Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are receiving home oxygen have a higher risk of burn injury, according to researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. This study was published on March 30 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. For their study, the researchers looked at data from Medicare beneficiaries from 2001… Continue reading COPD Patients Risk Burn Injuries from Oxygen
Category: Medical Care
Four Lessons Hospitals Could Learn from Disney World
Recently, I returned from a trip to Disney with my family. It was my third time at the parks, but this trip was different. My wife and I were thrilled to have brought our three children, son in law, and, most importantly, our two grandchildren. Seeing my three and a half year old grandson, Erez,… Continue reading Four Lessons Hospitals Could Learn from Disney World
America’s Aging Population Will Need More Neurosurgeons
By 2030, chronic subdural hemorrhage (SDH) – also know as subdural hematoma or brain bleeds — will be the most common adult brain condition requiring neurosurgical intervention in the U.S., according to a study conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City and published March 20th 2015 online in the Journal… Continue reading America’s Aging Population Will Need More Neurosurgeons
Off-Patent Antibiotics Effectively Combat MRSA Skin Infections
Researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have found that two common antibiotic treatments work equally well against bacterial skin infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquired outside of hospital settings. Known as community-associated MRSA, or CA-MRSA, these skin infections have been… Continue reading Off-Patent Antibiotics Effectively Combat MRSA Skin Infections
Older Blood Is Safe for Transfusions
Although blood is perishable, it’s just as good as new blood after three weeks of storage, Canadian researchers say. The finding was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. According to a release from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the large clinical trial provides reassuring evidence about the safety of blood routinely transfused to… Continue reading Older Blood Is Safe for Transfusions
An Update on Precision Medicine
Everyone knows that different people don’t respond the same way to medications, and that “one size does not fit all.” FDA has been pushing for targeted drug therapies, sometimes called “personalized medicines” or “precision medicines,” for a long time. Targeted therapies make use of blood tests, images of the body, or other technologies to measure… Continue reading An Update on Precision Medicine
The Dangers of Some IV Lines
Physicians need to more carefully consider the type of IV they use on patients, researchers say. One kind of IV, known as a PICC line, is used to deliver medicines or have blood drawn over the course of days or weeks. But while they’re popular, PICC lines also raise the risk of potentially dangerous blood… Continue reading The Dangers of Some IV Lines
Better Care Needed for Sepsis Patients
Health-care practitioners need to provide more individualized care to patients who have suffered sepsis so they won’t have to be readmitted to a hospital, researchers said. A study published in JAMA looked at data from 2,6000 survivors of sepsis, a critical illness that shuts down internal organs following an infection. About 42 percent of the… Continue reading Better Care Needed for Sepsis Patients
Age-related Discrimination by Doctors Is Bad for Our Health
Being discriminated against by the healthcare profession or system can cause much more than just mere distress to older people. Such experiences can literally be bad for their health. One in every three older Americans who are on the receiving end of age-related discrimination in the healthcare setting will likely develop new or worsened functional… Continue reading Age-related Discrimination by Doctors Is Bad for Our Health
Will Doctors Stop Ordering Too Many Tests?
Ask enough people and most will say that their physician has a fairly decent reason for ordering tests and prescribing treatments. Recent studies show that their doctor may be among the growing number of physicians who disagree. In a survey of 600 physicians conducted by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation, almost 3 out… Continue reading Will Doctors Stop Ordering Too Many Tests?
Doctors and Drug-Abuse Monitoring
There are a number of databases that track drug prescriptions, but physicians aren’t using them as much as they should, say researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. According to a release from the school, a survey of 420 primary care physicians found that 72 percent indicated they were aware of their… Continue reading Doctors and Drug-Abuse Monitoring
Study: Wealthier People Get More Antibiotics
Doctors, retail medical clinics and urgent care centers appear to be locked in a battle for patients, and that means they’re prescribing increasing numbers of antibiotics, according to a team led by Johns Hopkins researchers. “We found that both the number of physicians per capita and the number of clinics are significant drivers of antibiotic… Continue reading Study: Wealthier People Get More Antibiotics
Health-Care Recommendations for Animals in Hospitals
With more and more animals visiting health-care facilities, experts have issued new guidelines for minimizing the possible spread of any bacteria. The recommendations, by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), include suggestions for policies involving animals including animal-assisted activities, service animals, research animals and personal pet visitation in acute care hospitals. The guidance… Continue reading Health-Care Recommendations for Animals in Hospitals
Anticholinergic Drugs Linked to Risk Of Pneumonia in the Elderly
In a study of more than 3,000 older patients living in the community, not in nursing homes, taking commonly used medications with anticholinergic effects was associated with a significantly higher risk for developing pneumonia. The study was done by the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, Washington and published in March 2015 the Journal of… Continue reading Anticholinergic Drugs Linked to Risk Of Pneumonia in the Elderly
Bacteria Hides in Hospitals
Every day, more than 200 Americans die due to healthcare-associated hospital infectionsand about one in 25 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection. Here, from Abbott Diabetes Care, is a list of six places where bacteria hide in the hospitals and ways to prevent the bacteria from infecting you. Flowers– Water and natural sugars… Continue reading Bacteria Hides in Hospitals
Are Your Pet’s Medicines Safe?
The federal Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) receives reports of accidental medication overdoses in pets as part of the agency’s overall system for monitoring drugs used in animals. Some of these reports involve pets getting into their own medications or medications for other pets in the household. A lot of pet medications are flavored to… Continue reading Are Your Pet’s Medicines Safe?
A Call to Action for End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes
End-of-life care for nursing home residents has long been associated with poor symptom control and low family satisfaction. With more than one in four older Americans dying in a nursing home — including 70 percent of Americans with advanced dementia — an editorial by Kathleen Unroe, M.D., MHA, Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University Center for… Continue reading A Call to Action for End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes
Saving More Trauma Patients
A nationwide study, published in JAMA, may help save hundreds of lives among trauma patients by giving them the best transfusion techniques possible. The study found that one approach, as opposed to the other one tested, gives patients a significantly better chance of survival within the first 24 hours. “This study is an important milestone… Continue reading Saving More Trauma Patients