Lynn Hetzler

Lynn Hetzler has been a freelance writer for more than 15 years. She has extensive experience in a variety of specialties, including transplantation, oncology, fertility, negligible senescence, laboratory science, addiction, general research and more. Lynn specializes in creating informative and engaging medical content for readers of all levels, from patients to researchers and everyone in between.

Articles by Lynn Hetzler

• Study validates loss of smell, taste as COVID-19 symptoms for patients with high recovery rate

  Wednesday, April 29, 2020

  A number of publications, such as The Lancet and JAMA, have been reporting anecdotal reports of the loss of smell and taste in patients with COVID-19. A new study presents empirical findings that strongly associate smell and taste dysfunction with COVID-19. Sore throat, they found, was more strongly associated with COVID-19 negativity. When screening patients for COVID-19, clinicians often look for the most common symptoms of COVID-19: fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. The results of this study, published in the journal International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology, suggest that screeners ask patients about their senses of smell and taste.

• Performed in decentralized labs, new COVID-19 test may deliver faster result to more patients

  Tuesday, April 28, 2020

  Speculation and research suggest that there are as many as 20 times the cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. than have been confirmed by doctors. This disparity is largely due to the lack of testing and the urging of medical professionals that people with mild symptoms stay home to limit the spread. If widely adopted, a new method recently presented by researchers could return results in a fraction of the time, yield more accurate infection numbers, and help public health officials track the spread of the novel coronavirus with greater confidence. It would also allow local labs to perform testing using common equipment.

• How lifesaving organs for transplant go missing in transit

  Tuesday, March 03, 2020

  Losing luggage on a commercial flight is an inconvenience, but losing an organ for transplant could cost a life. Alarmingly, scores of organs are discarded each year because they do not reach their destination in time. Organs for transplant have a relatively short shelf life — ranging from six hours for hearts and lungs to 30 hours for kidneys — and there are frequently hundreds of miles between the donor and the recipient. To get to their destinations while still viable, organs are often flown on commercial airliners. Sometimes, flight delays and mishaps can prevent organs from reaching their recipients in time.

• Research shows pharmacological cardioversion as safe, effective as shock

  Monday, March 02, 2020

  The results of a new study published in The Lancet show that pharmacological cardioversion is as safe and effective for resolving acute atrial fibrillation (AF, AFib) as electrical cardioversion. Acute AF accounts for about 430,000 emergency department (ED) visits in the United States and Canada each year. To avoid complications, such as stroke and heart failure, patients with acute AF must receive treatment within 48 hours. ED doctors and hospitalists in the U.S., Canada, and other countries use electrical and pharmacological cardioversion to restore normal heart rhythms.

• Novel imaging approach provides first glimpse of the body’s ‘steering wheel’

  Thursday, February 27, 2020

  A new approach to 3D imaging has shed new light on ankle kinematics. Ankle injuries are among the most common reasons for emergency department visits. EDs treat more than 628,000 ankle injuries per year. Ankle injuries account for about 20% of all visits to the ED. While ankle injuries are not life threatening, they can cause disability that decreases quality of life, so accurate diagnosis is always essential. Many ankle injuries involve the "body’s steering wheel," the subtalar joint.

• What transplant programs and OPOs need to know about coronavirus

  Tuesday, February 25, 2020

  The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), officially named as COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), is spreading at a concerning pace. Healthcare professionals in a variety of specialties are readying their practices for the possibility of infection in their area. Many transplant programs, Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs), and patients worry about the safety of organ transplantation during the outbreak. Fortunately, a number of organizations are working to provide current information about COVID-19.

• Study: Stroke during pregnancy may be increasing

  Friday, January 31, 2020

  Advances in medical care and diagnostics should reduce the incidence of serious health problems and mortality rates from those events. Death rates from strokes have declined since the 1960s. This may not be the case for stroke occurring during pregnancy or within six weeks of delivery, however. A new study published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology sheds light on the incidence of acute stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) during pregnancy and the post-partum period, and suggests it is on the rise.

• What emergency departments need to know about coronavirus

  Wednesday, January 29, 2020

  First reported in late December 2019 in the major central China city of Wuhan, the newly discovered coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is now rapidly spreading. As of Jan. 28, thousands have been sickened and the death toll exceeds 100. Eighteen countries, including the United States, have confirmed 2019-nCoV cases. The CDC recommends that clinicians treat patients with fever and symptoms of lower respiratory illness who have a history of travel in Wuhan, or who were in close contact with a person suspected of having 2019-nCoV, as being patients under investigation (PUI).

• FDA issues public safety notification after exosome treatment sickens patients in Nebraska

  Friday, January 17, 2020

  Last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public safety notification regarding exosome products following multiple reports of serious adverse effects experienced by patients in Nebraska who received treatment with unapproved products derived from placentas. Derived from endosomes and present in all body fluids, exosomes are a form of extracellular vesicle. Clinics administer exosome therapies through intravenous injection, inhalation, or injection into joints or soft tissue.

• New rules to aim to improve kidney disease care, increase number of organ transplants

  Wednesday, January 15, 2020

  More 113,000 Americans are on the waitlist for organs; about 20 die each day. The federal government recently proposed new rules to increase the availability of organs for those waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. The new rules focus on increasing use of organs donated after cardiac death (DCD) and on making it easier for the living to donate. The proposed rule change would also increase the number of kidney donations and revamp kidney care.

• FDA approves first Ebola vaccine for use in the US

  Tuesday, January 14, 2020

  In December, the Food & Drug Administration announced its approval of the first Ebola vaccine for use in the United States. Made by Merck, Ervebo (pronounced er-VEE-boh) is for the prevention of disease caused by infection with Zaire ebolavirus in people 18 years of age and older. The single-dose, live-attenuated vaccine, Ervebo does not protect against other species of Ebolavirus or Marburgvirus. The duration of protection conferred is unknown, as is the effectiveness of the vaccine when administered concurrently with blood or plasma transfusions, immune globulin (IG), and/or antiviral medications.

• Kidney Accelerated Placement Project aims to improve transfer of hard-to-place kidneys

  Thursday, January 09, 2020

  The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) launched the Kidney Accelerated Placement Project (KAPP) last year. The goal of the project is to assess whether speeding up the placement of hard-to-place kidneys could increase utilization of these organs. OPTN developed this pilot testing program to improve placement of kidneys in response to the Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health and on feedback from the community. "Hard-to-place" kidneys have a kidney donor profile index (KDPI) of 80 or higher and are offered to all transplant programs at both the local and regional level.

• Study: Declining admission, mortality rates due to ED physicians improving outcomes, efficiency

  Thursday, December 12, 2019

  The results of a new study show a substantial decline in mortality rates among Medicare beneficiaries visiting an emergency department from 2009 to 2016, especially among patients with high-severity conditions. Healthcare continues to be in the spotlight as policymakers seek to improve care and its costs. Many policymakers who focus on emergency medicine (EM) characterize it as being overutilized by patients, excessive when it comes to performing tests, overly expensive, and prone to diagnostic errors.

• Freestanding emergency departments bring speedier care but higher spending

  Monday, December 09, 2019

  FSEDs deliver emergency care in strip malls and in other facilities that are physically separate from acute care hospitals. Freestanding EDs first emerged in the 1970s to fill the need for emergency care in underserved rural areas that could not financially sustain inpatient hospitals, but FSEDs are now popping up primarily in urban and suburban areas. A team of researchers at Rice University investigated the relationship between the number of freestanding emergency departments (FSEDs) and local market spending on emergency care.

• Study suggests tranexamic acid could reduce TBI deaths by as much as 20%

  Friday, November 01, 2019

  The results of a new study, published in The Lancet, suggest that tranexamic acid (TXA) could reduce traumatic brain injury (TBI) deaths by as much as 20%, depending on the severity of the injury. In 2014, about 2.87 million cases of TBI occurring the United States each year, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and there are approximately 69 million new cases of TBI each year worldwide. Accounting for upwards of 90% of all TBIs, mild to moderate TBIs are much more common than severe TBIs. Serious complications can still occur in mild to moderate TBI.

