Surgeon Accused of Faking Operations Surrenders Medical License Sept. 5, 2013 By LIZ NEPORENT via GOOD MORNING AMERICA An orthopedic surgeon accused of faking operations surrendered his medical license voluntarily Monday and has admitted to guilt in some of the cases against him, according to New York State court documents. Dr. Spyros Panos, who formerly worked […]
N.H. Hospital May Have Exposed Patients to CJD http://www.medpagetoday.com/Surgery/Neurosurgery/41405 Published: Sep 5, 2013 By John Gever, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Today Health officials in New Hampshire said eight neurosurgery patients at one hospital in the state may have been unwittingly exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Surgical instruments used on a patient later given a tentative […]
100 people die from drug overdoses every day in the United States.
James, John T. PhD Journal of Patient Safety: September 2013 – Volume 9 – Issue 3 – p 122–128 doi: 10.1097/PTS.0b013e3182948a69 Abstract Objectives: Based on 1984 data developed from reviews of medical records of patients treated in New York hospitals, the Institute of Medicine estimated that up to 98,000 Americans die each year from medical […]
Pediatric patients with chronic acetaminophen exposure and acute liver failure have a distinct presentation of elevated alanine aminotransferase and low bilirubin levels. They often have an unfavorable outcome compared with children with less exposure. Discussions with family and/or caretakers should include the potential dangers associated with long-term use of acetaminophen.
Antidepressants Linked to Postpartum Hemorrhage Caroline Cassels Aug 26, 2013 Antidepressant use by pregnant women around the time of delivery is linked to an increased risk for postpartum hemorrhage, new research shows. A large study of pregnant women diagnosed with a mood or anxiety disorder and conducted by investigators at Harvard School of Public Health […]
About 20% of neurologists are not aware of major established safety risks associated with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), such as the risk for birth defects and suicidal thoughts, despite being exposed to multiple sources of information, according to results of a new survey. The survey results suggest drug safety information is not being delivered to the […]
Zolpidem and Driving Impairment — Identifying Persons at Risk Ronald H. Farkas, M.D., Ph.D., Ellis F. Unger, M.D., and Robert Temple, M.D. N Engl J Med 2013; 369:689-691August 22, 2013DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1307972 Zolpidem (Ambien, Sanofi) is the most widely used prescription drug for insomnia and one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States. […]
08.19.2013 by Chris Kaiser Cardiology Editor, MedPage Today The American Heart Association’s endorsement — for a fee — of dozens of Campbell’s soups as “heart healthy” amounts to fraud, according to a lawsuit filed against the nonprofit heart organization and the soup giant. The suit, brought by Kerry O’Shea of Huntington Beach, Calif., states that […]
Robert Lowes August 09, 2013 Hematologist-oncologist Farid Fata, MD, in suburban Detroit, Michigan, was arrested August 6 and charged with Medicare fraud in a federal case that stands out from dozens of others recently brought against healthcare providers. For one thing, the dollar amount of alleged fraud — $35 million — is higher than most for individual […]
Vinay Prasad, MD Mayo Clinic Proceedings Volume 88, Issue 8 , Pages 790-798, August 2013 Journal Abstract: http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(13)00405-9/abstract Full Text Article Abstract Objective To identify medical practices that offer no net benefits. Methods We reviewed all original articles published in 10 years (2001-2010) in one high-impact journal. Articles were classified on the basis of whether […]
Reanalysis of Data From The NAVIGATOR Study Lan Shen Abstract and Introduction Abstract Objective To examine the degree to which use of β blockers, statins, and diuretics in patients with impaired glucose tolerance and other cardiovascular risk factors is associated with new onset diabetes. Design Reanalysis of data from the Nateglinide and Valsartan in Impaired […]
Megan Brooks DisclosuresJuly 30, 2013 GE Healthcare has initiated a class 1 recall of several of their nuclear medicine imaging systems because of a mechanical problem that could cause serious injury or death, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reminded health providers July 29. On June 5, 2013, “GE Healthcare became aware of an incident at the James […]
by Chris Kaiser Cardiology Editor, MedPage Today Action Points Note that this small case-series documented ischemic stroke in three patients who had recently received a contaminated steroid injection. Of particular concern, two out of the three cases did not present with classic meningeal signs or fever. There should be a “high index of suspicion […]
7/23/13 by Nancy Walsh Staff Writer, MedPage Today Action Points A third instance of rabies transmission following organ transplantation has occurred, with a patient dying 18 months after receiving a kidney from a deceased donor who was not known to be infected with the rabies virus. Note that the study suggests that improvements are needed […]
7/22/13 by David Pittman Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today WASHINGTON — Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are costly and deadly and becoming a national crisis, according to the Alliance for Aging Research. Some 1.7 million Americans develop hospital-acquired HAIs each year at a cost ranging from $28.4 billion to $5 billion, the Washington nonprofit noted in a fact […]
VICTORIA, Texas — A 54-year-old Victoria woman is trying to find sense in a life-changing diagnosis that never should have happened. Herlinda Garcia said she became a whole different person after she was diagnosed with Stage IV terminal Breast Cancer. That diagnosis came after Garcia had a benign tumor removed from her left breast. When […]
Robert Lowes July 09, 2013 Almost everything about the rise and fall of otolaryngologist Mark Weinberger, MD — his assembly-line sinus surgeries, his $4 million yacht, his 5 years as a fugitive, his arrest in the Italian Alps on healthcare fraud charges — was spectacular. “Spectacular” also applies to 2 settlements reached in the last week of […]
The New York Times By SABRINA TAVERNISE JULY 2, 2013 PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Prescription pain pill addiction was originally seen as a man’s problem, a national epidemic that began among workers doing backbreaking labor in the coal mines and factories of Appalachia. But a new analysis of federal data has found that deaths in recent years have […]