this study from Mount Sinai finds. Of 2,773 COVID-19 patients analyzed, 786 received a full-treatment dose of anticoagulants, which was a higher dose than that typically given for clot prevention; it is one usually given to…

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Editor's Note Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago are using artificial intelligence (AI) to expedite the search for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines by shortening the expert review period. The AI tool prioritizes research that has the most potential to produce real solutions and ignores research that is unlikely to yield…

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