Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study: Some Heart Patients Do Better When Doctors Are Away
The Associated Press: Do Heart Patients Fare Better When Doctors Away?
Doctors joke that if you're going to have a heart attack, the safest place would be at a big national gathering of heart specialists. But a new study suggests some older hospitalized heart patients may fare better when these doctors aren't around. (Tanner, 12/22)
Los Angeles Times: Some Heart Patients Do Better When The Cardiologist Is Away
Holy heart attack! Researchers have found that certain high-risk heart patients stand a better chance of survival if they go to a teaching hospital when all the cardiologists have left town. ... In research published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, study authors found that the survival rate for high-risk cardiac arrest patients rose 10% when they were admitted to a major teaching hospital on days that a national cardiology meetings was in session. (Morin, 12/22)
Kaiser Health News: Is Your Heart Doctor In? If Not, You Might Be Better Off.
If your cardiologist is away at a conference when you’re having a stabbing feeling in your chest, don’t fret. You may be more likely to live. A study published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found frail patients admitted to teaching hospitals with two common types of heart problems were more likely to survive on days when national cardiology conferences were going on. (Rau, 12/22)
Los Angeles Times: Panel Recommends Blood Pressure Screening To Stop A 'Silent Killer'
Health authorities in the U.S. are taking fresh aim at a “silent killer” with a recommendation that all American adults be screened for high blood pressure. People should be screened once a year if they are at least 40 years old, if they are overweight or obese, if they are African American, or if their blood pressure is in the “high normal” range, according to a draft recommendation released Monday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Adults ages 18 to 39 who have no risk factors for high blood pressure should be screened once every three to five years, the panel said. (Kaplan, 12/22)
