First-responders? role in end-of-life calls
Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are trained to save lives. But they sometimes enter situations where a dying patient
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Best Practices highlighted to prevent infections during laundry process of healthcare textiles
Proper laundering and handling are important in achieving and maintaining the hygienically-clean quality of healthcare fabrics and textiles delivered to the point of care, according to a new review that highlights evidence-based strategies to inhibit potentially serious contamination. The review, based on findings and recommendations from peer-reviewed studies, as well as current standards and guidelines, has recently been published.
Engineers develop optical probes for better diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease
Two UH engineering professors have developed novel optical probes with potential applications in improving diagnosis and treatment for patients with kidney disease.
Wei-Chuan Shih, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Chandra Mohan, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor of biomedical engineering, began collaborating just over a year ago. Shih
New test helps guide treatment for bone marrow transplant patients with GVHD
with graft versus host disease (GVHD), an often life-threatening complication of bone marrow and stem cell transplants, according to research from the University of Michigan. published in Lancet Haematology last January.
Patients with fatal blood cancers like leukaemia often need bone marrow or stem cell transplants to survive. But one of the most common and serious side effects that patients face is graft vs. host disease: when a patient
Nuclear medicine scan has potential to identify which cancer patients could benefit from aromatase inhibitor treatment
A new, non-invasive nuclear medicine test can be used to determine whether aromatase inhibitor treatment will be effective for specific cancer patients, according to a recent study. The research shows that a PET scan with the ligand C-11-vorozole reliably detects aromatase in all body organs
Greater function after stroke when blood clots removed from brain blood vessels
A technique that removes blood clots from large brain blood vessels reduced disability after stroke in a trial conducted in Catalonia, Spain, and co-led by an expert from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
The results of the trial, known as REVASCAT, echo findings from other recent large studies that were stopped early when the technique, called endovascular therapy or stent retriever thrombectomy, appeared to be highly effective, said co-principal investigator Tudor Jovin, M.D., associate professor of neurology and neurological surgery, and director of the UPMC Stroke Institute. Originally, the REVASCAT trial expected to enroll nearly 700 participants.
Cancers caught during screening colonoscopy are more survivable
Patients whose colorectal cancer (CRC) is detected during a screening colonoscopy are likely to survive longer than those who wait until they have symptoms before having the test, according to a study.
The study looked at 312 patients in 10 gastroenterology practices in Germany, all aged 55 or older, who were diagnosed with CRC in 2003-2005. Of those, 60 patients were diagnosed during a screening colonoscopy, meaning they had no symptoms and/or only a negative faecal occult blood test (FOBT). The other 252 patients had their cancers detected during a diagnostic colonoscopy,
following a positive FOBT and/or symptoms including abdominal pain, iron deficiency anaemia, weight loss, changes in bowel habits, or rectal bleeding. None of the patients had had a previous colonoscopy, and all received endoscopic follow-up care. The patients were followed for as long as 10 years after diagnosis.
Patients whose cancer was detected during screening colonoscopy lived 20.2 months longer, on average, than those who had the test after noticing symptoms or having a positive FOBT (diagnostic colonoscopy). The latter group tended to have more advanced stage tumors; as expected, those whose cancer was in a more advanced stage had shorter survival times. About 55 percent of the patients with diagnostic colonoscopy, and about 77 percent of the screening
colonoscopy patients, survived beyond the time period of the study.
According to the lead author, Kilian Friedrich, MD,
Danish nasal filter more than halves symptoms of hay fever
The Danish nasal filter is similar in size to a pair of contact lenses and it is placed in both nostrils. The nasal filter prevents inhalation of allergens
Doctors? checklist could help decrease length of COPD patients? hospital stay
Patients with worsening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease spend less time in hospital when their doctors manage their care by using a checklist of steps called order sets.
Order sets help doctors and other clinicians choose the most appropriate care for a patient and can help improve care across several diseases. A new study is the first to examine the impact of order sets on patients with worsening COPD.
COPD, a lung disease that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is the fourth leading cause of death globally and is the leading cause of hospitalisation in Canada.
Study shows CPAP use for sleep apnea does not negatively impact sexual quality of life
Patients who use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) often believe that it makes them less sexually attractive, according to researchers at Rosalind Franklin University. A new study abstract released shows that they do not need to worry.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is common in sleep apnea patients, but studies have shown that the use of CPAP improves ED. However, patients using CPAP may believe that the use of CPAP will have a negative influence on sexual quality, which can in turn make them less likely to use CPAP. Researchers conducted a survey to determine if sexual quality of life (SQOL) differs between CPAP-compliant and noncompliant patients. Patients were deemed to be compliant if they used CPAP more than 4 hours per night for 70% of days.
In this study, 52 patients with OSA on CPAP answered 10 questions pertaining to physical and emotional aspects of lovemaking. Of the 52 patients, 27 were compliant with CPAP, 25 were not. Both groups were similar in age, body mass index, ED, use of medication to treat erectile dysfunction, and presence of depression. Results showed that, when adjusting for all confounding variables, CPAP compliance does not predict sexual quality of life.