New pediatric, neonatal emergency CPR guidelines; severe diverticulitis rising among younger Americans; new model gives better outbreak forecasts – Morning Medical Update

New pediatric, neonatal emergency CPR guidelines

The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have released the 2025 updates to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and emergency cardiovascular care guidelines for newborns and children — the first major revision since 2020.

The revisions introduce a unified “chain of survival” for adult and pediatric cardiac arrest while adding a distinct newborn chain of care emphasizing prenatal to postnatal support. Key updates include new recommendations for managing airway obstruction, improved infant chest compression techniques, expanded ventilation rates for newborns (30–60 inflations per minute) and extended deferred cord clamping to 60 seconds or longer. The guidelines, published in Circulation and Pediatrics, aim to improve survival outcomes through prevention, preparedness and team-based care across clinical settings. Contemporary Pediatrics has more.

Severe diverticulitis rising sharply in younger adults

A new analysis of more than 5.2 million U.S. hospitalizations has found a 52% increase in complicated diverticulitis among adults under 50 between 2005 and 2020. The study, published in Diseases of the Colon & Rectum by researchers from UCLA and Vanderbilt University, highlights a shift in what was once considered a disease of older age. Early-onset cases now represent about 16% of all hospitalizations, with younger patients more likely to require invasive procedures such as colectomy or drainage, despite lower mortality and shorter stays. Researchers say the trend mirrors patterns seen in early-onset colorectal cancer and call for investigation into potential causes, including diet, lifestyle and environmental factors.

New model gives better outbreak forecasts

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a forecasting method that significantly enhances epidemic modeling accuracy during peak periods. The approach — epimodulation — incorporates epidemiological principles about immunity buildup and behavioral change into standard statistical models, improving prediction accuracy by up to 55% during outbreak peaks. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study shows that the method outperforms traditional models for influenza and COVID-19 forecasts, offering a valuable tool for hospital preparedness and public health planning. The framework could be applied to future epidemics, including emerging pathogens like bird flu, Ebola and Mpox.