• Researchers make a huge step towards a universal flu vaccine

  Friday, October 25, 2019

  Researchers around the world are feverishly working to develop a universal flu vaccine that would cover all influenza strains. They may now be a step closer to creating such a vaccine, thanks to researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who collaborated with the international nonprofit PATH, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the University of Chicago, and the Duke Early Phase Clinical Research Unit. The team of researchers focused their attention on hemagglutinin, which is a protein present on the surface of flu viruses.

• Study finds a ninefold increase in ESRD patients opting for bariatric surgery

  Friday, September 13, 2019

  As with the general population, obesity in the number of people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is increasing. Because they are less likely to receive a kidney transplant, many obese patients with ESRD are opting for bariatric surgery to increase their chances of undergoing the lifesaving procedure. Despite the potential for improving the health status of people with ESRD, also known as end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), there is very little information about the national bariatric surgery practice patterns in patients with end-stage renal disease.

• Researchers find controversial results after investigating opioid use, misuse after ED visit

  Tuesday, September 10, 2019

  It is almost universally agreed that opioid prescription in the emergency department (ED) is risky, largely because of the risk of abuse. The results of a recent study suggest the risk of long-term prescription opioid use and potential misuse stemming from ED prescriptions for opioids to treat acute pain is less than some might expect. Lead author of the study, Raoul Daoust, MD, MSc, and his team wanted to assess opioid use rate and the reasons patients continue to consume opioids three months after discharge from the emergency department with an opioid prescription. They found that opioid use was relatively low three months after discharge from the ED with an opioid prescription.

• First US baby born to woman who received uterus transplant from a deceased donor

  Friday, August 16, 2019

  For the first time in the United States and only the second time in the world, doctors have delivered a baby from a uterus transplanted from a deceased donor. Doctors from the Cleveland Clinic recently announced that they delivered a healthy baby girl by cesarean section on June 9. Uterus transplantation from live donors has helped women all over the world overcome infertility and successfully bear children since a team of researchers first performed the procedure in 2014. Until now, uterus transplantation was available only to women who had family members willing to donate.

• Doctors working in pediatric emergency medicine at risk for burnout, compassion fatigue

  Wednesday, August 14, 2019

  Physicians who work in pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) are at risk for developing burnout, compassion fatigue, and low compassion satisfaction, according to the results of a new study. PEM physicians provide medical care for acutely ill children and work closely with families during a time of heightened stress. Providers may be able to improve the management of the unique challenges and emotional stressors facing pediatric emergency department (ED) physicians and help PEM physicians achieve higher satisfaction levels.

• Study: Beauty products send a child to the ED every 2 hours

  Tuesday, July 30, 2019

  From 2006 through 2016, emergency departments treated 64,686 children younger than 5 years old for injuries related to personal care products, according to the results of a new study. That works out to about one child every two hours. Many consumers are already aware of the dangers posed by cleaning products, batteries and household poisons, but are often unaware of the hazards posed by personal care products. The results of this study shed light on the special threat common cosmetics may pose to small children.

• Researchers: Preschoolers with pneumonia undergo needless tests, receive unnecessary antibiotics

  Tuesday, July 09, 2019

  Preschool kids with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are undergoing needless tests and receiving unnecessary antibiotics from emergency departments and outpatient clinics, according to the results of a new study. Accounting for approximately 1.5 million healthcare visits each in the United States, community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most common infections among the pediatric population. In 2011, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America issued clinical guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia in children. Dr. Todd Florin and colleagues wanted to evaluate the effect of the guidelines.

• Study: More mosquito-borne infections associated with early season hurricanes

  Thursday, June 27, 2019

  Hurricanes and other heavy rainfall events (HREs) can affect the transmission of vector-borne infectious diseases in the southern coastal United States and other temperate areas of the world. Stagnant water left in the aftermath of a heavy rainfall event provides rich breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which increases the likelihood of human infection. The timing of a hurricane has a significant influence on a storm’s effect on the spread of these infections, such as West Nile virus, Zika, chikungunya and dengue, according to the result of new study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

• Newly approved device to help increase access to suitable lungs for transplant

  Thursday, May 23, 2019

  On April 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new device that may increase access to more lungs for transplant. The new Xvivo Perfusion System (XPS) is a type of ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) therapy, which can temporarily ventilate and pump preservation solution through lungs. The process can increase the percentage of lung transplants by allowing transplant teams to identify better quality lung grafts that would have been otherwise rejected for transplantation in the past.

• Study: Only 1.5% of those at high risk of opioid overdose receive a prescription for naloxone

  Wednesday, May 22, 2019

  The vast majority of people who are at high risk of opioid overdose are not prescribed the naloxone they may one day need to save their lives, according to the results of a new study published in JAMA. In fact, the researchers found that only about 1.5% of high-risk patients receive such a prescription, despite multiple opportunities. Sarah Follman and associates from the University of Chicago performed a retrospective study in which they analyzed data from the Truven Health MarketScan Research Database.

• New study: Hepatitis C-negative patients may safely receive positive hearts, lungs

  Thursday, May 16, 2019

  A group of transplant surgeons at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston decided to investigate whether organs from donors with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) could be safely transplanted into recipients without the virus. They reported their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine. Hearts and lungs from donors infected with HCV are usually discarded out of concerns of spreading the viral infection, despite the immediate need for such organs. Organs for donation increasingly carry the hepatitis C virus, as people who use inject drugs and share needles are at high risk of HCV infection.

• New study suggests levetiracetam for epileptic seizures in children when benzodiazepines fail

  Tuesday, May 14, 2019

  Emergency department (ED) clinicians typically treat status epilepticus with benzodiazepines, followed as necessary with phenytoin, but this approach often leads to intubation and ventilation. Now, the results of a study from researchers in New Zealand and Australia suggest there is a better way to treat severe epileptic seizures in children, and the results of the study will likely change how ED doctors around the world manage status epilepticus in pediatric patients.

• Study: 70% of adults dying prematurely of natural causes do not seek medical help

  Thursday, May 02, 2019

  About 70% of adults dying prematurely of natural causes have not sought medical help within the previous 30 days, according to the results of a new study published in the journal PLOS One. Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (IFS) teamed up to analyze autopsy reports and death investigation records of 1,282 people between the ages of 25 and 59 who died in Harris County in 2013.

• Introducing the world’s first 3-D-printed human heart

  Monday, April 29, 2019

  For the first time, researchers have "printed" a 3-D human heart using a patient's tissue. While the first printed heart is small and nonfunctional, the development of a 3-D printable heart could someday save millions of lives. Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization, and heart transplant is currently the only treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure. 3-D-printed hearts could help overcome shortages of hearts available for transplantation; because they use the patient’s own tissue, using 3-D-printed hearts could also reduce rejection rates.

• OPTN offers recommendations as unexpected, donor-derived hepatitis C transmissions increase

  Tuesday, April 23, 2019

  The opioid epidemic has affected nearly every Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) region by increasing the number of organ donors dying from drug overdoses. While the tragic epidemic has increased the number of organs available for transplant, many worry that the donors' drug abuse increases the recipients’ risk of unexpected, donor-derived hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmissions. While the safety and efficacy of HCV treatments in transplants are improving, unexpected, donor-derived transmissions have been trending upwards. The OPTN Ad Hoc Disease Transmission Advisory Committee (DTAC) reviewed these cases and, based on their findings, has made several recommendations.

• Using point-of-care ultrasound can shorten pulse checks during CPR

  Wednesday, April 17, 2019

  Emergency department physicians have started using point-of-care ultrasounds (POCUS or POC ultrasound) to identify potentially reversible causes of pulseless electrical activity (PEA) in cardiac arrest patients. Increasing use of POC ultrasound has even led to its current recommendation by the American Heart Association (AHA). In PEA, the monitor will show electrical activity in the heart but the patient will not have a palpable pulse. Also known as electromechanical dissociation, PEA accounts for approximately 20 percent of out-of-hospital deaths.

• New opt-out law considers all adults in England organ donors

  Friday, April 05, 2019

  In the spring of 2020, all adults in England will become organ donors, according to a new law. On March 15, Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill 2017-19 was granted Royal Assent and became law. Also known as the "opt-out bill" and Max and Keira’s Law, the legislation means that all adults living in England are organ donors unless they record a decision to opt-out. The bill, introduced in the House of Commons by Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson, deems that consent has been given by a potential organ donor before death unless the individual expressly states that they do not wish to be an organ donor.

