1: Surviving Surgery Is Not the End of the Story for Chronic Subdural Hematomas

A cohort study of 359 patients surgically treated for chronic subdural hematoma assessed post-operative outcomes, including long-term survival and health-related quality of life. After 10 years of follow-up, surgically treated patients had lower survival rates (55.5%) compared to matched individuals in the general population (73.5%). Additionally, surgically treated patients reported cognitive and functional impairments post-operatively. These findings suggest recovery may extend well beyond the perioperative period.

2: Does Caregiving Come with a Cardiovascular Cost?

A cohort study explored connections between cardiovascular health and being the parent of children with common neurodevelopmental disorders. Compared with parents who did not have a child diagnosed with a neurodevelopment disorder, both mothers (HR 1.27, 95% CI, 1.25–1.29) and fathers (HR 1.20, 95% CI, 1.18–1.22) were found to be at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. With risk also increasing with the number of affected children, these parents are a population that may benefit from enhanced care and early cardiovascular risk monitoring.

3: A New Player in Stroke Prevention

The phase 3 double-blind RCT OCEANIC-STROKE found that Asundexian (factor XI inhibitor) reduced risk of recurrent ischemic events after noncardioembolic stroke. Compared to placebo, the incidence of composite death from cardiovascular causes or stroke was lower in the treatment group, with no significant increase in major bleeding episodes. These findings suggest a safer option for secondary stroke prevention in patients with stroke or high-risk TIA.

A clearer picture of second cancer risk is coming into focus

What happened: A new study found that young adult cancer survivors face roughly twice the risk of developing a second cancer compared to the general population.

Why it matters: Researchers tracked over 20,000 Alberta patients first diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 15 and 39, using data from the Alberta Cancer Registry spanning 1983 to 2017. About 5% went on to develop a second cancer, with breast, colorectal, and lung cancers emerging as the most common types. The findings land as cancer rates among young Canadians are climbing by around 1.3% per year.

Researchers suspect treatments used to cure the first cancer, particularly radiation and certain chemotherapies, may be contributing to the risk of a second.

But: The study draws on decades-old treatment data, and radiation delivery has changed considerably since then. Patients in the '80s and '90s might have undergone radiotherapy for several weeks, resulting in dozens of sessions. Today's technology is more precise, advanced imaging and targeted delivery mean most patients need only 1 or 2 treatments.

Still, health professionals are urging provincial governments to consider providing cancer screening at younger ages for survivors to catch the cancer early. They also say patients aged 15 to 39 need specific programs to help support them. Survivors might be scared of the possibility of developing cancer down the road, so having an open line of communication with doctors about treatments and their overall health could alleviate stress.

Bottom line: Understanding how radiation and chemotherapies of the past may affect people in the future could help doctors provide treatments for survivors at risk for developing cancer for a second time. That’s why the push for earlier screenings and extended care for survivors isn’t just an idea, it’s a means for survival.  

1: 💉 Dealing with COVID is dropping down Canadians’ to-do lists, but it’s not dropping in hospitals. According to new data, only 26% of adults reported getting vaccinated in 2024, and respiratory hospitalizations remain more than double pre-pandemic levels. Flu and RSV are back in force, but COVID still accounts for more than 40% of those admissions. And inside the hospital, it continues to stand apart: data from Norway show SARS-CoV-2 carries a higher risk of acute respiratory failure than flu, RSV, or parainfluenza. The vaccines may be handled the same at the pharmacy, but not once patients are admitted.

2: 💊 A 20-year study of 650K patients is raising red flags over long-term IBS treatments. Researchers found that chronic use of antidepressants for gut-brain signaling was associated with a 35% increased risk of death, while common antidiarrheals like loperamide and diphenoxylate were linked to nearly twice the risk. Absolute risk remains low, and the study doesn’t prove causation. But the findings suggest a need to more carefully weigh these medications for long-term symptom management versus alternatives.

3: 🩻 AI-generated X-rays are getting hard to spot, even for radiologists. In a recent study, clinicians correctly identified synthetic scans about 75% of the time, with little improvement even after being told fakes were in the mix. These tools are now simple enough to generate clinically plausible images from a prompt, lowering the barrier to fabrication — the same shift pushing platforms like Tinder to roll out biometric proof of human verification as AI-generated users become harder to detect. Medicine is now facing the same problem as the internet, just with higher stakes.

4: ⛽ If your commute to the clinic has been feeling like a luxury expense, there’s some minor relief at the pump this week. A federal fuel excise tax freeze is officially in effect, pausing the 10-cent-per-litre tax on gas (and 4 cents on diesel) until Labour Day. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s move aims to buffer the shock from the ongoing Iran war and the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Combined with the earlier carbon tax scrap, that’s up to a 28-cent drop per litre. It won’t exactly pay off your med school loans, but at $5–$8 saved per fill-up, it might at least cover that extra shot of espresso for the morning rounds.

Postcall has a new home! You can now find us living over at MDBriefcase. Don't worry, nothing about the Postcall you know is changing. You’ll still get the same clinical studies, medical news, and crosswords you've come to expect from us. We’re just sharing a roof with a site that also hosts some great free, accredited continuing education courses you can check out while you’re there. It’s the same Postcall energy, just with a few extra perks nearby.

16: the age Quebec may soon use to restrict energy drink sales. The push follows the death of a 15-year-old linked to caffeine and ADHD medication. Many teens are already combining psychostimulants with energy drinks, a pairing that can amplify cardiovascular effects.

6: the number of Air Canada routes being axed as jet fuel prices soar. With costs nearly doubling, the Airline says flights like Yellowknife–Toronto and the summer JFK connection are no longer economically feasible. WestJet's following suit to reduce capacity, but has yet to give any flights the boot.

US$34K: the price of the world’s most expensive linguine, after a man swapped Lego kits for dried pasta to score fraudulent refunds across several US Targets. The man (currently in jail) reportedly used the noodles to mimic the weight and rattle of the bricks. It’s what California police called a “pasta-tively terrible plan,” now “cooked al dente.” Who knew Irvine police would out-pun Postcall?

🗓️ Learn: how to navigate the shifting GLP-1 landscape. Join Dr. Sean Wharton on April 30th for a deep dive into the latest clinical data. This free webinar moves beyond the scale to explore systemic, multi-organ benefits and a blueprint for total metabolic health in a rapidly diversifying treatment landscape.

🍳Make: this creamy beet salad with sunflower seed crumble — a vibrant, nutrient-dense side from Canadian Living that balances earthy, roasted beets with a satisfying crunch. (A quick shout-out to our reader who nudged us toward more Canadian culinary talent. Thanks for your feedback — we’re leaning in. Keep the suggestions coming!)

🚀 Watch: this raw iPhone footage of an "Earthset" from the Moon, captured by the Artemis II crew during their historic lunar flyby. The Earth slowly disappears behind the moon, just like a Malibu sunset, if the ocean were vertical and full of craters.

🛒 Save: at the Princess Auto “Spring Fever” sale. Whether your backyard is a mud pit or a graveyard of last year’s leaves, these discounts on rakes, pressure washers, and yard tools might help reclaim your curb appeal.

🎧 Listen: to this episode of The Dose on the reality of private whole-body MRIs. Dr. Iain Kirkpatrick breaks down whether these multi-thousand-dollar "preventative" scans offer peace of mind or a direct path to the "incidentaloma" rabbit hole.

First clue: You are here (and we celebrate her today!)

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