Buddenhagen & Associates, Atlanta Legal Nurse Consultant Phone: 770-725-2997 Email: Liz@BuddenhagenLNC.com Fax: 770-725-4037, 112 Woodbrook Avenue, Bogart, Georgia 30622-1538 Blog: http://atlantalegalnurseconsultant.wordpress.com/ |
Atlanta Legal Nurse Consultant 770-725-2997
| Liz Buddenhagen, RN Atlanta Legal Nurse Consultant |
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News Briefs
Long Work Hours Linked To Adverse Events, Joint Commission Warns
By Karen M. Cheung, Fierce Health, December 14, 2011
The Joint Commission is calling attention to long work hours in a new Sentinel Event
Alert released today. With documented links between healthcare worker fatigue and
adverse effects, as well as lower productiviity, the accrediting body is warning
hospitals about the potential dangers of extended hours and excessive workloads.
Work schedules and shift length can affect providers' sleep and therefore their job
performance. Sleep deprivation or lack of quality sleep over an extended amount of
time can lead to confusion, irritability, memory lapses, loss of empathy, and
comprimised problem-solving, among other things, according to the Alert...
The tipping point, according to studies, is more than 12 hours of work.
American Heart Association: Vital Elements Often Missing from Sports
Physicals
By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today/November 15, 2011
Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference.
These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published
in a peer-reviewed journal.
Orlando -- Compliance with American Heart Association guidelines for
pre-participation screening for cardiovascular abnormalities in young athletes is
poor, a survey of physicians and athletic directors in Washington state showed.
Only about 6% physicians were in complete compliance with the guidelines, and 13%
performed two-thirds or fewer of the 12 items recommended to be part of the
evaluation, according to Nicolas Madsen, MD, MPH, a pediatric cardiology fellow at
Seattle Children's Hospital.
The low percentage of physicians who adhered to the guidelines was driven by lack
of knowledge of the guidance -- only forty nine percent of pediatricians and forty five
percent of family physicians knew about them, Madsen reported at the AHA meeting
here.
Brain Takes Multiple Hits From Low B12 Levels
As reported by MedPageToday/By Crystal Phend/September 26, 2011
Low levels of B12 may contribute to cognitive problems for older adults in more than
one way, according to a cross-sectional study.
Markers of B12 insufficiency all predicted lower global cognitive scores over nearly
five years of follow-up, Christine C. Tangney, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center
in Chicago, and colleagues found.
"Insufficient vitamin B12 is very common in older people," she explained. "The older
we get we have a decreased ability to absorb B12 from our diet. ...Medications can
also impair absorption."
But middle age adults may be another important population for screening and
possible supplementation, Morris suggested (Martha Claire Morris, ScD, director of
nutrition at Rush).
Gov. Rick Perry's Surgery Sparks Debate
By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
August 05, 2011
Texas Gov. Rick Perry received an injection of his own stem cells during spinal fusion surgery last
month and wants his state to be a leader in the use of adult stem cells in medical treatment.
But using a concentrated mixture of adult stem cells to fuse bone hasn't been tested in any major
U.S. trials, raising questions of whether a governor (and reportedly a potential Republican
presidential candidate) should be advocating an unproven medical procedure.
Perry and a state representative who has multiple sclerosis championed a healthcare bill that
created an adult stem cell bank in Texas. A month after Perry signed that bill into law, his friend,
Stanley Jones, MD, a Houston-based orthopedist, performed spinal fusion surgery on the governor
using Perry's own stem cells to treat a recurring spinal injury, according to an article in the Texas
Tribune.
The Tribune also said that Jones is a major advocate for adult stem cell therapy: Jones says he
was cured of his debilitating arthritis after receiving injections of his own stem cells in Japan.
Senators Investigate Medtronic Spine Device
MedPage Today/June 22,2011 - by John Fauber, Reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A U.S. Senate committee has launched an investigation into reports that doctors with financial ties
to the medical device company Medtronic were aware of potentially serious complications with a
spine surgery product made by the company yet failed to reveal those problems in published
journal articles.
Medtronic was warned not to destroy or make inaccessible any of the documents, data, or other
related information in the letter signed by committee chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and senior
member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).