• Dialysis, kidney transplant recipients at higher risk for cancer death

  Monday, March 25, 2019

  Dialysis and transplant patients face nearly three times the risk of dying from cancer as compared with the general population, according to new research. Previous research has shown that patients on dialysis or have received a kidney transplant are at higher risk of developing cancer, but there have been few studies to assess cancer mortality rates among these patients. To investigate, Eric H. Au, M.B.B.S., of the University of Sydney and colleagues compared the cancer-related mortality rates in kidney transplant recipients and dialysis patients with those of the general population.

• Universal vaccine for the flu may be just around the corner

  Thursday, February 28, 2019

  Influenza vaccines save lives over the years and prevent millions of additional people from getting sick from the flu. The CDC reported on Feb. 15 that the overall estimated effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine was 47 percent, which means the vaccine cuts the risk of the flu by nearly half. One of the main problems with low effectiveness is that current vaccines do not cover all influenza strains, and strains mutate quickly, so people must undergo vaccinations each year to cover strains not included in previous vaccines. The results of a new study published in the journal Nature Immunology may change all that — researchers have identified an immune cell that can protect the body from all types of influenza.

• Chicago hospital makes American medical history with back-to-back triple-organ transplants

  Friday, February 15, 2019

  Late last year, a Chicago man and Detroit woman underwent back-to-back triple-organ (liver-kidney-heart) transplants. The two surgeries lasted more than 17 and 20 hours, respectively, from Dec. 19 to 21. It was the first time a U.S. hospital has performed more than one liver-kidney-heart transplant within one year. Teams of surgeons at University of Chicago Medicine performed these two most recent triple-organ transplants. The procedures marked the 16th and 17th liver-kidney-heart transplants performed in the country since 1989, according to a Department of Health and Human Services database.

• Study: Patients experiencing high trauma from hospitalizations had more readmissions, ED visits

  Wednesday, February 06, 2019

  Hospitalization can be traumatizing for patients. Previous research shows that one in three patients who survived an ICU stay for an acute lung injury suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Disturbances in patients’ sleep, nutrition, mobility, and mood are common in medical inpatients, and these disturbances can be traumatic for patients. Traumatic hospitalization can also increase the risk of readmissions and emergency department (ED) visits. The results of a new study, published in JAMA, show that patients who experience high trauma of hospitalization may have a greater risk of an ED visit or readmission within 30 days compared with patients with low trauma exposure.

• Home-based hypertension brings BP under control in only 7 weeks

  Thursday, January 31, 2019

  Making endless trips to the doctor's office to adjust blood pressure medications may soon be a thing of the past, replaced by home monitoring systems and occasional phone conversations. A new study shows that home monitoring may be more effective. About one in three adults in the United States have hypertension, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A new, home-based care delivery program developed by Brigham and Women's Hospital may improve hypertension control rates faster and less expensively than office-based programs.

• FDA issues warning letter to companies on dangerous, unapproved stem cell treatments

  Tuesday, January 29, 2019

  After 12 people were hospitalized for infections associated with unapproved stem cell treatments, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to Genetech, Inc. about the umbilical cord blood-derived cellular products distributed by Liveyon, LLC. The FDA warned Genetech for processing umbilical cord blood into unapproved human cellular products and for significant deviations from current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) and current good tissue practice (CGTP) requirements.

• New study: Donated kidneys from marijuana-using donors seems safe

  Tuesday, January 22, 2019

  Live kidney donation by marijuana smokers seems safe for donors and recipients, according to the results of a new study published in Clinical Kidney Journal. The study also finds no difference in post-operative kidney function between patients who received kidneys from pot smokers and those who received kidneys from donors who did not use marijuana. The National Kidney Registry recommendations exclude marijuana users and other substance abusers from donating kidneys. Transplant centers may refuse donors who have used marijuana in the past. Before this study, though, there were no studies investigating the effect marijuana use may have on transplant outcomes.

• New study: Opioids not the best choice for alleviating chronic noncancer pain

  Thursday, January 17, 2019

  Opioids are invaluable for treating chronic cancer pain, post-surgical pain and severe acute pain, but the results of a new study suggest that opioids may not be as good at reducing chronic noncancer pain. The dangers of opioid overprescribing are increasingly evident, as is the need to gain greater understanding of when opioids are likely to be effective. In short, research found that opioids provided small improvements in pain, sleep quality and physical functioning compared to a placebo, but the differences between the two pain relievers did not meet minimally important difference standards.

• Hearts from donors with hepatitis C or who are obese could help meet increasing transplant demand

  Monday, January 14, 2019

  More than 100,000 people in the United States are sick enough to benefit from a heart transplant. In 2017, only 3,244 people actually received one. The number of people in need of a heart transplant is growing, and the number of heart transplants performed each year is growing as well. Donations, however, have reached a plateau. In two new Stanford University-led studies, researchers say the number of people on the waiting list could be reduced by using hearts that transplant centers often overlook, such as those organs that once belonged to people who were obese or who had an active hepatitis C infection.

• Study evaluates 9 coronary risk scores used to evaluate undifferentiated chest pain in the ED

  Monday, January 07, 2019

  Nonspecific chest pain is the second most common reason for presentation to the emergency department, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) identification with appropriate disposition is quite challenging. While most ED patients with undifferentiated chest pain do not have ACS, missing this diagnosis has major morbidity and mortality implications. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers compared the performance of nine different risk scores within the same population presenting to the ED with undifferentiated chest pain.

• The US may be discarding thousands of viable kidneys each year

  Tuesday, December 11, 2018

  Organ transplant professionals make tough decisions when it comes to deciding which organs are suitable for transplant and which organs should be discarded. Due to stringent guidelines, clinicians in the United States must discard about 2,000 donated kidneys each year. There are currently more than 95,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list, according to UNOS; reclaiming some of the discarded kidneys has the potential to save lives. The results of a new study show that many of the kidneys transplanted in France would have been discarded in the United States. This study is the first of its kind.

• ‘Waterfall’ shifts improve flow of patients in the emergency department

  Monday, December 10, 2018

  Shift change can be a dangerous time for emergency department (ED) patients. This is especially true for pediatric patients in busy EDs. Now, there is evidence that a new approach using "waterfall" shifts can improve the flow of patients through a pediatric ED. Officials at Seattle Children’s Hospital created overlapping shifts for ED physicians five years ago, and it dramatically reduced patient handoffs. Researchers analyzed 43,835 patient encounters. They discovered a 25 percent reduction in the proportion of patient encounters ending in patient handoffs immediately after implementation of the new shifts.

• Online patient reviews of EDs and urgent care centers inform care delivery

  Monday, December 03, 2018

  The internet has changed how consumers experience healthcare. People now search the internet for information on a particular health problem they may be having, for example. In fact, 6 in 10 people said they turned to the internet for health problems within the previous year, according to a 2013 survey by Pew Research Center. Consumers are increasingly using online rating programs to rate and review hospitals. In a new study, published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, researchers describe and compare the content and ratings of online reviews of urgent care centers and emergency departments (EDs).

• Doubling the dosage of influenza may improve immunogenicity in solid-organ transplant recipients

  Thursday, November 29, 2018

  Influenza infection poses special challenges for solid-organ transplant recipients, as "the flu" increases their risk for bacterial pneumonia, admission to intensive care, and death. Furthermore, research suggests influenza infection can even increase the risk for allograft rejection and poorer allograft survival. Providing an annual vaccination that contains 15 micrograms of antigen per viral strain is an effective preventative strategy in solid-organ transplant recipients. Now, the results of a new study show that high-dose vaccines possessing 60 micrograms antigen per influenza strain enhance vaccine immunogenicity in this population.

• Transcranial direct current stimulation linked to improved object naming following a stroke

  Tuesday, November 06, 2018

  Using transcranial direct current stimulation can improve object naming following a stroke, according to the results of a new study. Transcranial direct current stimulation is a type of medical procedure that can stimulate brain activity with low, direct current. More than 795,000 people suffer strokes each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and disability. About one-third of all strokes results in aphasia, according to the National Aphasia Association, which impairs patients’ ability to speak and process language.

