Stroke Incidence Reduced 40% in the Last 20 Years
Reduction in mortality due to various forms of heart disease is one of the larger recent past drivers of the slow upward trend in adult and elderly life expectancy. A reduction in the incidence of Stroke is most likely due to many of the same underlying advances in medical practice. It is welcome, but worth remembering that the technologies and approaches that have created the present trend in life expectancy have very little to do with what lies ahead. The whole approach to aging is changing, and future trends will be very different from the present ones, because researchers will be trying to actually treat the causes of ...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 18, 2014 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Rare Cancer are Subsets of Common Cancers
In June, 2014, my book, entitled Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs: Keys to Understanding and Treating the Common Diseases was published by Elsevier. The book builds the argument that our best chance of curing the common diseases will come from studying and curing the rare diseases. One of the key ideas developed in the book is that each common diseases is actually an aggregate of cellular processes that are present, individually, in rare diseases. In the case of the common cancers, we can find specific rare diseases that are subsets of the common diseases. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 8: 8.3.3 Inherited syndromes that...
Source: Specified Life - July 9, 2014 Category: Pathologists Tags: cancer syndromes carcinogenesis common cancers common disease familial cancer syndromes genetic disease orphan disease orphan drugs rare cancers rare disease Source Type: blogs
ROCKET AF sub study on rivaroxaban in elderly
Atrial fibrillation – representative image
Rivaroxaban is an oral factor Xa inhibitor. It has been shown to be non inferior to warfarin in the ROCKET AF trial. A sub study evaluated how it fared in the elderly [Halperin JL et al. Efficacy and Safety of Rivaroxaban Compared With Warfarin Among Elderly Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation in the Rivaroxaban Once Daily, Oral, Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared With Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation (ROCKET AF). Circulation. 2014; 130: 138-146]. Over six thousand and two hundred patients with atrial fibrill...
Source: Cardiophile MD - July 9, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Clot-building nanoparticles raise survival rate following blast trauma Read more: Clot-building nanoparticles raise survival rate following blast trauma
A type of artificial platelet being developed to help natural blood platelets form clots faster offers promise for saving the lives of soldiers, as well as victims of car crashes and other severe trauma.In preclinical tests led by a Case Western Reserve University researcher, the artificial platelets, called "hemostatic nanoparticles," when injected after blast trauma dramatically increased survival rates and showed no signs of interfering with healing or causing other complications weeks afterward."The nanoparticles have a huge impact on survival—not just in the short term, but in the long term," said Erin Lavik, an ass...
Source: Medical Hemostat - June 30, 2014 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: hemostatguy at gmail.com (hemostat guy) Source Type: blogs
14.5 Million Reasons Physicians Practice Defensive Medicine
Cleveland’s MetroHealth Medical Center and a staff physician were recently found liable for a $14.5 million medical malpractice verdict in what is commonly termed a “bad baby” case.
The case as described in the article involved 36 year old Stephanie Stewart who was pregnant with her second child. She went to MetroHealth several times for premature labor when the child was 22-23 weeks gestational age (a full term infant is 40 weeks) and was admitted twice, with labor being stopped using medication and bedrest. There were apparently discussions about her requiring a C-section since her first child was de...
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - June 16, 2014 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: WhiteCoat Tags: Defensive Medicine Medical-Legal Source Type: blogs
Dying with Dignity in the Intensive Care Unit – NEJM Poll
The New England Journal of Medicine is conducting a poll on an ICU case. Read the case below and decide how decisions should be made about this patient’s further treatment. Participate in the poll and, if you like, submit a comment supporting your choice. The editors’ recommendations will appear on the NEJM site along with a link to the related review article, on June 26.
Presentation of CaseA 77-year-old man whose medical history includes treated hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, previous heavy alcohol intake, and mild cognitive impairment required 15 days ...
Source: blog.bioethics.net - June 12, 2014 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Thaddeus Mason Pope Tags: Health Care medical futility blog syndicated Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, June 6, 2014
From MedPage Today:
SSRIs May Worsen Hemorrhagic Strokes. The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) before a stroke may worsen the event for some patients.
Medicare to Cover Sex Change Surgery. A Medicare decision to pay for sex reassignment surgery offers a teachable moment, says one reproductive endocrinologist who specializes in transgender medicine.
Does Wi-Fi Really Disturb Fetal Brains? Even without much evidence to support concerns that prenatal exposure to wireless radiation leads to attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, the BabySafe Project is still promoting a “bett...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - June 6, 2014 Category: Journals (General) Authors: MedPage Today Tags: News Neurology Obesity Source Type: blogs
Stopping Hemorrhage by Aortic Compression
Limb exsanguination is no longer the most common cause of preventable death on the battlefield because of emergency tourniquets. Hemorrhage control for wounds in the junction between the trunk and the limbs and in the neck are an obvious care gap, most commonly in the pelvic area, including the buttocks and groin proximal to the inguinal ligament. (US Army Med Dep J 2011 Apr-Jun:38.) Managing hemorrhagic shock also requires support of central aortic pressure to maximize perfusion of the brain and heart and to control bleeding effectively.
