November 13th, 2011 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Opinion, Research
Tags: Cardiology, Diet, Exercise, Fat, Fitness, Health, Heart Health, Junk Food, Lifestyle Changes, Medications, Nutrition, Obesity, Overweight, Research, Studies
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There was a very controversial presentation made at a recent meeting of heart doctors in Canada. I’ve been stewing about what to say about it for a week.
The title speaks to its inflammation:
Fat, unfit, unmotivated: Cardiologist, heal thyself
The presenter that made the stir, pediatric cardiologist, and IronPerson, Dr. Brian McCrindle (Toronto) argued that overweight, unfit doctors are doing their patients a disservice. His bottom line: cardiologists are acting like the rest of Western society. They are not living a healthy lifestyle.
He made three major points. (in-depth coverage can be viewed here, on TheHeart.org)
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
November 12th, 2011 by Medgadget in Research
Tags: Abiomed, Angiography, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology, Cost-effectiveness, Ejection fraction, Hospitalization, Impella, Jeffrey Popma, LVEF, New York Heart Association, Quality-adjusted life year
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Cost scrutiny and comparative effectiveness research are playing a growing role in shaping healthcare delivery. In light of that, Abiomed Inc. (Danvers, MA) has recently announced the results of a study that showed the company’s Impella heart pump significantly reduced major adverse events at an incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year. “The cost-effective message is directly tied to the financial impact of these better clinical outcomes for patients treated with Impella,” Jeffrey Popma, MD, the director of the angiographic Core Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess told Medgadget. Popma was responsible for the planned analysis of the angiographic results.
The device, which the company describes as the “world’s smallest heart pump,” demonstrated an increase in ejection fraction of more than 20% and an improvement in Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
November 12th, 2011 by JessicaBerthold in Research
Tags: Abilify, Antidepressants, antipsychotics, Celexa, cholinesterase inhibitors, Citalopram, Dementia, divalproex, Dr. Aleta Borrud, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, haloperidol, JAMA, Low dose, Mayo Clinic, Melatonin, Memory Loss, Mood-stabilizer, Psychiatry, QT interval, risperidone, sleep/wake cycle
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“Wow, Celexa?”
“Yeah, who knew?”
I overheard this conversation in the ladies’ room immediately after a session speaker advised treating agitation and aggression in dementia with citalopram. Indeed, there was a bit of a murmur in the audience when Dr. Aleta Borrud made the suggestion during her talk at the Mayo Update in Hospital Medicine 2011 course.
Part of the reason for the reaction may be– as a physician I spoke with noted– that Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Hospitalist*
November 11th, 2011 by Jessie Gruman, Ph.D. in Opinion, Research
Tags: Beta Blockers, CAHPS, Concerns, Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, Consumer Reports, Cost information, Electronic Health Records, Health Insurance, Hospitals, Jessie Gruman, Performance Data, Public Reporting, Questions, Rand, Research, Safety, uninsured
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Our ailing economy has boosted the number of people who are unemployed, without health insurance or with minimal coverage. The popularity of high deductible health plans is soaring as employers and individuals look for affordable insurance. Twenty-nine percent of bankruptcies are said to be caused by medical bills. Many of us now choose health care services and providers carefully, trying to stay within tight budgets.
The American people, long protected from the price of health care by insurance, are now forced to act as consumers. This situation is a free marketer’s dream. According to this model, we will rationally calculate the price/quality trade-offs of each doctor visit, procedure, test and drug. We will stop overusing services. We will demand better care. And the result will be reduced health care costs for the nation while the quality of care and the health of individuals will remain the same, if not improve.
There’s nothing like a good theory.
But the theory can only be tested if a) It’s easy to find publicly reported, relevant quality information about the services we need, matched with what we would pay out of pocket; and b) We use that information as the basis of our health care decisions. Neither of these conditions can be met today.
A new Cochrane review Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Prepared Patient Forum: What It Takes Blog*
November 9th, 2011 by RyanDuBosar in Research
Tags: College, Fat, Freshman 15, Lifestyle, Medical Myths, Obesity, Overweight, Research, School, Social Science Quarterly, Teenagers, Weight Gain, Weight Loss
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Fear of the “freshman 15” weight gain is overrated, says one researcher who found that the average college student packs on only between about 2.5 and 3.5 pounds.
And it might not even be the college lifestyle that causes one’s backpack to become a little more snug. Rather, it’s part of the natural transition into adulthood. The typical freshman only gains about a half-pound more than a same-age person who didn’t go to college.
“Not only is there not a ‘freshman 15,’ there doesn’t appear to be even a ‘college 15’ for most students,” researchers said in a press release.
The researchers concluded that the myth of the freshman 15 may contribute to Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
