MedPage Today

Autistic enterocolitis may not be real

Autistic enterocolitis may not be real

May 7, 2010May 7, 20103

by Todd Neale The status of a new inflammatory bowel condition identified in the retracted Lancet paper that linked the MMR vaccine and autism -- autistic enterocolitis -- appears to be in limbo. The 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield, MBBS,…

by Todd Neale

The status of a new inflammatory bowel condition identified in the retracted Lancet paper that linked the MMR vaccine and autism — autistic enterocolitis — appears to be in limbo.

The 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield, MBBS, and colleagues was fully retracted by The Lancet in February, although the alleged and repeatedly disproven vaccine link was dropped in …

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Inhalant abuse remains prevalent in teens

May 6, 2010May 6, 20102

by Todd Neale Although inhalant abuse has become less prevalent since the early 1990s in all age groups, it remains a source of injury and death, particularly among teenagers, researchers have found. From 1993 to 2008, intentional exposure to 3,410…

by Todd Neale

Although inhalant abuse has become less prevalent since the early 1990s in all age groups, it remains a source of injury and death, particularly among teenagers, researchers have found.

From 1993 to 2008, intentional exposure to 3,410 different inhalants was reported to U.S. poison control centers, Toby Litovitz, MD, of the National Capital Poison Center in Washington, and colleagues reported in the May issue of Pediatrics.

The highest rate of …

Health policy

Maternal death rates improve but hurts fund raising

May 5, 2010May 5, 2010

by Mike Himowitz When you’re advocating for a health cause, can good news be bad news? It’s entirely possible -- when science threatens fund-raising, and at the worst possible time. Consider a study of worldwide maternal death rates by a…

by Mike Himowitz

When you’re advocating for a health cause, can good news be bad news?

It’s entirely possible — when science threatens fund-raising, and at the worst possible time.

Consider a study of worldwide maternal death rates by a team from the University of Washington that appeared online recently in The Lancet.

The group, led by Christopher Murray, of the school’s Institute for …

Malpractice fears influence cardiology decisions

May 4, 2010May 4, 20105

by Charles Bankhead For nearly a quarter of cardiologist respondents, malpractice concerns influenced their decisions to order tests or treatment for hypothetical cases included in a national survey. Almost 30% of cardiologists acknowledged ordering cardiac catheterization because colleagues did so…

by Charles Bankhead

For nearly a quarter of cardiologist respondents, malpractice concerns influenced their decisions to order tests or treatment for hypothetical cases included in a national survey.

Almost 30% of cardiologists acknowledged ordering cardiac catheterization because colleagues did so in the same situation, according to an article published online in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality Outcomes.

Concerns about malpractice had a significant association with regional use of tests and treatment, Frances Lee Lucas, PhD, …

Money prevents patients from seeking timely heart care

May 3, 2010May 3, 2010

by Crystal Phend Lack of insurance and financial concerns keep patients from treating a heart attack like the emergency it is, researchers affirmed. A delay in getting to the hospital for treatment of acute MI was 38% more likely among…

by Crystal Phend

Lack of insurance and financial concerns keep patients from treating a heart attack like the emergency it is, researchers affirmed.

A delay in getting to the hospital for treatment of acute MI was 38% more likely among the uninsured and 21% more likely among insured patients with financial concerns, reported Paul S. Chan, MD, MSc, Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., and colleagues.

More than two in every …

Medical device security may be vulnerable to hackers

May 2, 2010May 2, 2010

by Kristina Fiore Although no such attacks have yet been reported, medical devices could be susceptible to hackers, and a thorough security analysis should be done as part of FDA approval, researchers argue. Premarket regulatory evaluation should include a risk-based…

by Kristina Fiore

Although no such attacks have yet been reported, medical devices could be susceptible to hackers, and a thorough security analysis should be done as part of FDA approval, researchers argue.

