In Global News: Surgery in Conflict Zones, Making Blood Type O, and Spinning Views on Treatments

Patient Care and General Interest
A father got a sternotomy scar tattoo in support of his son after the boy underwent surgery for supravalvular aortic stenosis.
In a Viewpoint paper in JAMA Surgery, the authors highlight the importance of training on Geneva conventions and humanitarian law for surgeons embarking on medical missions to conflict zones.
 
Drugs and Devices
The US Food and Drug Administration has cleared Mimics Enlight from Materialise, software that is intended to assist in planning complex transcatheter mitral valve replacement procedures.
 
Research, Trials, and Funding
Researchers from Vancouver, Canada, used gut bacteria to convert type A blood cells into type O.
Researchers from France find that spin in health news, defined as overstating the efficacy or safety of a treatment, positively influences people’s views of those treatments.
A restrictive approach to blood cell transfusions did not increase the risk of acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass, report researchers from London, Canada.