MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'adverse effects'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:39:18 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028071&cid=t_159865_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fguest-blog-health-care-in-dangerous.html Health Care Renewal presents another guest blog by Steve Lucas, a retired businessman who formerly worked in real estate and construction who has a long standing interest in business ethics, and has long observed the health care scene.Health Care Renewal has often covered the disconnect between the stated goals of companies and the realities of their day to day operations. This raised the following question: Has medicine moved from being dysfunctional to being dangerous?There is certainly no lack of material to support this question as in the last two weeks we can find examples of pharma/biotech/device companies all engaged in questionable behavior. Medtronic and Manipulation of Study DataIn the print media, The Wall Street Journal, a pro-business newspaper regularly highlights storie... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028071 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:02:00 +0100 5028071 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968542&cid=t_159865_105_f&fid=36987&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FIvorKovicMd%2F%7E3%2Fv_fF9FquzRA%2F Just recently my colleague and I have published two research papers. I am very proud of the first one titled “Mobile phone in the Chain of Survival”, which was published after a lot of research in the Resuscitation journal. This short paper gives an overview of vast possibilities possessed by mobile phones to be of assistance in medical emergencies. It represents a continuation of my work with CPR mobile applications. I have also now published a video of the lecture I gave during the Resuscitation 2010 congress about the same subject. You can watch my 10 minute lecture here, and read our paper at the Resuscitation website. The second paper we wrote appeared in the Croatian journal Lijecnicki Vjesnik (in English this would be something like Physician’s Newsletter). It i... Ivor Kovic, M.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968542 Sat, 25 Jun 2011 09:54:12 +0100 4968542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841366&cid=t_159865_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fsuccinylcholine-adverse-effects%2F Succinylcholine is a widely used drug in the operating room and intensive care units for intubation. It is considered a depolarizing muscle relaxant and thus causes fasciculations. It has a rapid onset (40-60 seconds) and is short-acting (10-15 minutes). The adverse effect most classically associated with the use of succinylcholine (aka “sux”) is malignant hyperthermia. A partial list of other adverse effects is below 1. hyperkalemia (increase in serum potassium by 0.5 meq/L) which is exaggerated in patients with burns, myopathies, crush injuries, and denervating injuries 2. arrhythmias – can be either bradycardia from the parasympathetic/muscarinic effect or tachycardia from the sympathetic/nicotinic effect 3. elevated intracranial pressure – use is contraindicated... Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841366 Thu, 19 May 2011 06:00:22 +0100 4841366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758709&cid=t_159865_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F27%2Fjournal-of-the-american-medical-association-2011-vol-305-no-5%2F The objective of this study is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to determine the overall risk of fatal adverse effects (FAEs) associated with bevacizumab, an angiogenesis inhibitor, used in conjunction with chemotherapy. The article concludes that in a meta-analysis of RCTs, bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy or biological therapy, compared with chemotherapy alone, was associated with increased treatment-related mortality. An NHS Athens password is required to access this article online, alternatively contact the Library for a copy of this article Filed under: Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Journals Tagged: Bevacizumab, Cancer, Drug Therapy, Fatal Adverse Effects, Randomised Controlled Trials (Sourc... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758709 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:26:16 +0100 4758709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337878&cid=t_159865_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fcurious-case-of-pfizers-asbestos-claims.html Here is a very strange and long-running story that raises some questions about how health care organizations are lead, but seems to have bee covered only in the business press.Pfizer Goes Into the Asbestos Business (in 1968), Faced Hundreds of Thousands of Lawsuits (in the 1980s), Promised to Settle (in 2004)Here is the background, per a 2004 report by the Associated Press, per Fox News:Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Friday said it has agreed to pay $430 million to settle all lawsuits against it alleging injury from insulation products made by a subsidiary.Pfizer and its Quigley Co. subsidiary were named, along with several other defendants, in 171,611 lawsuits claiming personal injury caused by exposure to asbestos, silica or mixed dust.Pfizer acquired Quigley Co. in 1968. It sold some products contai... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337878 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:00:00 +0100 4337878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3895925&cid=t_159865_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2F1yn5of4npC0%2Fmore-on-using-singulair-treatment-for.html Previously I reviewed the literature on the off-label use of zafirlukast (Accolate) and montelukast (Singulair) for the treatment of capsular contracture.  The recent issue (May/June 2010) of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal has an article (full reference below) on the use of Singulair for capsular contracture (CC). Huang and Handel’s article reviews the literature, noting some articles I missed.  Their study is a small (17 patients, 4 with bilateral CC for a total of 21breasts treated with Baker’s Grade II or greater CC).  All of their patients were informed of possible risks associated with the off-label application of Singulair before being prescribed 10 mg of Singulair for 90 days and instructed to massage their breasts twice daily. Unlike Accolate, the adverse event ... