Hospitals Scramble To Find Alternatives To Medications As Drug Shortages Persist
Hospitals and ER departments nationwide are coming up short when they need drugs such as morphine. "So many substances are short, and we’re dancing every shift,” said Dr. James Augustine, a doctor in Cincinnati." In other public health news: palliative sedation, glaucoma, gaming addictions, ovarian cysts, emphysema and more.
The New York Times:
Emergency Rooms Run Out Of Vital Drugs, And Patients Are Feeling It
George Vander Linde tapped a code into the emergency room’s automated medicine cabinet. A drawer slid open and he flipped the lid, but found nothing inside. Mr. Vander Linde, a nurse, tried three other compartments that would normally contain vials of morphine or another painkiller, hydromorphone. Empty. Empty. Empty. The staff was bracing for a busy weekend. Temperatures were forecast for the 90s and summer is a busy time for hospital emergency departments — the time of year when injuries rise from bike accidents, car crashes, broken bottles and gunshots. (Thomas, 7/1)
Stateline:
Palliative Sedation, An End-Of-Life Practice That Is Legal Everywhere
Under palliative sedation, a doctor gives a terminally ill patient enough sedatives to induce unconsciousness. The goal is to reduce or eliminate suffering, but in many cases the patient dies without regaining consciousness. ...While aid-in-dying, or “death with dignity,” is now legal in seven states and Washington, D.C., medically assisted suicide retains tough opposition. Palliative sedation, though, has been administered since the hospice care movement began in the 1960s and is legal everywhere. (Ollove, 7/2)
Stat:
A Daredevil Researcher’s Quest: To Restore Sight Lost To Glaucoma Using VR
Academics and companies all over the world are betting on virtual reality to help patients with conditions like anxiety, depression, PTSD, and ADHD. Huberman believes in the potential of the technology for vision issues, too, but he speaks about it less like an evangelist than someone who’s discovered a useful tool. He’s also harnessing it in pioneering ways. In the case of his glaucoma clinical trial, [Andrew] Huberman is asking patients to gaze at flashing white dots in the hopes that they can trigger the firing of neurons that connect the eye to the brain and coax them to regenerate. (Robbins, 7/2)
The New York Times:
Doctor, Your Patient Is Waiting. It’s A Red Panda.
Hoppy, a young red panda, was the first patient of the day, carried — and anesthetized — into the exam room so he could get a physical. Then Mildred, a 24-year-old barnacle goose, wobbled painfully across the floor as veterinarians analyzed her gait. They couldn’t see any improvement 10 days after an earlier exam. Replacement of the degenerating joints isn’t an option for a goose. Maybe acupuncture could help? (Weintraub, 6/29)
The New York Times:
Endless Gaming May Be A Bad Habit. That Doesn’t Make It A Mental Illness.
The World Health Organization last month added “internet gaming disorder” to its manual of psychiatric diagnoses, and the reaction was, shall we say, muted. At a time when millions of grown adults exchange one-liners with Siri or Alexa, the diagnosis seems years overdue, doesn’t it? (Carey, 7/2)
The Washington Post:
Kayla Rahn: Alabama Woman Has 50-Pound Ovarian Cyst Surgically Removed
For months, Kayla Rahn had been struggling with abdominal pain, swelling and shortness of breath. She had also been packing on pounds, gaining weight that seemed impossible to lose. People would ask whether she was pregnant — perhaps even with twins? — and when she was due. They would also volunteer to load groceries for her. “I used to tell them I was going to name it Taco Bell,” the 30-year-old told The Washington Post about the jokes she used to make in response to all the awkward pregnancy questions. (Bever, 6/29)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Emphysema Patients Get New Option As FDA Approves Lung Valves Studied At Temple
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a novel treatment for severe emphysema: one-way air valves that are implanted in the lungs to redirect air. The Zephyr endobronchial valves, made by California-based Pulmonx, were shown to improve lung function, exercise capacity, and breathlessness in an international study led by Temple University. (McCullough, 6/29)
The New York Times:
Marriage May Be Good For Your Heart
Being married may reduce the risk of heart disease and cardiovascular death, a review of studies has found. Researchers pooled data on more than two million participants in 34 studies carried out in the United States, Britain, Japan, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Greece and eight other countries. (Bakalar, 6/29)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Medications Leave Mentally Ill Vulnerable During Rising Temps
As summer temperatures rise again this weekend, residents on certain medications should take extra measures to stay cool. Drugs like anti-depressants and anti-psychotics can have side effects that inhibit a person's ability to sweat, explained Caroline Crehan, coordinator of Community Recovery Services with the Wisconsin Council on Mental Health. (Groves, 6/29)
Sacramento Bee:
Officials Say Rising Rates Are Due To Decreased Condom Use, Funding Cuts, Greater Number Of Sexual Partners
A record number of California residents were diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases in 2017. Recently released data from the California Department of Public Health show a 45 percent increase in cases of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia in the state compared with rates five years prior. (Holzer, 7/2)
