Anesthesiology Blogs This is an OPML file. It can be used to export all the MedWorm RSS feeds on this topic into your personal RSS reader (usually you have to save this file to your own computer before clicking on an Import OPML command in your own feed reader to upload the file which will then import all the feeds) or it can be used by webmasters to integrate MedWorm feeds with their own website. This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory. This is page number 3.

Masimo Universal ReSposable Pulse Oximetry Sensor System
Masimo is releasing its new Universal ReSposable Pulse Oximetry Sensor System, a money saving solution that also has environmental benefits. The device was developed with the realization that disposable sensors provide higher quality data, ease of use and comfort for the patient, but reusable ones are less wasteful and cheaper in the long run.The Universal ReSposable pulse oximeter is, as the name implies, a mashup of including the benefits of reusable and disposable devices in single product. It provides high clinical precision but without the environmental costs of disposable or even reusable devices.Read More
Source: Medgadget - October 16, 2012 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Gene Ostrovsky Tags: Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine Surgery Source Type: blogs

Trooth.Com – The David Nicholls DDS Interview Part One
You remember the FLAP. Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to speak with David Nicholls, D.D.S., one of the oral and maxillofacial surgeons who comprise the Board of Trooth.Com. While I characterize this “Public Awareness Campaign” as a Turf War between Utah oral surgeons and general dentist, Heath Hendrickson, D.D.S., Dr. Nicholls takes exception with this terminology. But, more on this later. I have now reached out and left messages (either via e-mail or web form) with most, if not all, of the oral and maxillofacial surgeons on the Trooth.Com Board. Dr. Nicholls is, so far, the only one, who has contac...
Source: FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog - October 16, 2012 Category: Dentists Authors: Flap Tags: David Nicholls Heath Hendrickson Trooth.Com Source Type: blogs

What's past may be prologue
Michael Millenson wrote this satirical piece back in 2006. Given the health care "free market" positions taken by certain people running for high elective office today, it appears more relevant than ever. An excerpt:When you fly coach, Mr. McClellan, do you still expect the airline to provide you with a lavish meal? Our hospital will never compromise on your safety, but surely you cannot expect that in today’s competitive environment we will subsidize your comfort. I apologize for even mentioning it. How much does anesthesia cost? That depends on how long you would like to be sedated. We have very reasonable ...
Source: Running a hospital - October 16, 2012 Category: Health Managers Source Type: blogs

Peeps, we got a job to do here.
Some of you know Mary Osheskie, or read her blog The Bright Optimist.Mary was one of the first people to contact me privately after I got my cancer diagnosis. She was also the only other oral cancer patient who was a woman and about my age. Her story makes mine look like a walk in the proverbial park:Mary's a lifelong nonsmoker and nondrinker, so when she was diagnosed with stage III squamous cell carcinoma of her tongue (at an age about forty years younger than is typical, no less) it was a huge shock. She had a partial glossectomy--in other words, the docs took out half her tongue and replaced it with muscle from her arm...
Source: Head Nurse - October 16, 2012 Category: Nurses Authors: Jo Source Type: blogs

I Have Become Uncomfortably Numb
I don’t know if it’s an inherent thing I have or if multiple sclerosis has given me a high tolerance for pain. Either way, I’m able to withstand a fair bit of it. Just three days, for example, after a more extensive than normal total hip replacement surgery (and due to the fact that I couldn’t tolerate the pain meds they sent home with me) I stopped taking any pain meds. Mind you, I was in a boat-load of pain, but I still did my PT and all. Today, after a twelve-plus year absence from the dentists’ chair, I walked away with a couple of new fillings and a rather deep cleaning. Had I been smart about it, I would ...
Source: Life with MS - October 15, 2012 Category: Other Conditions Authors: admin Tags: MS MS and Your Feelings healthcare cavities dental health multiple sclerosis and numbness Source Type: blogs

