Patient & Staff Safety
Da Vinci Earnings Increase Despite Lawsuits
January 30, 2013 11:53 am | News | CommentsDespite a growing number of da Vinci Surgical System lawsuits, Intuitive Surgical saw healthy fourth-quarter earnings of about $175 million in 2012, an increase of 16 percent from the same time in 2011.
Transfer & Lift Device
January 30, 2013 10:55 am | by HoverTech International | HoverTech International | Product Releases | CommentsHoverTech International introduces a next generation patient handling solution: the HoverSling Combination Transfer & Lift Device for lateral transfers, repositioning, turning, and vertical lifting. The HoverSling streamlines patient handling tasks by reducing the time and money spent using multiple products, while creating a more comfortable transfer for patients.
"July Effect" Negligible For Spine Surgery Outcomes
January 29, 2013 12:06 pm | News | CommentsThe "July Effect"—the notion that the influx of new residents and fellows at teaching hospitals in July of each year adversely affects patient care and outcomes - was examined in a very large data set of hospitalizations for patients undergoing spine surgery. Researchers found a negligible effect on procedural outcomes among patients treated by spine surgery.
Medicaid Expansion Puts Money Fears vs. Added Benefits
January 29, 2013 10:55 am | by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, AP | News | CommentsWhether to expand Medicaid could be the most important decision facing governors and legislatures this year. The repercussions go beyond their budgets, directly affecting the well-being of residents and the finances of critical hospitals. Here's the offer:
Do Starbucks Employees Have More Emotional Intelligence Than Your Physician?
January 25, 2013 6:47 pm | by Editor | Blogs | CommentsWhy are Starbucks employees often better at responding to their clients’ emotional needs than experienced physicians? It comes down to training.
Digital Diagnostic Tools Can Make Patients Unhappy
January 25, 2013 6:03 pm | by Kate McIntyre | News | CommentsA University of Missouri researcher says the increased use of computerized clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) leads to greater patient dissatisfaction and could increase non-compliance with preventative care and treatment recommendations.
Trial Under Way In Hip Replacement Suit
January 25, 2013 5:39 pm | News | CommentsIt involves an all-metal ball-and-socket joint that was implanted in some 90,000 people worldwide before Johnson & Johnson recalled the product in 2010. The New Jersey-based company denies the allegations of bad design and fraud but it has set aside around one billion dollars to deal with the costs of the recall and lawsuits.
Half Of What We Teach You
January 25, 2013 11:52 am | by Editor | Blogs | CommentsWe searched for information in older textbooks with trepidation, fearing encounters with long-discarded details and theories. We marveled that previous generations of physicians had never been taught tobacco and cancer were somehow linked to each other. How could they have not known? And then there were changes we encountered in surgery.
Many Hospitalized Patients Returning To ER
January 25, 2013 11:19 am | News | CommentsA new study published by Yale School of Medicine researchers in JAMA found that a substantial number of patients return to the emergency department soon after leaving the hospital, and, while such patients are not usually re-admitted, the study raises concerns that many more patients require acute medical care after hospital discharge than previously recognized.
Monitor Shows When Patients Wake Up During Surgery
January 24, 2013 12:15 pm | Videos | CommentsThe new device helps surgeons understand a condition termed "anesthesia awareness", where patients wake up during surgery but are unable to communicate this to surgeons and OR nurses.
Smoking Cessation More Successful When Quitting Before Surgery
January 23, 2013 10:36 am | News | CommentsLung, head and neck cancer patients who smoked before surgery are more likely to relapse than those who had quit before surgery, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers say. They found that smoking-relapse prevention interventions are needed immediately after surgery to help prevent relapse.
Interventional Treatment Can Save Mom, Prevent Hysterectomy
January 23, 2013 10:22 am | News | CommentsUsing tiny balloons to temporarily block blood flow to the uterus during a high-risk Caesarean-section delivery can save the life of the mother while preventing hysterectomy and preserving fertility, suggests research being presented at the 25th annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET).
