Emergency Archives

Local biosurveillance data can improve individual patient care

Think locally when treating individually — A population perspective can improve individual patient care and clinical decision making for communicable diseases – By taking local biosurveillance data into account when assessing patients for communicable diseases, doctors may be able to make better diagnostic decisions, according to researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston. For instance, in the case of strep throat, awareness of local epidemiology at the time of diagnosis could help more than 166,000 people avoid unnecessary antibiotic treatment in the United States every year and catch more than 62,000 missed cases.

Door-to-balloon time is 90 min in 91% of heart attack patients in US

Heart attack patients winning the race to angioplasty treatment – The period from hospital arrival to angioplasty is called “door-to-balloon” time (D2B). A new study showed that 91 percent of patients were treated in a D2B time of less than 90 minutes in 2010, compared with 44 percent in 2005.

HAART found effective for treating HIV infected children

HAART effective for treating HIV-infected children living in DRC – This observational cohort study, by Andrew Edmonds and colleagues, reports that treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) markedly improves the survival of HIV-infected children in Kinshasa, DRC, a resource-deprived setting. The findings presented suggest that HAART is as effective for improving the survival of HIV-infected children in a severely resource-deprived country (still recovering from civil war) as in more resource-privileged settings.

Use of clot busters for stroke increased from 2005 to 2009

Use of clot busters for stroke increased from 2005 to 2009, but still low — American Heart Association rapid access journal report – The use of clot-busting drugs to treat acute ischemic stroke increased from 2005 through 2009 – but is still low, according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Insurance status affects access to dental appointments

Insurance status affects access to dental appointments – A study using research assistants who posed as mothers of a 10-year-old boy with a fractured front tooth seeking an urgent dental appointment measured dentists’ willingness to provide treatment to children with Medicaid/CHIP versus private insurance.

Smoking ban reduces emergency room admissions

Smoking ban reduces emergency room admissions – Workplace smoking bans are gaining ground globally, and one study has shown that they may have significant health effects. The study, conducted by researchers in Dublin, found that emergency room admissions due to respiratory illness dropped significantly in Ireland after the implementation of a workplace smoking ban, compared to admissions that took place before the ban went into effect.

Most blacks report calling a friend when facing symptoms of stroke

Most blacks report calling a friend, not 911, when facing the symptoms of a stroke – Most African-Americans report calling a friend instead of 911 when faced with the symptoms of a stroke, according to a new study that surveyed those hospitalized for a stroke.

Omalizumab relieves seasonal asthma attacks in youth

NIH study finds omalizumab relieves seasonal asthma attacks in youth — Symptoms reduced in children and young people with moderate to severe disease – A drug that targets the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE), a key player in asthma, nearly eliminated seasonal increases in asthma attacks and decreased asthma symptoms among young people living in inner city environments, a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health has found.

US food allergy guidelines recommend uniform standards for treating food allergy

NIH-sponsored panel issues comprehensive US food allergy guidelines — Guidelines recommend uniform standards in the diagnosis and management of food allergy – An expert panel sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has issued comprehensive U.S. guidelines to assist health care professionals in diagnosing food allergy and managing the care of people with the disease.

Healthy lifestyle choices lower risk of a first stroke 80%

Updated guidelines include new research, advances in stroke prevention — American Heart Association scientific statement – Healthy lifestyle choices and emergency room interventions can help prevent first-time strokes, according to revised American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines.

Warning Letters to caffeinated alcoholic beverages, US

FDA Warning Letters issued to four makers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages — These beverages present a public health concern – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned four companies that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an “unsafe food additive” and said that further action, including seizure of their products, is possible under federal law.

Maternal deaths worldwide drop by third i.e. 34 percent

UN estimates reveal fewer women dying from pregnancy-related causes, but 1000 still die a day and more needs to be done to achieve set targets – The number of women dying due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth has decreased by 34% from an estimated 546 000 in 1990 to 358 000 in 2008, according to a new report, Trends in maternal mortality, released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank.