Health risks of daylight saving time; Mayo Clinic named ‘world’s best hospital’; groundbreaking ‘tooth-in-eye’ surgery restores eyesight – Morning Medical Update

Author(s):

Austin Littrell

Key Takeaways

Daylight saving time disrupts biological rhythms, increasing heart attacks and traffic accidents, prompting calls for permanent standard time for better health and safety.
Mayo Clinic's top ranking as the world's best hospital is due to its commitment to compassionate care and healthcare innovation, including AI and digital integration.
Canadian surgeons achieved a milestone with the first successful "tooth-in-eye" surgery, offering hope for patients with severe corneal blindness and healthy optic nerves.

The top news stories in medicine today.

The health risks of daylight saving time

As the U.S. prepares to “spring forward” this Sunday, March 9, Erik Herzog, a biologist and distinguished professor at Washington University in St. Louis warns that daylight saving time disrupts biological rhythms, leading to increased heart attacks and traffic accidents. Herzog, a leading expert on biological clocks, explains that shifting the clock desynchronizes internal body systems without environmental cues to help adjust. Advocating for permanent standard time, he notes growing legislative efforts to eliminate seasonal time changes, emphasizing that standard time supports better health, safety and learning.

Mayo Clinic named ‘world’s best hospital’ for seventh consecutive year

Mayo Clinic has once again secured the top spot in Newsweek’s annual “World’s Best Hospitals” rankings, marking its seventh straight year at the top. The ranking is based on patient surveys, evaluations from over 85,000 healthcare professionals, and key performance metrics like patient safety and quality of care. Gianrico Farrugia, MD, CEO, Mayo Clinic, credited the recognition to the organization’s commitment to compassionate, high-quality care and its ongoing efforts to transform healthcare through innovation, including artificial intelligence and digital integration. See the full “World’s Best Hospitals” list here.

Canadian surgeons perform groundbreaking ‘tooth-in-eye’ surgery to restore eyesight

For the first time in Canada, surgeons have successfully performed osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis (OOKP), or “tooth-in-eye” surgery, a rare procedure that restores vision by implanting a patient’s own tooth with a telescopic lens into their eye. Conducted at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital in Vancouver, the surgery is designed for patients with severe corneal blindness but healthy optic nerves.

Among the first Canadian patients is Brent Chapman of North Vancouver, who lost his sight due to an autoimmune condition. Led by Greg Moloney, MBBS, BSC MED, MMED, FRCSC, an ophthalmologist, the initiative aims to establish Canada’s first dedicated OOKP clinic. CBC has more.