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3895925 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:10:00 +0100 3895925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3453934&cid=t_159865_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FblqJyDzRxYI%2Flipodissolve-too-good-to-be-true.html I have long been skeptical of Lipodissolve claims.  Patients would ask about the injections that dissolve the fat without surgery.  How it worked?  How safe is it?  Do you do it?  Do you know anyone who does? The FDA has finally issued a warning On April 7, 2010, FDA announced it had sent warning letters to six medical spas in the United States—and a cyber letter to a company in Brazil—for making false or misleading statements on their Web sites about drugs used in the procedure, or for otherwise misbranding lipodissolve products. The U.S. medical spas receiving warning letters make various unsupported claims about lipodissolve, such as assertions that the products used in lipodissolve are safe and effective have an outstanding safety record are su... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3453934 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:01:00 +0100 3453934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3016933&cid=t_159865_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FnP-2UGV1rsc%2F The influenza A (H1N1) 2009 vaccine produced by GlaxoSmithKline has been approved by Canada Health. Here is some information on the vaccine to supplement what I’ve provided about the US counterparts. The Canadian vaccine, called Arepanrix H1N1, is supplied in two parts. One contains inactivated H1N1 influenza virus, and the second consists of AS03 adjuvant (DL-a-tocopherol, squalene, polysorbate 80). Before injection the virus and adjuvant are mixed. The vaccine is provided in 10-dose vials and therefore contains thimerosal. More information on the amounts of these components can be found at the Canada Health website (”Product Information Leaflet Arepanrix™ H1N1 AS03-Adjuvanted H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Vaccine”). Health Canada approved the vaccine based on limited clinic... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3016933 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:51:19 +0100 3016933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2747959&cid=t_159865_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2Fkw4u6UNY0mM%2Fsuture-allergy-vs-suture-reactivity.html This past week I was once again asked about suture allergy.  It has prompted me to revisit the issue which I have posted about twice now. (photo credit). Sutures by the vary nature of being foreign material will cause a reaction in the tissue.  This tissue reactivity is NOT necessarily a suture allergy. Many factors may contribute to suture reactivity. The length of time the sutures remain.  The longer the sutures are in, the more reactivity occurs. The size of the sutures used.  The larger the caliber of the suture, the more reactivity.  The increase of one suture size results in a 2- to 3-fold increase in tissue reactivity. The type of suture material used.  Synthetic or wire sutures are much less reactive than natural sutures (eg, silk, cotton, ... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2747959 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:01:00 +0100 2747959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452608&cid=t_159865_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FXbUsbwRKIDE%2Frecent-npr-stories-on-plastic-surgery.html I want to say these two stories were well done (both aired on June 1, 2009).  I was actually interviewed, but not quoted, for the story on fat-grafting.  I pointed Allison Aubry to Dr Scott Spear as her expert.  He is involved in one of the U.S. studies on breast augmentation using fat grafting.  Sculpting the Body with Recycled Fat by Allison Aubry. Doctors Still Unsure Of Long-Term Risks Surgeons like Dr. Scott Spear of Georgetown University Hospital want to know more about the techniques used to transfer fat for breast augmentation. "We're at the beginning of the learning curve," he says. He has initiated a clinical trial to answer some questions about the best way to perform the procedure and whether there are any measurable risks. To date, there are... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452608 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:01:00 +0100 2452608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398818&cid=t_159865_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F07%2Fsurprise-approval-of-fanapt-makes-stock-go-wild%2F Shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Fanapt (iloperidone), surged today after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sprang a surprise drug approval for Fanapt for schizophrenia late yesterday. In afternoon trading today, the stock hit $10.00 a share, over 8 times what the stock was trading just a day earlier. It fell back to trading around $7.54 - $7.95 range at this time. The drug has a better safety profile in clinical trials than other atypical antipsychotics, which some analysts believe will help boost prescriptions when it goes on the market this summer. Of course, the safety profile may be overly optimistic, as it was for other atypical antipsychotics before they hit the market and reality set in (e.g., use on a more diverse population). Certainly the company could’ve... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398818 Thu, 07 May 2009 19:58:34 +0100 2398818 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398748&cid=t_159865_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FqkpzyUYkVNs%2Fbotox-black-box-warning_07.html The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced that safety label changes including a boxed warning and a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) will now be required for all botulinum toxin products.  The agency took the action because of two main reasons.  The first one is the potential for serious risks that may occur from the spread of the botulinum toxin beyond the injection site.  The second reason is associated with the lack of interchangeability among the three licensed botulinum toxin products. When the botulinum toxin spreads beyond the area of injection, symptoms similar to botulism may occur.  These symptoms include unexpected loss of strength or muscle weakness, hoarseness or trouble talking, trouble saying words clearly, loss of bladder con... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398748 Thu, 07 May 2009 11:01:00 +0100 2398748