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Diabetic peripheral neuropathy risk highlighted in children

US researchers call for clinical guidelines for detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in children after finding that a significant proportion of young patients are affected.

7 Feb 2013

Chlorhexidine bathing protects vulnerable hospital patients

Bathing hospital patients with chlorhexidine-impregnated washcloths reduces the risk for them acquiring multidrug-resistant organisms and developing bloodsteam infections, show study findings.

7 Feb 2013

ACL injuries on the rise among young athletes

Until a child's bones have fully matured (in girls, typically by age 14; in boys, age 16), an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-the primary, stabilizing ligament of the knee joint-requires special consideration, treatment and care to ensure appropriate healing and to prevent long-term complications.

7 Feb 2013

Greater Boston Business Council honors UMass Medical School's Work Without Limits program

The Greater Boston Business Council honored UMass Medical School's Work Without Limits program with its Outstanding Business Member of the Year Award for Excellence in Community Service at its recent annual awards ceremony.

6 Feb 2013

New method can determine seriousness of cancer prognosis with 80% certainty

The number of incorrect cancer prognoses can be halved with computerised image analysis. In three years time, the method can be used on patients with bowel cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.

6 Feb 2013

Fraser Health selects dbMotion platform to serve people in British Columbia

dbMotion, an innovative provider of connected healthcare solutions, has been selected to implement its interoperability platform across Fraser Health, a 12-hospital integrated delivery network (IDN) serving 1.7 million people in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada.

6 Feb 2013

FDA approves Cardiva Medical's VASCADE Vascular Closure System

Cardiva Medical, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Premarket Approval (PMA) for the VASCADE Vascular Closure System (VCS).

6 Feb 2013

Roundup: Calif. missing out on millions of dollars because of disagreements, software problems; Mass. finds more problems at compounding pharmacies; Hope for Kan. Medicaid managed care

California's court-run prison health care program is missing out on tens of millions of dollars a year in federal funds because of disagreement with counties and software problems, a new legislative report states. The legislative analyst's office found increasing numbers of prison inmates who, because of their low income status, are eligible for the state's Medicaid program.

6 Feb 2013

Feeding human breast milk to very-low-birth-weight infants reduces risk of sepsis and NICU costs

Feeding human breast milk to very-low-birth-weight infants greatly reduces risk for sepsis and significantly lowers associated neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) costs, according to a study by Rush University Medical Center researchers.

6 Feb 2013

State roundup: Calif. 'Healthy Families' deficit at $100M

The Healthy Families program has run out of money, according to state health officials. The deficit currently stands at almost $100 million and will keep rising every month, according to Janette Casillas, executive director of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, which oversees Healthy Families. Gov. Jerry Brown's administration is pursuing two ideas for refilling the coffers: reinstitution of a recently expired tax on managed care organizations and an appropriation bill if the MCO tax isn't revived.

6 Feb 2013

Hospital house calls: A way to cut costs and improve quality?

Meanwhile, a group of experts convened by the National Quality Forum has released its second annual round of recommendations on quality measures to be used in federal health programs.

6 Feb 2013

UCLA study to help reduce high medical costs for children with complex chronic diseases

The number of children with medically complex illness, such as cancer, congenital heart disease or cerebral palsy, is increasing due to advances in pediatric care that have led to increased survival in previously high-mortality conditions. This population, despite representing only 10 percent of children, accounts for a substantial proportion of overall pediatric hospital costs.

6 Feb 2013

Start palliative care early for optimum results

Palliative care provided early in the ambulatory care setting varies with the trajectory of patients’ disease and is complementary to medical management, show study results.

6 Feb 2013

‘Elephant in the room’ adds to rectal surgery costs

Anastomotic leakage occurs after one in 10 anterior resection procedures and costs English hospitals up to £ 3.5 milion per year, research shows.

6 Feb 2013

Donor liver quality: an interview with Dr Eric Orman

Liver transplantation is a surgical procedure in which a liver (or part of a liver) is removed from a donor and placed into a recipient. Although some transplants use a portion of the liver of living donors, the vast majority of donors are deceased.

6 Feb 2013

Fifth GOP governor backs Medicaid expansion

Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced Monday that he will push to expand Medicaid to cover more low-income Ohioans, as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius pledged to fund such expansions longterm.

6 Feb 2013

Catholic hospital says its argument on fetuses was 'morally wrong'

A Catholic hospital is backtracking on its claim in court that two fetuses that died under its care were not human beings -- saying now that that argument was "morally wrong."

6 Feb 2013

Patients undergoing major vascular surgery procedures are at increased risk of stroke

Patients undergoing major vascular surgery procedures are at increased risk of stroke, leading to a high mortality rate and prolonged hospitalization, according to a study in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

6 Feb 2013

Getting older increases Americans' risk of death from excessive BMI

Obesity kills, giving rise to a host of fatal diseases. This much is well known. But when it comes to seniors, a slew of prominent research has reported an "obesity paradox" that says, at age 65 and older, having an elevated BMI won't shorten your lifespan, and may even extend it. A new study takes another look at the numbers, finding the earlier research flawed.

6 Feb 2013

Non-O blood type - the most important risk factor for venous thromboembolism

The non-O ABO blood type is the most important risk factor for venous thromboembolism (blood clots in veins), making up 20% of attributable risk for the condition, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

6 Feb 2013