Aspirin vs. Blood Thinners, a 9-Year Endo Wait Ends & Cyclospora Hits Taco Bell
7/17/202611 min
Friday, July 17, 2026
In today’s episode, Dr. Will Flanary / Dr. Glaucomflecken (@drglaucomflecken) and Adam Rose cover the EPCAT III trial, which found that aspirin alone was non-inferior to an initial course of rivaroxaban followed by aspirin for preventing major blood clots after elective hip or knee replacement in predominantly standard-risk patients. They examine NICE’s draft recommendation allowing two rapid endometriosis tests, EndoSure and Endotest, to enter limited NHS use while researchers gather additional real-world evidence. Plus: They discuss a recall involving more than 2.5 million bottles of prednisolone acetate eye drops, the first HAVANA Act compensation payments, the expanding Cyclospora response, and The Pitt leading the 2026 Emmy nominations with 25 nods. (00:00) Intro (01:07) Aspirin vs. Rivaroxaban After Joint Replacement (03:19) NICE Endorses Rapid Endometriosis Tests (05:30) FDA Recall of Prednisolone Eye Drops (06:07) First Havana Syndrome Payments (06:41) Cyclospora Outbreak Reaches Taco Bell (07:10) The Pitt Leads Emmy Nominations
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsWill Flanary· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Welcome to Medlines, your weekly resource for quick, credible, on-the-go medical news for those of us too busy practicing to remember where we left our hospital badge. Brought to you by the New England Journal of Medicine.
Adam Rose· Host0:18
Today is July 17th, 2026. At the desk today, bringing you the latest headlines in healthcare, I am Adam Rose.
Will Flanary· Host0:24
And I'm Dr. Will Flanary. Over the last week, a major New England Journal of Medicine trial tested whether aspirin alone is enough to prevent blood clots. NICE moved forward with two rapid endometriosis tests. And medical drama The Pitt dominated Emmy nominations. This and much more coming up.
Adam Rose· Host0:41
But before we begin, today's trivia question. [upbeat music] What emergency medical practice takes its name from the French word meaning 'to sort'?
Will Flanary· Host0:50
Oh, I wish I knew French. That's a good one. Stick around. We'll find out the answer at the end. And now, this week's Medlines. [upbeat music] Our first story is about a very common post-op question. After elective hip or knee replacement, how much blood thinner does a standard risk patient really need? We all know patients are at risk for venous clots after surgery, but stronger anticoagulation can also mean more bleeding, higher costs, and a more complicated recovery plan. In the New England Journal of Medicine, EPCAT 3 tested a simpler approach, aspirin alone from day one. The trial randomized five thousand four hundred and twenty-nine patients undergoing elective hip or knee replacement. The comparison was aspirin