Minimally Invasive Approach To Ruptured Aneurysms Better Than Open Surgery
January 23, 2013 10:06 am | News | CommentsPatients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are more than twice as likely to survive if they have minimally invasive repair than if they have open surgery, suggests a 10-year study being presented at the 25th annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET).
Regular Aspirin Use Could Lead To Increased Macular Degeneration
January 22, 2013 1:25 pm | News | CommentsRegular aspirin use appears to be associated with an increased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is a leading cause of blindness in older people, and it appears to be independent of a history of cardiovascular disease and smoking.
PT In The ICU Benefits Bottom Line
January 22, 2013 1:08 pm | News | CommentsIn a study evaluating the financial impact of providing early physical therapy for intensive care patients, researchers at Johns Hopkins found that the up-front costs are outweighed by the financial savings generated by earlier discharges from the intensive care unit and shorter hospital stays overall.
Outcomes Of Attending Surgeons After Overnight Trauma Shifts
January 22, 2013 12:33 pm | Articles | CommentsBased on their findings, the authors concluded that performance of general surgery operations the day after an overnight in-hospital trauma shift did not affect complication rates or readmission rates. At this time, there is no compelling evidence to mandate work-hour restrictions for attending general surgeons.
Dear Patients: Thank You
January 22, 2013 12:18 pm | by Maria Yang, MD | Blogs | CommentsThank you for nearly kicking me in the face when I tap on your knees to test your reflexes. Thank you for peeing all over me after I remove your diaper.Thank you for answering questions that, in any other context, are completely obnoxious and rude.
Alternative Medicine Use High Among Children
January 21, 2013 1:21 pm | News | CommentsChildren who regularly see specialists for chronic medical conditions are also using complementary medicine at a high rate, demonstrates recently published research from the University of Alberta and the University of Ottawa.
Tobacco, Obesity Focal Points For President's Second Term
January 21, 2013 10:38 am | by David Pittman, MedPage Today | Blogs | CommentsThe second term of an Obama administration will be marked for implementing key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the president also wants to focus on lowering tobacco use and obesity rates.
Blood Test Can Help Identify Risks Of Death
January 18, 2013 11:59 am | News | CommentsA simple, inexpensive blood test performed on trauma patients upon admission can help doctors easily identify patients at greatest risk of death.
HHS Awards $1.5 Billion To Support State Insurance Marketplaces
January 18, 2013 11:04 am | News | CommentsHealth and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $1.5 billion in new Exchange Establishment Grants to California, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Vermont to ensure these states have the resources necessary to build a marketplace that meets the needs of their residents.
New Guidelines Standardize Pre-Operative Practices, Reduce Patient Risks
January 18, 2013 10:52 am | News | CommentsThe Strong for Surgery checklists assess whether patients have modifiable risks for surgery and then offer a set of interventions to reduce the risk before hospitalization. They address four target areas.
Retained Objects Costly For Patients And Surgeons
January 18, 2013 10:41 am | News | CommentsA lawyer in Germany claims surgeons left up to 16 objects in her client's body after an operation for prostate cancer. She is seeking over $100,000, plus costs for the family of the patient, who has since died. According to Loyola University in Chicago, some 1,500 patients in the United States have surgical objects accidentally left inside them after surgery each year.
Prefense Hand Sanitizer
January 16, 2013 2:43 pm | by Safety-Med Products | Safety-Med Products | Product Releases | CommentsSafety-Med Products, Inc. has announced that the Prefense hand sanitizer is now available in a medical grade formula containing 62 percent alcohol. This new formula meets both CDC recommendations and most hospital protocols for hand sanitizer use.
Smart-Fold Sterilization Wrap
January 16, 2013 9:34 am | by Kimberly-Clark | Kimberly-Clark Health Care | Product Releases | CommentsKimberly-Clark announced the launch of Kimguard Smart-Fold Sterilization Wrap, an innovative sterilization packaging designed to provide the durability necessary for the most demanding applications. Smart-Fold features triple-layer reinforcement to protect the heaviest procedure trays and loaner sets from tears and cuts that can occur during handling.
