An international study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine sheds light on acute normovolemic hemodilution, also known as ANH, a blood conservation technique. ANH involves removing a patient’s blood before the patient goes on heart-lung bypass, and then reinfusing it toward the end of heart surgery. Long debated for its effectiveness, ANH does not appear to reduce the need for red blood cell transfusion, according to results of the global clinical trial. However, study co-author Kenichi Tanaka, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, said the outcomes necessitate further scrutiny and may not be applicable to U.S. patients.

Mariana Georgeta Varga, MD, joined the Department of Neurology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and OU Health as the inaugural Medical Director of the Movement Disorder Center. Dr. Varga is a graduate of the OU neurology residency program and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Eating a high-fat diet containing a large amount of oleic acid – a type of fatty acid commonly found in olive oil – could drive obesity more than other types of dietary fats, according to a study published in the journal Cell Reports.

University of Oklahoma College of Medicine student Michael Lee is one of eight medical students nationwide to be named a Society of ’67 Thomas D. Kinney Scholar, a program of the Association for Academic Pathology (AAPath).

The University of Oklahoma announced today that Melissa Craft, Ph.D., has been appointed permanent dean of the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing, effective June 1, pending OU Board of Regents’ approval. Craft has served as interim dean since July 2024.