• Study: Dialysis modality choice does not affect kidney transplant outcomes

  Wednesday, October 31, 2018

  Does the choice of dialysis modality prior to renal transplantation affect transplant outcomes for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)? Results of a new study suggest it does not. Controversy regarding pre-transplant dialysis modality choice continues, with each side presenting data that supports either peritoneal dialysis (PD) or hemodialysis (HD) as the preferred modality, especially as it relates to kidney transplantation outcomes. Many people find PD more convenient, but many medical professionals worry that PD will affect the outcomes of kidney transplantation.

• Acetaminophen may decrease recurrence of febrile seizures in children within the same episode

  Friday, October 26, 2018

  When administered soon after the initial seizure, rectal acetaminophen can decrease the rates of second febrile seizure in pediatric patients during the course of the same febrile illness, according to a new study. Febrile seizures are the most common type of seizures seen in children. Many children have multiple convulsions during the course of a single febrile illness. While febrile seizures frequently occur, and multiple seizures within febrile events are common, there is a paucity of data on the prevention of recurrent seizures — especially in the pediatric population.

• New study measures lesions, other health problems during routine kidney donor screening

  Wednesday, October 24, 2018

  Kidney transplantation is the best treatment option for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). But because of the limited availability of deceased donor organs, only a minor percentage of the patients with ESRD receive the kidney transplants they need. Living donor transplants help meet this need. Screening helps determine medical suitability for donation, of course, and many transplant centers use computed tomography (CT) as part of their donor assessment. In a new study, researchers aim to measure the number incidentally detected lesions and other health problems found on screening CTs.

• Wave of complex street drugs complicates diagnosis of overdose

  Monday, October 01, 2018

  Drug overdoses are increasingly common and more lethal in nearly every area of the country. New research provides a snapshot of regional illegal drug use. The report also highlights the complexity of detecting and treating severe drug-related events at emergency departments. Begun in 2016, the study focuses on identifying illicit drugs causing patient overdoses at two hospital EDs in Maryland. At the time of the study, the emergency departments were seeing a spike in accidental drug overdoses and related deaths.

• Research provides new insight into transplant rejection

  Thursday, September 27, 2018

  Surgeons now perform more than 30,000 organ transplants a year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and each of the recipients of those organs face the possibility of organ rejection. Not all organ transplant rejection is the same. Recipients of liver transplants rarely experience organ rejection, for example, while skin graft rejection rates are high. In a new study, published in Nature Communications, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital reveal insights that may help explain the mechanisms behind skin graft failure.

• CDC issues new recommendations for treating pediatric mild traumatic brain injury

  Tuesday, September 25, 2018

  Epidemiological data indicate a market increase in the number of emergency department (ED) visits for pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) over the past decade, yet there are no evidence-based guidelines for diagnosing and managing these concussions. To address this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now established the Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Guideline Workgroup. Children made nearly 3 million visits to the ED and more than 2 million outpatient visits for mTBI from 2005 to 2009. Because many patients seek treatment at a variety of settings, including in their schools, the actual number of mild TBIs cases in children is difficult to assess.

• Discovery of key mechanism in embryonic skin development could improve skin grafts

  Thursday, September 20, 2018

  A new discovery of a key mechanism by which skin begins to develop in embryos could improve skin grafts. Developmental biologists are still working to understand the process by which embryonic progenitors coordinate cell fate specification and establish transcriptional and signaling competence. In a new study, researchers show that transcription factor DeltaNp63 profoundly alters the transcriptome and remodels thousands and thousands of open chromatin regions of Krt8+ progenitors during epidermal fate specification.

• New study suggests progress in graft survival is slowing down

  Tuesday, September 04, 2018

  The last 30 years have seen significant improvements in the lifespan of a transplanted kidney, but improvements in organ transplant survival in the U.S. and Europe have slowed recently, says a new international study. Predictably, this has researchers worried. Specifically, the study found that between 1986 and 1995, 75 percent of transplanted organs were still functioning five years after transplantation. The five-year kidney survival rate had reached 84 percent between 2006 and 2015.

• New approach to mapping tuberculosis paves way for new treatments

  Thursday, August 30, 2018

  More than 10 million people worldwide became infected with tuberculosis (TB) in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and there were 1.7 million deaths associated with TB that year. Despite the significant effect TB has on human health, researchers know relatively little about the transmission and pathogenesis of tuberculosis. A group of researchers recently provided a new look at an old adversary. The team discovered interactions between tuberculosis and human proteins that could someday help in the development of new approaches to combating TB infection.

• New study blames 3 factors for rapidly increasing physician burnout

  Wednesday, August 29, 2018

  Physician burnout is a serious problem, for both providers and for patients. In fact, 83 percent of respondents to an April 2018 survey said that burnout was a moderate or serious problem for many clinicians and clinical leaders in their organization. Burnout among physicians has already reached epidemic proportions, and the percentage of physicians experiencing symptoms of burnout is growing, according to a new paper written by University of California, Riverside School of Medicine doctors.

• Opt-in or opt-out organ donation: Which is a better indicator of ‘true wishes?’

  Thursday, August 23, 2018

  Which inferred preference for organ donation is stronger: when the decision is made by mandate or under automatic default? The question is important because families can — and frequently do — veto the organ donation decisions made by their deceased relatives. The results of a new study provide fresh insight into the answer. Currently, there is a large gap between the number of people needing organ donation and the number of donated organs.

• New study: Intravenous alteplase may not be necessary for mild stroke

  Wednesday, July 25, 2018

  The results of a new study, published in the July 10 edition of JAMA, suggest alteplase may not be necessary for stroke patients who do not demonstrate disabling deficits upon presentation. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association, with approximately 795,000 people experiencing a stroke every year. Drug treatment involving intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase is the mainstay of treatment for acute ischemic strokes (AIS).

• Newer, older insulin formulations are similar for lowering glucose

  Thursday, July 19, 2018

  Basal insulin analogues do not produce substantially different glucose-lowering effects in adults with Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Furthermore, evidence gathered in the study suggests that certain insulin regimens may be associated with less weight gain or lower risk for nocturnal hypoglycemia. The study included 39 trials, with a total of 26,195 patients and studied 10 different basal insulin analogues.

• Skin cancer study improves use of sun protection measures in transplant recipients

  Monday, June 25, 2018

  Long-term immunosuppressive therapy can significantly increase the risk and mortality of skin cancer in organ transplant recipients (OTRs). Previous research shows that specific educational interventions can boost the use of sunscreen and other sun protection measures in OTRs. A new research letter shows that merely participating in a skin cancer research study for at least a year — even one without specific educational interventions — can increase the practice of multiple sun protection behaviors in recipients.

• New study looks at transplants from drug overdose donors

  Friday, June 22, 2018

  Demand for donor organs for transplant is high. Someone is added to the national transplant waitlist every 10 minutes, according to UNOS, and an estimated 20 people die every day waiting for a transplant. Deceased donors save thousands of lives each year, as four out of five donated organs come from deceased donors. Now, an increasing number of organs are coming from donors who died from drug overdoses.

• Negative pressure wound therapy for lower leg fractures might be ineffective

  Wednesday, June 20, 2018

  Compared with standard dressings, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) does not improve 12-month outcomes in patients with open leg fractures, according to a new study published in JAMA. Since they break the skin, open fractures have a higher risk of healing-related complications. Infection rates can be as high as 27 percent in severe open leg fractures, for example. NPWT is a new type of postoperative dressing that creates a vacuum, removing the blood and fluid accumulating inside a wound.

• Automated robotic device draws blood, performs analysis

  Monday, June 18, 2018

  Researchers from Rutgers have developed an automated blood drawing and testing device that promises quick results. Speeding up blood testing could potentially improve hospital workflow and allow practitioners to spend more time treating patients. The research team published a description of their fully automated device online in the journal TECHNOLOGY. "This device represents the holy grail in blood testing technology," said Martin L. Yarmush, senior author of the study, in a press release.

