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Specialties

weekly news, by specialty

A weekly roundup of the news in 25 medical specialties, published every Monday for the week before: practice-changing studies, FDA actions, guidelines, payment and policy changes, workforce news and the business of care. Every item links to its sources.

Latest roundups:

Primary care

  • Family medicine

    Few lab tests differ by fasting time, study finds; AAFP and SHM back family physicians as hospitalists; VA care tied to less PSA testing in older men

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Internal medicine

    Retatrutide cuts mean weight 25.0% at top dose; oral orforglipron meets heart safety test; physician groups rebut AI claims

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Pediatrics

    FDA approves first heart valve designed to grow with children; PICU trial tests permissive blood pressure targets; U.S. measles cases reach 3,887

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

Hospital and acute care

  • Anesthesiology

    Relative blood pressure drops track with postoperative pneumonia; clear video view does not ensure easy intubation; CRNA pay rises 6.3%

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Emergency medicine

    Online CBT eases anxiety after low-risk chest pain in ED trial; telehealth counseling cuts risky firearm behavior; CDC drills find isolation gaps

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Hospital medicine

    SHM and AAFP back family physicians as hospitalists; dexmedetomidine use climbs with medetomidine withdrawal; fiscal 2027 IPPS rule takes effect

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Pulmonary and critical care

    CHEST backs starting varenicline in the hospital; retatrutide cuts sleep apnea events; FDA weighs new tobacco product review rule

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

Medical specialties

  • Cardiology

    FDA approves first heart valve built to expand as children grow; mavacamten label extends to pediatric patients; ACC issues nutrition statement

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Dermatology

    Zasocitinib beats deucravacitinib in head-to-head psoriasis trial; lebrikizumab improves hand and foot eczema; GLP-1 users report nail detachment

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Endocrinology

    Retatrutide yields 18.8% weight loss in type 2 diabetes; orforglipron meets cardiovascular safety goal; FDA approves tiratricol

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Gastroenterology

    Task force issues serrated polyposis recommendations; Abbott launches SimpleScreen CRC blood test; brelovitug meets phase 3 goal in hepatitis delta

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Infectious disease

    Congo Ebola deaths pass 4,000; U.S. measles cases reach 3,887; Mirum says brelovitug meets phase 3 goal in hepatitis delta

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Nephrology

    Lilly reports slower eGFR decline with orforglipron; semaglutide misses coprimary MRI end points in REMODEL; renal denervation CPT codes announced

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Neurology

    FDA accepts fenebrutinib filing for relapsing and primary progressive MS; hearing aids miss CHOICE end point; Congress passes ACT for ALS renewal

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Oncology

    FDA approves pirtobrutinib for untreated CLL; tiles cut brain metastasis recurrence; protons fail to extend liver cancer survival

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Psychiatry

    VA to require signed consent for some psychotropics; CDC finds suicides were 62.4% of violent deaths; Medicare raises psychiatric facility rates 2.3%

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

Surgical specialties

  • General surgery

    ACS analysis finds 1,180 counties without a general surgeon; robotic esophagectomy yields more nodes; robotic cholecystectomy costs more

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Neurosurgery

    CDC reports rising fungal brain abscess detections; study finds rural residence not tied to tumor surgery outcomes; Medicare adds graft payment

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Obstetrics and gynecology

    FDA grants elinzanetant priority review; vanishing twin pregnancy codes take effect; real-world data tie fezolinetant to better sleep

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Ophthalmology

    Kodiak's tarcocimab meets DAYBREAK end point; EyeCare Partners agrees to sell optometry business; Aldeyra plans reproxalap appeal

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Orthopedic surgery

    Robotic hip and knee replacement show no overall revision difference; spinal arthroplasty code announced; Medicare add-on starts for P-15 graft

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Otolaryngology

    Hearing aids miss CHOICE end point; 70.0% take opioids three months after head and neck radiation; fully implanted cochlear implant debuts in Europe

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Urology

    SBRT and prostatectomy show comparable cancer control in PACE-A; tibial nerve implant codes announced; FDA fast-tracks pre-biopsy PSMA-PET

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

Diagnostic specialties

  • Pathology

    Pathologic response tracks five-year melanoma survival; urine RNA assay detects bladder cancer; FDA lists AI device guidance as priority

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

  • Radiology

    Stockholm adopts AI as second mammography reader; Senate panel advances radiologist for surgeon general; study finds cardiac CT pay falling

    Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026

About these roundups

Each roundup covers news published or announced from Monday through Sunday: research in the leading journals and at major meetings, actions by the Food and Drug Administration, guidelines and society statements, payment and coverage rules, laws and policy, workforce and training, public health, and deals that change where care is delivered. The news is general, not only about artificial intelligence.

Items come from primary sources where possible (the journal article, the agency notice, the society statement), with news coverage linked as a second source, and every roundup is checked against its sources before it is published. Company announcements and results that have not been peer reviewed are identified as such. The roundups are news, not medical advice.