Obese Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis Benefit From Knee Replacement Surgery
After total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for osteoarthritis of the knee, obese patients fare nearly as well as their normal-weight peers, a British research team reports in the July 24 online issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
Postoperative Complication Rate May Be Higher in Patients With Mental Illness
Patients with schizophrenia or depression may be more prone to postoperative complications than patients without mental illness, according to a review of the literature — such as it is. "The knowledge base on clinical outcomes of surgery for patients with comorbid serious mental illness is extremely small, although we know the mentally ill carry a […]
Longer SIDS Risk for Premature Babies
Premature babies may be at risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) longer than full-term babies, a new study shows. SIDS is the sudden, unexpected death of a baby less than 1 year old with no explanation from a thorough investigation.
SIDS Linked With Loss of Hypoxic Sensitivity in Chromaffin Cells
The association between maternal smoking, or exposure to smoke, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) appears to be the result of nicotine exposure, which impairs chromaffin cells' ability to detect and respond to oxygen deprivation, the results of an animal study suggest.
Head Covering May Increase SIDS Risk
Babies who die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are often found with their heads covered by bedding, and now new research suggests that this covering usually precedes death and may, in fact, be causally related.
Gastric Aspiration, SIDS, and CPR?
Aspiration of Gastric Contents in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Without Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Krous HF, Masoumi H, Haas EA, Chadwick AE, Stanley C, Thach BT J Pediatr. 2007;150:241-246 Summary This study attempted to shed light on whether gastric contents are likely to be found in infants who died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Previous pediatric […]
SIDS Risk Higher in Infants of HIV-Positive Women Who Use Opiates
Risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is 69 times higher for babies of HIV-positive women who used opiates during pregnancy than in the general population of similarly aged infants, Swiss researchers report in the November issue of the Archives of the Disease in Childhood. Increased SIDS risk did not appear to be mediated by […]
Vancomycin Underdosing Very Common in the Obese
More than 70% of obese patients do not receive adequate doses of vancomycin, possibly resulting in subtherapeutic concentrations, according to Dallas-based researchers. Criteria that are more stringent suggest that this may also be true of a much wider group of patients. In the June issue of the American Journal of Medicine, Dr. Ronald G. Hall […]
WellPoint Profit Beats Estimates, Shares Rise
Health insurer WellPoint Inc said on Wednesday profit fell 10 percent, as medical costs ate further into premiums, but its shares rose more than 6 percent as results beat projections, helped by strength in its pharmacy and behavioral health businesses. Although the largest U.S. health insurer by membership tempered its full-year profit and enrollment forecasts, […]
Early Laparoscopic Surgery Best for Acute Cholecystitis
In patients with acute cholecystitis, performing laparoscopic gallbladder removal within 24 hours of admission, rather than waiting weeks to years after a course of antibiotics has been given, reduces the hospital stay without increasing the risk of complications, new research shows.
