Another Type of Urgent Care Facility Flourishing for Orthopedic Problems
In a recent note, I discussed how primary care practices and hospital-based ambulatory care are now being forced to compete with both walk-in clinics in retail drug stores and urgent care centers (see:Physicians Are Disappearing from the Front Line of Healthcare). I have just learned about another type of first-line competition for physician and physical medicine practices: walk-in, orthopedic urgent care centers (see: Orthopedic urgent care centers to expand). Below is an excerpt from the relevant article:A new orthopedic urgent care center operator is expected to start opening centers in Michigan later this y...
Source: Lab Soft News - June 6, 2018 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Cost of Healthcare Healthcare Business Healthcare Delivery Healthcare Insurance Hospital Financial Medical Consumerism Source Type: blogs
Nailed It!
What do you do for a nail from a nail gun in the hand? This procedure is simple, but you have to worry about the aftermath. Complicated issues may arise post-procedure in the days to weeks after extraction, including retained foreign bodies, infection, fractures, disability, pain, nerve damage, tendon rupture, and cosmetic concerns.Removing the nail is only half the battle. Proper removal, treatment, and follow-up should be considered with all foreign bodies in the skin, especially the hand. Being prepared for the possible aftershocks will help your patient have a successful recovery.A 23-year-old man with a nail fro...
Source: The Procedural Pause - June 1, 2018 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
The Ethics of Keeping Alfie Alive
By SAURABH JHA
Of my time arguing with doctors, 30 % is spent convincing British doctors that their American counterparts aren’t idiots, 30 % convincing American doctors that British doctors aren’t idiots, and 40 % convincing both that I’m not an idiot.
A British doctor once earnestly asked whether American physicians carry credit card reading machines inside their white coats. Myths about the NHS can be equally comical. British doctors don’t prostate every morning in deference to the NHS, like the citizens of Oceania sang to Big Brother in Orwell’s dystopia. Nor, in their daily rounds, do they calculate opportun...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 21, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: at RogueRad Tags: OP-ED Uncategorized AlfieEvans Source Type: blogs
CurveBeam ’s Tiny InReach CT Scanner Cleared by FDA
InReach Cone Beam CT System for Extremity Imaging (PRNewsfoto/CurveBeam)
CurveBeam‘s InReach point-of-care extremity CT system garnered FDA clearance for use in scanning the arms, hands, wrists, and elbows, as well as the feet and legs.
This is one of the smallest CT scanners out there, giving a detailed 3D view of the extremities that digital X-rays can’t provide.
The device doesn’t need any additional shielding and is small enough to be kept in a corner with other equipment and used as necessary.
InReach’s bore can be moved up and down to level with the patient’s arms or legs and once a scan...
Source: Medgadget - May 17, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Orthopedic Surgery Radiology Source Type: blogs
Knuckle cracking: Annoying and harmful, or just annoying?
Follow me on Twitter @RobShmerling
Knuckle cracking is a common behavior enjoyed by many. It can become a habit or a way to deal with nervous energy; some describe it as a way to “release tension.” For some, it’s simply an annoying thing that other people do.
If you’ve ever wondered why stretching the fingers in certain ways causes that familiar noise or whether knuckle cracking is harmful in some way, read on. Despite how common it is, there has been considerable debate regarding where the noise comes from. Fortunately — at least for those of us who are curious about it — knuckle cracking has been the subject ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 14, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Bones and joints Health Source Type: blogs
HeartLight Excalibur Balloon for Cardiac Ablation Gets Approval in U.S.
CardioFocus, based in Marlborough, MA, obtained FDA regulatory approval for its HeartLight Excalibur Balloon as a treatment option for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The system ablates cardiac tissue and relies on the same balloon design as the previously approved HeartLight Ablation System. The latest design improves the speed of ablation and how much tissue is targeted.
The company’s HeartLight technology is used during pulmonary vein isolation procedures, using the balloon to isolate the target area and providing the physician with a direct view of the tissue being worked on. A laser is used to ablate cardiac tissu...
Source: Medgadget - May 8, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
The right way to do a HSG
A HSG ( hysterosalpingogram, X-ray of the uterus and tubes is a very useful test to check if the uterine cavity is normal and the fallopian tubes are open. In this series of X-rays, you can clearly see the dye entering the cavity; filling the cavity; and then entering the tubes, filling them, and then spilling out of the terminal ends. This is a normal HSG, showing that the tubes are patent ( normal fill and spill). Some of the plates are white on black , and this is because the radiologist has manipulated the image. You can also see that the dye seems to have collected in one place - what is called a loculation.The ...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - May 5, 2018 Category: Reproduction Medicine Tags: HSG Hysterosalpingography Source Type: blogs
Doctors, don ’t be scared. Here’s why.
