health disparities
A confusing new entry to the pulse oximeter saga
Casey Shenery for STAT
Dedicated STAT readers know there’s long been a concern, backed by research, that pulse oximeters could be contributing to racial health disparities. The small devices, which clip onto a patient’s finger to measure oxygen levels, seem to be less accurate on people with darker skin. But manufacturers have been slow to get to the bottom of the problem.
A long-awaited study commissioned by the FDA was meant to generate prospective data to answer lingering questions. But as STAT’s Anil Oza reports, the initial findings only made things more confusing. While previous research found that the devices overestimated oxygen levels for darker skin tones, this study found the opposite. Read more from Anil on the details, why the difference matters, and what might come next.
reproductive health
Abortion restrictions and fertility treatment
In states that enact TRAP laws — the targeted regulation of abortion providers — people who use fertility treatments to get pregnant have higher maternal morbidity than those doing fertility treatments in states without such laws.
That’s according to a study published Friday in JAMA Health Forum that analyzed more than 416,000 births between 2012 and 2021. The researchers found a statistically significant increase — 0.25% — in morbidity in TRAP law states. (All the babies were conceived through fertility treatment.)
Correlation isn’t causation, period. But this also isn’t the first study to find a link between restrictive abortion legislation and poor health outcomes. To keep up with whether or not federal abortion restrictions will be part of the bill on ACA enhanced subsidies moving through Congress right now, follow John Wilkerson’s reporting.
first opinion
The new vaccine reality
We’ve got two First Opinion essays on the implications of the Trump administration’s decision to change to the pediatric vaccine schedule.
First, infectious disease physician Krutika Kuppalli writes about how medical schools need to better prepare students to treat vaccine-preventable illnesses. Most clinicians these days have never seen — and never expected to see — measles, tetanus, pertussis, and mumps. But the changes “will effectively re-introduce vaccine-preventable diseases into everyday clinical settings,” she writes. Read emore on how she thinks students could be better prepared to meet the moment.
In another essay, two health law experts write about the widening divide between pro- and anti-vaccine states. “We are entering the era of vaccine federalism, and it will not be good,” they argue. Read more on the consequences of ideology-driven changes directed from the top.