• The man with 3 faces: Hamon receives 2nd face transplant

  Thursday, May 31, 2018

  Jerome Hamon became known as "the man with three faces" in April, when he was the first patient to undergo a second face transplant. Dr. Laurent Lantieri of the Georges Pompidou hospital in Paris performed both of Hamon's face transplants, with the first one taking place in 2010 when the patient was in his mid-30s. The intent of the procedure was to improve the quality of Hamon’s life. The patient suffers from neurofibromatosis type 1, a rare genetic condition that causes the growth of tumors along nerves in the skin and in other parts of the body.

• Transporting STEMI patients to specialized hospitals provides faster lifesaving treatment

  Wednesday, May 30, 2018

  Heart attack patients living in states that allow direct transport to hospitals offering percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) receive lifesaving treatment sooner than do those in states where ambulances deliver patients to the nearest hospital, according to a new study. The study, published in the American Heart Association’s journal report, "Circulation: Cardiovascular Intervention," compares time to treatment in patients suffering from acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), which is the most severe manifestation of coronary artery disease.

• Stigmatizing language in medical records might affect a patient’s care

  Thursday, May 24, 2018

  Clinicians who use stigmatizing language in their patients’ medical records might be affecting the future care those patients receive, according to a new study. Healthcare disparities can prevent patients from getting the diagnostic and treatment services they need. Clinician bias plays a role in these healthcare disparities. When practitioners review notes and descriptions entered on previous visits, the language used in those notes might play a role in the treatment of that patient. Stigmatizing language may even affect how aggressively doctors manage that patient’s pain on subsequent encounters.

• Study shows many unaware that racial disparities exist on kidney transplant waitlists

  Tuesday, May 22, 2018

  Racial disparity in waitlisting prevents many Americans from getting the kidney transplants they need. Healthcare providers at dialysis facilities play an important role in kidney transplant waitlisting, but very little is known about their level of awareness of these racial disparities. Results from a new study suggest that many providers are unaware of racial disparities in kidney transplant waitlisting. Specifically, they found that awareness was low among white providers and nurse managers.

• Even 1 TBI increases risk of subsequent dementia

  Monday, April 16, 2018

  Experiencing just one traumatic brain injury (TBI) can increase the risk of dementia, according to a new study of nearly 2.8 million people. The results of the study, published online this month in The Lancet Psychiatry, showed that individuals who suffered one or more TBIs had a 24 percent higher risk of dementia.

• Liver transplants: From ‘macabre’ experiment to life-saving procedure

  Monday, April 02, 2018

  Early liver transplantation was such a terrible failure that anesthesiologists in England refused to participate in clinical trials, calling the surgery "macabre and unethical." Today, the liver is the second-most commonly transplanted organ.

• ED opioid overdose visits jump 30 percent in a year

  Thursday, March 29, 2018

  ​The opioid epidemic is still getting worse. The evidence? Emergency department visits for opioid overdoses have skyrocketed in just one year. A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the number of ED visits for opioid overdoses increased 30 percent from July 2016 to September 2017. Only a few areas of the U.S. have seen declines in ED visits for opioid overdoses.​

• New approaches to treating septic shock

  Thursday, March 22, 2018

  With a mortality rate of about 50 percent, septic shock is the most common cause of death among critically ill patients in noncoronary intensive care units. Researchers continue to work toward creating better primary and adjunctive treatments to improve mortality rates.

• Why are women donating kidneys more than men?

  Wednesday, March 21, 2018

  Most living kidney donors are women and, according to a recent study, men are donating even fewer kidneys than ever before. As of today, there are more than 95,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). While living donor transplant is the preferred treatment for patients with kidney failure, the number of living donor transplantations has been dropping since 2005.

• Bed bug dust increases histamine levels in infested homes

  Thursday, March 01, 2018

  There are plenty of reasons to hate bed bugs. These parasitic insects pop up unexpectedly in even the cleanest locations, are tough to get rid of and have a voracious appetite for human blood.

• Study: Reducing unnecessary transport of fallen seniors

  Thursday, February 01, 2018

  ​Results from a recent study suggest that collaboration between emergency medical services (EMS) and primary care physicians (PCP) could reduce the number of unnecessary hospital transports of assisted living residents after a fall.

• Study: Robotic kidney transplantation is safe and feasible

  Tuesday, January 30, 2018

  Robotic kidney transplantation can provide speedy recovery, low complication rates and excellent graft function, according to a new study. A team led by Alberto Breda, M.D., hoped to evaluate perioperative outcomes and early postoperative surgical outcomes of patients who undergo robot-assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT). The researchers enrolled 75 adult males and 45 adult females from eight European centers who had undergone the procedure.

• Study: Racial-ethnic gap in living kidney transplantation continues to widen

  Tuesday, January 23, 2018

  ​Despite national efforts to address the racial and ethnic disparities in living kidney transplantations, black and Hispanic patients are less likely to receive a live donor kidney within two years of placement on the waiting list, according to results from a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

• Geriatric screening in the ED cuts hospitalizations

  Wednesday, January 17, 2018

  Simply talking to a specially trained nurse in a quiet room, away from the chaos of the emergency department (ED), can prevent unnecessary hospitalizations in older adults. In fact, implementing such a transitional care program in three EDs reduced the risk of unnecessary hospitalizations by 33 percent, according to a new study.

• Report: Injuries from firearms becoming more severe

  Friday, December 01, 2017

  Firearm injuries have become more severe over the past 20 years, according to the results of a new study. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine used hospitalization data from 44 states between 1993 and 2013 to measure trends in injuries from firearms. The results showed that the severity of firearm injuries rose each year. A decline in the number of minor injuries, coupled with an increase in serious open fractures and a decrease in the number of minor injuries, was the driving force behind the trend.

• Study: 6 OTC supplements contain banned stimulants

  Tuesday, November 21, 2017

  Researchers recently identified four banned and potentially harmful stimulants in six over-the-counter supplements. The investigators found the four DMAA-like stimulants in weight loss and preworkout products that are currently available online. The researchers published their findings earlier this month in Clinical Toxicology.

• Study: Older donor lungs may be acceptable for double-lung transplants

  Tuesday, November 14, 2017

  Approximately 1,400 people in the United States are waiting for a lung transplant, according to the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplant Network. The median wait time for a lung transplant is four months, and more than 200 people die annually while waiting for a lung transplant.

• Accepting more DCD donor kidneys may reduce discard rate

  Monday, October 30, 2017

  ​Despite being a vital source of kidneys for transplantation, donation after circulatory death (DCD) is underutilized and less common in the United States. New research shows that DCD kidneys may be as viable as kidneys from other donors, and that accepting more DCD donor kidneys may reduce discard rate.

• Study: Vaccination rates hold steady after ACIP change

  Wednesday, October 25, 2017

  ​Medical professionals worried that vaccination rates would plummet after the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices dropped its recommendation promoting the use of live attenuated influenza vaccines before the start of the 2016-2017 influenza season. However, new research shows vaccination rates remained relatively stable.

• At last: Ebola vaccine deemed a success

  Tuesday, October 17, 2017

  Ebola is one of the deadliest viruses known to medical science. In just one outbreak occurring between December 2013 and April 2016, there were 28,600 cases of Ebola and 11,300 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. That outbreak — the largest Ebola virus disease outbreak in history — sparked an international hunt for an effective vaccine.

• Infective endocarditis common among ESRD patients

  Friday, October 13, 2017

  Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are at higher risk for infective endocarditis, according to a new study. Specific subgroups of ESRD patients are at particular risk.

• Study: White children more likely to receive unnecessary antibiotics from ED

  Thursday, September 21, 2017

  ​White children were nearly twice as likely to receive antibiotics for viral illnesses from emergency departments as compared with minority children, according to a new study. Viral respiratory tract infections are a leading cause of pediatric visits to emergency departments.

• Researchers: Thermotherapy could fight organ rejection, cancer

  Monday, September 18, 2017

  ​Practitioners may someday use heat therapy to reduce organ rejection in transplant patients, fight cancer and treat autoimmune problems, according to researchers from the University of Kentucky.

• Study opens possibility for first diagnostic test for chronic bronchitis

  Wednesday, September 13, 2017

  ​Scientists have taken a huge step toward understanding chronic bronchitis and developing a diagnostic test for this lung condition. Despite a multitude of tests to assess lung function, including chest X-rays and pulmonary function tests, there is currently no single test for chronic bronchitis nor is there a solid understanding of the biological pathways causing the buildup of phlegm that characterizes the disease.