Noncompressible torso hemorrhage is recognized as the leading cause of death in ...
Source: M2E Too! Mellick's Multimedia EduBlog - June 4, 2014 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
Stopping Hemorrhage by Aortic Compression
Limb exsanguination is no longer the most common cause of preventable death on the battlefield because of emergency tourniquets. Hemorrhage control for wounds in the junction between the trunk and the limbs and in the neck are an obvious care gap, most commonly in the pelvic area, including the buttocks and groin proximal to the inguinal ligament. (US Army Med Dep J 2011 Apr-Jun:38.) Managing hemorrhagic shock also requires support of central aortic pressure to maximize perfusion of the brain and heart and to control bleeding effectively.
Noncompressible torso hemorrhage is recognized as the leading cause of death in tr...
Source: M2E Too! Mellick's Multimedia EduBlog - June 4, 2014 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, May 29, 2014
From MedPage Today:
Primary Pain Points: ‘Messing With the Computer’. “Messing with the computer takes the physician’s head out of the exam,” Jordan Grumet, MD, a primary care clinician in a small practice in Northbrook, Ill., told MedPage Today in response to the question “What frustrates you?”
No Link Seen Between Vaccines and Lupus. Recent vaccination was not associated with an increased risk for the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
More Brain Bleeds With Stroke Drug in ‘Real World’. In a real-world practice setting, the use of tissue plasminogen ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 29, 2014 Category: Journals (General) Authors: MedPage Today Tags: News Heart Neurology Rheumatology Source Type: blogs
30 Year Old with Cardiac Arrest, PEA, then Cardiac Ultrasound
A 30 year old collapsed after complaining of chest pain intermittently. He was unconscious. First responders thought they palpated a thready pulse.When medics arrived, there was no pulse. Full CPR was initiated with the LUCAS device. The patient was intubated, an ITD (ResQPod) was used. Other standard cardiac arrest measures were undertaken.Here is the rhythm strip (these are two separate tracings):The initial rhythm is regular and wide complex, with concordant ST elevation, suggesting STEMI. The next rhythm appears to be ventricular fibrillation.The patient could not be resuscitat...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - May 29, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Some inconvenient observations regarding our "National Program for IT in the HHS"
(To astute readers, "National Program for IT in the HHS" is a not-very-thinly-veiled reference to the NPfIT, the National Programme for IT in the NHS, a £12.7bn project that went "pffft.")I have been very concerned over the years about EHR and other clinical IT risk, and with patient's rights (e.g., to a safe care environment, a legal obligation of healthcare facilities to maintain in the U.S).Looking at the medical malpractice data at my Feb. 28, 2014 post "Malpractice Claims Analysis Confirms Risks in EHRs" (http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/02/patient-safety-quality-healthcare.html) I make the following observat...
Source: Health Care Renewal - March 3, 2014 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: CRICO Healthcare IT failure healthcare IT risk HIT regulation medical malpractice Source Type: blogs
Top of the Pops
Investigation: Pradaxa most complained about U.S. drug; blamed for deaths, life-threatening injuriesCLEVELAND - A Five On Your Side Investigation found Pradaxa, a popular blood thinner, is the most complained about drug in the United States.Our research found more complaints were filed with the FDA about Pradaxa than any other prescription drug in both 2011 and 2012.Since it was approved by the FDA in 2010, Pradaxa has been blamed for 1,158 U.S. deaths and 12,494 serious injuries, according to Tom Moore, the senior scientist for drug safety and policy at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. The ISMP is a...
Source: PharmaGossip - February 19, 2014 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs
Father Jailed For Life Without Parole After His 12 Week-Old Daughter Died After Receiving 8 Vaccinations!
Conclusion
Despite Marrie’s obvious concerns that her daughter may have suffered from possible vaccine injuries, vaccines were the last things on anyone’s mind when it came to charging and sentencing Mr. Sanders. In fact, absolutely no expert witnesses from any field of medicine was asked to give evidence in Mr. Sanders’ defense. This case was completely one-sided, hinging on weak, flimsy evidence, all of which was completely circumstantial.
The only way that this prosecution team could know for sure that Mr. Sanders shook his baby daughter to death would have been video evidence or a credible eyewitness ...
Source: vactruth.com - January 16, 2014 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Christina England Tags: Christina England Top Stories multiple vaccinations Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) Vaccine Death vaccine injury vitamin C deficiency Source Type: blogs
Ischemic Chest Pain and Hypertension: Use of Adjunctive Anti-ischemic Therapy
A middle aged male with several CAD risks has had several months of exertional angina relieved by rest and nitro. He had the onset of chest discomfort at rest and presented by ambulance about 3 hours later with "severe crushing chest pain," with a blood pressure of 200/100 and pulse of 100. The prehospital ECG cannot be found. Here is his initial ED ECG:Sinus rhythm, nearly tachycardia. Left axis deviation with QRS of 90 ms, R-wave peak time in aVL perhaps reaches 45 ms, so possible left anterior fascicular block. There is minimal ST depression (but also a wandering baseline) in V3-V6.Exam was...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - January 7, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
