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Published November 22, 2025

Morning Report — Not Your Typical Medical Newsletter

We get it, you see a lot of medical newsletters, so hear us out. Once a month, we’ll highlight important medical news sprinkled with witty commentary, fun facts, giveaways, and more… because learning should be fun! Subscribe to receive the Morning Report directly.

Good morning! Whether you’re reviewing CPR protocol or belting the chorus of “Smooth Criminal,” you know the drill: Ask, “Annie, are you okay? Are you okay, Annie?” Annie in both cases refers to Resusci Anne, the CPR mannequin described as having “the most kissed face in the world”—mostly by people doing CPR wrong. Annie’s familiar face didn’t come from a focus group or a plastic head catalog—her story is much darker.

In 1960, toy maker Åsmund Laerdal designed a CPR dummy to replace human volunteers tired of cracked ribs. In an attempt to make rescue breathing less awkward, he inexplicably modeled its face on L’Inconnue de La Seine—a tranquil death mask long popular in European art circles. It was made from a drowned, unidentified 16-year-old girl pulled from the Seine in 1880. A morgue pathologist, captivated by her expression, made a plaster cast—because 19th-century medicine ran on artistic license and zero consent. You can still buy this macabre wall art today if your décor leans “gothic trauma chic.”

Ironically, the face of a drowning victim now trains millions on how to prevent a drowning death.

AHA Pumps Out New CPR and Emergency Care Guidance 

GUIDELINE GUIDANCE

We’re rolling with the CPR theme. For the first time since 2020, the American Heart Association (AHA) has released updated guidance for CPR and emergency cardiovascular care (ECC). What’s changed? Plenty. But it all points to two priorities: speed and simplicity. Because in a crisis, no one should be fumbling through a lifesaving protocol like it’s an IKEA manual.

The recommendations total 760—about as many parts as a Scandinavian shelving unit. Here are the most actionable:

CPR

• Adults and kids now follow the same chain of survival steps—in or out of the hospital.
• Give both compressions and breaths—especially for infants and children, since their cardiac arrests often start with breathing problems.
• For infant chest compressions, use the heel of one hand or two thumbs with encircling hands—ditch the two-finger technique.
• Minimize pauses for pulse checks, airway management, or rhythm analysis.
• Kids aged 12+ are old enough to learn CPR—even if the “Stayin’ Alive” rhythm holds the cultural relevance of a rotary phone.

Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) 

• For both adults and children, alternate five back blows (always the first step) and five abdominal thrusts until the object is expelled or the person becomes unresponsive.
• For infants, alternate five back blows and five chest thrusts—use the heel of one hand.

Opioid overdose 

• Follow the new opioid overdose algorithm and give naloxone at the first signs of suspected overdose: slow/absent breathing, pinpoint pupils, gurgling sounds, drowsiness, or cyanosis.
• Naloxone is positioned as a public-access emergency tool—the AED of opioid overdose—safe for bystanders to use, widely available, and legally protected when given in good faith.

Key takeaways 

We love a tight word count at Morning Report, so what we didn’t cover (roughly 750 other recommendations) lives here. The full guidelines offer streamlined, clarified, and practical updates for faster, easier rescues. What you won’t find is a mountain of rigorous trial data: Only 1.4% of the 760 recommendations rest on level A evidence. Most rely on observational studies—because randomizing people mid–cardiac arrest is typically frowned upon by ethics boards and common sense.

For more education on opioid use disorder, check out this CME activity: Opioids and Opioid Use Disorder: A Case-Based Approach to Manage Pain During The Opioid Epidemic

Rising Doubts About Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity 

GI GIST

In 2025, gluten’s public image lies somewhere between AI deepfakes and government shutdowns—blamed for everything from bloating to gut pain to Tinder mistakes. Hence the boom in pricey, fiber-thin gluten-free products. But while gluten can trigger serious autoimmune responses for the 1% with celiac disease, new research in The Lancet suggests that for the 15% globally with non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), gluten may not be the culprit.

Going against the grain

“Contrary to popular belief, most people with NCGS aren’t reacting to gluten,” says Dr. Jessica Biesiekierski, co-author of a new analysis that synthesizes decades of research on NCGS. In controlled trials, only a small number of people had consistent symptoms after consuming gluten. Most reacted similarly to placebos or experienced relief on a low-FODMAP diet, suggesting that other dietary components—or gut–brain interactions—may be the real drivers.

The review points to growing evidence that gut sensations—like pain, bloating, and urgency—intensify based on how the brain interprets signals from the digestive tract. This places NCGS within the gut–brain interaction camp, where hypersensitivity, stress, and food-related expectations can trigger real discomfort—without structural damage or inflammation.

Key takeaways

Gluten may no longer be the fall guy for the modern buffet of bodily complaints. “We would like to see public health messaging shift away from the narrative that gluten is inherently harmful, as this research shows that this often isn’t the case,” Biesiekierski says. Instead, experts are calling for a more nuanced, evidence-based understanding of NCGS—one that accounts for gut–brain interactions as much as food components. Effective care, she adds, should blend targeted dietary changes (consider low-FODMAP) with psychological support (encourage mindful eating practices), while ensuring nutritional adequacy. Meanwhile, somewhere in a marketing lab, Big Gluten-Free is already redesigning labels to read, “Now with gut–brain synergy.”

For more education on the gut–brain interaction, check out this CME activity: Disorders of Gut—Brain Interaction: Reaching a Positive Diagnosis

Lights Out for MI and Stroke Prevention
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR—FRANK DOMINO, MD


With the shifting seasons come shorter days and longer nights. Naturally, we turn to artificial lighting to make up the difference. Satellite imaging has shown that living in brightly lit urban areas correlates with higher rates of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. The theory is that light alters heart rate and sympathetic tone. But what about the light inside our homes?

A recently published observational study had participants wear wrist sensors to determine if there was a correlation between home light exposure and cardiovascular disease (CVD), myocardial infarction (MI), atrial fibrillation (AF), and stroke over 9.5 years. Compared with those in the lowest 50th percentile of night light exposure, those exposed to brighter nights had a significantly higher risk for MI, heart failure, AF, and stroke—in some cases, nearly double.

How much is too much? Risk went up when the amount of light was >6.2 lux. For reference, street lighting is kept at <6 lux and a lit dining room is around 50 lux. A typical LED nightlight produces about 5 lux.

So, what to do? Keep the nightlight low—your heart (and maybe your partner) will thank you.

For more education on cardioprotection, check out this CME activity: Reeling In the Evidence—Do Fish Oil Supplements Prevent Cardiovascular Disease?

Interested in more healthcare news? Here are some other articles we don’t want you to miss:

Morning Report is written by:

  • Alissa Scott, Author
  • Aylin Madore, MD, MEd, Editor
  • Margaret Oliverio, MD, Editor
  • Ariel Reinish, MD, MEd, Editor
  • Emily Ruge, Editor

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Please note that the summaries in Morning Report are intended to provide clinicians with a brief overview of an article, and while we do our best to select the most salient points, we ask that you please read the full article linked in each summary for clarification before making any practice-changing decisions.

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