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Hospital-Based Medicine

News, opinions and meeting coverage in hospital-based medicine.

Systolic BP That's Too Low After Stroke Not Good Either

Systolic blood pressure that is too low -- as well as too high -- may put patients who have had a noncardioembolic ischemic stroke at risk for another one, researchers found.

AMA Adopts Policies on Circumcision, Gun Safety

The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates has adopted a number of new policies at its interim meeting, including policies on male circumcision, physician discussion of gun safety, and a new medical coding system that will go into effect in 2013.

Life Expectancy Shorter After TIA

Nine years after discharge, the survival of patients hospitalized with a transient ischemic attack was 20% lower than expected, with older patients more likely to be affected, according to an Australian study.

Jumpy Legs in Parkinson's Likely Not RLS

Patients with early Parkinson's disease were more likely to have a movement disorder called leg motor restlessness than true restless legs syndrome, a study found.

Vodka, Malt Liquor Most Likely to Buy Trip to Emergency Room

WASHINGTON -- Vodka and malt beverages were the forms of alcohol most likely to have been consumed by patients who wound up at the emergency department, seeking treatment for an injury, according to a small study.

Go With the Flow When Treating LAD Stenosis

Medical treatment was as effective as surgery for patients with moderate to severe isolated stenosis in the proximal left anterior descending artery who had fractional flow reserve of 0.80 or greater, according to results from a single-center study.

Linezolid Toxic With Prozac, Other SSRIs, FDA Warns

The FDA has issued an updated statement on the potential for serious central nervous system toxicity when patients taking serotonergic psychiatric drugs are treated with the antibacterial agent linezolid (Zyvox).

Readers Say Vitamin Levels Should Be Checked Yearly

Processed foods, mineral-depleted soil, overcooked vegetables, increased stress levels -- all of these increase the chances of having a vitamin deficiency, according to a vocal majority of 番茄社区 readers who commented on last week's poll.

Clindamycin Works Better for Skin Infections in Kids

For children with skin and soft tissue infections, clindamycin is the antibiotic of choice for empiric treatment, researchers found.

Medtronic Under Fire for Dropping GPO Contracts

Hospitals, patients, and the government may end up paying a higher tab for Medtronic products now that the firm has abruptly cancelled contracts with group purchasing organizations, a trade group charged.

Standards Issued for Healthcare Interpreter Services

All U.S. healthcare organizations must be able to talk with patients about their care in a language they can understand, according to new Joint Commission standards.

Failure High in Needle Aspiration of Skin Abscesses

Ultrasonographically guided needle aspiration -- a minimally invasive treatment for uncomplicated superficial skin abscesses -- has a failure rate of almost three in four, researchers reported.

Complications Common After Endoscopy

Complications after endoscopy may be more common than previously thought, researchers say.

Cough, Wheezing Raise Risk in Kids' Anesthesia

Children with a dry cough at night or wheezing during exercise are at elevated risk of respiratory adverse events during and after general anesthesia, researchers reported.

Outliers: The Story of Success

The latest book by the author of Blink outlines key principles of communication that can play a major role in improving healthcare quality and safety.

This Frog Is No Prince

Water frogs appear to be responsible for yet another Salmonella outbreak in the U.S., CDC researchers say.

Hospital Fined for Wrong-Site Surgery

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.

IDSA: Retracted Mask Study Adds to H1N1 Confusion

PHILADELPHIA -- For workers on the front lines of the H1N1 pandemic flu, the retraction of a study on protective masks adds to the confusion over how to guard against infection, experts said.

Unmasking the Surgical Mask: Does It Really Work?

For a century, the surgical mask has been the symbol of a safe and sanitary medical environment. The problem is that researchers don't really know if that's true.

ICAAC: Surgical Masks Don't Prevent Infection

SAN FRANCISCO -- Consistent use of N95 respirator masks prevents 75% of respiratory infections for high-risk healthcare workers regardless of whether seal against the skin is confirmed, according to the first randomized clinical trial of their efficacy.

Seasonal Flu Starts in Asia and Migrates Throughout World

CAMBRIDGE, England -- Seasonal influenza starts in east and southeast Asia and follows a highly predictable path to infect the rest of the world, researchers here said.

MRSA Implicated in Majority of Post-Facelift Infections

NEW YORK -- Although surgical-site infections after face-lift procedures are uncommon, those that occur are usually caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, making them difficult to treat.

Magnetic Jewelry May Have Fatal Attraction

ZURICH, Switzerland -- Rare-earth magnets -- now being packaged into necklaces and bracelets -- may have a deadly attraction for patients with pacemakers and implanted defibrillators, warn researchers here.

Family's Tragedy Prompts Major Changes at Boston Hospital

BOSTON-In an extraordinary public admission, a Harvard teaching hospital has revealed the string of errors and lost opportunities that led to a stillborn child and an emergency hysterectomy for his mother.