(Reuters Health)
News
Beta-Blockers Increase Mortality in Hypertensive Patients
November 5, 2015
NEW YORK - Perioperative beta-blocker use in patients with hypertension is associated with increased cardiovascular complications and mortality after noncardiac surgery, researchers from Denmark report. "The consistency of the findings of increased risks associated with beta-blockers across numer
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New Studies Find RIPC Ineffective
November 4, 2015
NEW YORK - The theory that heart surgery can be made safer by periodically cutting off blood flow to an arm has been called into serious question. Two large randomized studies, published online by the New England Journal of Medicine and presented on Oct.
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Lymphedema Patients Benefit from Pneumatic Compression Devices
November 3, 2015
NEW YORK - Patients with lymphedema may reduce their risk of cellulitis, as well as the number of outpatient visits, by using an advanced pneumatic compression device (APCD), according to a new study. "Our study demonstrates, for the first time, that receipt of an advanced pneumatic compression d
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Prognostic Disclosures Benefit Cancer Patients
November 2, 2015
When doctors discuss prognosis with advanced cancer patients, those patients have more realistic views of their life expectancy and don't seem to experience a decrease in emotional wellbeing, according to a new study. "That the vast majority of cancer patients who are dying say that they want to
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Increased Mortality in Megacolon C. diff Patients
October 28, 2015
NEW YORK - Health care professionals should be highly suspicious of megacolon in Clostridium difficile-infected patients and have a low threshold for transferring infected patients to intensive care units, Veterans Affairs researchers warn. "The incidence of Clostridium difficile-associated mega
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Commonly Prescribed Drugs and Death in Medicare Patients
October 27, 2015
NEW YORK - Most, but not all, guideline-recommended drugs and their combinations yield modest survival benefits in older adults with multiple chronic medical conditions, researchers report. "Until there is better evidence in older adults with multiple chronic conditions, clinicians need to take a
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ORBIT Score Predicts Bleeding Risk in AF Patients
October 23, 2015
NEW YORK - The five-factor ORBIT bleeding score accurately predicts major bleeding risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who are taking oral anticoagulants (OACs), researchers report. "The ORBIT score highlights modifiable factors that increase bleeding risk and can help providers ident
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30-Day Readmission May Be Due to Income or Education
October 6, 2015
When patients are hospitalized more than once in the same month, it may have more to do with their income or education levels than the quality of care they received, a U.S.
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Hospitalization in Lung Cancer Patients More Common Than Anticipated
October 1, 2015
NEW YORK - Chemotherapy-related hospitalization happens much more often in the real world than in drug trials, according to a new study. Patients with advanced lung cancer receiving chemotherapy in real-world settings were almost eight times more likely to be hospitalized during treatment than th
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Nursing Home Residents Likely to Suffer Fractures
September 30, 2015
NEW YORK - Older adults living in long-term care are more than twice as likely as their peers living at home to suffer a fracture, and a new guideline endorsed by the Scientific Advisory Council of Osteoporosis Canada explains how to reduce their risk. Residents of long-term care tend to be frai