Medical devices and equipment
The future is here: Virtual reality provides vivid look inside a fetus — but is it useful? | STATBrazilian researchers have devised a way to immerse parents in virtual reality visualizations of their unborn babies, though the most vivid visuals will likely be reserved for a tiny fraction of pregnancies in which doctors suspect health problems. The technology could inform fetal medical care — and it has commercial potential as a novelty for expectant parents.
Pharmaceuticals
Texas blows bid for funds to combat opioids, tries to keep records secret | The Texas TribuneFaced with a rising death toll from opioid abuse, Texas public health officials in May decided to apply for a $1 million federal grant to purchase Naloxone, a drug that, if administered during an overdose, can save the life of a person addicted to heroin or pain pills. But state officials never submitted the application.
Do cancer clinical trials exaggerate the real-world benefits of drugs? | STAT
The large clinical trials needed for federal approval of new cancer drugs often way overstate how effective the treatments will be in the real world, two cancer physicians argued recently in JAMA Oncology.
Safety, quality and clinical practice
Failing Grades: Patients at Risk | The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionIn every state, patient protection is supposed to be the prime directive when it comes to licensing and disciplining doctors. But a 50-state examination by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that only a few states have anything close to a comprehensive set of laws that put patients first.
Older Patients Can Benefit From Lung Cancer Surgery | NPR
Older patients are frequently not offered curative treatment like surgery, because they and their families and even their doctors often think they won't be able to tolerate it. So they are referred for supportive care to control symptoms, rather than surgery to remove the cancer. But many patients can survive and even thrive after surgery.