Point-of-Care Clotting Analyzer from HemoSonics and Cambridge Consultants
Cambridge Consultants is touting its work with HemoSonics – they’ve designed a new clotting analyzer that could give doctors a new option to quickly assess the reason for patients’ excessive bleeding, and help identify the cause for the formation of thrombi.Platelets, coagulation factors, fibrinogen and fibrinolytic proteins all contribute to clotting of blood, but knowing which mechanism is out of whack can take too much time during surgery if the clinical lab is to be involved. The Point-of-Care (POC) analyzer may look like an interface for Captain Picard to fire phase cannons at the Borg, but we’...
Source: Medgadget - October 15, 2012 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Gene Ostrovsky Tags: Anesthesiology Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Critical Care Diagnostics Medicine Source Type: blogs

Wisdom Teeth Turf War Erupts in Utah
From Trooth.com A number of Utah oral and maxillofacial surgeons have begun a dentistry turf war with a fellow dentist, Heath Hendrickson, over the extraction of wisdom teeth. The surgeons have sponsored a website (trooth.com) and a billboard on I-15 in Utah County, Utah (I will endeavor to get a photo of the billboard tomorrow). The oral surgeons who are listed below have a beef with general dentist, Health Hendrickson, who refers to himself as Dr. Wisdom Teeth. But, what is the FLAP? Dr. Hendrickson is a licensed, undisciplined Utah dentist who extracts wisdom teeth. There seems to be more to the story. Here is Dr. Hend...
Source: FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog - October 14, 2012 Category: Dentists Authors: Flap Tags: Dentistry Heath Hendrickson Trooth.Com Dr. Wisdom Teeth Source Type: blogs

The Surgeon places hands on belly and the diagnosis is clear
The call comes in at 9pm or so. The patient sounds sick as all hell. The Surgeon listens to the random assortment of numbers and vitals the nurse provides and clicks off his cell. He finishes reading a boring Berenstain Bear story to his daughter and tucks her into bed. He looks at the clock and runs some mental numbers. By the time he arrives at Hospital, close to ten. See the patient, talk to family, dictate notes, write all the orders and it’s getting close to 11. Then the wait for the call team to arrive, the inevitable waiting around of anesthesia. The family questions. The delay in transport...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 14, 2012 Category: Family Physicians Authors: Kevin Tags: Physician Hospital Surgery Source Type: blogs

Listening without judgment an important component of pain management - The Clinical Advisor
For as long as I've been in the medical field, I've heard the phrase, "Pain is what the patient says it is." Nurses are taught to assess pain as the fifth vital sign, and have multiple ways to assess a pain level as accurately as possible, from number scales to pictures. But as providers, are we really listening when patients complain of pain?Most of us have patients who always seem to be complaining about some ache or pain. There are those patients who keep coming back time and again with the same pain, despite our best efforts to help them. This can be frustrating for the patient and the provider. I know many p...
Source: Psychology of Pain - October 14, 2012 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs

Spinal Steroid Injections Have History of Trouble - NYTimes.com
Perry D. Clark says that a steroid injected near his spine to relieve persistent back pain instead left him "way, way worse." Twelve years later, he still suffers from continuous stinging in his legs and feet and occasional bursts of excruciating pain."It's like somebody took a hot poker out of a fire and jammed it into my foot for two or three seconds," said Mr. Clark, a retired media professional from Petoskey, Mich.The outbreak of fungal meningitis that has killed 14 people and sickened 156 more has focused attention on the risk of infection from spinal injections. But the same injections have also long been l...
Source: Psychology of Pain - October 13, 2012 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs

Why hospital pricing practices concern me
The gynecologist made several incisions and inserted the laparoscope. With the help of her surgical team of nurses, students and anesthesiologists, she removed the patient’s uterus, which had been bleeding uncontrollably for the past six months despite aggressive medical therapy. The price tag of the procedure? Around $6,000.Continue reading ... Follow KevinMD.com on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 12, 2012 Category: Family Physicians Authors: Kevin Tags: Policy Health reform Hospital Source Type: blogs

