Does IVF cause premature births ?
This is a common concern many patients have.Please remember that IVF pregnancies are the same as natural pregnancies, so they aren't at increased risk of prematurity.It's not the IVF which causes the prematurity - it's the multiple pregnancies ( which are commoner in IVF because some IVF clinics transfer many embryos at a time) which increases the risk - after all, the uterus was designed to handle only one baby.This is why we suggest that patients transfer only a single embryo ! (Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog)
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - April 25, 2018 Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: blogs
Are Hospitals Becoming Obsolete; Consequences for Pathology and the Labs
I have blogged in the past about how the mission and nature of hospitals in the U.S. is changing rapidly (see, for example:The Design of Bedless Hospitals Continue to Evolve Based on Cost and Technology; Some Additional Ideas About the Bedless Hospitals of the Future; The Case of the"Disappearing Hospital Beds"; Implications for Pathologists). This same idea was covered in a somewhat controversial recent article by Ezekiel Emanuel with the provocative headline that asked whether hospitals were becoming obsolete (see:Are Hospitals Becoming Obsolete?). Below is an excerpt from it:What year saw the...
Source: Lab Soft News - March 28, 2018 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Cost of Healthcare Healthcare Delivery Healthcare Innovations Hospital Financial Reference Laboratories Source Type: blogs
The Trump Administration, Patient Data Rights + Value Based Care
By SEEMA VERMA
Following is the full text of CMS administrator Seema Verma’s remarks at HIMSS18 in Las Vegas.
It is a privilege to be with you here today and speak about the amazing advancements happening all across the nation in healthcare. One of the most exciting parts about being the CMS Administrator is the opportunity to see the cutting-edge breakthroughs that are happening every day. As we walk the exhibit hall of this conference, it is easy to be struck by how innovation is accelerating in healthcare.
We have procedures that we couldn’t have imagined a generation ago that are saving thousands of lives.
Pre...
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 8, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Preterm birth leaves its mark in the functional networks of the brain
Damage is in the most important brain network for higher cognitionPreterm birth leaves its mark in the functional networks of the brainResearcher have demonstrated that premature birth has a significant and, at the same time, a very selective effect on the …Read it on FlipboardRead it on sciencedaily.com (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner))
Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) - February 26, 2018 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: blogs
Access to safe, affordable birth control is a maternal health issue
I am a physician.
As a high-risk obstetrician (maternal-fetal medicine specialist) I pride myself on caring for women who are likely to become (or who are already) so ill that many others view caring for them as a burden. I help women achieve a safe pregnancy when colleagues have advised against pregnancy altogether. Whether it is the patient with such a complex surgical history that her cesarean delivery will include massive blood loss and a hysterectomy, or the patient with a history of liver transplant trying to carry a pregnancy for the fourth time (each unsuccessful as she struggles in and out of graft rejection), or ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 18, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Scott Shainker, DO, MS Tags: Family Planning and Pregnancy Health Women's Health birth control Source Type: blogs
Medgadget ’s Best Medical Technologies of 2017
We reported a surge in the use of augmented reality in healthcare at the end of 2016, with the trend continuing in 2017. Notably, Microsoft’s HoloLens was successfully used for spinal surgery applications by a surgical navigation company named Scopis. There are several advantages to this system including reduced radiation exposure of patients, improved screw placement accuracy, and decreased surgery times.
It has been an exciting year for healthcare with many advances in how diseases are diagnosed, treated, and cured. Medical devices are constantly becoming smaller, smarter, cheaper, more precise and user friendly...
Source: Medgadget - December 26, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Exclusive Source Type: blogs
Reclaiming Ancient Wisdom
This article originally appeared in the Q3 2017 Regenerate Magazine.
Photo Credit
VacTruth.com (Source: vactruth.com)
Source: vactruth.com - November 22, 2017 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Phil Silberman Tags: Logical Phil Silberman Top Stories health Skeptics vaccine choice Source Type: blogs
Maybe the reason patients don ’t understand us is because we don’t speak in plain English
Recently, I was challenged by the mother of a trauma patient. She had read about traumatic spleen injuries online and was concerned about the risk a hematoma presented and wanted the ultrasound to look at the hematoma. I found myself floundering around trying to explain how this study was unnecessary. In frustration, I turned to my nurse practitioner and said, “Heather, can you translate for me?”
This is a common problem. The failure to make legitimate health care information understandable or accessible to patients paradoxically lends credibility to the Google disinformation that is out there.
