MedPage Today

Articles, page 19

Drugs and prescribing

How does Zetia and niacin affect the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT)?

November 22, 2009Nov 22, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today by Peggy Peck, MedPage Today Executive Editor By a margin of 0.014 mm in carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), extended-release niacin (Niaspan) demonstrated superiority over ezetimibe (Zetia) as an add-on for high risk patients on long…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Peggy Peck, MedPage Today Executive Editor

By a margin of 0.014 mm in carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), extended-release niacin (Niaspan) demonstrated superiority over ezetimibe (Zetia) as an add-on for high risk patients on long term statin therapy.

But is a difference of 0.014 mm clinically significant?

The niacin versus ezetimibe findings come from the ARBITER 6-HALTS trial, …

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How does Zetia and niacin affect the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT)?

Conditions and diseases

When women should have their first Pap smear; the new cervical cancer screening guidelines

November 20, 2009Nov 20, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today by Charles Bankhead, MedPage Today Staff Writer Women can wait longer for their first Pap smear and then repeat the test less frequently, according to recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Charles Bankhead, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Women can wait longer for their first Pap smear and then repeat the test less frequently, according to recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

The organization now says women should begin cervical cancer screening with a Pap test at age 21. Subsequent tests should occur at …

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When women should have their first Pap smear; the new cervical cancer screening guidelines

Drugs and prescribing

How should the FDA regulate the social media advertising of drugs?

November 20, 2009Nov 20, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent Drug and device makers are urging the FDA to establish clear guidelines that will allow the industry to discuss and promote products in the unsettled world of…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent

Drug and device makers are urging the FDA to establish clear guidelines that will allow the industry to discuss and promote products in the unsettled world of online social media.

The FDA is hearing testimony from drug and device companies, online marketing experts, and consumer groups about what steps the …

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How should the FDA regulate the social media advertising of drugs?

Senate health reform plan analysis

November 19, 2009Nov 19, 20092

Originally published in MedPage Today by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent After weeks of closed-door meetings, the Senate leaders released their $849 billion healthcare reform bill on Wednesday evening, paving the way for a procedural floor vote soon.…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent

After weeks of closed-door meetings, the Senate leaders released their $849 billion healthcare reform bill on Wednesday evening, paving the way for a procedural floor vote soon.

The bill, combining versions approved by the Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, would create a …

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Senate health reform plan analysis

Conditions and diseases

Can family doctors do safe first trimester abortions?

November 18, 2009Nov 18, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today by Chris Emery, MedPage Today Contributing Writer Complications from first trimester abortions performed by family practitioners are rare, and family doctors could help address abortion provider shortages across the U.S., a new study found. Among…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Chris Emery, MedPage Today Contributing Writer

Complications from first trimester abortions performed by family practitioners are rare, and family doctors could help address abortion provider shortages across the U.S., a new study found.

Among more than 2,500 abortions performed by family physicians, abortion was successful without complications in 96.5% of patients using medications (95% CI 95.5% …

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Can family doctors do safe first trimester abortions?

Drugs and prescribing

Niacin beats Zetia in the ARBITER 6-HALTS trial, and what this means for ezetimibe

November 16, 2009Nov 16, 20092

Originally published in MedPage Today by Peggy Peck, MedPage Today Executive Editor Boosting HDL cholesterol with extended-release niacin (Niaspan) is a more effective way of slowing atherosclerosis in high-risk patients on long-term statin therapy than seeking additional LDL cholesterol reductions…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Peggy Peck, MedPage Today Executive Editor

Boosting HDL cholesterol with extended-release niacin (Niaspan) is a more effective way of slowing atherosclerosis in high-risk patients on long-term statin therapy than seeking additional LDL cholesterol reductions by adding ezetimibe (Zetia), researchers here reported.

Compared with ezetimibe, 2 grams of niacin led to significant reductions in both the mean …

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Niacin beats Zetia in the ARBITER 6-HALTS trial, and what this means for ezetimibe

Conditions and diseases

Who’s dying from the H1N1 flu pandemic?