Nursing School to Medical School
by afrost10 (Posted Fri Oct 12, 2012 12:38 pm)Hi. Upon starting undergrad, I chose nursing because I believed I wasn't good enough for medical school and the debt/commitment was overwhelming. I am now a second year nursing student and honestly don't like it very much. I was lucky to obtain a job as an anesthesia technician in February of this year and seeing the roles that various healthcare professionals play and how they are in the "real world" has led me to want to actually pursue a career as a physician. My main question is if anyone on here has been through nursing school and gotten accepted to medical school, how do ...
Source: Med Student Guide - October 12, 2012 Category: Medical Students Source Type: blogs

SMACC 2013: social media and critical care conference.
There is something very special happening in Sydney next March. A conference that will bring together some of the most innovative leaders in critical care medicine to educate, inform and entertain, all within the context of a social media rich environment. This is personal. These are the people I want to be when I grow up…..and I believe if you are a critical care nurse or doctor this could quite possibly be the best conference you will attend…..well until the next one. But this is the first one, so it will be a little bit groundbreaking: SMACC is a high impact academic meeting fused with cutting edge on-line s...
Source: impactEDnurse - October 12, 2012 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: the nurses desk: Source Type: blogs

Essentials of telehealth and telemedicine, top Do’s and Don’ts, mHealth and other health IT advice
I recently participated in a wonderful 55 minute video interview conducted by Nirav Desai for his Hands On TeleHealth Interview show. I wanted to thank Nirav for leading an insightful discussion; you can watch the video on Nirav’s site but I wanted to capture the essence of the interview in the transcription below. Nirav: What are the essentials of Telehealth and Telemedicine? Shahid: Telehealth and Telemedicine are about extending health care from physical institutions, where it has most recently resided, to where the patients can receive care at home or other more convenient locations. It is also about connecting med...
Source: The Healthcare IT Guy - October 11, 2012 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Shahid N. Shah Tags: Cloud Computing Patient Self-Management Telehealth Telemedicine Source Type: blogs

ExSpiron Pulmonary Monitor Continuously Tracks Lung Performance
Monitoring patient ventilation is important for those on a mechanical ventilator, but once natural breathing is restored clinicians typically lose their ability to watch for changes in the volume of air the patient is moving per minute. Respiratory Motion Inc., a company out of Waltham, MA, just received FDA 510(k) clearance to introduce its ExSpiron non-invasive ventilation monitor to U.S. hospitals.The system can be used after little training by any clinician by simply applying the monitoring patch to the chest and connecting it to the electronic monitor. The device automatically begins watching the lungs and displays co...
Source: Medgadget - October 11, 2012 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Gene Ostrovsky Tags: Anesthesiology Cardiology Critical Care Diagnostics Emergency Medicine Source Type: blogs

Contaminated drug draws attention to steroid injection procedure Physicians divided on value of low-back steroid injections - The Boston Globe
The discovery that a potentially tainted drug is linked to 119 cases of meningitis nationwide has fueled debate among doctors about widespread use of the back-pain treatment, which has little proven longterm benefit.Use of the medication, a steroid injected near the spine to quell inflammation, has increased in part because of the demands of an aging population and the relatively few risks associated with the injections when compared with surgery and other treatments, which also carry no guarantee of success.Patients and doctors often saw a so-called lumbar injection as a safe alternative, until the outbreak of funga...
Source: Psychology of Pain - October 10, 2012 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs

Live-Blogging A Physician's Termination: A Pawn On The Wizards' Chessboard
I was prepared to let yesterday's post (featuring Vidant's termination letter) stand for a while - and go on about the business of packing for the vacation-I've-waited-a-year-to-take. An Aunt is taking Mama back down East for the family funeral, so I'm not going to have to worry about that (God bless my Aunt and Uncle).On "the-Monday-after" my septimana horribilis, I e-mailed the RCH Medical Staff Coordinator (return receipt requested) and asked her for preferred contact information on the medical staff members (in OB, ER and Anesthesia) who I plan to ask for references (and who I expect would provide very good ones ...
Source: Dr.J's HouseCalls - October 10, 2012 Category: Pediatricians Source Type: blogs

