Zaven Sargsyan
@sargsyanz.bsky.social
Internist at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
Did a Celebrated Researcher Obscure a Baby’s Poisoning?
He sure did.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
He sure did.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Did a Celebrated Researcher Obscure a Baby’s Poisoning?
After a newborn died of opioid poisoning, a new branch of pediatrics came into being. But the evidence doesn’t add up.
www.newyorker.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Did a Celebrated Researcher Obscure a Baby’s Poisoning?
He sure did.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
He sure did.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
Why is a 20-year-old study "still under fire"?
Because:
- it was wrong
- the lead author lied to conceal it
- millions of women and infants were harmed
- other death investigations were misled
- when shown this, major institutions looked away
www.cbc.ca/news/health/...
Because:
- it was wrong
- the lead author lied to conceal it
- millions of women and infants were harmed
- other death investigations were misled
- when shown this, major institutions looked away
www.cbc.ca/news/health/...
February 10, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Why is a 20-year-old study "still under fire"?
Because:
- it was wrong
- the lead author lied to conceal it
- millions of women and infants were harmed
- other death investigations were misled
- when shown this, major institutions looked away
www.cbc.ca/news/health/...
Because:
- it was wrong
- the lead author lied to conceal it
- millions of women and infants were harmed
- other death investigations were misled
- when shown this, major institutions looked away
www.cbc.ca/news/health/...
Good read, thanks Atheen
February 1, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Good read, thanks Atheen
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
You can see my enthusiasm for #naturalexperiments wane over the course of this paper, even as difference-in-differences takes over medical journals.
evidence.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1...
evidence.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Natural Experiments to Inform Clinical Practice
Natural experiments refer to events or practices that result in similar individuals
receiving different services or interventions for arbitrary reasons. In the clinical
context, researchers may wis...
evidence.nejm.org
February 1, 2026 at 6:38 PM
You can see my enthusiasm for #naturalexperiments wane over the course of this paper, even as difference-in-differences takes over medical journals.
evidence.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1...
evidence.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
This story is so wild and so well told. I woke my husband up gasping at the "we made it up" part.
I’ve spent 15 years challenging a flawed explanation for an infant’s death. Credit to The New Yorker for patient investigative journalism that corrected the record when institutions did not.
A paper by a renowned toxicologist argued for the first case of opioid overdose by breast milk in history. But in the years that followed, researchers began to suspect that the science was bunk. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/AUASqK
January 27, 2026 at 2:47 PM
This story is so wild and so well told. I woke my husband up gasping at the "we made it up" part.
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
I’ve spent 15 years challenging a flawed explanation for an infant’s death. Credit to The New Yorker for patient investigative journalism that corrected the record when institutions did not.
A paper by a renowned toxicologist argued for the first case of opioid overdose by breast milk in history. But in the years that followed, researchers began to suspect that the science was bunk. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/AUASqK
Did a Celebrated Researcher Obscure a Baby’s Poisoning?
After a newborn died of opioid poisoning, a new branch of pediatrics came into being. But the evidence doesn’t add up.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
January 26, 2026 at 10:02 PM
I’ve spent 15 years challenging a flawed explanation for an infant’s death. Credit to The New Yorker for patient investigative journalism that corrected the record when institutions did not.
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
Sadly philosophy is probably not alone
January 26, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Sadly philosophy is probably not alone
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
reminder to liberally check carbon monoxide levels during snowmageddon
CO levels can be measured on venous blood along with routine labs (no need for a separate arterial puncture)
emcrit.org/ibcc/co/ #EMIMCC
CO levels can be measured on venous blood along with routine labs (no need for a separate arterial puncture)
emcrit.org/ibcc/co/ #EMIMCC
January 24, 2026 at 5:53 PM
reminder to liberally check carbon monoxide levels during snowmageddon
CO levels can be measured on venous blood along with routine labs (no need for a separate arterial puncture)
emcrit.org/ibcc/co/ #EMIMCC
CO levels can be measured on venous blood along with routine labs (no need for a separate arterial puncture)
emcrit.org/ibcc/co/ #EMIMCC
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
I am one single hour into onboarding for my first clinical attending job and I've become a single issue voter to destroy the US medical billing system
January 22, 2026 at 5:38 PM
I am one single hour into onboarding for my first clinical attending job and I've become a single issue voter to destroy the US medical billing system
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
i stopped taking my blood pressure pills and gained all my blood pressure back, these things don’t work
January 22, 2026 at 7:15 PM
i stopped taking my blood pressure pills and gained all my blood pressure back, these things don’t work
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
Yikes. Are these the best endpoints to be studying here?
Reducing #PrimaryCare new patient visit length from 40 minutes to 20 minutes increased the number of appointments completed and had no effect on EHR time outside scheduled hours but decreased billing level of service.
