Anesthesiology News Presents

Historically, there has been no definitive link between smoking cannabis and lung cancer; however, new research suggests otherwise.

The retrospective cohort study used 20 years of deidentified electronic medical record data from 67 tertiary healthcare organizations across the United States (Lung Cancer 2026 Jun:216:109421). After comparing adults diagnosed with cannabis use disorder and those without, the data revealed that "individuals with cannabis use disorder demonstrated a significantly higher risk of developing lung and/or bronchus cancer compared to those without cannabis use disorder."

The authors of the study concluded: "Given the rising prevalence of cannabis use, further research is needed to clarify dose-response relationships and the biological mechanisms driving these associations. Clinicians should consider these risks when advising patients about cannabis use."

Prior pooled analyses and meta-analyses typically found no clear association between cannabis and lung cancer. However, as a 2019 JAMA Network Open review noted, these studies were limited by low cumulative exposure in study populations, young participant age, short follow-up and poor quantification of cannabis use (2019;2[11]:e1916318).

Ultimately, while definitive causation has yet to be established, the weight of emerging evidence including biological, histopathologic, and now large-cohort epidemiologic research supports a precautionary approach when counseling your patients.

In this podcast, an anesthesiologist (TJ Gan) and an environmental scientist (Michelle Cain) discuss the use of desflurane with a focus on environmental considerations, as well as clinical outcomes and benefits in specific patient populations. Supported by Baxter.

The WHO has added cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) to its diagnostic manual, establishing a new dedicated ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification) diagnosis code for the health condition.

The update, which took effect Oct. 1, 2025, has also been adopted by the CDC. The goal was to facilitate healthcare providers in the United States to not only deliver a more conclusive diagnosis but to track and more precisely study the syndrome.

CHS is an increasingly recognized complication of chronic cannabis use, characterized by severe abdominal pain and recurrent episodes of nausea and intense vomiting. As the potency of cannabis has increased over the last few decades, so too has the prevalence of CHS.

Several published studies speak to the scope of the problem (JAMA Netw Open 2025;8[11]:e2545310), as well as detail a sharp rise in CHS-related emergency department visits in the United States (JAMA Netw Open 2025;8[7]:e2520492). The study reported a 49% annual increase among individuals aged 13 to 21 years between 2016 and 2023.

As many popular medications in the United States have continued to increase in price, there has been a related rise in the number of counterfeit medications being produced and sold, specifically online.  

Reports of fraudulent medications include opioids, cancer drugs, erectile dysfunction medications and weight-loss medications. As such, both the FDA and the FBI have posted warnings of counterfeit medications, such as Ozempic (semaglutide, Novo Nordisk).  

"I unfortunately got to meet a patient taking a counterfeit for Ozempic. And in researching this patient I discovered that this is not only a problem here in the United States, but it's a problem worldwide," said Peter J. Papadakos, MD, a professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, and the director of critical care medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in New York. "You name a class of drug, and if it's expensive, it's being counterfeit and sold on the internet."

According to the agencies, many of these illegally manufactured “medications” contain no active pharmaceutical ingredients (or correct ingredients in the incorrect quantity), whereas some contain illicit ingredients, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, which can result in overdose and death.  

A healthcare company executive is shot in the back, murdered in cold blood; an angry populace chafes at the rising costs of health insurance and denials in coverage; and a privately held insurance company schemes to fatten its bottom line by restricting reimbursement for anesthesia services. In the parlance of that god-awful, hackneyed expression, “there’s a lot to unpack.”

A few things stand out that seemingly most Americans can agree upon. Things cost too damned much. It is truly difficult to get a timely appointment with a primary care physician, and the wait is worse if you need a specialist. And profits for many health insurers soar while patients get denied vital coverage, and reimbursement to physicians tanks. There’s a lot of well-deserved anger and frustration out there, and one has to ask: When and how will any of this end?

From never-ending staffing shortages to a myriad of financial challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the past several years have been exceptionally difficult on the United States' healthcare system. Although many institutions have weathered the storm, some have resorted to private equity, some are on life support and others have closed their doors. Now, hospitals and health systems (and our country at large) are facing another unforeseen obstacle: tariffs on imports into this country. The presidential order imposes a 10% tariff on all countries, as well as individualized higher tariffs on the countries “with which the United States has the largest trade deficits.”

As the vast majority of supplies that hospitals depend upon to safely operate are imported (such as gloves, gowns, machines, medicines and IV supplies), the tariffs will undoubtedly increase costs at every level. Additionally, the tariffs are likely to have a significant harmful impact on the country’s pharmaceutical supply chain, particularly in the generic space, and could exacerbate existing drug shortages. A significant portion of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished medications are manufactured abroad, with a substantial percentage of APIs originating from India and China—countries that are being hit with major increases in tariffs. 

The Los Angeles wildfires have destroyed thousands of homes and stores, and left entire communities in ash and rubble. And while lives have already been lost, experts are now discussing the long-term health impact for those who lived or worked in the area.

"The general practitioners, the anesthesiologists, the entire medical community needs to be educated in occupational medicine and the lessons that we've learned in occupational medicine in dealing with massive exposure," said Peter J. Papadakos, MD, a professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, and the director of critical care medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in New York.  

"I think that when I look at this that it’s one of the largest environmental and health catastrophes that has befallen our country─if not the world─in terms of the amount of people that may have been contaminated, and those who may become contaminated once they go back to where their homes were."

The number of senior citizens is growing rapidly; individuals aged 65 and older increased from 39.6 million in 2009 to 54.1 million in 2019 (a 36% increase) and is projected to reach 94.7 million by 2060. However, over the last few years, the usual respect and care of our aging population is decaying into a growing incidence of neglect and abuse.

Prior to  COVID-19, one in 10 elderly adults in the U.S. experienced elder abuse. A major review in 2017 of 52 studies from 28 nations reported that 15.7% of people over 60 were subjected to some form of abuse. In 2020, this number doubled to one in five—a nearly 84% increase. A study by the Administration for Aging stated that hundreds of thousands of seniors were abused, neglected and exploited by family and others.

The following is an excerpt from a related Time Magazine article:

"What is even more disturbing is that in 90% of cases, the abuser is a member of the family, based on findings in the study. In fact, two-thirds of the abusers were adult children or spouses. We, of course, find this to be a shocking statistic; since the dawn of recorded history the elderly have been given great respect and were cared for by both the family and the community as a whole."

There has been a marked increase in mass casualty events in our society. Targets have included schools, malls, houses of worship, and yes, hospitals. Our staffing crisis unfortunately has negatively affected even our most robust trauma system and emergency rooms; there has also been the closure of many hospitals in rural areas, which has created healthcare deserts. The inability of many towns and small cities to care for “terror event” patients’ issues, of course, will affect how we deliver trauma care.

As such, it’s critical that anesthesia providers in small hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers receive training in Advanced Trauma Life Support to augment the local response. Additionally, communities need to develop a response plan that includes all of the local medical resources, such as ambulatory centers and urgent care facilities, in the event of an attack.

Finally, we should advocate for the public at large to participate in the American Red Cross’s STOP THE BLEED program to increase the pool of first responders who are able to treat severe bleeding. We should stockpile bandages and tourniquets in all potential target areas. Working together, we may be more able to respond to these horrific events in a more effective way, and ultimately save more lives.