How a drug addicted scrub tech changed my life forever
It was a cold winter day in 2009 when my life changed forever, however, it would be months before I figured that out. On that fateful day, a drug-addicted surgical scrub tech assigned to my operating room stole syringes of fentanyl, a potent intravenous narcotic, from my anesthesia cart. According to news reports, investigative summaries, and the scrub tech’s confession, once she took the syringes, she used them on herself.Continue reading ... Follow KevinMD.com on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 10, 2012 Category: Family Physicians Authors: Kevin Tags: Physician Infectious disease Medications Specialist Surgery Source Type: blogs

Best of Medical Blogs - weekly review and blog carnival
The “Best of Medical Blogs - weekly review and blog carnival” is a weekly summary of the best posts from medical blogs. Feel free to send your suggestions to my email at clinicalcases@gmail.com. Best of Medical Blogs (BMB) is published every Tuesday, just like the old Grand Rounds. Choosing Wisely - Good Medical Practice or Prelude to Rationing? From the White Coat blog: “If we want to decrease the amount of “unnecessary” testing, we need to address all of the reasons that such testing is performed. Why doesn’t Choosing Wisely change the preamble of its campaign to include: “The following tests a...
Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog - October 9, 2012 Category: Professors and Educators Tags: Best of Medical Blogs Source Type: blogs

HHS OIG Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2013
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently released its Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2013 (Work Plan), which summarizes new and ongoing reviews and activities that OIG plans to pursue with respect to HHS programs and operations during the next fiscal year (FY) and beyond. The fiscal year starts on October 1, 2012 and runs through September 31st 2013. Below is a summary of some of the reviews and activities OIG plans to pursue, but some of the highlights include: Use of antipsychotics in nursing homes Off-label drug use Conflicts...
Source: Policy and Medicine - October 9, 2012 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs

Mob Doctor, Episode 4: “Change of Heart.” A Medical Review
Another week of Mob Doctor with more ludicrous medicine, more random mobster action, more stupid high school friends of Grace, and more hours of Grace being gone from the hospital with no one noticing. At a neighborhood bar, Grace and her boyfriend Brett are shooting pool when several old friends of hers come in. One of them is standing atop the, but slips off, lacerating his scalp. He shows up a few hours later at the hospital complaining that his wound won’t stop bleeding – Grace takes him into a backroom and staples the laceration up. But then her nurse notices a “halo sign” on his jacket (a halo sign occurs w...
Source: Polite Dissent - October 9, 2012 Category: Family Physicians Authors: Scott Source Type: blogs

In the OR during an appendectomy, an unexpected visitor
It was Trevor’s first weekend to relax since moving to Seattle. He was out in a park walking Bailey, his year old lab, when his pager unexpectedly beeped. He called in to the operating room office, where the frantic head nurse told him he had to come in. The scheduled anesthesiologist was very ill with the flu, and no one else was available. He had to come in for at least two cases, perhaps more.Trevor pleaded, “Can’t you find anyone else, it’s my first weekend off, and I doubt if I can find anyone to watch Bailey.”“Sorry, we need you – now!”, came the curt reply.Cont...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 8, 2012 Category: Family Physicians Authors: Kevin Tags: Physician Surgery Source Type: blogs

Live-Blogging A Physician's Termination: Housekeeping
The following e-mail was sent to Roanoke-Chowan's Medical Staff Coordinator and CEO this morning. My home phone number and address have been redacted for purposes of privacy.Jennie,You are getting this e-mail because you are RCH Medical Staff coordinator, and I need some help coordinating. I have copied it to Sue Lassiter as RCH’s CEO.As I was unaware of what Vidant had in store for me last Monday morning, totally sucker-punched . . . then “banned” from the RCH campus (as if I were an ax murderer) as soon as Ms. Brantley dropped her hammer . . . and given only five days to vacate my corporate apartment . . . I�...
Source: Dr.J's HouseCalls - October 8, 2012 Category: Pediatricians Source Type: blogs