November 15, 2009Nov 15, 20093

Originally published in MedPage Today by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent Although the pandemic H1N1 flu tends to strike younger people, it can be life-threatening when older people are infected, California researchers said. In the first four months…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent

Although the pandemic H1N1 flu tends to strike younger people, it can be life-threatening when older people are infected, California researchers said.

In the first four months of the pandemic, 1,088 people in the state needed inpatient care or died of the pandemic flu strain, according to Janice Louie, …

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Who’s dying from the H1N1 flu pandemic?

Medical education

Surgeons don’t receive enough training when resident work-hours are capped

November 13, 2009Nov 13, 20097

by Crystal Phend, MedPage Today Senior Staff Writer Limiting surgical residents' work hours has compromised both surgical education and patient safety, according to an analysis concluding that an 80-hour work week isn't enough. The maximum 80-work week imposed in the…

by Crystal Phend, MedPage Today Senior Staff Writer

Limiting surgical residents’ work hours has compromised both surgical education and patient safety, according to an analysis concluding that an 80-hour work week isn’t enough.

The maximum 80-work week imposed in the U.S. for residents is too little to provide mastery in surgery, Gretchen Purcell Jackson, MD, PhD, and John L. Tarpley, MD, …

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Surgeons don’t receive enough training when resident work-hours are capped

Conditions and diseases

Will video cameras in the OR decrease the rate of wrong-site surgery?

November 12, 2009Nov 12, 20096

by Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today Staff Writer Rhode Island Hospital, located in Providence, will pay $150,000 and install video cameras in all of its operating rooms after performing its fifth wrong-site surgery since 2007, according to the state's Department of…

by Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Rhode Island Hospital, located in Providence, will pay $150,000 and install video cameras in all of its operating rooms after performing its fifth wrong-site surgery since 2007, according to the state’s Department of Health.

The hospital will also have to open its ORs to an inspector who will observe surgical procedures and protocols for at …

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Will video cameras in the OR decrease the rate of wrong-site surgery?

Will the abortion restriction survive the Senate health reform bill?

November 11, 2009Nov 11, 20093

Originally published in MedPage Today by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent After a controversial amendment to restrict abortion was approved as part of the House healthcare bill over the weekend, senators are grappling with the abortion language in…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent

After a controversial amendment to restrict abortion was approved as part of the House healthcare bill over the weekend, senators are grappling with the abortion language in their legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who personally opposes abortion, said the issue was being negotiated.

“I expect the bill that …

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Will the abortion restriction survive the Senate health reform bill?

Conditions and diseases

Do home fetal heart monitors give mothers false reassurance?

November 10, 2009Nov 10, 20092

Originally published in MedPage Today by Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today Staff Writer Expectant mothers may enjoy listening to their unborn babies' heartbeats, but they shouldn't rely on home fetal heart monitors to provide an accurate picture of fetal health, researchers…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Expectant mothers may enjoy listening to their unborn babies’ heartbeats, but they shouldn’t rely on home fetal heart monitors to provide an accurate picture of fetal health, researchers say.

The devices may provide false reassurance in some situations, according to Abhijoy Chakladar, MD, of Princess Royal Hospital in West Sussex, …

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Do home fetal heart monitors give mothers false reassurance?

What’s next for health reform after the House passed their bill, H.R. 3962?

November 8, 2009Nov 8, 20095

Originally published in MedPage Today by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent The House of Representatives voted 220 to 215 to pass historic healthcare reform legislation late Saturday night, after 11 hours of debate before a packed gallery of…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent

The House of Representatives voted 220 to 215 to pass historic healthcare reform legislation late Saturday night, after 11 hours of debate before a packed gallery of spectators.

H.R. 3962 passed by a narrow margin: Democrats needed 218 votes to pass the bill and wound up with just two …

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What’s next for health reform after the House passed their bill, H.R. 3962?

Conditions and diseases

Vaccines do not cause autism in children, whether or not they have inborn errors of metabolism

November 6, 2009Nov 6, 20095

Originally published in MedPage Today by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent Vaccination does not appear to cause autism or other health problems in children with inborn errors of metabolism, a researcher said here. In a retrospective analysis, children…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent

Vaccination does not appear to cause autism or other health problems in children with inborn errors of metabolism, a researcher said here.

