Articles
Caveat Lector ... Let The Reader Beware
November 13, 2009 12:22 pm | CommentsBy: Michael Smith Published: Almost every story I write from a medical meeting carries a warning that says, in essence, don't take this for gospel. We at MedPage Today take some care about that. Not that we're especially prone to error (although we can all nod off from time to time) but we want to make sure readers recognize the tentative nature of presentations at medical meetings.
Primary Care’s Image Problem
November 13, 2009 12:22 pm | CommentsBy Pauline W. Chen, M.D. Published: In my medical school class of 140, Kerry was one of the best and the brightest. Gregarious, unassuming and a dedicated fitness buff with a weakness for ice cream, she managed to sail through the weekly exams that most of us struggled with during the first two years.
If You Had To Code Your Life
November 13, 2009 5:12 am | CommentsBy: Dr. Rob Published: PLACE OF OCCURRENCE, HOME ICD-E849.0 6:00 AM Alarm goes off. Hit snooze button. CIRCADIAN RHYTHM SLEEP D/O IRREG SLEEPWAKE TYPE ICD-327.33 6:30 Alarm goes off for third time. Ready to hit snooze button, but knee in ribs from wife prevents more snooze button procrastination.
Is Silver The Solution To Improved Wound Healing?
November 11, 2009 6:30 am | CommentsThroughout a surgical procedure, patients are at risk for complications. Once a patient has made it through the procedure and the surgical site has been properly closed, the risk for complications still continue. Infection at the site of the surgical wound is among one of the most common and dangerous post-operative complications a patient faces.
Swine Flu Vaccine Deaths?
November 10, 2009 6:12 am | CommentsBy: Kristina Fiore Published: It seems that rumors among patients are flying faster than the 40-mph winds here in Miami that the swine flu vaccine can kill you. I've had at least two acquaintances in the last week send me warnings about death from the H1N1 vaccine. Another friend sent a frantic email after three different pediatricians refused to give it to her sister's newborn.
Q&A: Knotless Wound Closure
November 10, 2009 6:07 am | CommentsMichael Tarnoff MD, FACS is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Surgery at Tufts Medical Center. He also works as Vice President of Medical Affairs and Global Chief Medical Officer of Surgical Devices at Covidien. Here, he discusses his role in developing a new knotless wound closure device, V-Loc, and what knotless wound closure could mean for surgeons in the future.
Texting As A Health Tool For Teenagers
November 9, 2009 5:42 am | CommentsBy Pauline W. Chen, M.D. Published: Gina (not her real name) had been born with a defect in her liver, with ducts so damaged and narrow that the bile could not drain. In the first year of her life, she underwent two urgent operations. The first was an unsuccessful effort to convert a loop of intestine into a drainage system for her bile; the second was a lifesaving liver transplant.
Battle Ready - Why The Future Of Robotic Surgery Depends On Present Actions
November 6, 2009 6:59 am | by Jeff Reinke, editorial director | CommentsThere are a number of reasons to be excited about the development of new technologies relative to surgical robotics. Whether your enthusiasm stems from how their minimally invasive nature allows for shorter procedures, or the way in which quicker recovery times translate to lower long-term costs for both the hospital and patient, the impact of this technology is significant and wide-reaching.
Keep Control Of Your Fluid Waste
November 4, 2009 7:02 am | by Amanda McGowan, Editor | CommentsFluid waste control is crucial to the safety of OR patients and personnel. It also can pose a serious financial concern for the hospital, making finding a way to dispose of potentially infectious fluid waste safely and effectively of utmost importance. November 4, 2009 In any given procedure, surgical professionals must be aware of a multitude of issues.
Bedside Manner?
November 4, 2009 6:30 am | by By: Greg Laub | CommentsSome time ago, I was jogging into the parking lot at The Meadowlands sports complex for a football game, and slipped on a patch of ice. I started to stand up, but immediately realized that this would not be possible -- for the next six months. Hey, that's the bottom of my foot looking up at me! What a creepy feeling in my stomach -- seeing my ankle turned inward so far that it is stuck at a 90 degree angle.
Med-Mal—What We Need Is Precision
November 3, 2009 6:22 am | by SHADOWFAX, MedPage Today Blogger | CommentsEzra kindly responds to my post from Friday with a more reasoned stance than "just don't commit malpractice." His response, however, boils down to two main theses: Frivolous Lawsuits are not as common as generally thought, and Standardization can reduce the opportunity for error and thus decrease the frequency of medical malpractice suits.
Missing The Airport
November 2, 2009 5:44 am | by Bruce Campbell, MD | Comments"... [Former Delta pilot] Bill Mazzone, who flew jet airliners for 23 years, said it’s just as possible they got caught napping. "It’s kind of like being in an operating room. You know the physicians and the nurses…are listening to music, telling jokes, they’re doing what keeps them alert," he said.
Bending The Rules Of Clinical Trials
October 30, 2009 6:54 am | CommentsBy Pauline W. Chen, M.D. Published: Louise (not her real name), a scientist and avid runner in her 50s, first noticed the strange pangs under her right ribcage a few weeks before we met. Her CAT scan revealed a liver so riddled with islands of tumor that the radiologist called them “too numerous to count.
Taking Time To Talk with Patients
October 27, 2009 6:52 am | by Emily P. Walker | CommentsI was sitting in the office of Jim Paul, DO, a Buffalo, N.Y. internist a few months back. I was there working on a story, and after I had finished interviewing him, he said he had to make a few calls. I sat back and listened as he proceeded to call a number of his patients and check on their health status.
What if...
October 26, 2009 6:36 am | CommentsSeveral years ago, we attended Milwaukee Irish Fest , the annual musical and cultural experience of everything even remotely Irish. While wandering the grounds, we discovered the band, Schooner Fare , a trio of singer-songwriters from Maine that captivated us with their tight harmonies, their musicianship and their enthusiasm.
