51˶

'The Most Bang for Its Buck': What We Heard This Week

— Quotable quotes heard by 51˶'s reporters

MedpageToday
A female reporter holding two microphones takes notes on a pad

"This strategy has 'the most bang for its buck'." -- Sara Karaba, MD, PhD, MHS, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, on using extended infusion antibiotics for bloodstream infections.

"Approximately 20,000 deaths among American children and teens would be avoided each year if our country had the average mortality rate that exists in peer countries." -- Steven Woolf, MD, MPH, of Virginia Commonwealth University, discussing U.S. mortality lags in kids 19 and younger.

"This should be reassuring." -- Pamela Berens, MD, of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, discussing how first-trimester mRNA COVID-19 shots did not increase birth defect risk.

"Any time kids can learn first aid skills, it's a benefit." -- Elementary school principal Amanda Makis talking about a program that teaches students life-saving bleeding-control techniques.

"We see no discussion about the potential harms of redefining Alzheimer's to millions more Americans." -- Eric Widera, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, about new criteria for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease based on biomarkers.

"Would it change what I do right now? Probably not." -- Carey Lumeng, MD, PhD, of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, discussing asthma symptoms in kids who received COVID-19 vaccination.

"The magnitude is low enough that it doesn't have to be really a leading factor in the decision for what medicine you choose." -- Jacob Ballon, MD, MPH, of Stanford University in California, on modest weight gain with antidepressants.

"We'll see after the actual 3 to 5 years is up if there's any change." -- C. Matthew Harrell, JD, MPH, an associate specializing in physician contracting at Phelps Dunbar LLP, discussing Louisiana's new law to limit the scope of physician noncompetes.

"The bottom line is that it's very hard to get people to stop smoking." -- E. Neil Schachter, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, on financial incentives for smoking cessation.