Top News

Professional football players: Not as healthy as they look In this review the authors analyzed one professional football team and found that the cardiometabolic syndrome and its individual components were significantly more common in linemen versus nonlinemen. Because current heavier NFL players already have evidence of the cardiometabolic syndrome and its individual markers, careful medical evaluation of former and active players is warranted to reduce their risks. The American Journal of Medicine (9/2009)

Clinical Updates

   From AJM and other Elsevier publications

A prognostic marker in pulmonary hypertension: Red cell distribution width This study concluded that red cell distribution width is independently associated with death in pulmonary hypertension and performs better as a prognostic indicator than N-terminal–pro–B-type natriuretic peptide. The American Journal of Cardiology (9/2009)

What's effective -- and economically smart -- in severe adult respiratory failure These authors recommend transferring of adult patients with severe but potentially reversible respiratory failure, whose Murray score exceeds 3•0 or who have a pH of less than 7•20 on optimum conventional management, to a center with an ECMO-based management protocol to significantly improve survival without severe disability. This strategy is also likely to be cost effective in settings with similar services to those in the U.K. Free registration required. The Lancet (9/16)

Risk, resistance and mortality in Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia This novel population-based study found that elderly patients and men were at highest risk for K. pneumoniae bacteremia. Dialysis, solid-organ transplantation, chronic liver disease and cancer are the most important risk factors in these groups, while rates of resistance to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole grew significantly during 2000 to 2007. Age, nosocomial acquisition, non-urinary and non-biliary focus of infection were independently associated with increased mortality. The American Journal of Medicine (9/2009)

Low back pain in pregnancy? Try auricular acupuncture A one-week course of auricular acupuncture treatment decreases the pain and disability caused by pregnancy-related lower back and posterior pelvic pain. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (9/2009)

Screen for suicidal thoughts with overweight teens Teens who are overweight, and even those who merely perceive themselves to be overweight, are at a higher risk for attempting suicide. Clinicians should screen overweight adolescents for suicide risk. Full text access is time-limited. Journal of Adolescent Health (9/2009)

Medical staff organization makes a difference This original study on nursing homes focuses on defining and validating medical staff organization and putting an emphasis on the relationship between physician practice and quality of care. Medical staff organization requires common practice models and standards among medical staff, which include medical directors, attending physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, all of whom make care decisions for nursing home residents. Free abstract available. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (9/2009)

Medical News

• Smoking bans reduce heart attacks, studies show
  Two U.S. research teams reported that public smoking bans reduce the number of people who have heart attacks. One study in Circulation found the bans cut heart attacks by up to 36% after three years, and another in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed they reduced the annual attack rate by 26%. Yahoo!/Reuters (9/21)

• Hospitalization for coronary heart disease down 31%
  Hospitalizations dropped 31% for coronary heart disease, 15% for heart attack and 14% for stroke from 1997 to 2007, according to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The data also showed hospitalizations increased 28% for irregular heartbeat and 3% for congestive heart failure. United Press International (9/21)

• Study: Obesity single biggest predictor for diabetes
  The best single predictor of undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes is obesity, according to results of the Diabscreen Study in the Netherlands, published in the Annals of Family Medicine. Researchers said screening for Type 2 diabetes in primary care should target middle-aged and older obese adults. Medscape (free registration) (9/18)

Business Practice News

• HHS offers grants for malpractice pilot projects
  HHS will give out $25 million in grants to states and hospital systems for projects to improve patient safety and reduce frivolous lawsuits against physicians. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said physicians practice expensive defensive medicine because they fear being sued by patients. Bloomberg (9/17)

• Dallas a testing ground for physician-owned hospitals
  Dallas-Forth Worth, with its high rate of physician-owned hospitals, is a good place to determine whether the practice model hurts or helps the health care industry. Critics say physician-owned hospitals can drive up costs and unnecessary procedures, but physicians say the facilities serve patients better by focusing on doing a few things very well. The Dallas Morning News (free registration) (9/20)

Patient's Perspective

• Cancer patients turn to yoga for strength, confidence
  Cancer patients find therapeutic yoga helps them regain their self confidence, improve strength and flexibility, and reconnect with their bodies. Yoga Thrive is a community-based program developed by a cancer and exercise researcher that offers therapeutic yoga to cancer patients at all stages of treatment. Reuters (9/21)

SmartQuote

The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work." --Richard Bach, American writer