Medical Issues (Injury & Error)

PPI Use Ups Risk of Osteoporosis, Osteopenia in Femur

June 10, 2016 PPI users have reduced mean femoral T-scores, increased frequency of osteoporosis, osteopenia WEDNESDAY, June 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is associated with increased risk of developing osteoporosis and osteopenia in femur bones, according to a study published online May 31 in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases. […]

FDA Warns of Heart Risk with Imodium

06.07.2016 Permanent and fatal arrhythmias tied to misuse of loperamide by Crystal Phend Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today Higher than recommended doses of diarrhea drug loperamide (Imodium) can cause serious and even fatal cardiac arrhythmias, the FDA warned. Although some of the 48 cases of QT interval prolongation, torsades de pointes, cardiac arrest, syncope, and […]

PPI Use Ups NSAID-Induced Small Bowel Injury

May 30, 2016 Increased risk of small bowel injury for healthy participants treated with celecoxib + PPI HealthDay FRIDAY, May 27, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) increase the risk of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced small bowel injury, according to a study published in the June issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Ema Washio, […]

Relative trends in hospitalizations and mortality among infants by the number of vaccine doses and age, based on the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), 1990-2010.

Goldman GS, et al. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2012. Abstract In this study, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database, 1990-2010, was investigated; cases that specified either hospitalization or death were identified among 38,801 reports of infants. Based on the types of vaccines reported, the actual number of vaccine doses administered, from 1 to 8, […]

Unprofessional Behaviors Among Tomorrow’s Physicians: Review of the Literature With a Focus on Risk Factors, Temporal Trends, and Future Directions

Fargen, Kyle M. MD, MPH; Drolet, Brian C. MD; Philibert, Ingrid PhD, MBA Academic Medicine Post Author Corrections: February 23, 2016 Abstract Purpose: Recent reports have identified concerning patterns of unprofessional and dishonest behavior by physician trainees. Despite this publicity, the prevalence and impact of these behaviors is not well described; thus, the authors aimed […]

Doctor reveals horrors that make this hospital dangerous for kids

By Anonymous May 8, 2016 A pediatrician who spent three years as a resident at Coney Island Hospital spoke to The Post’s Melkorka Licea about the frightening patient care the doctor witnessed and heard about in the 371-bed Brooklyn facility. Fearing more children will be put in harm’s way, the physician wanted to shed light […]

Prevalence of Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescriptions Among US Ambulatory Care Visits, 2010-2011

JAMA May 3, 2016, Vol 315, No. 17 Katherine E. Fleming-Dutra, MD Importance The National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria set a goal of reducing inappropriate outpatient antibiotic use by 50% by 2020, but the extent of inappropriate outpatient antibiotic use is unknown. Objective To estimate the rates of outpatient oral antibiotic prescribing by […]

Muscle rupture associated with statin use

Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2016 Apr 13. doi: 10.1111/bcp.12973. [Epub ahead of print] Ekhart C1, de Jong LA1, Gross-Martirosyan LD2, van Hunsel FP1. Author information 1Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. 2Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board Agency, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Abstract AIM: Statins are used in the treatment of hyperlipidaemia. They are among the most […]

Thrombosis Risk Highest With Combined HRT in Menopausal Women

04.04.2016 by Molly Walker Contributing Writer For women who used hormone replacement therapy to treat menopausal symptoms, risk of blood clots tended to vary depending on the type of therapy used, a small Swedish case-control study found. While the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was moderately higher with estrogen-only therapy compared with untreated, age-matched controls, […]

Opioid Addiction 2016 Facts & Figures

Opioid Addiction Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illicit drug heroin as well as the licit prescription pain relievers oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, fentanyl and others.1 Opioids are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the brain and nervous system to produce pleasurable effects and relieve pain.1 Addiction is a […]

What You Don’t Know About Your Doctor Could Hurt You

Published: March 29, 2016 By Rachel Rabkin Peachman Thousands of doctors across the U.S. are on medical probation for reasons including drug abuse, sexual misconduct, and making careless—sometimes deadly—mistakes. But they’re still out there practicing. And good luck figuring out who they are. The state medical board’s report on Leonard Kurian, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Southern […]

CDC Comes Down Hard on Opioids for Chronic Pain

03.15.2016 Urges physicians not to use opioids first-line for chronic pain by Kristina Fiore Associate Editor, MedPage Today The CDC has released its final guidance on opioid prescribing, urging clinicians not to use the painkillers as first-line therapy for chronic pain and suggesting limits on dose and duration when they do have to be prescribed. […]

Federal trial begins for ex-Rockwall doc accused of massive home health care fraud

Crime Blog Published: March 9, 2016 3:15 pm Kevin Krause Dr. Jacques Roy was disgraced by the suspension of his medical license and had a tough time finding steady work as a physician, so he crafted a plan, prosecutors said. Roy, 58, decided to orchestrate a massive Medicare fraud scheme, make as much money as […]

Parents Often Report Medical Errors in Peds Inpatient Care

Thirty percent of medical errors were identified as preventable adverse events WEDNESDAY, March 9, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Parents frequently report medical errors in pediatric inpatient care, according to a study published online Feb. 29 in JAMA Pediatrics. Alisa Khan, M.D., M.P.H., from Boston Children’s Hospital, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study within two […]

Holding mirror to docs who overprescribe addictive drugs doesn’t stem prescriptions

Typical targeted practitioner wrote 400 percent more prescriptions for risky drugs like opioids, amphetamines than peers Date: March 7, 2016 Source: Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health Summary: Researchers conducted a randomized trial of informative letters aimed at suspected inappropriate prescribers of addictive substances like opioids and amphetamines. Top prescribers of these substances were […]

Antibiotics Underrecognized Cause of Delirium

Nancy A. Melville March 04, 2016 Antibiotic toxicity can represent an unrecognized cause of delirium in hospital patients, with manifestations observed in three distinct phenotypes, new research shows. “While toxicity from antibiotics has certainly been reported in the past, this is the largest analysis of the spectrum of toxicity from antibiotics,” lead author Shamik Bhattacharyya, […]

Bad Science Means Good Business for Abbott in India

02.28.2016 Aggressive, ethically questionable drug marketing goes global by Frederik Joelving Contributing Writer, MedPage Today When findings from a survey of thyroid disorders in India hit the news in 2013, the headlines were not subtle. “India’s cities in the grip of thyroid disease as new study reveals one in ten suffer from disorders,” blared one. […]

Risks for Vascular Injury During Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery: Prevalence of a Medial Loop of Vertebral Artery and Internal Carotid Artery

Spine: February 2016 – Volume 41 – Issue 4 – p 293–298 doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000001241 Wakao, Norimitsu MD, PhD Abstract Study Design. Observational study using a retrospective single-institute database. Objective. To investigate the prevalence of a medial loop (ML) of the vertebral artery (VA) and internal carotid artery (ICA), which might be an anatomical risk factor […]

Colonoscopy Complications Occur at Surprisingly High Rate

02.16.2016 Approaching 2% within a week of ‘scoping by Cheryl Clark When Harlan Krumholz, MD, saw a friend rushed to the hospital “with shaking and chills” one day after his colonoscopy a few years ago, he wondered how often this procedure results in such scary, adverse events. “For about 12 hours he was very, very […]

PPIs May Hike Dementia Risk in Elderly

02.15.2016 German claims data show association; stronger in men than women by Kristina Fiore Associate Editor, MedPage Today Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were associated with an increased risk of dementia, and the relationship was stronger in men than women, according to a study of German medical claims data. In an assessment of data from the […]