‘Words Can Mean Life or Death’: What We Heard This Week
“Words have consequences and during a public health emergency like COVID-19, those words can mean life or death for patients.” — Joe Knickrehm, vice president of communications for the Federation of State Medical Boards, on their statement that physicians who spread COVID misinformation could face disciplinary action. “Our plan is to protect the American people […]
Surgical Tray Recalled After Two Infant Deaths
Cardinal Health issued a recall of an insertion tray used during emergency intravenous catheter placement for critically ill newborns after its scalpel was implicated in the death of two infants, the FDA said on Friday. Notably, the agency classified this as a class I recall, the most serious type, which is reserved for cases where […]
FDA Authorizes COVID Booster Shots for Certain Populations
After weeks of speculation, the FDA amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for Pfizer and Moderna‘s COVID-19 vaccines to include an additional booster dose for certain immunocompromised people, the agency said late Thursday. These populations include solid-organ transplant recipients or others diagnosed with conditions “considered to have a similar level of immunocompromise.” The FDA kept […]
New Climate Report Sparks Demand for Change in Healthcare
Following the United Nations’ warning of an intensifying climate emergency in the coming decades, health experts have demanded government and industry action that will prepare medical systems for natural disasters, as well as slashing greenhouse gas emissions. The U.N. report, issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), found that temperatures on Earth have […]
Opioid Overdoses Rose by a Third During Pandemic – MedicineNet Health News
Latest Mental Health News FRIDAY, July 30, 2021 Opioid overdose-related visits to U.S. emergency departments rose by nearly one-third during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. That’s the key finding in a new analysis of data from 25 emergency departments in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “COVID-19, and the disruptions […]
Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail Authorized for Post-COVID Exposure
FDA expanded the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the monoclonal antibody cocktail casirivimab and imdevimab, to include post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) among certain people exposed to COVID-19, manufacturer Regeneron announced on Friday. Casirivimab-imdevimab (REGEN-COV) is the first monoclonal antibody treatment that can be used either as a treatment for COVID-19 or after exposure but prior to […]
A Medical Resident’s COVID-19 Diary
[embedded content] Siobhan Deshauer, MD, recounts the past year and a half, from working in the emergency department and caring for critically ill patients in the ICU, to getting sick with COVID herself, finally getting vaccinated, and giving out vaccinations to others. Deshauer: Hey, guys. I’m Siobhan, a fifth-year medical resident. Now, today’s video is […]
Emergency department visits related to opioid overdoses up significantly during COVID-19 pandemic
Emergency department visit rates because of an opioid overdose increased by 28.5% across the U.S. in 2020, compared to 2018 and 2019, recent Mayo Clinic research finds. Emergency visits overall decreased by 14% last year, while visits because of an opioid overdose increased by 10.5%. The result: Opioid overdoses were responsible for 0.32 out of […]
Doctors Go Unpaid for a Month of Work
About 10 emergency physicians still haven’t been paid for the shifts they worked in April at two hospitals in New Hampshire, staffing firm owners told MedPage Today. They’re owed nearly $140,000 for hours worked at Lakes Region General Hospital and Franklin Regional Hospital — part of the former LRGHealthcare, which went bankrupt and was bought […]
Woman Loses 6-Year Battle With Mouth Tumor
A 38-year-old Haitian woman presents to a Florida emergency department in April 2018 reporting pain on the right side of her abdomen, where she can feel a large lump. She tells clinicians she has had significant swelling in her abdomen, despite experiencing weight loss. After palpation of her abdomen confirms the presence of a large […]