Some people with allergies experience fits of sneezing, watery eyes, itchy rash and other unpleasantness. But some people experience a life-threatening reaction called anaphylactic shock, a whole-body response to an allergen that can swell the lips, tongue and throat, and threaten the ability to breathe. Anaphylaxis, which by definition involves at least two body organ….
Continue ReadingArchives for December 2012
Boy’s Death from Sepsis Spurs Guidelines to Prevent Malpractice in Treatment
Earlier in 2012, we wrote about the sad, unnecessary death of Rory Staunton, a 12-year-old New Yorker who died of septic shock because he was misdiagnosed with a stomach bug. A good thing has come of that tragic event. As the New York Times reported, New York will be the first state to require hospitals….
Continue ReadingSafely Popping the Cork for Your Next Champagne Toast
Popping the cork on a bottle of Champagne (or other sparkling wine) is a satisfying seasonal ritual. Except when it hits a holiday reveler in the eye. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, (AAO) untold numbers of eye injuries occur each year as a result of a lightning-fast projectile (a cork) meeting an immobile….
Continue ReadingA Federal Plan to Make It Easier to Report Medical Mistakes
Accountability for preventable mistakes has now been officially recognized as an important part of the effort to make medical care safer for everyone. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead agency in the federal HHS department charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of health care. It supports research….
Continue ReadingSurgical Mistakes That Never Should Happen Regularly Do
A couple of months ago, we posted a blog about surgical errors, specifically when the operating teams leave tools inside the patient. That’s an example of what’s known in the medical biz as a “never event.” That means it’s a mistake, a malpractice event, for which there is never any excuse and that should never….
Continue ReadingGenes for Rent: How One Company Plans to Profit From Your DNA
A few months ago, my monthly “Better Health Care” newsletter focused on genetic testing. While we all can appreciate the idea that knowing your own DNA can (eventually) lead to health advances, I also discussed how this abundance of genetic information can cause not only unnecessary expense and worry, but can yield painful knowledge for….
Continue ReadingChocolate and Brain Power: Scientific Proof Just in Time for the Holidays
Here it is, statistical proof that eating lots of chocolate improves your odds to get a Nobel prize (well, maybe). This chart says it all: The vertical axis shows the number of Nobel laureates per 10 million population in an assortment of countries, and the horizontal axis shows chocolate consumption per year per person in….
Continue ReadingAvoiding the Dangers of a Hospital Shift Change
Everyone remembers a classroom where the students were assigned seats alphabetically by last name. Often, the kids with the W, Y and Z names got stuck at the back of the class. (Some, of course, relished this less visible position; others preferred to be closer to the teaching action.) Generally, such seating charts helped the….
Continue ReadingMany Food Studies Serve Up Only Big Portions of Fear
In support of holding the line on “too much information,” a study recently published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed how data devoid of context is often useless and sometimes misleading. The study concerned the abundant amount of research associating certain foods with disease risk, and how bold claims so often make their….
Continue ReadingDrug Companies Oppose Requirements to Take Back Unused Medicine
Prescription drugs undergo scientific and regulatory scrutiny for the simple reason that they are dangerous when not used properly … and sometimes even when they are. Because they pose a threat to public health and the environment, there’s a proper way to dispose of them when they have expired, go unused or no longer are….
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