Dr. Breite and Dr. Rein are both in the office during their normal hours

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Avoid That Heart Attack 24/7: Go For 8/5

Weekends can be quiet times at hospitals. Overall staffing is lower, and many areas are closed except in the case of emergencies. Given that a lot of what does occur in hospitals is "routine," the question is, does it make a difference? A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine states that it might. The article, which looked at the short, medium and one year mortality rates of over 230,00 patients with myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) in NJ over a 15 year period showed that being admitted to the hospital over a weekend increased the absolute risk of death by over 1%. When the researchers looked at the data, there were no significant differences in the health or presentation of patients on weekends versus weekdays.

An interesting editorial in the Journal, by two Canadian physicians, notes that in Canada, hospitals and physicians are paid more when performing invasive cardiology procedures on the weekend, thus making it tenable to gather together the team required to perform these procedures. The editorialists note that this is similar to paying overtime; common in almost all other lines of work.

Obviously, if you have chest pain, don't wait till Monday before going to the Emergency Room! We are happy to note that the cardiologists at NYU (where we admit) always seem willing to come in on weekends.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Throwing Out Drugs

According to an article in todays Wasington Post, you shouldn't just throw those old drugs into the toilet. Its bad for the groundwater, landfills, bacteria in septic systems, etc. Drugs should be put out with the regular trash. You may want to put them in a sealed container so pets or kids don't eat them.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Detecting Chronic HPC Infection in Women Over 30

NPR has posted an excellent article (and podcast) on some changes in screening recommendations for cervical cancer, particularly in women over the age of 30. Although they refer to people over 30 as "older women" I will forgive them! Some important points:

  • There is a new test for high risk strains of HPV virus that can detect the virus even when PAP smears are negative.
  • Because younger women tend to clear the virus it is not recommended for women under 30.
  • Women in monogamous relationships with negative HPV and Pap smears may need to have routine GYN exams less frequently (3 years)
Although you should speak to your gynecologist before changing how you see her/him, this is a very promising development in the field of preventative care.