In a study published this week in The Lancet, a British research team found that surgical stockings given to stroke patients for prevention of blood clots do not work, reports Sam Lister of UK’s Times. The compression stockings provide graduated pressure and should reduce swelling in the legs. Studies have shown that, for patients immobilized….
Continue ReadingArchives for May 2009
Acetaminophen (Tylenol): More Reason for Caution
Acetaminophen, the unpronounceable name for the active ingredient in Tylenol, is the most widely used pain reliever in the United States. But it can destroy the liver in ordinary or near-ordinary doses. That fact is news to many consumers but is old hat to liver specialists who every week treat patients at death’s door from….
Continue ReadingA Treatable Brain Disorder Can Masquerade as Dementia
When someone over age 55 develops memory problems, it is often diagnosed as Alzheimer’s, or another type of dementia, or perhaps Parkinson’s disease, all of which are progressive and non-reversible. But families should be aware of one condition that can masquerade as any of these but if accurately diagnosed, can be treated successfully. The condition….
Continue ReadingIs Our Health Care System Safer Today than 10 Years Ago?
A new report from Consumers Union says too many patients are still dying every year from needless errors. The report makes a number of proposals for how reforms could be instituted to improve patient safety. A starting point will be to change the health reform debate in Washington from one of just access and money….
Continue ReadingPrivate Rooms in Hospitals Are for Safety, Not Just Luxury
Time was when you had to pay a lot extra to get a private room in a hospital, and the single room was thought to be a luxury for patients. But now research has been accumulating that the private room can play a big role in safety: cutting the risk of infection, helping the patient….
Continue ReadingVermont Pioneers Crackdown on Drug Industry Freebies to Doctors
Starting July 1, Vermont residents will be able to learn exactly how much money any doctor in that state is receiving from the drug and medical device industry. The state is also banning most gifts like free meals to doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care providers. This is an important step forward in eliminating….
Continue ReadingMilitary Families Discover How Lack of Accountability Is Dangerous to Health
Families of active duty military service members sometimes learn too late a shocking fact about the military medical care system: lack of accountability when someone has been injured or killed by malpractice. The latest victim is Cindy Wilson, an Air Force technical sergeant who bled to death after a cesarean section delivery due to an….
Continue ReadingMany Patients Find Close Relationship with Primary Doctor Worth Paying For
It sounds like every patient’s medical fantasy: Easy access to your doctor 24/7, same-day appointments, thorough and unrushed examinations, little to no time in the waiting room. The only downside is expense: To get this kind of personalized care from a primary doctor, you have to pay an annual fee, and forget about insurance covering….
Continue ReadingBotox Now Required to Carry Black-Box Warning Label
One day after the FDA approved a new antiwrinkle drug (Dysport) in April 2009, the agency issued a new requirement that these drugs must carry a “black-box” warning label, the strongest safety warning typically reserved for drugs with very serious risks, Natasha Singer reports in a New York Times story. A popular antiwrinkle drug in….
Continue ReadingHeart Failure: An Expensive Revolving Door
Nobody wants to go home from the hospital only to be readmitted within a few weeks. But that revolving door is very common in conditions like heart failure, where the patient’s heart muscle doesn’t pump effectively after it has been weakened by heart attack or other heart disease. The open secret of the hospital industry….
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