How one liver disease patient found hope and overcame adversity
The first day I came to the liver service, I met Mr. S, who was struggling with complications of liver disease. In the long term, he required a TIPS procedure that would better distribute his abdominal pressure and eventually a liver transplant. He was at high risk for the procedure and was struggling to maintain Read more… How one liver disease patient found hope and overcame adversity originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - June 22, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions Gastroenterology Source Type: blogs

6 Dangers And Risks Of Low Blood Pressure
Conclusion Low blood pressure (hypotension) may not be as prominent or noticeable as hypertension, but it can still have significant impacts on various organs over time. Unlike hypertension, hypotension is often only clinically considered and treated when it reaches a life-threatening condition called shock, requiring emergency care. Low blood pressure can result in adverse effects such as insufficient blood flow to the brain, compromising cognitive function, and leading to dizziness. The heart may struggle to pump blood effectively, resulting in chest pain and irregular heart rhythms. Kidney function can be im...
Source: The EMT Spot - June 22, 2023 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Michael Rotman, MD, FRCPC, PhD Tags: Blood Pressure Source Type: blogs

A man in his 50s with acute chest pain who is lucky to still be alive.
 Sent by Magnus Nossen MD, written by Pendell MeyersA man in his 50s, previously healthy, developed acute chest pain. EMS was called, and they recorded the following ECG on scene at 13:16:What do you think?Below is the version standardized by PM Cardio appMeyers interpretation:Findings are specific for posterior (and also likely inferior) wall transmural acute infarction, most likely due to acute coronary occlusion (OMI). There is a relatively normal QRS yet there is STD maximal in V2-V4, which resolves from V4 to V6. The inferior leads may have a slightly full T wave (possibly hyperacute if compared to baseline which...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - June 21, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs

The surprising risks of long-term proton pump inhibitor use
A lot of my patients take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). They generally work pretty well for their intended use. By limiting the secretion of gastric acid from the stomach, they can effectively blunt uncomfortable symptoms of erosive gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, H. pylori infection, and peptic ulcers. However, without further evaluation, these medications are not Read more… The surprising risks of long-term proton pump inhibitor use originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - June 18, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Meds Gastroenterology Source Type: blogs

Dock Health Secures $5M in Funding Led by MassMutual with Participation from DaVita Venture Group and August Capital
Dock Health, Inc., the administrative hub for healthcare professionals, today announced $5 million in funding led by MassMutual through its MM Catalyst Fund (MMCF) with participation from DaVita Venture Group and initial seed investor, August Capital. The new funding will grow its administrative hub for healthcare from its initial task and workflow management platform to a more powerful automation engine and robust analytics platform with new integrations to drive administrative best practices. “The MM Catalyst Fund provides catalytic funding for high-impact companies that are helping to solve problems that will make pos...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - June 12, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Healthcare IT News Tags: Health IT Company Healthcare IT Administrative Hub AI-Powered Workflows Analytics and Insights Dashboard August Capital Boston Children's Hospital DaVita DaVita Venture Group Dock Dock Health Dock Health Inc. Dr. Adam Weinstein D Source Type: blogs

Video Capsule Navigates the Stomach
Researchers at George Washington University have created a swallowable capsule containing a video camera that can assist in identifying lesions in the stomach. However, unlike similar devices that have been developed previously, this capsule can drive around the stomach under the control of a clinician. This allows it to thoroughly navigate and screen the entire area to identify any health issues in the stomach mucosa, such as ulcers or bleeding. The technology requires an external magnet to be placed near the stomach, and the clinician can use a joystick, just like with a video game, to control the movement of the capsule...
Source: Medgadget - June 9, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: GI GWToday GWTweets Source Type: blogs

Investigating Bacterial Motion for New Treatment Strategies
Researchers at Florida State University have developed a 3D model that examines how the bacterium Helicobacter pylori moves through viscous fluids. H. pylori can cause gastrointestinal ulcers and even cancer, moving through the intestinal mucus layer to reach the wall of the gut. Using antibiotics can cause side-effects and can contribute to drug resistance, so these researchers are studying how the bacterium navigates through mucus in an effort to find new therapeutic targets with which to disrupt its activity. The researchers constructed models of the bacteria, placed them in a high-viscosity polymer gel, and then emulat...
Source: Medgadget - June 1, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: GI Medicine FloridaState H. pylori Source Type: blogs