Dying the Liverpool way - by Bill Keller
How to Die ONE morning last month, Anthony Gilbey awakened from anesthesia in a hospital in the east of England. At his bedside were his daughter and an attending physician. The surgery had been unsuccessful, the doctor informed him. There was nothing more that could be done. “So I’m dying?” the patient asked. The doctor hesitated. “Yes,” he said. “You’re dying, Dad,” his daughter affirmed. “So,” the patient mused, “no more whoop-de-doo.” “On the other side, there’ll be loads,” his daughter — my wife — promised. The patient laughed. “Yes,” he said. He was dead six days later, a...
Source: PharmaGossip - October 8, 2012 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs

Sunday News Round-Up, Level 88 Edition
Yeah, so a chunk of the time I’d otherwise spend reading and blogging has been taken up by the new World of Warcraft expansion. There’s nothing amazing about it, but there have been little things I have really enjoyed, and I’m learning to play better by making better use of abilities I’ve had all along. So, this will be a short one, because I’m *way* behind on chores. Some things of interest when I’ve poked my head up: The CDC has a new page up to be a hub for information on the fungal meningitis outbreak. It includes information for clinicians on diagnostic procedures, interim treatme...
Source: Women's Health News - October 7, 2012 Category: Medical Librarians Authors: Rachel Tags: Abuse, Rape, & Safety Access, Rights, & Choice Drugs Ethics Government Miscellaneous News Round-Ups aspergillus butt chugging consent fratboys fungal meningitis kissing sailor Knoxville media music Our Bodies Our Blog Our Source Type: blogs

Press on even when life brings pain and failure
So, here’s my column in today’s Greenville News. It’s titled ‘Press on even when life brings pain and failure.’ That’s sort of the point, but more to the point, it’s about how there’s joy in risk, and a nation of citizens who cannot sense that is a nation in danger. Read it for yourself, and see what you think. Edwin PS Column text follows link. http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20121007/OPINION/310070010/Ed-Leap-Press-even-when-life-brings-pain-failure?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp&nclick_check=1 I recently treated two young men, both injured ...
Source: edwinleap.com - October 7, 2012 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: Edwinlea Tags: culture economics education faith family Greenville News column politics raising a woman raising men The South Source Type: blogs

FDA & Compounders: More Oversight Needed?
Over the past two years, compounded medications have figured in two highly controversial episodes. In one instance, Roche attempted to prevent ophthalmologists from using its older Avastin med for treating wet macular degeneration when its newer and more expensive Lucentis is the only approved treatment. The drugmaker has claimed that rejiggered vials of Avastin pose a safety risk (read here and here). In another, KV Pharmaceutical caused a huge ruckus by initially charging $1,500 for its Makena premature birth drug and trying to use its FDA approval under the Orphan Drug Act to prevent compounding pharmacies, which charge...
Source: Pharmalot - October 5, 2012 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Ed Silverman Tags: Uncategorized Avastin Compounding Compounding Pharmacies FDA Franck's International Academcy of Compounding Pharmacies KV Pharmaceutical Lucentis Makena Meningitis New England Compounding Center Premature Births Roche Wet AMD Source Type: blogs

Ultrasound in EM
I am constantly amazed by the sheer number of open access medical education resources online. One area undergoing a considerable transformation is the field of ultrasound – here is a smattering (in no particular order) of the best resources online that we read. Ultrasound Podcast - Podcast putting the US back into ultrasound. If it doesn’t move it will be probed, recorded and discussed Sinai EM Ultrasound - Vast number of educational resources including tutorials on the FAST exam, cardiac ultrasound, obstetrics, pneumothorax assessment SonoSpot – Great site on clinical ultrasound with a va...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - October 3, 2012 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: Mike Cadogan Tags: Education eLearning Emergency Medicine Featured Investigation [tests ] Ultrasound blog shout out sono USS Source Type: blogs

Scientific Fraud Is On The Rise… Honestly
Medical fraud has become more noticeable in recent years as more studies are retracted all the time. In fact, a blog called Retraction Watch now covers the issue. But how bad is it, really? Well, a new review of peer-reviewed journals finds the percentage of studies withdrawn because of fraud or suspected fraud has zoomed. In 1976, there were fewer than 10 fraud retractions for every 1 million studies published, compared with 96 retractions per million in 2007. To be specific, the study reviewed 2,047 biomedical and life-science research articles indexed by PubMed and noted as retracted as of May 3, 2012. They found that o...
Source: Pharmalot - October 2, 2012 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Ed Silverman Tags: Uncategorized Andrew Wakefield Autism Medical Fraud Medical Journals National Academy of Sciences Scientific Fraud Source Type: blogs

