Gallbladder Removal Through the Mouth Causes Few Adverse Effects
Surgeons from the Legacy Health System in Portland, Oregon, and Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, reported on the first 7 transgastric natural orifice transluminal surgery (NOTES) cholecystectomies ever performed on humans here at the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons 2008 Annual Scientific Session and Postgraduate Course.
Fragmented Care Prolongs Hospital Stay
The number of physicians overseeing a patient's care has a significant effect on that individual's length of stay in the hospital, according to a study of more than 10,000 hospitalized patients. Much attention has been paid to the effect of hospital staffing problems on clinicians with respect to issues such as work–life balance, said lead […]
Safe STEP Program Effective for Getting Older Hospitalized Patients Home
An innovative program helps elderly patients avoid the pitfalls associated with making the transition from hospital to home, Param Dedhia, MD, instructor in the Collaborative Internal Medicine Service, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, reported here at Hospital Medicine 2008, the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting.
Transparency in Adverse Event Reporting Pleases Patients
Hospitalized patients who suffer an adverse event may learn little about it from medical personnel, especially if the event is preventable, according to findings presented here at Hospital Medicine 2008, the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting.
Diagnostic Methods to Treat Ear Pain in Primary Care Setting
News Author: Laurie Barclay, MDCME Author: Laurie Barclay, MD Otitis media and otitis externa are the most common causes of ear pain, according to the results of a review of diagnostic methods and causes published in the March 1 issue of American Family Physician.
New Lifetime Risk Estimates Suggest 1 in 8 Baby Boomers Will Develop Alzheimer’s Disease
A new report released by the Alzheimer's Association includes new estimates that show the lifetime risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is 17% in women and 9% in men who live to age 55 years. The figures mean that 10 million of the 78 million baby boomers alive today can expect to develop AD in their […]
Quest Diagnostics Campaign Challenges Colorectal Cancer Screening Status Quo
'Do You Have the Guts?' aims to reach five million in five yearsMADISON, N.J., March 31, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing information and services, today announced the launch of a novel campaign designed to help increase compliance with take-home colorectal screening […]
Trouble in Trialville
Trouble in Trialville: Plans for Post-DES Clopidogrel Trial GetBogged Down Over Trial Design, Leadership Almost 16 months after an FDA hearing into drug-eluting stent (DES) safety emphasized the need for a randomized clinical trial to determine, once and for all, the optimal duration of clopidogrel (Plavix, Sanofi-Aventis) plus aspirin after DES implantation, researchers, government agencies, […]
Group-Randomized Trials Often Analyzed Incorrectly, Study Finds
A disturbing number of trials lack rigorous statistical methods in both their design and analysis, researchers demonstrate in a thought-provoking new study. The work, which appears in the April 2 issue of the Journal of National Cancer Institute, shows that a large number of published trials are coming to erroneous conclusions.
Low Socioeconomic Status a Risk Factor for Heart Graft Failure
Children from families with low socioeconomic status who undergo heart transplantation have twice the risk for graft failure as pediatric heart recipients from wealthier families, reported investigators here at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation 28th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions.