Read in #JGIM: rdcu.be/eRb0H
Read in #JGIM: rdcu.be/eRb0H
January 21, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Yikes. Are these the best endpoints to be studying here?
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
FYI to anyone who follows my main account on Twitter/X “therealdoctort,” unfortunately the account has been hacked and the name has been changed. I’ve reached out to @X to try and regain control. Please disregard any posts or messages coming from that account until I can get it back. Thanks.
January 22, 2026 at 1:03 PM
FYI to anyone who follows my main account on Twitter/X “therealdoctort,” unfortunately the account has been hacked and the name has been changed. I’ve reached out to @X to try and regain control. Please disregard any posts or messages coming from that account until I can get it back. Thanks.
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
This second point (early endpoint for something expected to have late benefits) is EXACTLY what led to nonsensical claims about ventilators killing people in April 2020 in NYC, and we are STILL dealing with it. Hard not to think it was specifically chosen here to minimize the benefit of vaccines.
-the biggee, taking a population where ~20% of mothers are hep B carriers and intentionally withholding the vaccine that will prevent chronic liver disease in the kid
-An endpoint of mortality within 42 days (knowing benefit is years down road)
-Looking at dermatitis as an outcome (??)
-An endpoint of mortality within 42 days (knowing benefit is years down road)
-Looking at dermatitis as an outcome (??)
January 15, 2026 at 5:53 PM
This second point (early endpoint for something expected to have late benefits) is EXACTLY what led to nonsensical claims about ventilators killing people in April 2020 in NYC, and we are STILL dealing with it. Hard not to think it was specifically chosen here to minimize the benefit of vaccines.
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
Friendly reminder that we call eggplant eggplant because the "normal" eggplant used to look like this
January 12, 2026 at 5:42 AM
Friendly reminder that we call eggplant eggplant because the "normal" eggplant used to look like this
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
My new Substack:
This week's announcements of ChatGPT Health and Utah's new system that permits AI to refill prescriptions are both interesting in their own right. But together, they usher in the "AI Doctor" era. The implications are enormous. open.substack.com/pub/robertwa...
This week's announcements of ChatGPT Health and Utah's new system that permits AI to refill prescriptions are both interesting in their own right. But together, they usher in the "AI Doctor" era. The implications are enormous. open.substack.com/pub/robertwa...
The Week That AI Crossed the Line
Why ChatGPT Health and Utah’s AI Prescribing Law Mark the Beginning of the “AI Doctor” Era
open.substack.com
January 11, 2026 at 6:40 PM
My new Substack:
This week's announcements of ChatGPT Health and Utah's new system that permits AI to refill prescriptions are both interesting in their own right. But together, they usher in the "AI Doctor" era. The implications are enormous. open.substack.com/pub/robertwa...
This week's announcements of ChatGPT Health and Utah's new system that permits AI to refill prescriptions are both interesting in their own right. But together, they usher in the "AI Doctor" era. The implications are enormous. open.substack.com/pub/robertwa...
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee has been forced to make a statement, declaring that the prize cannot be transferred.
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
January 10, 2026 at 9:15 AM
The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee has been forced to make a statement, declaring that the prize cannot be transferred.
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
1/ Hello 👋 #medtwitter #neurotwitter #neurosky #medsky #neurocritcare #FOAMEd have another brief case that I wanted to discuss with you and see if maybe you can learn something new or reinforce old knowledge!
January 7, 2026 at 9:02 PM
1/ Hello 👋 #medtwitter #neurotwitter #neurosky #medsky #neurocritcare #FOAMEd have another brief case that I wanted to discuss with you and see if maybe you can learn something new or reinforce old knowledge!
Is there a slice of beet in that burger?
January 6, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Is there a slice of beet in that burger?
I saw it too, and nothing
January 3, 2026 at 7:41 PM
I saw it too, and nothing
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
I SET YOU ALL UP FOR AN INFLATION JOKE AND AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOUR FAILURE
January 3, 2026 at 7:39 PM
I SET YOU ALL UP FOR AN INFLATION JOKE AND AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOUR FAILURE
Reposted by Zaven Sargsyan
A 31-year-old woman presented with 10 days of fever, sinus pressure, cough, nausea, and vomiting. Three episodes of similar symptoms, as well as night sweats, fatigue, and weight loss, had occurred in the previous 5 months. Read the full case details: nej.md/4sbcTbS
#MedSky #IDSky #Immunology
#MedSky #IDSky #Immunology
January 2, 2026 at 2:05 PM
A 31-year-old woman presented with 10 days of fever, sinus pressure, cough, nausea, and vomiting. Three episodes of similar symptoms, as well as night sweats, fatigue, and weight loss, had occurred in the previous 5 months. Read the full case details: nej.md/4sbcTbS
#MedSky #IDSky #Immunology
#MedSky #IDSky #Immunology