FDA issues early alert on ButterflyBVM resuscitator leaks; CMS proposes ending emergency readiness training; haloperidol tied to fewer CHS returns

• FDA Nov 3, 2026
  FDA early alert: ButterflyBVM bag-valve-mask resuscitators may develop bellows holes that cause inadequate ventilation
  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted an early alert on Nov. 3 after Compact Medical reported that a hole may form in the bellows of certain ButterflyBVM single-use bag-valve-mask resuscitators. A leak can cause inadequate ventilation and hypoxia and, if not corrected, serious injury or death, according to the FDA. The company, which first wrote to customers Sept. 26, is removing lots 000109 to 000117 and told users to run the pre-use test before every use and keep backup devices. As of Nov. 2, no serious injuries or deaths had been reported.
  Sources: FDA, FDA recalls list
• Policy Nov 5, 2026
  CMS proposes removing hospital training requirements for emergency services readiness and transfer protocols
  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed on Nov. 5 to remove hospital staff training requirements for transfer protocols and emergency services readiness, both currently in effect. CMS estimated the package would save $320 million and more than 3.26 million hours of staff time.
  Source: CMS
• Research Nov 4, 2026
  Haloperidol and droperidol tied to fewer 72-hour returns than ondansetron for cannabinoid hyperemesis, 8.2% versus 15.1%
  In a multicenter retrospective cohort from the TriNetX Research Network, with propensity-score matching, published Nov. 4 in Academic Emergency Medicine, 72-hour emergency department return was 8.2% with haloperidol versus 15.1% with ondansetron and 7.4% with droperidol versus 14.0% with ondansetron among adults with suspected cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. The study compared antiemetics given during the index emergency department visit.
  Sources: Academic Emergency Medicine, Crossref, PubMed
• Research Nov 4, 2026
  Geriatric emergency programs tied to 7.5 more days at home in a year for 145,874 people with dementia in Ontario
  In a population-based Ontario cohort of 145,874 people 65 or older with dementia, those whose index visit was to an emergency department with a Geriatric Emergency Management program spent 7.5 more days alive and at home over the next year (95% CI 3.1 to 12.0) than those seen at departments without one, after adjustment. The study was published online Nov. 4 in Academic Emergency Medicine.
  Sources: Academic Emergency Medicine, Crossref, PubMed
• Research Nov 2, 2026
  Two-thirds of ECPR survivors of refractory cardiac arrest are alive at five years in two-center study of 728 patients
  Of 728 patients treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for refractory ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation out-of-hospital cardiac arrest at the University of Minnesota and Charles University in Prague, 211 (29.0%) survived to discharge. Among those survivors, 76.9% were alive at one year and 67.2% at five years, according to the retrospective study published Nov. 2 in Resuscitation.
  Sources: Resuscitation, PubMed
• Technology Nov 2, 2026
  Wearable cardiac arrest detectors show 43.8% to 100% sensitivity across 13 studies in systematic review
  A systematic review of 13 publications on wearable devices that automatically detect cardiac arrest and send alerts, screened from 6,344 records, found sensitivity ranging from 43.8% to 100%, with 10 studies reporting sensitivity of 90% or higher. Study sizes ranged from 18 to 1,423 participants, and the authors said external validation and real-life data are scarce, according to the review published Nov. 2 in Resuscitation.
  Sources: Resuscitation, PubMed

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