• Reports of dietary supplement exposure rising

  Tuesday, August 29, 2017

  Every 24 minutes, someone calls a poison control center in the U.S. regarding exposure to a dietary supplement, according to a new study.

• Study: Kidney transplant recipients face higher risk of melanoma

  Tuesday, August 22, 2017

  Kidney transplant recipients face a greater risk of melanoma, according to a recent study published in JAMA Dermatology. Researchers in the study also identified several risk factors for the development of melanoma among those who have received kidney transplants. Recipients who are older, white, use sirolimus or cyclosporine, or received a kidney from a living donor are at higher risk for this type of skin cancer.

• Research: MRI contrast agents accumulate in the brain

  Wednesday, August 16, 2017

  Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) are widely used for the diagnosis and monitoring of many diseases. However, emerging research published recently in The Lancet Neurology suggests that these MRI contrast agents accumulate in the brain.

• Are we turning down kidneys for reasons other than quality?

  Tuesday, August 15, 2017

  Poor allograft quality may not be the only reason for turning down a donor kidney, according to a new study published online in the American Journal of Transplantation — factors as unrelated as the stature of the donor or weekend procurement can affect acceptance.

• Corticosteroids may do more harm than good in severe asthmatics

  Wednesday, August 02, 2017

  The primary treatment for asthma may actually worsen the disease, according to a recent study published in the journal JCI Insight. While corticosteroids are the mainstay for asthma treatment, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) suggest the therapy may worsen the disease in some patients.

• Study: New kidney allocation system narrows racial gaps

  Monday, July 24, 2017

  ​A new kidney allocation system helps more minorities get the kidney transplants they need, according to a recent study. In 2014, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) implemented the new system, which addresses the primary factor for determining a patient's priority on the waitlist: the length of time the patient has waited for a transplant. In the months following implementation, kidney transplant rates for blacks and Hispanics increased, while kidney transplant rates decreased for whites.

• Help from above: Drones may one day save lives

  Tuesday, July 18, 2017

  Drones are currently useful for capturing breathtaking pictures and video from the air, and in a variety of military capacities. As the capabilities and technology of drones expand, Amazon and other companies are looking into using these unmanned aerial vehicles to deliver packages.

• Study: Patients with cirrhosis at increased risk of stroke

  Wednesday, June 28, 2017

  Patients with liver cirrhosis have a higher risk of stroke — particularly hemorrhagic stroke — according to a new study. Because the liver plays an integral role in the clotting process, thrombotic complications are common in patients with liver disease. Liver parenchymal cells synthesize most coagulation factors, and the liver’s reticuloendothelial system is essential in the clearance of activation products.

• Many transplant recipients miss important cancer screenings

  Tuesday, June 27, 2017

  Routine cancer screenings are recommended for everyone, but a new study shows that most solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) do not get cancer screenings as recommended. However, the involvement of a primary care provider or transplant specialist may help boost compliance with life-saving preventive screenings.

• New electronic sepsis alert system drastically reduces missed diagnoses

  Monday, June 19, 2017

  Using an electronic sepsis alert (ESA) can reduce missed sepsis diagnoses by 76 percent, according to a new study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Doctors in the United States treat more than 75,000 children for severe sepsis each year. Severe sepsis is associated with substantial morbidity, up to 20 percent mortality, and accounts for more than $4.8 billion in U.S. healthcare expenditures.

• New study examines why firefighters have higher risk for heart attack

  Thursday, April 27, 2017

  Firefighting is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world — but why? We know sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of a fire fighter fatality, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, coronary heart disease is responsible for about 45 percent of on-duty deaths among firefighters in the United States.

• Study: Point-of-care testing speeds treatment, addresses antibiotic resistance

  Monday, April 17, 2017

  Researchers from the University of Southampton in England recently used a point-of-care swab test to quickly diagnose flu and other viral infections in patients with severe respiratory conditions. They found that using the swab in this way can result in shorter courses of antibiotics and a shorter stay in the hospital.

• History of migraine associated with ischemic stroke

  Tuesday, April 11, 2017

  ​Cervical artery dissection (CEAD) is a common cause of ischemic stroke (IS) in younger adults, with a prevalence of up to 20 percent in younger patients and an annual incidence rate of 2.6 to 2.9 per 100,000. The actual incidence of CEAD-IS may be even greater, as self-limited clinical symptoms may cause many cases to go undiagnosed. Previous studies suggest an association between migraines, particularly migraines without auras, but these studies were small.

• Despite guidelines, antibiotic choice to treat pediatric pneumonia varies

  Wednesday, March 22, 2017

  ​A new study shows that outpatient clinicians prescribe macrolide antibiotics to treat community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in most pediatric patients — even though established guidelines recommend amoxicillin in the majority of cases.

• How killer cells organize troops in fight against infection

  Monday, February 27, 2017

  Within days of a viral infection, an army of cytotoxic T cells spreads out to track and kill infected body cells to prevent the further spread of pathogens. Cytotoxic T cells only become active and multiply upon evidence of a pathogen, somewhat like a police dog that springs into action only after it sniffs a piece of the perpetrator's property.

• Controlling anemia in kidney transplant recipients

  Tuesday, February 14, 2017

  Kidney transplant recipients re-entering hemodialysis (HD) with a failing allograft are frequently more anemic than are patients just starting HD. Chronic rejection can lead to a more anemic, catabolic and inflammatory state in patients re-entering hemodialysis.

• Study: Any amount of calcified plaque raises risk of heart disease

  Monday, February 13, 2017

  Even a small amount of calcified coronary plaque in people under the age of 50 is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease over the following decade, according to a new study led by a Vanderbilt research team. The researchers found that even small amount of calcified coronary plaque — also known as coronary artery calcium (CAC) — increases the risk of heart disease. The study, appearing in this month's issue of JAMA Cardiology, shows that individuals with the highest coronary artery calcium scores had a greater than 20 percent chance of having a fatal heart event in the years to follow.

• Indoor smoking bans result in fewer kids visiting the ER for asthma

  Monday, January 23, 2017

  ​Indoor smoking bans reduce the number of emergency department (ED) visits in children with asthma, according to a new study. Pediatric asthma is the most common serious chronic disease in infants and children, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Secondhand smoke is a well-known trigger for asthma, and a severe asthma attack can lead to a visit to the emergency room.

• Kidney transplant may reactivate HPV infection in females

  Friday, January 20, 2017

  ​Women who receive a kidney transplant have a higher risk of developing HPV-related premalignant lesions of the genital tract, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation. Chronic immune suppression in renal transplant patients increases the risk of viral infections, which puts recipients at increased risk of viral-associated cancers. Previous research shows male renal transplant recipients were at increased risk of infection with the human papillomavirus, or HPV. The new study shows women are at risk as well.​

• Alarming levels of hypertension in the Canadian public

  Tuesday, January 17, 2017

  ​Half the population of Canada could suffer from hypertension — according to the results of a new study published in the American Journal of Hypertension — and many may not know it. The study also shows that many others with serious hypertension are not addressing it.

• Organ transplants break record again in 2016

  Wednesday, January 11, 2017

  ​Organ transplants in the United States reached an all-time high for the fourth consecutive year in 2016, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Preliminary data from UNOS shows transplants increased 8.5 percent from 2015 and 19.8 percent since 2012, with doctors performing 33,606 transplants in 2016.​

• Study: CPR performed by bystanders improves survival rates in children

  Wednesday, November 16, 2016

  Children are more likely to survive and have better neurological outcomes after cardiac arrest outside of a hospital when they receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from a bystander, according to a new study in JAMA Pediatrics.

• Paperwork confusion can affect life-saving care in the ED

  Wednesday, November 09, 2016

  ​A new study published in The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (JAMDA) shows that paperwork confusion can affect life-sustaining treatment in the emergency department (ED), leading some patients to receive undesired life-saving care.

• Most results from late-stage trials of failed drugs go unpublished

  Thursday, November 03, 2016

  ​About half of all investigational drugs fail late-stage clinical development, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and the results of most of these failed studies never reach print. Unfortunately, the lack of reports of failed drugs hinders the advancement of medical knowledge, in that failures can actually inform clinical practice, shape regulatory decisions and support future studies.

