Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles
Benefits Of Grapefruit

New York Times Column Examines Experiences Of Nurse-Midwife
Elizabeth Letts, an author and certified nurse-midwife, in the New York Times" "Cases" column on Tuesday reports on her first experience assisting in the delivery of a stillborn infant. Letts describes how witnessing a more experienced midwife comfort the pregnant woman and perform the delivery helped her to stop "believ[ing] that providing support meant sitting in a corner pretending that death could be covered up with small talk." The experience reminded Letts that "birth and death are right around the corner from each other, and that as a midwife I may be charged with bringing either one into the world" (Letts, "Cases," New York Times, 6/23).
generic viagra online
Identification Of Potential Risks Of Therapies Taken By The Elderly
Researchers unveiled data during Digestive Disease Week® (DDW®) 2009 examining the potential risks associated with two commonly-used treatments, particularly among the elderly: acid suppressors and antithrombotics. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
News of the day
Idaho Technology Gains Army Approval Of Platinum Path™ Extraction Kit For Biological Pathogen Detection Program
Idaho Technology, Inc. has received the support of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) for use of the Platinum Path™ Extraction Kit (PPEK) with the Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System (JBAIDS).
Sexual Health

Emergency Physicians Don't Follow Established Clinical Guidelines For Diagnosing Patients With Possible Pulmonary Emboli

The number of MDCT examinations for suspected pulmonary emboli (PE) is rapidly increasing amongst ER patients, with a decrease in the number of positive studies. This may be due to a failure to adhere to established clinical guidelines for evaluating patients with suspected PE, according to a study performed at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI. Current accepted clinical practice indicates that patients with a low clinical suspicion for PE should undergo D-dimer testing, then MDCT if positive. A total of 5,344 patients were reviewed. "42% of patients had a positive D-dimer exam and did not have a CT scan. Current protocols suggest that those patients should have had a scan," said Michael T. Corwin, MD, lead author of the study. "MDCT was performed in 7% of patients with negative D-dimer results, and the same protocols suggest that those patients should not have undergone a scan," said Dr. Corwin "Anytime a patient gets a CT scan there is a radiation dose. The evaluation of patients with suspected PE should include D-dimer and CT testing in a more standardized fashion so that we can save patients from having unnecessary CT scans. The D-dimer should only be used in patients with a relatively low suspicion of having PE. If the D-dimer test is positive, then patients should have the CT. If the test is negative then no scanning is needed," he said. "PE is very difficult to diagnose and there are a lot of factors you have to take into account. Most physicians are aware of D-dimer testing but whether or not they use it is often determined in a non-standardized fashion," he said. "MDCT is a great test. It"s fast, easy, accurate and provides physicians with tons of information. However we are ordering a lot of CT scans and what we"re finding is that a lot of these tests are negative. D-dimer testing does not rule out PE completely, but in patients with a low-probability of having it, based upon their presenting clinical picture, a negative D-dimer can spare them the radiation dose associated with MDCT," said Dr. Corwin. This study appears in the May issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. About ARRS The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) was founded in 1900 and is the oldest radiology society in the United States. Its monthly journal, the American Journal of Roentgenology, began publication in 1906. Radiologists from all over the world attend the ARRS annual meeting to participate in instructional courses, scientific paper presentations and scientific and commercial exhibits related to the field of radiology. The Society is named after the first Nobel Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm Rē¶entgen, who discovered the x-ray in 1895. American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS)


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009