News
Review Of Medical Marijuana Continues
December 11, 2009 6:06 am | CommentsThe Los Angeles City Council has delayed a vote on its medical marijuana ordinance until most likely into next year, worried that the draft proposal could eliminate most dispensaries and lead to just a few “big-box” pot stores in isolated industrial areas. The council has been on fast-forward since October, when a judge ruled that the city's moratorium on dispensaries was invalid, leaving Los Angeles with almost no power to shut down hundreds that have opened without permission in the last two years.
Robotic System Operates On Beating Heart
December 11, 2009 5:51 am | CommentsThe robotic technology predicts the movement of the heart as it beats, enabling surgical tools to move in concert with each beat. This development could be very important in developing less invasive surgical heart procedures, where stopping the heart from beating causes what might be unnecessary risks.
A Little Dirt Never Hurt Anyone – Especially Kids
December 11, 2009 5:31 am | CommentsA Northwestern University study suggests that American parents should ease up on antibacterial soap and perhaps allow their little ones a romp or two in the mud in getting more exposure to everyday germs. The exposure to infectious microbes early in life could actually protect individuals from cardiovascular diseases that can lead to death as an adult.
Good Stress Aids Recovery Times
December 11, 2009 5:14 am | CommentsA new study suggests that simple, inexpensive blood tests performed while patients are on the operating table could predict how well they will recover months after they leave the hospital. The study, conducted at Stanford and Yale Universities, found that patients whose immune systems responded to the stress of surgery by mobilizing large numbers of pathogen-fighting cells and redistributing them to skin and other tissues recovered more quickly and completely than those whose immune system showed little or no reaction.
Nurses Form Super Union
December 8, 2009 10:21 am | CommentsVictoria Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle Nurses from three unions, including the California Nurses Association, have founded a new national union to influence national health care policies and to try and extend California's patient ratio law into other states. Organizers said the 150,000-member National Nurses United, the largest professional union for registered nurses in the country, will also flex its power to push for a stronger voice in the health care overhaul process.
Senator Seeks Health Group Funding Sources
December 8, 2009 10:03 am | CommentsThe senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee has asked the American Medical Association and 32 other medical groups to disclose the financial backing they receive from drug and medical device manufacturers, as well as insurance companies. Senator Charles Grassley, whose panel is central to legislation overhauling U.
New Endoscopic Guidelines Okay Aspirin/NSAID Use
December 8, 2009 9:55 am | CommentsAccording to a new guideline from the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) regarding the management of antithrombotic agents for endoscopy, the organization says aspirin and/or NSAIDs may be continued for all elective endoscopic procedures. When high-risk procedures are planned, clinicians may elect to discontinue aspirin and/or NSAIDs for five to seven days before the procedure, depending on the underlying indication for antiplatelet therapy.
Quicker Cardiac Testing Equipment Developed
December 8, 2009 9:32 am | CommentsScientists at Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics (IME) have developed a rapid and sensitive integrated system to test simultaneously for specific cardiac biomarkers in a finger prick amount of blood. The silicon-based system's features could help physicians arrive at the right diagnosis more quickly in patients suspected of having heart attacks – particularly those who do not show obvious signs of chest pains or shortness of breath, according to researchers at IME, one of the research institutes sponsored by Singapore's A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research).
Colon, Cancer Deaths In General Decrease
December 8, 2009 9:15 am | CommentsMike Stobbe, AP The estimate was made in an annual report that shows that, overall, the U.S. cancer death rate is continuing to decline, as it has since the 1990s. The report released Monday focuses largely on cancers of the colon and rectum, which together are the third leading cancer killer in the United States.
Group Corrects Zhu Zhu Pets Safety Statement
December 8, 2009 5:57 am | CommentsA consumer group that reported several of the holiday season's must-have toys are unsafe wants to make a correction. Good Guide says it was wrong to claim in a Saturday statement that Zhu Zhu Pets robotic hamsters and International Playthings' “My First Purse&rdquo contained levels of the heavy metal antimony that exceed federal limits.
Investigation Of CT Radiation Overexposure Continues
December 8, 2009 5:47 am | CommentsReuters Regulators are probing more cases of patients who were exposed to excess radiation from brain scans performed with equipment from General Electric and Toshiba, government officials said. The Food and Drug Administration said some patients received up to eight times the normal amount of radiation, which could cause cataracts and increase the risk of some forms of cancer.
Opera In The OR
December 8, 2009 5:36 am | CommentsCarolyn Y. Johnson, Boston Globe Massachusetts General Hospital surgery resident Claudius Conrad is building upon his prior work with music in the ICU to research the effects it has on surgeons' learning, speed and accuracy. Conrad’s research began when he investigated how music affects intensive care unit patients.
Manager Steals Over $200K From ASC
December 8, 2009 5:10 am | CommentsA man was sentenced to serve up to five years in a Pennsylvania state prison for stealing $234,000 from an ambulatory surgical center where he worked as the business manager. Joseph Grostas pleaded guilty to three counts of embezzling using a company credit card and electronic transfers to his bank account.
New, Faster Weapon In Battling HAIs
December 8, 2009 4:55 am | CommentsMicroPhage recently received its CE Mark for selling and distributing the first of its instrument-free, rapid staph infection testing products in Europe. Based on its Bacteriophage Amplification technology, the product is designed to identify Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria as well as determine methicillin resistance (MRSA) or susceptibility (MSSA) in suspected cases of bacteremia-bacteria in the blood.
Controversial Kidney Transplant Technique Could Help The Very Ill
December 7, 2009 5:23 am | CommentsSurgeons who successfully performed kidney transplants after removing small cancerous and benign masses from the donated organs have published their results in the December issue of the urology journal BJUI . “Transplanting a living donor kidney which has been affected by a renal mass is controversial and considered a high risk,” says co-author Dr Michael W Phelan.