Laura Adams’ breast cancer journey: Revealing the importance of EHRs
“I Have a Sense of Urgency Like Never Before” When Laura Adams went in for her annual physical, she never expected the turn her life was about to take. Laura entered a medical labyrinth – a barrage of tests at six different facilities – to confirm her diagnosis of breast cancer. Laura’s professional life involves her deeply in the effort to transform health care via information technology, and now she was in a unique position to bring a patient’s perspective to that effort. In the midst of her own medical crisis – just a few days before surgery – she took the time to talk about her breast cancer journey and...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - October 2, 2012 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Cancer Health 2.0 HIT/Health Gaming Homepage Feature Women's Health breast cancer EHR Electronic health record health IT National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Source Type: blogs

In Fact I Love Him More Each Day
I will use my eyes and ears to make sure Paul can enjoy things as much as he can. I also know that I will never stop loving him, in fact I love him more each day if that is possible and I know that he will not stop loving me. By Jocelyn Delaney Alzheimer's Reading Room I was 19 and Paul was 22 when we were married in 1962. We have had a great life. We have four great kids and 8 lovely grandchildren. When I met Paul he was an up and coming Rugby player. He went on to play rugby at a reasonably high level and of course like most things in his life he put every thing into it, inevitably he suffered several conc...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - October 1, 2012 Category: Dementia Authors: Bob DeMarco Source Type: blogs

spotlight on specialties: anesthesiology
Sorry, I'm a little bit in remiss in that I didn't post this link up earlier, but here's a link to the AAMC article on the field of anesthesiology, for which I was interviewed along with a number of much more distinguished and accomplished colleagues. If you're interested in the field of anesthesiology, either as a potential career or if you just want to know what exactly it is we do all day, check it out.An excerpt:“Anesthesia is hands-on, fast-paced, and has tremendous capability to make a positive impact on our patients’ lives as anything else we do in the hospital,” says Dr. Au. “In my opinion, it's one of the ...
Source: the underwear drawer - October 1, 2012 Category: Anesthetists Authors: Michelle Au Source Type: blogs

Anesthesia…again :(
Tomorrow Calleigh will have an MRI of her brain and pituitary. She needs to have anesthesia because she would never stay still long enough for the test. (It will probably take about 2 hours or so). This will be the 6th time Calle...
Source: Deaf Village - September 30, 2012 Category: Other Conditions Authors: The Lawrence Triplets Tags: Cochlear Implant vm Source Type: blogs

I have seen the tragedy of prescription drug abuse
A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com.To say prescription drug abuse is one of the biggest drug problems in the United States today is clearly an understatement. The Partnership at Drug-Free America cites every day more than 2,000 kids use a prescription drug to get high for the first time. While it’s true a variety of prescribed medications are abused, most overdoses from prescription drugs are caused by opioids, a type of pain reliever. The majority of people who misuse opioids were not prescribed the medication, but obtained it from someone else.Continue reading ... Foll...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - September 29, 2012 Category: Family Physicians Authors: Kevin Tags: Meds Medications Primary care Source Type: blogs

Lighterman
By Birdstrike M.D. I was driving home from a night shift and the scorching sound of Texas guitars flamed out of my car speakers. The group ZZ Top was old, but the song was new. It went like this, “25 lighters on my dresser, yessir. You know I gotsta get paid.” Mostly, I was shocked that any members of the band ZZ Top were still alive, let alone putting out new music that was actually getting airplay. Also strange, is that the song is a remake of an old rap song. The lyric reminded me of a patient who I won’t name. It would be a safe assumption that he was a gang member. He wore saggy, baggy pa...
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - September 29, 2012 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: Birdstrike Tags: Guest Posts Patient Encounters Source Type: blogs

