‘Our Goal Is Not to Blame’: What We Heard This Week

“Our goal is not to blame.” — Christopher Wallis, MD, PhD, of the University of Toronto, on the differences in surgical care delivery given by female versus male surgeons.

“Many of them actually value improvement in symptoms and [reducing] physical limitations as much or more as survival.” — Mikhail Kosiborod, MD, of Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Missouri, on benefits of semaglutide (Wegovy) in patients with obesity and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

“This is something that clinicians are really not that great at asking about.” — Jennifer Craig, PhD, an ophthalmologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, on eye doctors not asking patients about smoking.

“If we want access to the full talent pool, we can’t afford to keep major segments of the next generation of young people from even envisioning themselves as physicians.” — Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, of Emory University in Atlanta, discussing the underrepresentation of female physicians in movies.

“There is a common misperception that CTE only affects male, elite, professional, contact-sport athletes.” — Ann McKee, MD, of the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and Boston University, on cases of brain damage seen in athletes who died young.

“If you’re a healthy 40-year-old, you’re not making a crazy choice not to get boosted.” — Bob Wachter, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, on who should get the COVID booster this fall.

“This is a known side effect of escitalopram, leading to FDA recommendations that doses above 20 mg should be avoided.” — Erik Sveberg Dietrichs, MD, PhD, of Diakonhjemmet Hospital in Oslo, on the potential for increased arrhythmia risk of the drug in some older adults.

“I don’t think that ARAMIS ends the story of the anti-inflammatory drug in acute myocarditis; I think that it’s just the beginning.” — Mathieu Kerneis, MD, PhD, of Pitie Salpetriere AP-HP University Hospital in Paris, after a phase IIb trial found no survival benefit for acute myocarditis with anakinra (Kineret).

“Until we do that, this wildfire smoke is just going to get worse.” — Alison Lee, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, on pushing politicians to tackle climate change leading to wildfires.