• No benefit in therapeutic hypothermia for in‑hospital cardiac arrest

  Wednesday, October 26, 2016

  Healthcare professionals often administer therapeutic hypothermia to optimize survival of both out-of-hospital and in-hospital cardiac arrest. While there are several studies that support therapeutic hypothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), there had been no studies investigating its use for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and a paucity of data of its comparative effectiveness — until now.

• Is your transplant patient leading a sedentary lifestyle?

  Thursday, October 20, 2016

  ​Patients with advanced cirrhosis are at a high risk for frailty, which increases the risks of liver-related death, transplant wait-list attrition and major transplant complications. Regular activity helps patients with cirrhosis avoid frailty and its complications, but a new study shows patients waiting for liver transplants are highly sedentary.

• Dealing with occupational stress in the ED

  Tuesday, October 18, 2016

  ​Occupational stress is ubiquitous in the workplace today, and it presents major challenges to health and safety on the jobsite. Emergency departments are notoriously high-pressure environments, but health scientists have never established the specific organizational stressors that affect workers in the ED.

• Study: Extended primary care hours linked to fewer ED visits

  Friday, September 23, 2016

  ​Extending primary care practice hours at night and over the weekend may reduce emergency department (ED) visits in patients with minor injuries and illnesses, according to a new study in PLOS Medicine.

• How nurses help relieve ED overcrowding

  Thursday, September 15, 2016

  Emergency department (ED) overcrowding threatens access to healthcare and the quality of that care. It can lead to delays in analgesia, thrombolysis, antibiotic therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention and other time-sensitive treatments. Overcrowding in the ED can impair privacy, dignity and completeness of care, and it may also increase the risk for errors as staff struggles to provide care for patients.

• The number of pediatric concussions may be significantly underestimated

  Friday, June 24, 2016

  ​The number of pediatric concussions may be substantially greater than what is reported in the United States, according to a recent study in JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) enrolled 8,083 patients into the study. Participants were aged 0 to 17, and their median age was 13.

• Pregnant women face another challenge this summer

  Thursday, June 16, 2016

  Most pregnant women and women of childbearing age are worried about the Zika virus this summer, but they also face another serious concern — a shortage of Bicillin L-A to treat syphilis. Caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum, syphilis was once on the verge of elimination but re-emerged as a health threat in 2001. The only recommended treatment for syphilis in pregnant women, Bicillin L-A, is now on back order due to a manufacturing delay.

• 3-D-printed ear creates hope for organ transplants

  Tuesday, March 29, 2016

  Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina used a 3-D printer to fabricate human baby-sized ear structures and successfully implanted them beneath the skin of mice. Within two months, blood vessels and cartilage began to grow in the ear structures, which had maintained their shape. The scientists presented their work recently in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

• Mini-stomachs created from reprogrammed cells can produce insulin

  Tuesday, March 15, 2016

  ​In a study published this month in Cell, researchers used stomach cells to create "mini-organs" that produce insulin after transplantation into mice. Results from the study show that antral stomach cells demonstrate the ability to convert into functional insulin-secreting cells.

• Ketamine is safe, effective for difficult‑to‑sedate ED patients

  Monday, March 14, 2016

  A small segment of patients presenting to emergency departments with acute behavioral disturbances do not respond to traditional sedation. A new Australian study suggests ketamine is safe and effective sedation for these patients.

• Would you trust a robot in an emergency?

  Thursday, March 10, 2016

  Understanding human trust in robots is increasingly important as we enter an age of self-driving cars and artificial intelligence. While science fiction suggests people have an inherent mistrust in robots, researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology recently found that humans may trust robots too much in high stress situations.

• Team develops wireless, dissolvable sensor for TBI

  Tuesday, February 23, 2016

  An estimated 1.7 million people in the U.S. sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) annually, and about 52,000 people die from TBIs each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Not every blow to the head results in TBI, but intracranial hypertension is common in patients with TBI.

• New method can detect wound infection in minutes

  Thursday, February 18, 2016

  ​New point-of-care diagnostic testing could help doctors detect wound infection in less than a minute, ​according to a new study in Wound Repair and Regeneration. This new testing would present a vast improvement over the 24 hours it currently takes to plate and incubate bacteria.

• Key differences in new guidelines for heart transplantation

  Wednesday, February 17, 2016

  ​The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) has published new guidelines for heart transplantation candidacy that address many of the important and relevant issues associated with transplantation.

• Scientists working on saliva test to detect date rape drug, fake alcohol

  Tuesday, January 26, 2016

  ​The number of emergency department visits related to alcohol has risen dramatically in the United States in recent years. It can be challenging for ED doctors to quickly determine whether alcohol alone caused a patient's symptoms or whether other drugs are involved.

• Study: Short people may be at disadvantage for lung transplants

  Tuesday, January 12, 2016

  ​Short people have lower odds of getting a lung transplant, ​according to a recent report by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). Researchers found that lung transplant candidates with short stature are more likely to experience long waiting times and higher rates of death and respiratory failure while on the waiting list compared to candidates of average height. Since women are generally shorter than are men, this disparity puts females at particular risk.

• This new blood test may be the future of detecting concussions

  Thursday, December 03, 2015

  ​Doctors, healthcare providers and even coaches may someday use a simple blood test to detect concussions in children, according to a new study in Academic Emergency Medicine. Concussion and traumatic brain injuries are a common, yet serious problem in the pediatric population. Hospitals treat about a quarter-million children for concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) each year.

• Study: Link between income and organ transplant access for the wealthy

  Tuesday, December 01, 2015

  Wealthy people appear to have an edge when it comes to organ transplants, according to research presented last month at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015. How is this true? Because these well-off patients register with more than one transplant center.

• How 3-D-printed blood vessels may help organ transplantation

  Monday, November 23, 2015

  Transplant surgeons need more than simply a mass of cells — they need vessel inlets and outlets that they can connect directly to arteries and veins. One of the largest hurdles scientists face when engineering livers, kidneys or other large artificial tissues is keeping the cells alive.

• Should medics stop for breathing or keep pumping during CPR?

  Wednesday, November 18, 2015

  A new study suggests that medics' use of continuous chest compressions with positive-pressure ventilation does not result in significantly higher rates of survival or favorable neurologic status than interrupting chest compressions for ventilation.

• New blood test can detect whether chest pain is a heart attack

  Wednesday, October 21, 2015

  Performing high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I at presentation in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) can rule out myocardial infarction (MI) quickly and accurately, according to a new study published in Lancet. This strategy could help emergency department physicians identify low-risk patients suitable for discharge, shorten ED wait times, reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, decrease costs — and, most importantly, alleviate patient anxiety about the possibility of having had a heart attack.

• Study: Use of a metronome helps in pediatric CPR

  Thursday, October 15, 2015

  ​Using a metronome during pediatric CPR may save lives, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. Each year, about 9,500 children experience an out of hospital, nontraumatic cardiac arrest in the United States, according to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. Of these, 7,700 receive treatment from EMS. However, survival to hospital discharge after EMS treatment is only 5.4 percent — with approximately 7,000 fatalities in pediatric patients each year.

• Paul’s Law would remove disability as factor in transplant decisions

  Tuesday, September 01, 2015

  The State of Pennsylvania is considering a proposal that removes disabilities as factors in decisions regarding organ transplant. Democratic state Sen. John Sabatina proposed the idea after hearing the story of a Schuylkill County man, Paul Corby, who was denied a spot on a transplant list partially due to his autism.

• Study: Transport times for stroke patients still need improvement

  Wednesday, August 19, 2015

  Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. The debilitating condition costs the nation an estimated $34 billion each year to cover healthcare services, medications and missed work.

• Induced hypothermia in kidney donors can improve transplantation

  Tuesday, August 18, 2015

  Dropping the temperature of a deceased organ donor by just 2 degrees C could improve efficiency of kidney transplantation, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Cooling donor bodies could reduce the possibility of developing delayed graft function by 38 percent. A form of acute renal failure that often results in allograft immunogenicity, post-transplantation oliguria and risk of acute rejection episodes, delayed graft function can reduce long-term survival of recipients.