Premarket regulatory evaluation should include a risk-based security assessment depending on the nature of the device and the perceived threat of a security compromise, said William H. Maisel, MD, MPH, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston, and …

Healthcare reform and the new role of hospitalists

April 30, 2010Apr 30, 20102

by John Gever With growing pressures on hospitals from the new healthcare reform law and from the stakeholder community to become more efficient and effective, administrators may find they already have the necessary expertise under their own roofs, a prominent…

by John Gever

With growing pressures on hospitals from the new healthcare reform law and from the stakeholder community to become more efficient and effective, administrators may find they already have the necessary expertise under their own roofs, a prominent hospitalist said.

“Some organizations with hospitalist programs need look no further than these programs to chart a course toward more effective physician-hospital integration,” wrote Robert M. Wachter, MD, of the University of …

Drugs and prescribing

Statins for heart disease prevention, is the luster fading?

April 29, 2010Apr 29, 20105

by Peggy Peck First, my disclosure: I've written at least one news article about every major statin trial since 4-S, and I've been mightily impressed with almost all of the statin data. So, I was also impressed when the JUPITER…

by Peggy Peck

First, my disclosure: I’ve written at least one news article about every major statin trial since 4-S, and I’ve been mightily impressed with almost all of the statin data. So, I was also impressed when the JUPITER results were reported about a year and a half ago — although I became a little less “impressed” as JUPITER continued to …

Health technology

VA information technology saves billions of dollars

April 28, 2010Apr 28, 20109

by John Gever The Department of Veterans Affairs' long-term investment in healthcare information technology paid off at a rate of more than $500 million in net annual benefits from 2001 to 2007, researchers said. That added up to more than…

by John Gever

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ long-term investment in healthcare information technology paid off at a rate of more than $500 million in net annual benefits from 2001 to 2007, researchers said.

That added up to more than $3 billion in benefits for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during the study period, after an initial billion-dollar loss.

In particular, the department’s computerized patient record system “was the dominant contributor to …

Sleep apnea increases stroke risk in men

April 27, 2010Apr 27, 2010

by Charles Bankhead Severe obstructive sleep apnea almost tripled stroke risk in men, data from a prospective cohort study showed. Among men with mild or moderate apnea, each one-unit increase in the obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) raised stroke risk…

by Charles Bankhead

Severe obstructive sleep apnea almost tripled stroke risk in men, data from a prospective cohort study showed.

Among men with mild or moderate apnea, each one-unit increase in the obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) raised stroke risk by 6%. Obstructive sleep apnea did not have a significant association with stroke risk in women, investigators reported online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

“This study provides compelling …

Drugs and prescribing

Alternative medicine isn’t taught to doctors in medical school

April 26, 2010Apr 26, 201032

by Crystal Phend Physicians don't know much more about complementary and alternative medicine than their patients do, according to a new survey. Most healthcare professionals who answered an online survey of Drug and Therapeutic Bulletin subscribers said their profession was…

by Crystal Phend

Physicians don’t know much more about complementary and alternative medicine than their patients do, according to a new survey.

Most healthcare professionals who answered an online survey of Drug and Therapeutic Bulletin subscribers said their profession was just as poorly informed about herbal medicines (75.5%) as the general public (86.3%).

And almost half of respondents rated their own knowledge about herbal medicines as “quite” or “very” poor (36.2% and 10.4%, …

Health policy

Don Berwick and whether he can change Medicare and Medicaid

April 25, 2010Apr 25, 20107

by Marianne Mattera President Obama is planning to appoint Don Berwick -- the Harvard pediatrician, recognized health policy expert, and head of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) -- as the new head of CMS. Berwick's nomination has been heralded…

by Marianne Mattera

President Obama is planning to appoint Don Berwick — the Harvard pediatrician, recognized health policy expert, and head of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) — as the new head of CMS.

Berwick’s nomination has been heralded by many as a terrific choice.

