Four Noteworthy Medical Stories To Close 2023

In the past few weeks, I have encountered four interesting, eye-opening, and/or offbeat medical news stories that I’d like to share with fellow Forbes readers: 1) Daily toothbrushing is good for ICU patients Daily toothbrushing of patients in the ICU (intensive care unit) can help prevent them from developing pneumonia while in the hospital. This can be especially beneficial for patients on mechanical ventilators (“breathing tubes”), and has been associated with “ lower ICU mortality rates, shorter ICU length of stay, and fewer days of mechanical ventilation .” Toothbrushing is a simple and low-cost medical intervention that can save lives! The humble toothbrush could save the lives of many ICU patients. 2) Electrical shocks to surgeon’s brains can improve their performance Gentle use of “transcranial direct current stimulation” of the cerebellum of the brain can help surgeons more easily learn delicate motor skills , such as used in modern robotic surgery. The surgeons’ brains are stimulated in a non-invasive fashion via electrodes attached to their skin. Here is a short video from the researchers at Johns Hopkins University showing the system in action: “ Could an Electric Nudge to the Head Help Your Doctor Operate a Surgical Robot? “ In theory, this technique could also be used in other arenas beside surgery. 3) French physicians successfully deliver a child born as an ectopic pregnancy A 37-year old pregnant woman came to her local emergency room with abdominal pain. She was found to have a rare abdominal ectopic pregnancy, in which the fetus had developed with th the mother’s abdominal cavity rather than with the uterus. (Somehow, the fetus was able to establish a viable supply of blood and nutrition via a placenta attached to the peritoneal lining of the mother’s abdomen.) Although the vast majority of ectopic pregnancies are fatal to the fetus (and if untreated also fatal to the mother), her physicians were able to successfully surgically deliver the fetus at 29 weeks gestation. After two months in the neonatal intensive care unit, the baby was able to go home with its mother. The New England Journal Of Medicine article has a dramatic MRI image of the fetus while still in the mother’s abdomen. (Note: The successful delivery of this particular rare form of ectopic pregnancy should not be used by US legislators as a reason to deny appropriate medical care to patients with life-threatening nonviable ectopic pregnancies.) 4) Sales of “morning after” pills spike after New Year celebrations According to research in The BMJ , sales of these emergency contraception medications in the US rise by approximately 10% following New Year Eve and New Year day festivities . This is more than on other holidays such as Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Independence Day. The BMJ notes , “New Year’s Eve celebrations are associated with increased sexual activity, which is less likely to be protected due to increased alcohol intake. New Year’s Eve is also linked to higher rates of sexual assault and limited access to other forms of contraception due to restricted opening hours of clinics, medical offices and shops.” So this is a warning for everyone to be careful of unprotected sexual encounters (or unwanted sexual advances) during the upcoming holiday. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year holiday and I look forward to returning in 2024!