• Study: Southern diet leads to higher risk for heart disease

  Thursday, August 13, 2015

  Consuming a Southern diet can increase the risk of heart disease, according to a new study. Published in the journal Circulation, the study investigates the relationship between a Southern diet — often including copious amounts of fried foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, eggs, processed meat, liver and other organ meats — and the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD).

• Are online symptom checkers accurate?

  Tuesday, August 04, 2015

  More than a third of all adults in the United States use the Internet to self-diagnose everything from hangnails to heart attacks. Most start out by typing symptoms into an Internet search engine, which often leads to a "symptom checker" website or app. A recent study by Harvard Medical School found that these symptom-checker sites and apps often provided inaccurate information for both triage and diagnosis.

• Pediatric stroke response teams speed diagnosis

  Thursday, July 23, 2015

  Although stroke typically occurs only in elderly patients, this condition can strike infants, children and young adults. For optimal recovery, members of the emergency department, radiology and other departments must work quickly to diagnose and treat pediatric stroke. As a result, many hospitals are now implementing pediatric acute stroke teams.

• Study: ED intervention helps encourage tobacco cessation

  Tuesday, May 26, 2015

  ​Smokers listen when emergency department doctors tell them to kick the habit, according to a new study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. The results of this study suggest that ED physicians have a great opportunity to reduce overall smoking rates for the approximately 20 million smokers across the United States.

• Study: Frequent ED users are at higher risk for death

  Wednesday, May 20, 2015

  Those who use emergency department services frequently are not time-wasters, according to a new study, but are actually at higher risk for death. There are more than 136 million emergency department (ED) visits in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers in this new study defined a frequent user as someone who visits an emergency department between four and 20 times a year.

• Study: Generic as good as name brand for post-transplant drugs

  Tuesday, May 19, 2015

  Generic formulations of tacrolimus are as effective as the name-brand version, according to a recent study led by the University of Cincinnati. Researchers enrolled 70 kidney and liver transplant patients into a prospective, blinded, six-way crossover study. Participants underwent transplantation at one of two hospitals — University of Cincinnati Medical Center or The Christ Hospital (Cincinnati).

• Experts: Make organ donation cheaper for donors

  Tuesday, April 28, 2015

  ​Everyone involved with organ donation profits, except for the donor. In fact, living organ donors and their families can incur thousands of dollars in related costs not covered by insurance. Experts now urge Americans to remove financial barriers to organ donation.

• Get to know the designer drug N‑bomb and its effects

  Thursday, April 23, 2015

  Recreational use of designer psychoactive drugs is rising dramatically. Designer drugs have gained popularity since law enforcement and legislation have made it more difficult for recreational users to secure cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, opioids and cannabis. These restrictions have encouraged suppliers and users to seek alternatives.

• Researchers regenerate heart cells in mice

  Tuesday, April 21, 2015

  ​Myocardial infarction (MI) causes irreversible necrosis of heart muscle secondary to prolonged ischemia. Scar tissue begins to build almost immediately, leading to the loss of contractile myocardium, which is a frequent cause of chronic heart failure. However, a new study suggests there may someday be a way to stimulate the body into regenerating heart cells after MI.

• New technique may help speed up heart attack diagnosis

  Friday, April 17, 2015

  Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a common cause of death and disability in the United States and around the world. Each year, about 735,000 Americans suffer an MI — 525,000 are a first heart attack and 210,000 are a second MI. Prompt treatment depends on early diagnosis, and both are critical to patient survival.

• Researchers engineer stem cells to treat sickle cell disease

  Tuesday, March 17, 2015

  ​Researchers at Johns Hopkins have taken an important step toward a more effective treatment for some patients with sickle cell disease who require frequent transfusions. In the study, which appeared in the journal Stem Cells, researchers say they have successfully corrected a genetic error in stem cells in these patients, then used those cells to grow mature red blood cells free from the genetic defect that causes sickle cell disease.

• FDA approves new CPR devices that may increase cardiac arrest survival

  Friday, March 13, 2015

  ​On March 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ​approved new CPR devices that might improve patient's chances of surviving cardiac arrest. Only 7 percent of the 300,000 out-of-hospital patients with cardiac arrests each year survive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), despite the fact that two-thirds of these patients receive treatment from emergency medical service providers.

• Think you know CPR? You’re probably doing it wrong

  Wednesday, March 04, 2015

  ​The depth and rate of chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) affects the recovery and survival rates of patients, according to a review presented by UT Southwestern Medical Center Emergency Medicine physicians. Nearly 383,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals each year, 88 percent of which occur at home. Effective CPR, even when administered by an untrained bystander, can double or even triple a patient's chances of survival. Unfortunately, only about 8 percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital survive.

• Study: Paramedics could administer drugs for ischemic stroke earlier

  Thursday, February 26, 2015

  ​Most ischemic stroke patients have to wait until they arrive at a hospital and undergo testing before receiving antithrombotic therapy. A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that it is feasible for paramedics to administer a neuroprotective agent while still in the field to optimize patient outcome.

• Novel drug therapy lowers antibodies in kidney transplant patients

  Tuesday, January 27, 2015

  ​A new preoperative drug therapy may reduce antibodies in kidney patients better than using traditional methods, according to a three-year clinical trial led by University of Cincinnati transplant researchers. The novel approach may increase patients' candidacy for kidney transplantation and decrease the chances of rejection.

• Strict rest after concussion offers no additional benefit

  Wednesday, January 14, 2015

  ​Emergency department physicians currently suggest that pediatric patients rest for one to two days following a concussion, but some practitioners had begun suggesting longer periods of rest and restricted activities. Now, ​a new study published in Pediatrics shows that strict bed rest offers no additional neurocognitive, balance or symptom benefit.

• New cardiac monitor process reduces alarm fatigue in hospitals

  Thursday, December 04, 2014

  ​A hospital monitor alarm can save a patient's life, as a single beep or high-pitched wail spurs doctors and nurses into action. However, the chorus of alarms that go off in the typical hospital ward can be mind-numbing to healthcare workers. The constant din of alarms can desensitize them, leading to "alarm fatigue" where audible alerts fail to catch the attention of workers.

• Research: Spinal cord injuries may cause brain degeneration

  Friday, November 21, 2014

  According to the National SCI Statistical Center, about 276,000 people in the U.S. currently live with spinal cord injuries, with about 12,500 new cases each year. Spinal cord injury (SCI) research usually focuses on damage to the spinal cord itself and rarely considers the effects of these injuries on the brain.

• 2 days of chemotherapy drug may control immune disease post-transplant

  Wednesday, November 05, 2014

  A short course of a chemotherapy drug may control life-threatening immune response, according to a new study, and even eliminate transplant patients' need for six months of immune suppression therapy. Patients receive a two-day course of cyclophosphamide after bone marrow transplant surgery in addition to receiving two other chemotherapy drugs before surgery.

• World’s smallest liver-kidney transplant saves toddler’s life

  Wednesday, October 22, 2014

  At 16 months old, Aspen Erickson received her combined liver-kidney transplant in a six-hour procedure at University of Utah Health Care. At the time of the procedure, the physicians did not realize Erickson would be the youngest person ever to undergo CLKTx.

• Study shows complications of dermatology cases in ED

  Thursday, October 16, 2014

  ​More than 75 percent of all dermatology complaints seen in emergency departments are acute rather than chronic, according to research results presented at the 23rd European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress.

• Thymus grown in mouse holds great potential for lab-created organs

  Wednesday, September 24, 2014

  Scientists have created a fully functioning organ from cells created in a lab then transplanted into an animal for the first time. This breakthrough may pave the way for the development of lab-grown replacement organs. It may also hold special promise for people suffering from weakened immune systems and bone marrow transplant patients.

• Study: ED visits for hypertension on the rise

  Wednesday, September 17, 2014

  Emergency department visits for high blood pressure jumped 25 percent in just five years, according to a recent study by the American Heart Association. Although more patients came to the ED presenting hypertension during those years, the percentage of admissions and hospital deaths decreased.

• New hydrogel drug delivery helps prevents transplant rejection

  Thursday, August 21, 2014

  ​Clinicians currently use systemic immunosuppression in vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA). While VCA can be a superior method of restoring the function and aesthetics of transplants, it can also cause significant side effects and negatively affect the quality of life for transplant patients.