The growing controversy involves Medtronic's spine surgery product Infuse, which was approved by
the Food and Drug Administration in 2002.
Wake-up call: Quality and quantity of sleep are important for Cardiovascular
Disease risk
Heartwire/April 18, 2011/Lia Nainggolan
Geneva, Switzerland -- Those who sleep badly, and not for long, have a 65% increased risk of
cardiovascular disease - and even greater risk of coronary heart disease - compared with normal
sleepers, according to new research presented at the EuroPRevent 2011 meeting.
Researcher Marieke Hoevenaar-Bloom (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment,
Bilthoven, the Netherlands) explained that several investigations have found an increased risk of
cardiovascular disease in short sleepers compared with normal sleepers, but this is the first study
to take into account whether people rise feeling rested.
The results should help confirm that suboptimal sleep is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease,
something she says is not widely appreciated in the cardiology community.
Short sleep duration was defined as six hours or less, while long sleep duration was sleeping for
nine hours or more per 24-hour period. Sleeping for seven to eight hours was designated as
"normal."
High Intake of fruit and vegetables again linked to reduced heart disease
risk
January 21, 2011/Sue Hughes/Heartwire
Oxford , UK -- The link between high intake of fruit and vegetables and a reduced risk of ischemic
heart disease has been given more scientific weight by the latest results from the large-scale
European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) - Heart study.
In the study, published online January 19, 2011 in the European Heart Journal, people who ate at
least eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day had a 22% lower risk of dying from heart disease
than those who consumed fewer than three portions a day. A portion weighed 80 g, equal to a
small banana, a medium apple, or a small carrot.
Family to Get $1.5 M+ in First Vaccine-Autism Court Award
(CBS) 9/11/10 -- The first court award in a vaccine-autism claim is a big one. CBS News has
learned the family of Hannah Poling will receive more than $1.5 million dollars for her life care; lost
earnings and pain and suffering for the first year alone.
In addition to the first year, the family will receive more than $500,000 per year to pay for Hannah's
care. Those familiar with the case believe the compensation could easily amount to $20 million
over the child's lifetime.
Hannah was described as normal, happy and precocious in her first 18 months. Then, in July
2000, she was vaccinated against nine diseases in one doctor's visit... Afterward, her health
declined rapidly.
Long Work Hours Linked To Adverse Events, Joint Commission Warns
By Karen M. Cheung, Fierce Health, December 14, 2011
The Joint Commission is calling attention to long work hours in a new Sentinel Event
Alert released today. With documented links between healthcare worker fatigue and
adverse effects, as well as lower productiviity, the accrediting body is warning
hospitals about the potential dangers of extended hours and excessive workloads.
Work schedules and shift length can affect providers' sleep and therefore their job
performance. Sleep deprivation or lack of quality sleep over an extended amount of
time can lead to confusion, irritability, memory lapses, loss of empathy, and
comprimised problem-solving, among other things, according to the Alert...
The tipping point, according to studies, is more than 12 hours of work.
American Heart Association: Vital Elements Often Missing from Sports
Physicals
By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today/November 15, 2011
Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference.
These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published
in a peer-reviewed journal.
Orlando -- Compliance with American Heart Association guidelines for
pre-participation screening for cardiovascular abnormalities in young athletes is
poor, a survey of physicians and athletic directors in Washington state showed.
Only about 6% physicians were in complete compliance with the guidelines, and 13%
performed two-thirds or fewer of the 12 items recommended to be part of the
evaluation, according to Nicolas Madsen, MD, MPH, a pediatric cardiology fellow at
Seattle Children's Hospital.
The low percentage of physicians who adhered to the guidelines was driven by lack
of knowledge of the guidance -- only forty nine percent of pediatricians and forty five
percent of family physicians knew about them, Madsen reported at the AHA meeting
here.
Brain Takes Multiple Hits From Low B12 Levels
As reported by MedPageToday/By Crystal Phend/September 26, 2011
Low levels of B12 may contribute to cognitive problems for older adults in more than
one way, according to a cross-sectional study.