It was a twilight summer game, and I was parked as usual in right field among the weeds and snake holes. There was no outfield fence, so muffed balls could roll forever. Not gifted with athletic skills, I also had a secret problem. I was blind as an especially myopic mole rat and couldn’t even see the second baseman. This would be discovered five years later. I knew one thing with certainty every game. Eventually, a ball would be hit my way, and I would miss it. I would then have to chase it for about a century and bring it back to the howls and snarls of my pack after the other team scored precisely 94 runs. I exper...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 29, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/scott-younkin" rel="tag" > Scott Younkin, MD < /a > Tags: Physician Hospital-Based Medicine Surgery Source Type: blogs
New Kentucky Law Excludes Radiologists from Reading Black Lung Radiographs
A new law passed in Kentucky could reduce diagnosis rates of black lung in the state. The bill backed by Republican Representative Adam Koenig allows only NIOSH-certified pulmonologists to interpret chest x-rays in black lung compensation cases. Previously, B reader radiologists could also read chest radiographs in black lung claims.Black lung has become increasingly common among miners. Around one in 14 miners with at least 25 years of experience are diagnosed with the condition.According to NPR, there are only six pulmonologists in Kentucky with NIOSHcertification, the qualification to assess pneumoconiosis — other...
Source: radRounds - April 27, 2018 Category: Radiology Authors: Julie Morse Source Type: blogs
Real-Time Intravascular Imaging for PAD by Avinger: Interview with CEO Jeff Soinski
The objective of the clinical trial was to demonstrate that Pantheris can be used to effectively remove plaque from diseased lower extremity arteries while using on-board visualization as an adjunct to fluoroscopy. Two groups of patients were treated in VISION: (1) optional roll-ins, which are typically the first two procedures at a site, and (2) the primary cohort, which are the analyzable group of patients. Based on final enrollment, the primary cohort included 130 patients.
VISON’s primary efficacy endpoint required that at least 87% of lesions treated by physicians using Pantheris have a residual stenosis of less...
Source: Medgadget - April 24, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Michael Batista Tags: Cardiology Exclusive Radiology Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs
Google Cloud Research Says that AI Won ’t Replace Radiologists…Yet
The medical community has viewed the advent of artificial intelligence(AI) with both fear and excitement. The technology held a major platform at this year ’s Radiological Society of North America conference, and companies like GE Healthcare, Siemens, and NVIDIAare rapidly rolling out AI-based devices. This onset of machine and deep learning programs has threatened to replace human radiologists. However, according to research from Google Cloud, AI is capable of only automating a portion of a radiologist ’s responsibilities.Google Cloud ’s head of research and development, Jai Li, studied how machine learning can...
Source: radRounds - April 23, 2018 Category: Radiology Authors: Julie Morse Source Type: blogs
LITFL Review 328
LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
Welcome to the 328th LITFL Review! Your regular and reliable source for the highest highlights, sneakiest sneak peeks and loudest shout-outs from the webbed world of emergency medicine and critical care. Each week the LITFL team casts the spotlight on the blogosphere’s best and brightest and deliver a bite-sized chunk of FOAM.
Readers can subscribe to LITFL review RSS or LITFL review EMAIL subscription
The Most Fair Dinkum Ripper Beauts of the Week
Simon Carley re...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - April 22, 2018 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Marjorie Lazoff, MD Tags: LITFL review LITFL R/V Source Type: blogs
4Dx Uses Algorithms to Better Visualize Lung Function
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects millions of people in the United States. The main method of diagnosis is the pulmonary function tests (PFTs), in which a patient breathes into a machine that measures pulmonary parameters. The disadvantage, however, is that pulmonary function tests take an “average” of a patient’s lung without being able to detect specific areas of lung function and compare them over time.
4Dx is hoping to improve that. Using principles of air flow dynamics and applying them to data from a simple X-ray, the company’s algorithms can calculate the amount of air that each area of the lung ...
Source: Medgadget - April 19, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Cici Zhou Tags: Anesthesiology Cardiology Critical Care Diagnostics Exclusive Medicine Radiology Surgery Thoracic Surgery Source Type: blogs
A tired child? What you should know
Follow me on Twitter @drClaire
Children often complain of being tired. Usually it’s for simple reasons — because it’s the end of a busy day, or because they stayed up late the night before, or because they are trying to get out of doing something they don’t want to do. When kids are sick they are usually tired, and need more rest to get better. But when a child complains all the time, and fatigue starts to get in the way of things they usually enjoy, it could be a sign of a problem.
Here are some possible reasons for chronic fatigue in children:
Sleep problems. This makes sense, obviously, since if a child doesn...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 17, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Children's Health Fatigue Parenting Source Type: blogs
Siemens SOMATOM Edge Plus CT Uses AI and 3D Camera to Auto Position Patients
The FDA has given clearance to the Siemens SOMATOM Edge Plus CT scanner. The device sports the company’s FAST (Fully Assisting Scanner Technologies) Integrated Workflow that features a 3D camera positioned above the patient bed that allows the system to recognize the head, torso, and other parts of the body. This helps the system to automate scan preparation, helping to get patients in and out of the scanning room quickly without sacrificing imaging quality.
The infrared camera is combined with artificial intelligence methods to recognize various anatomical points. The table moves accordingly, making sure to positi...
Source: Medgadget - April 6, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Radiology Source Type: blogs