Our own health policy columnist, David Nash, said that “Berwick’s global following is a powerful political force …

Colorectal cancer in blacks is affected by healthcare utilization

April 24, 2010Apr 24, 2010

by Todd Neale The greater burden of colorectal cancer in the black community appears to be related to healthcare utilization, and not biology, researchers found. Similar proportions of black and white patients had polyps or masses detected by flexible sigmoidoscopy,…

by Todd Neale

The greater burden of colorectal cancer in the black community appears to be related to healthcare utilization, and not biology, researchers found.

Similar proportions of black and white patients had polyps or masses detected by flexible sigmoidoscopy, but black patients were less likely than whites to have the recommended follow-up colonoscopy (62.6% versus 72.4%), according to Adeyinka Laiyemo, MD, MPH, of Howard University in Washington, and colleagues.

After adjustment for …

Total face transplant by surgeons in Spain

April 23, 2010Apr 23, 2010

by John Gever Surgeons in Barcelona announced on Friday that they had performed the most extensive face transplant yet reported, including skin, muscles, teeth, and some bone. The procedure was performed March 20 by a team of 30 surgeons at…

by John Gever

Surgeons in Barcelona announced on Friday that they had performed the most extensive face transplant yet reported, including skin, muscles, teeth, and some bone.

The procedure was performed March 20 by a team of 30 surgeons at Vall D’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona.

Doctors led by Joan Pere Barret, MD, took 24 hours to transplant an entire face from the hairline to the neck and extending laterally to near the ears, …

Dementia affects the entire family

Dementia affects the entire family

April 22, 2010Apr 22, 2010

by Emily P. Walker My grandfather recently died of pancreatic cancer. My grandpa was a WWII veteran, a nature enthusiast, an animal-lover, a chiropractor until the 1980s, and a firm believer in natural medicine. He helped my grandmother give birth…

by Emily P. Walker

My grandfather recently died of pancreatic cancer.

My grandpa was a WWII veteran, a nature enthusiast, an animal-lover, a chiropractor until the 1980s, and a firm believer in natural medicine. He helped my grandmother give birth to five children in her bed, and neither of them had ever taken any drugs except when both were hospitalized one winter with pneumonia.

As someone with a major respect for medical doctors …

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Social networks affect alcohol drinking patterns

April 21, 2010Apr 21, 20103

by Kristina Fiore If you're surrounded by heavy drinkers, you're more likely to become one, new research shows. An analysis of data on alcohol consumption and social networks found that people are 50% more likely to drink heavily if someone…

by Kristina Fiore

If you’re surrounded by heavy drinkers, you’re more likely to become one, new research shows.

An analysis of data on alcohol consumption and social networks found that people are 50% more likely to drink heavily if someone they’re directly connected to does so, Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, of Harvard University, and colleagues reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

“We’ve found that the influence of your friends and people you …

MRSA control takes consistent time and effort

April 20, 2010Apr 20, 20102

by Michael Smith It's possible to reduce the burden of drug-resistant pathogens in hard-hit hospitals -- all it takes is consistent effort over time, French researchers say. That's the conclusion after a 15-year, intensive program aimed at reducing the impact…

by Michael Smith

It’s possible to reduce the burden of drug-resistant pathogens in hard-hit hospitals — all it takes is consistent effort over time, French researchers say.

That’s the conclusion after a 15-year, intensive program aimed at reducing the impact of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on Parisian hospitals reported in the March 22 Archives of Internal Medicine.

The program started in 1993 in the 38-hospital, 23,000-bed Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, the largest …

Primary care needs better physical exam skills

April 19, 2010Apr 19, 201017

by Joseph Biundo, MD Not long ago, primary care physician Rob Lamberts did a blog post about the economics of seeing Medicare and Medicaid patients, stating that doing so was bad business. While I agree with most of his points,…

by Joseph Biundo, MD

Not long ago, primary care physician Rob Lamberts did a blog post about the economics of seeing Medicare and Medicaid patients, stating that doing so was bad business. While I agree with most of his points, I have a quarrel with his statement that primary care physicians keep down the cost of care by keeping people healthy, away from specialists, and out of the hospital.

That may be …

Drugs and prescribing

Diet pills can be dangerous and should be used with caution