This is who you want if you need CPR in the operating room
Is a black box warning the next step for Bextra and Celebrex?
This comes on the heels of a pair of studies which continue to show cardiovascular harm from COX-2s.
The problems facing doctor report cards
This article brings up some valid concerns about grading physicians:
If all physicians receive the equivalent of an'A' on a certain indicator, that does not help distinguish between the doctors. For some indicators, it can also difficult to obtain reliable data from patients. And finally, surveying a doctor who doesn't treat enough patients won't give you an accurate picture of how the physician is ...
Read more...
Bank of America gives a medical opinion
"Banc of America (sic) said 'there was a fear that if OTC statins became available it would cause a weakening in the prescription cholesterol market. That was not our belief as relatively few patients would have been able to reach their cholesterol goals with 20mg of Mevacor.'"
Nice to see a bank give a medical opinion. Statins, specifically 20mg of ...
Read more...
Waking Up Costs hosts Grand Rounds
Come get the weekly best of the medical blogosphere. Medical errors is the theme this week.
The digital fecal occult blood test is worthless
(Sorry for the unappetizing picture - the test on the left is a negative fecal occult test, the right is positive.)
I never rely solely on a digital fecal occult blood test for colorectal cancer screening. The take-home fecal occult test is a more helpful test:
The digital fecal occult blood test was positive in only 5 percent ...
Read more...
Fast-track cardiology fellowships
To become a cardiologist, one has to complete 3 years of internal medicine followed by 3 years of cardiology. To avert a shortage of cardiologists, the American College of Cardiology is proposing a "fast-track" - skipping the last year of the internal medicine residency. The obvious losers would be the internal medicine training programs which will potentially lose senior residents to the cardiology fellowship.
Another cholesterol drug seeks OTC status
Now Pravachol is up to the plate. It too will be unlikely to be approved for OTC status. The pharmaceuticals are desperate to salvage profits in light of their expiring statin patents.
A man shot himself with his own nail gun - and didn't realize what had happened for six days
"On Thursday night, a team of surgeons performed the six-hour operation. They cut open his skull to see exactly where the nail was. Then, they removed it through the path it went in, to minimize damaging other areas. Loss of sight, brain injury and death were possible ...
Read more...
Rest in peace, Charlie Bell
The former CEO of McDonald's, Mr. Bell passed away from colon cancer at age 44. His case was previously discussed here.
Jim Hu discusses the recent article on residents' work hours and car accidents
He also links to Kevin Drum's view, which have garnered nearly 100 comments.
Graduating medical school with mortgage-like debt
The NEJM has an article detailing the spiraling costs of attending medical school:
The cost of obtaining a medical education has been spiraling upward for the past 20 years. Despite a lot of rhetoric in articles and at meetings of the Association of American Medical Colleges, nothing has happened to change the alarming pattern. The average tuition and fees at public medical schools during ...
Read more...
The eyes have it
"Diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke risk, leukemia and a certain kind of brain tumor all can leave clues inside the eye.
The eye is the 'only place in the body where you can see blood vessels, without cutting,' notes Mark Lee, a Las Vegas optometrist."
How true - the eyes can certainly be a window to many diseases. Take diabetes for instance. Here is ...
Read more...
Medpundit writes about patients with intentionally selective memories
This would always be the case when I would collect a history as a medical student, only to see the patient say something completely different when questioned by the attending.
The Seattle Times talks about health-care costs reaching a breaking point and proposes some solutions
"Americans with health insurance must forget their 'I want my money's worth' mentality. In the hospital world, as in all health care, insurance has fostered a culture where patients never see the real bill, so they have no stake in ensuring that their medical care is efficient. That must change, perhaps through co-pays high ...
Read more...
"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
Learn More...
Past 6 Months
Dear lawmakers: This is what it’s like to be a doctor today
Matthew Moeller, MD | PhysicianA gun owner responds to Sandy Hook
Edwin Leap, MD | PhysicianIs Chris Christie too obese to run for president?
Jeffrey Parks, MD | PhysicianPrimary care doctors may no longer be needed
Doug Olson, MD | PhysicianWalgreens moves into primary care, and it’s our own damn fault
Kevin Pho, MD | Kevin's TakeIndependent nurse practitioners are not the primary care solution
Reid Blackwelder, MD | Physician