A unique method for managing chronic bowel conditions, treating fecal impaction, and preparing for colonoscopy procedures
Fecal impaction and severe chronic constipation can have significant consequences on patients’ mortality, morbidity, psychosocial well-being, and health care costs. It is especially prevalent among the elderly and individuals with neurogenic bowel disorders. The condition can lead to life-threatening complications like bowel obstruction, intestinal perforation, fecal incontinence, and urinary retention. Traditional treatments for fecal impaction Read more… A unique method for managing chronic bowel conditions, treating fecal impaction, and preparing for colonoscopy procedures originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (So...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 20, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions Gastroenterology Source Type: blogs

Capsule Delivers Electrical Current to Stomach for Appetite
This study helps establish electrical stimulation by ingestible electroceuticals as a mode of triggering hormone release via the GI tract,” said Giovanni Traverso, a researcher involved in the study. “We show one example of how we’re able to engage with the stomach mucosa and release hormones, and we anticipate that this could be used in other sites in the GI tract that we haven’t explored here.” The MIT team designed the capsule for maximum contact with the stomach wall. Fluids in the stomach could interfere with this, so the capsule contains small grooves with a hydrophilic coating that d...
Source: Medgadget - May 10, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: GI Oncology cachexia mit Source Type: blogs

Bonus Features – May 7, 2023 – Less than 1% of all medical claims include an ICD-10 Z code, 78% of consumers say virtual health is important when considering health plans, and more
This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job. News CMS has opened the Hardship Exception application period for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) that participated in the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program in 2022. Hospitals may be exempt from...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - May 7, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Brian Eastwood Tags: Healthcare IT Alan Bugos Alexander Group Amazon Amazon Web Services CAHs Carenet Health CarePort Connect CGI CharmHealth CMS Consensus Cloud Solutions Controlled Medications CrunchBase DAS Health DEA eClinicalWorks eCW Source Type: blogs

How healthism and moralizing health are costing us too much [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we will be joined by Kristen L. Cole, an assistant professor of communication studies. Kristen shares her personal journey with Crohn’s disease and how the pressure to control her health led her to accumulate significant credit card debt. We will dive Read more… How healthism and moralizing health are costing us too much [PODCAST] originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 6, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Podcast Gastroenterology Source Type: blogs

Raising financially savvy kids: tips from a physician parent [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we explore the intersection of education and finance with guest Michele Cho-Dorado, a pediatric gastroenterologist. As physicians, we often prioritize academic excellence and lifelong learning, but one critical aspect of education that is often overlooked is financial literacy. In this episode, Read more… Raising financially savvy kids: tips from a physician parent [PODCAST] originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 3, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Podcast Practice Management Source Type: blogs

Ultrasound Patch Delivers Drugs Through the Skin
Engineers at MIT have developed a patch that uses ultrasound to deliver drugs through the skin. Ultrasound can create temporary openings in skin, allowing drugs to pass through. The skin is typically a difficult area for drug delivery, as it forms a tough barrier. However, the patch, which contains piezoelectric transducers, can push drugs through the skin highly efficiently. The current iteration of the device can deliver drug molecules to the upper few millimeters of skin, suggesting applications in treating relatively superficial conditions, but the MIT researchers believe they can adapt the device to allow drugs to pen...
Source: Medgadget - May 2, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Medicine Source Type: blogs

How Your Brain Is Connected to Your Gut: 7 Facts About Gut Health
We've all had a "gut feeling," or someone has told us to "follow our gut." It's that feeling that we may know something just by knowing—our intuition telling us something. It turns out that this feeling is more than just a feeling. The human body is an intricate series of systems, each individually playing a vital role in our overall health and well-being, and at the same time, they are all connected to make our whole body work.  One of these systems is the gut, also known as the gastrointestinal tract, which is responsible for digesting food and absorbing nutrients. When we combine its superpowers with the brain...
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - April 28, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Irene Rondom Tags: health and fitness self-improvement brain health gut health Source Type: blogs

Why poor diets are contributing to a surge in colorectal cancer cases among young people
An alarming trend has emerged in my medical practice in recent years: I’m seeing more and more young adults with colorectal cancer. When I began practicing as a family physician 21 years ago, I never saw patients in their 40s and 50s with the disease, much less ones in their 30s. Now, I diagnose two Read more… Why poor diets are contributing to a surge in colorectal cancer cases among young people originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 26, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions Gastroenterology Oncology/Hematology Source Type: blogs