Doctors treating seriously ill patients in an emergency setting may want to give the sedative etomidate, rather than ketamine, while placing a breathing tube, according to a randomized trial published Dec. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Randomized Trial of Sedative Choice for Intubation (RSI) is the first multicenter trial to demonstrate significant cardiovascular risks of high doses of ketamine (low blood pressure, arrhythmia), side effects that have not been well studied in the past.

Mature nodal T-cell lymphoma is a type of rare and aggressive blood cancer. Limited data make it difficult to identify high-risk patients or tailor treatment strategies, so most patients receive similar care despite differences in disease characteristics and outcomes. A new study led by investigators from PETAL Consortium at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute found that among patients who achieved a complete remission after initial chemotherapy treatment, survival was worse for those whose disease relapsed within 12 months of initial treatment, suggesting that alternative strategies are needed to benefit these patients. The results are published in Blood.