There is no population f...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 17, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/peter-f-nichol" rel="tag" > Peter F. Nichol, MD, PhD < /a > Tags: Physician Hospital-Based Medicine Neurology Surgery Source Type: blogs
Despite Leaving Key Questions Unanswered, New Contraceptive Coverage Exemptions Will Do Clear Harm
On October 6, the Trump administration released an overhaul of federal regulations governing religious objections to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive coverage guarantee. The move had been long expected. In early May, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on “religious liberty” that signaled his intent to undermine the guarantee; a few weeks later, media outlets published a leaked draft of the new regulations. The two regulations issued on Friday—which took effect immediately—closely match the draft from May by creating sweeping new exemptions from the contraceptive coverage guarant...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - October 17, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: Adam Sonfield Tags: Following the ACA Public Health Contraception contraceptive coverage executive order moral objection preventative care religious exemptions Trump administration Source Type: blogs
The Insufficiency Of Medicaid Block Grants: The Example Of Puerto Rico
Medicaid block grants have been a centerpiece of Republican health proposals for more than a decade. Proponents, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), argue that giving states a fixed amount of money through a block grant or per-person limit with few strings attached gets Washington out of the way and allows for state innovation. Although the most recent block grant legislation did not reach the Senate floor, proponents have promised to continue to push for it.
But one need look no further than the growing health crisis in Puerto Rico to understand why capped federal money and state flexibility will not solve serious h...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - October 12, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: Vikki Wachino and Tim Gronniger Tags: Medicaid and CHIP block grants disaster relief Puerto Rico Source Type: blogs
Fighting For Breath: Access To Oxygen Therapy Should Not Be A Matter Of Location Or Luck
In June, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its Model List of Essential Medicines and List of Essential Medicines for Children to include an additional indication for oxygen therapy, specifying that it should be used to treat patients with dangerously low levels of oxygen in the blood (hypoxemia). The new indication is the result of a proposal led by my organization, PATH (an international nonprofit organization leading in global health innovation), in collaboration with partners and expert advisers. It helps prioritize oxygen therapy for patients with this dangerous condition.
The decision—and the need for ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - September 26, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: David C. Kaslow Tags: Health Equity Public Health hypoxemia Model List of Essential Medicines oxygen therapy PATH United4Oxygen World Health Organization Source Type: blogs
Aspect Imaging is Granted FDA Clearance for Neonatal MRI System
Israel-based Aspect Imaging ’s Embrace Neonatal MRI has received Food and Drug Administration clearance. The system is purposely designed for neonatal brain and head imaging, so that infants can avoid transportation outside of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The Embrace Neonatal MRI touts several benefits and safety measures, including the option to allow parents to be present while the procedure is taking place. The scanning lasts less than an hour, and the device doesn ’t need a designated safety zone or RF-shielded room; it can be conveniently stored in the NICU. In case of emergency, the baby can be remov...
Source: radRounds - September 9, 2017 Category: Radiology Authors: Julie Morse Source Type: blogs
Mothers and Substance Use
By Christopher Welsh, MD
Women have some unique challenges when it comes to alcohol, tobacco and drug use and misuse. These differences are based on both biology and culturally defined expectations of women. Hormonal changes, the menstrual cycle, fertility issues, pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause can all impact a woman’s use of substances. Women often use smaller amounts of a substance for shorter amounts of time before developing a problem. They also may have greater physical problems from their substance misuse.
Alcohol, tobacco and drug use during pregnancy can present significant problems for both the mother a...
Source: Life in a Medical Center - May 19, 2017 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: UMMC Tags: Health Tips Source Type: blogs
The Medical Futurist Explains – The Artificial Womb
Click-bait high-tech or healthcare headlines confuse and mislead readers, as more often than not they claim either superlative traits or hellish dystopias about innovations. In my new article series, I try to make sense of sensationalist news in healthcare as well as address the real purpose of digital technology and its ethical considerations.
Take the artificial womb. Instead of visualizing the utopian scene from The Matrix, where babies are not born, but “grown” in fluid-filled bags, the artificial womb will help save the lives of extremely premature babies in the future. Let me explain.
What happened? – Prematur...
Source: The Medical Futurist - May 2, 2017 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Bioethics TMF Explains artificial womb future Healthcare Innovation Medicine pregnancy Source Type: blogs
A Dishonest Conversation on Healthcare
By BLAKE ASHBY
The conversation our country is having about healthcare right now is not honest. It’s not just the Republicans, the Democrats are just as dishonest, in a different way. Republicans talk about government death panels denying care. Democrats talk about insurance company death panels. Both positions are intellectually dishonest. Both Republicans and Democrats know that a part of insurance is drawing boundaries around the care that would be paid for by the group. Any care outside that boundary doesn’t get paid for. You can frame it any way you want, but this is a critical part of any insurance.
Ins...
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 13, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