Markers of B12 insufficiency all predicted lower global cognitive scores over nearly
five years of follow-up, Christine C. Tangney, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center
in Chicago, and colleagues found.
"Insufficient vitamin B12 is very common in older people," she explained. "The older
we get we have a decreased ability to absorb B12 from our diet. ...Medications can
also impair absorption."
But middle age adults may be another important population for screening and
possible supplementation, Morris suggested (Martha Claire Morris, ScD, director of
nutrition at Rush).
Gov. Rick Perry's Surgery Sparks Debate
By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
August 05, 2011
Texas Gov. Rick Perry received an injection of his own stem cells during spinal fusion surgery last
month and wants his state to be a leader in the use of adult stem cells in medical treatment.
But using a concentrated mixture of adult stem cells to fuse bone hasn't been tested in any major
U.S. trials, raising questions of whether a governor (and reportedly a potential Republican
presidential candidate) should be advocating an unproven medical procedure.
Perry and a state representative who has multiple sclerosis championed a healthcare bill that
created an adult stem cell bank in Texas. A month after Perry signed that bill into law, his friend,
Stanley Jones, MD, a Houston-based orthopedist, performed spinal fusion surgery on the governor
using Perry's own stem cells to treat a recurring spinal injury, according to an article in the Texas
Tribune.
The Tribune also said that Jones is a major advocate for adult stem cell therapy: Jones says he
was cured of his debilitating arthritis after receiving injections of his own stem cells in Japan.
Senators Investigate Medtronic Spine Device
MedPage Today/June 22,2011 - by John Fauber, Reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A U.S. Senate committee has launched an investigation into reports that doctors with financial ties
to the medical device company Medtronic were aware of potentially serious complications with a
spine surgery product made by the company yet failed to reveal those problems in published
journal articles.
Medtronic was warned not to destroy or make inaccessible any of the documents, data, or other
related information in the letter signed by committee chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and senior
member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).
The growing controversy involves Medtronic's spine surgery product Infuse, which was approved by
the Food and Drug Administration in 2002.
Wake-up call: Quality and quantity of sleep are important for Cardiovascular
Disease risk
Heartwire/April 18, 2011/Lia Nainggolan
Geneva, Switzerland -- Those who sleep badly, and not for long, have a 65% increased risk of
cardiovascular disease - and even greater risk of coronary heart disease - compared with normal
sleepers, according to new research presented at the EuroPRevent 2011 meeting.
Researcher Marieke Hoevenaar-Bloom (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment,
Bilthoven, the Netherlands) explained that several investigations have found an increased risk of
cardiovascular disease in short sleepers compared with normal sleepers, but this is the first study
to take into account whether people rise feeling rested.
The results should help confirm that suboptimal sleep is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease,
something she says is not widely appreciated in the cardiology community.
Short sleep duration was defined as six hours or less, while long sleep duration was sleeping for
nine hours or more per 24-hour period. Sleeping for seven to eight hours was designated as
"normal."
High Intake of fruit and vegetables again linked to reduced heart disease
risk
January 21, 2011/Sue Hughes/Heartwire
Oxford , UK -- The link between high intake of fruit and vegetables and a reduced risk of ischemic
heart disease has been given more scientific weight by the latest results from the large-scale
European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) - Heart study.
In the study, published online January 19, 2011 in the European Heart Journal, people who ate at
least eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day had a 22% lower risk of dying from heart disease
than those who consumed fewer than three portions a day. A portion weighed 80 g, equal to a
small banana, a medium apple, or a small carrot.
Family to Get $1.5 M+ in First Vaccine-Autism Court Award
(CBS) 9/11/10 -- The first court award in a vaccine-autism claim is a big one. CBS News has
learned the family of Hannah Poling will receive more than $1.5 million dollars for her life care; lost
earnings and pain and suffering for the first year alone.
In addition to the first year, the family will receive more than $500,000 per year to pay for Hannah's
care. Those familiar with the case believe the compensation could easily amount to $20 million
over the child's lifetime.
Hannah was described as normal, happy and precocious in her first 18 months. Then, in July
2000, she was vaccinated against nine diseases in one doctor's visit... Afterward, her health
declined rapidly.
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