October 14th, 2011 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Opinion, Research
Tags: AF Ablation, American College of Cardiology, Atrial Fibrillation, Brain Lesions, Cardiology, Death, Electrodes, Medtronic, MRI, Press Release, Pulmonary Veins, PV Stenosis, PVAC Catheter, Risk, Stroke, Technology
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The news wires for atrial fibrillation were abuzz this last week. The vigor and speed with which health news travels is striking.
Since 2.6 million Americans live with AF, my guess is that many are looking at the release of the Medtronic-sponsored TTOP-AF trial with anticipation. Here is a link to the press release. The trial purported to show benefits of Medtronic’s novel phased RF ablation system in treating persistent AF.
The study was small and released at a relatively small symposium in Venice, Italy. The TTOP-AF trial randomized 210 patients with persistent AF (including flutter) to either ablation with Medtronic’s ablation system or conventional therapy with drugs and cardioversions.
They found, not surprisingly, that AF ablation reduced AF burden. AF ablation significantly reduced AF burden in 55.8% percent of patients versus only 26% of those treated with conventional medical treatment. Editorial comment: That kind of data is pretty typical.
The problem with the study Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
October 14th, 2011 by Jessie Gruman, Ph.D. in Opinion
Tags: Apps, Behavior, Burden, Cell Phone, Change, Convenience, Developers, Health Apps, Health Information Technology, iPhone, Jessie Gruman, Mobile Health Apps, Mobile Technology, Tracking
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There is excitement in the air about how mobile phones are the breakthrough technology for changing health behavior. Last Saturday, I was convinced this must be true. In two short hours, I:
*This blog post was originally published at Prepared Patient Forum: What It Takes Blog*
October 14th, 2011 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Health Tips, Opinion
Tags: Anchor Lift, Areola, Benelli Lift, Board-certified, Breast Implants, Breast Lift, Compromise, Cosmetic Surgery, Crescent Lift, Descent, Full, Mastopexy, Operation, Plastic Surgery, Scar, Suture
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Breast Lift surgery (Mastopexy) is obviously surgery to lift the breast. There are variations of this operation – quite a few variations. Breast lift operations are usually discussed relative to the “full breast lift” which has also been called the anchor lift. This operation leaves scars around the areola, under the breast and vertically between the two. The shape of the scar configuration resembles an anchor, hence the name. The potential for scars is one of the major concerns potential patients have with the surgery. This version of the operation also has the greatest potential to change the shape of the breast.
Reduced scar breast lifts came into creation to limit the potential for scarring. The important compromise, however, is that these modified breast lifts “lift” less. Reduced scar lifts can involve any portion of the full lift scar pattern. The modified lift with an incision above the areola only is called a “Crescent lift.” It provides only Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
October 13th, 2011 by CodeBlog in Opinion, True Stories
Tags: arryhthmia, Asystole, Chief Technology Officer, Death, notification, Patient Monitors, Phone, Technology, Vocera
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At work, we have Voceras. They are little phones that we wear around our necks. We use them to call each other, other departments, take phone calls. They were a little annoying at first and kind of hard to get used to using, but now we all use them every day and I personally have found them to be really helpful. Our unit is large, and instead of walking around trying to find Susie Q RN to tell her she has a phone call, we just click our Vocera button and can reach her instantly. Easy.
They added a feature a little while ago. The Voceras now tie in with the patient monitors. I don’t know how it all works; for all I know, the unit secretary brings out a magic wand, chants a spell, and then the monitor and Vocera both know what patient I have that day. This results in a couple of things.
First, Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at code blog - tales of a nurse*
October 13th, 2011 by Paul Auerbach, M.D. in Health Tips, Opinion
Tags: Acceptance, Anticipation, Benefits, Caution, Damage, Danger, Dr. Robert Schoene, Harm, Outdoor Health, Preparation, Responsible, Risk, Risk-taker, Wilderness Medical Society, wilderness medicine
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Dr. Robert “Brownie” Schoene, an enormously talented, accomplished, and insightful physician who resides within the bedrock of wilderness medicine, gave a wonderful presentation about the concept of risk at the 2010 annual summer meeting of the Wilderness Medical Society. Risk is inherent in outdoor activities, whether it is part of exploration, adventure, science, or industry. I am going to summarize his approach to the topic, which is among the most important general concepts in the field, and editorialize with some of my thoughts.
When one thinks of risk related to outdoor health, it is about the possibility of suffering harm, damage, or loss. When a person is aware of the possibility of a specific risk, he or she usually weighs the risk against the possible benefits. When you hike on a slippery, snowy trail in early spring, where the trail winds over patches of ice near ledges from which a fall would cause a severe injury, is the experience worth the risk? When you ride a wave on your surfboard when the waves are intimidating and you are outside your comfort zone, is the improvement in performance worth the possibility of a tumble and possible muscle tear or broken bone? Sometimes the answer is easy. When I travel to a third world country, I always run the risk of acquiring infectious diarrhea. The benefits of the mission supersede the discomfort, and I both anticipate the risk and prepare for treatment by carrying oral rehydration supplies and appropriate antibiotics.
I love the quote from Winston Churchill that Dr. Schoene used to illustrate a risk-taker’s approach: Read more »
This post, Understanding Risk Related To Outdoor Health, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Paul Auerbach, M.D..