Fresenius Restricts Propofol Use For Executions
As a result of a campaign by activists to pressure drugmakers to prevent their medications from being used in the US for lethal injections, Fresenius Kabi recently adopted a new policy in which orders from any corrections officials for its Propofol drug will be rejected. Propofol is an anaesthetic that has been used for executions in the wake of shortages of other medications. The move is seen as significant because Fresenius is the sole supplier in the US. Late last month, the German drugmaker wrote a letter to healthcare providers to say that using Propofol for executions is “contrary to the FDA approved indication...
Source: Pharmalot - September 27, 2012 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Ed Silverman Tags: Uncategorized Eric Holder Executions FDA Fresenius Kabi Lethal Injections Propofol Sodium Thiopental Source Type: blogs

Conversations We Shouldn’t Still Be Having: Pelvic Exams Under Anesthesia
In the October issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, a medical student writes of his discomfort with a practice many people may be surprised to learn still occurs — medical students practicing pelvic exams, without explicit consent, on women who are under anesthesia for surgery. The student, Shawn Barnes, writes that the practice left him “ashamed.” “For 3 weeks, four to five times a day, I was asked to, and did, perform pelvic examinations on anesthetized women, without specific consent, solely for the purpose of my education,” writes Barnes. “To my shame, I obeyed.” He ...
Source: Our Bodies Our Blog - September 26, 2012 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Rachel Tags: Activism & Resources Public Policy Research & Studies anesthesia consent ethics pelvic examinations Source Type: blogs

Smiths Medical’s CorrectInject Safety System to Prevent Drug Misconnections Cleared in U.S.
Smiths Medical has received FDA clearance for the Portex CorrectInject Safety System, an injection set for spinal and epidural drugs that uses unique connectors to help prevent the wrong medication getting to the needle.Misconnections, such as between intrathecal and intravenous lines due to the same Luer locks, are common enough that according to Smiths, the UK’s National Health Service has mandated that as of “April 1, 2013 all epidural, spinal (intrathecal) and regional anaesthesia infusions and boluses are to be performed with devices that use safer connectors that will not connect with intravenous Luer con...
Source: Medgadget - September 26, 2012 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Gene Ostrovsky Tags: Anesthesiology Medicine Source Type: blogs

What are the factors other than ejection fraction (EF) that determine the functional capacity in cardiac failure ?
What are the factors other than EF % that determine functional capacity in cardiac failure ? In our experience we have found the following factors contribute immensely to the functional capacity of cardiac failure patients LV filling defects (30 % of DCM have significant LV relaxation defects )* Integrity of RV function Mitral valve competence(Even a mild MR can be important .It lowers the threshold for pulmonary congestion ) Severity of Pulmonary hypertension Lung Function *(Restrictive PFT common , gross cardiomegaly can reduce lung space ) Basal exercise capacity . Skeletal muscle function (Mi...
Source: Dr.S.Venkatesan MD - September 25, 2012 Category: Cardiology Authors: drsvenkatesan Tags: cardiac failure Cardiology - Clinical cardiology -Therapeutics cardaic failure symptoms ef% ejection fraction limitations of ejection fraction skeletal muscle function in cardaic failure Source Type: blogs

Ben Goldacre’s Bad Pharma. Buy it now. Then do something.
This is a very important book. Buy it now (that link is to Waterstone’s Amazon don’t pay tax in the UK, so don’t use them). When you’ve read it, do something about it. The book has lots of suggestions about what to do. Stolen from badscience.net Peter Medawar, the eminent biologist, in his classic book Advice to a Young Scientist, said this. “Exaggerated claims for the efficacy of a medicament are very seldom the consequence of any intention to deceive; they are usually the outcome of a kindly conspiracy in which everybody has the very best intentions. The patient wants to...
Source: DC's goodscience - September 25, 2012 Category: Professors and Educators Authors: David Colquhoun Tags: Academia badscience Big Pharma BMJ CAM Clinical trials Continuing med education corruption Freedom of Information Act randomisation RCT Universities EMA European Medicines Agency FDA NICE Richard Eastell Source Type: blogs