In a retrospective analysis, children with such conditions were not more likely than normal children to visit emergency rooms or need hospital care after vaccination, according to …

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Vaccines do not cause autism in children, whether or not they have inborn errors of metabolism

Conditions and diseases

Clostridium difficile infection is spreading from the hospital to the community

November 5, 2009Nov 5, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today by Charles Bankhead, MedPage Today Staff Writer Clostridium difficile infection has spread from the hospital to the community but has proved manageable thus far. From 1991 to 2005, the incidence of community-acquired C. difficile in…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Charles Bankhead, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Clostridium difficile infection has spread from the hospital to the community but has proved manageable thus far.

From 1991 to 2005, the incidence of community-acquired C. difficile in Olmsted County, Minn., quadrupled but still remained less common than the hospital-acquired gastrointestinal infection, Sahil Khanna, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in …

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Clostridium difficile infection is spreading from the hospital to the community

Conditions and diseases

How long should children stay out of school after H1N1 flu?

November 4, 2009Nov 4, 20093

Originally published in MedPage Today by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent Children appear to shed particles of the H1N1 pandemic flu virus longer than adults do, which may have implications for how long they stay out of school,…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent

Children appear to shed particles of the H1N1 pandemic flu virus longer than adults do, which may have implications for how long they stay out of school, a researcher said here.

The finding comes from an analysis of an outbreak in a Pennsylvania elementary school in May and June, …

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How long should children stay out of school after H1N1 flu?

Drugs and prescribing

H1N1 vaccine adverse events, and how to reassure patients

November 3, 2009Nov 3, 20092

Originally published in MedPage Today by Crystal Phend, MedPage Today Senior Staff Writer Failure to account for background rates when considering adverse events from pandemic H1N1 flu vaccination could spark public panic, researchers cautioned. Coincidental cases of dramatic events including…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Crystal Phend, MedPage Today Senior Staff Writer

Failure to account for background rates when considering adverse events from pandemic H1N1 flu vaccination could spark public panic, researchers cautioned.

Coincidental cases of dramatic events including sudden death, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and spontaneous abortion can be expected to boost the true incidence of adverse events after immunization, said Steven …

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H1N1 vaccine adverse events, and how to reassure patients

Physician voices

Who’s most likely to spread infection in the hospital?

November 2, 2009Nov 2, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent Good hand hygiene among healthcare workers is an important factor in preventing the spread of disease, but exactly how important depends on an individual's job, researchers said.…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent

Good hand hygiene among healthcare workers is an important factor in preventing the spread of disease, but exactly how important depends on an individual’s job, researchers said.

In a mathematical model, so-called “peripatetic” workers — such as therapists or radiologists — were most likely to spread pathogens if they …

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Who’s most likely to spread infection in the hospital?

Is the impending physician shortage worse than we thought?

October 31, 2009Oct 31, 200914

Originally published in MedPage Today by Charles Bankhead, MedPage Today Staff Writer The physician workforce in the U.S. is growing smaller and younger, according to data from the Census Bureau, but conflicting estimates make it difficult to determine just how…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Charles Bankhead, MedPage Today Staff Writer

The physician workforce in the U.S. is growing smaller and younger, according to data from the Census Bureau, but conflicting estimates make it difficult to determine just how many doctors are out there — and how many the nation will need.

The census survey showed 67,000 fewer physicians than estimates based …

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Is the impending physician shortage worse than we thought?

Conditions and diseases

Are doctors getting enough skin cancer exam training?

October 30, 2009Oct 30, 20092

Originally published in MedPage Today by Nancy Walsh, MedPage Today Contributing Writer Opportunities to learn how to perform skin cancer examinations during medical training are inadequate, a survey of residents found. More than half (55.3%) of residents said that they…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Nancy Walsh, MedPage Today Contributing Writer

Opportunities to learn how to perform skin cancer examinations during medical training are inadequate, a survey of residents found.

More than half (55.3%) of residents said that they had never observed a skin cancer examination, 75.8% said they’d never been taught to perform one, and 57.4% had never practiced doing …

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Are doctors getting enough skin cancer exam training?

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