Medtronic Affinity Fusion Blood Oxygenation System Cleared in Europe
Medtronic has received the CE Mark for the Affinity Fusion, a system for oxygenating blood and removing CO2 during open heart surgeries. The company spent considerable effort designing the device to minimize the formation of air bubbles in the oxygenated blood that can lead to dangerous side effects like stroke.Medtronic is planning on submitting papers to the FDA to seek approval for the Affinity Fusion in the U.S.Read More
Source: Medgadget - September 24, 2012 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Gene Ostrovsky Tags: Anesthesiology Cardiac Surgery Source Type: blogs

Self-Surgery
The Surgeon had been handicapped by a burr in the plantar aspect of his left foot. All summer it had been causing discomfort on jogs, during soccer games, and,eventually, even just walking barefoot across the hardwood floors in the morning. There was something lodged in the thick skin of the strikeplate of his foot--- a splinter, a piece of glass, whatever the hell--- and it was really starting to cramp his style. His wife tired of his frequent moaning and groaning and dutifully instructed him to "see a podiatrist". The Surgeon considered this. Why would I do that, he thought. I'm a surg...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - September 23, 2012 Category: Surgeons Source Type: blogs

A Save with Suboxone?
I’d like to share a recent email exchange with a reader. The post is long, but there are several interesting aspects to the discussion. I’ve removed the conversational parts, as well as the identifying information.The initial message:I was an intravenous heroin user for three years. After treatment I was able to stay clean for 6 months… Well apparently to most people I was not clean because I was on Suboxone, but to me I was clean. People are so very discouraging when you tell them you’re clean and they find out you are on Suboxone. It hurts because of how much hard work you put in. I did well for six months, but t...
Source: Suboxone Talk Zone - September 21, 2012 Category: Addiction Authors: SuboxDoc Tags: 12 steps Addiction Buprenorphine Clean Enough pharmacology receptor actions recovery Suboxone tolerance inject buprenorphine inject Suboxone overdose precipitated withdrawal Suboxone reverse overdose Source Type: blogs

AIM 3D Needle Placement Software from InnerOptic
InnerOptic Technology (Hillsborough, NC) received FDA 510(k) clearance to bring to market its AIM software for ultrasound guided needle placement. AIM takes advantage of electromagnetic tracking to display the locations of the needle and ultrasound transducer on a 3D monitor. The technology can help physicians perform all sorts of image guided procedures including catheterizations, nerve blocks, in vitro fertilizations, tumor ablations and biopsies. The system is also compatible with laparoscopic interventions.The software is currently compatible with ultrasounds from BK Medical and Aloka, as well as interventional devices...
Source: Medgadget - September 21, 2012 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Gene Ostrovsky Tags: Anesthesiology Radiology Surgery Source Type: blogs

Kidspeak: Talking the talk.
Amanda Stock, Amber Hill and Franz E Babl (a hospital play therapist and two ED physicians) have published a paper in Emergency Medicine Australasia describing some age-appropriate non-threatening and positive language statements for use by clinicians when describing procedures to children. The table of descriptors has been developed for use in an emergency department setting where resources such as play therapists may be limited or unavailable and where clinicians may have only a few minutes to develop a rapport with both the child and family, and provide clear explanation of what is about to happen. In stressful enviro...
Source: impactEDnurse - September 21, 2012 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: tips and tricks Source Type: blogs

great and lesser expectations
I had Cal three weeks after starting my training in anesthesia--a highly conspicuous move that I think indelibly branded me for the rest of my academic career as "that pregnant resident"--so I think it's fair to say that I have some insight into the assumptions that people tend to make about people mixing family with a career in medicine. In most ways I imagine it's not unlike mixing family with any intense or high-powered careers--look at all talk that Marissa Mayer's pregnancy incited after she was named the new CEO of Yahoo. (Aside: I'm not saying that my career is anywhere near as high-powered as that of Marissa Mayer,...
Source: the underwear drawer - September 20, 2012 Category: Anesthetists Authors: Michelle Au Source Type: blogs