Did the Canadian health system fail Natasha Richardson?

Physician
March 20, 2009

Would Natasha Richardson be alive today if she had gone skiing in the United States instead?

I don’t think it would have made a difference.

To recap the tragedy, Ms. Richardson died from an epidural bleed, after she fell while skiing. Her presentation was somewhat classic, with the well-described “lucid” period before she deteriorated.

According to Canada’s Globe and Mail, “ambulance workers were not …

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Did the Canadian health system fail Natasha Richardson?

Why do I need a rectal exam, and what can doctors find with the gloved finger?

Conditions
March 6, 2009

Have you ever wondered why doctors have to perform a digital rectal exam?

Well, look no further, as primary care doctor Rob Lamberts gives us the answers discerning readers demand.

Simply by looking at the rectum, which by the way, indeed “takes some getting used to,” can lead to significant diagnostic findings. Furthermore, does tight sphincter tone matter? And should you be worried about the large hands …

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Why do I need a rectal exam, and what can doctors find with the gloved finger?

Relative value units, and how the RVU payment system doesn’t allow doctors to practice good medicine

Policy
March 5, 2009

For those who don’t know, every piece of work that a doctor performs is quantified and measured.

The base unit of physician work is known as the relative value unit (RVU). Most physician salaries are determined by the amount of RVUs a doctor produces in a given year, and in most cases, can range between$35 and $45 per RVU in primary care, depending on geographic location and …

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Relative value units, and how the RVU payment system doesn’t allow doctors to practice good medicine

Ways you can die from having sex

Potpourri
February 17, 2009

Cosmo Magazine, that bastion of reliable medical advice, declares, “An orgasm almost killed her.”

Intrigued, gynecologist Amy Tuteur reads further, and finds its about case where a woman developed stroke-like symptoms after intercourse, and was diagnosed with an embolic stroke.

The patient was taking the birth control pill, which can raise the risk of blood clots. In this case, it was also combined with the presence of …

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Ways you can die from having sex

Her hands and feet amputated, a Brazilian model dies from Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis. What happened?

Uncategorized
January 25, 2009

Mariana Bridi da Costa, a 20-year old Brazilian model, tragically died early Saturday morning from Pseudomonas aeruginosa urosepsis.

How can this happen?

Miss Bridi da Costa initially presented on December 30th, and was diagnosed with kidney stones. An ultrasound, plain film, or CT scan likely would have been done to confirm the diagnosis. I assume that a urinalysis was also performed, and if …

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Her hands and feet amputated, a Brazilian model dies from Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis. What happened?

What do doctors look for when they examine the abdomen?

Uncategorized
January 16, 2009

A primary care doctor guides us through the abdominal physical exam.

He deciphers the much-written notation of “Abd: Soft, NT, Normal BS, no HSM or masses*,” and explains what physicians look for when they poke, prod, percuss, and listen to when examining a patient’s belly.

You’d be surprised at some of the things we find simply by pressing on the abdomen.

* For those who need translation, …

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What do doctors look for when they examine the abdomen?

Jett Travolta’s seizure and death, was Scientology a factor?

Uncategorized
January 3, 2009

Jett Travolta tragically passed away yesterday, after being found unconscious in his hotel room by his caretaker. There is speculation that he had a seizure and hit his head on a bathtub.

Travolta apparently had a long history of medical problems, including Kawasaki disease, which is a vasculitis that primarily affects children. It is one of the most common causes of acquired heart disease in children, and …

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Jett Travolta’s seizure and death, was Scientology a factor?

Why too many CT and MRI scans can be dangerous for patients

Uncategorized
December 9, 2008

This is an important article to read.

Many of the incentives today encourage doctors to order more advanced imaging scans, like CTs and MRIs. This expensive practice is invariably caused by this common scenario, as “patients who are in pain often demand scans hoping to find out what is wrong, doctors are tempted to offer scans to those patients, and then, once a scan is done, it …

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Why too many CT and MRI scans can be dangerous for patients

Is there a place for a part-time medical residency?

Education
November 25, 2008

Doctors in training often do so in their prime family-rearing years.

A few pediatric residencies are offering part-time residency options, designed for those who also want to raise their own families. Proponents argue that residents can not only get more rest, but also avoid depression, which affected almost a quarter of pediatrics residents.

Combined with the talk of further limiting work hours down to 56 …

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Is there a place for a part-time medical residency?

Sharpie for surgery

Uncategorized
October 25, 2008

Surgeons use markers to identify the right body part for procedures. Unfortunately, they care become contaminated with bacteria which can lead to surgical site infections.

Enter the Sharpie: “As it turns out, the ink used in a Sharpie pen has an alcohol base, making it an unexpected germ fighter.”

Who knew? The Sharpie is probably also many times cheaper than the single-use “sterile” pen used …

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Sharpie for surgery

Tom Brady and his knee infection

Uncategorized
October 23, 2008

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady recently underwent repair of his anterior cruciate ligament at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. His doctor was Neal S. ElAttrache, who’s a renowned orthopedic surgeon and former team physician of an NFL team.

Unfortunately, his post-op course has been complicated by an infection. On his website, TomBrady.com, he acknowledged this and said that the original procedure was …

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Tom Brady and his knee infection

Are MRI results accurate?

Uncategorized
October 14, 2008

Most physicians and patients think that the MRI scan is one of the more sensitive and comprehensive diagnostic tests.

However, there is significant variability in reading and performing the scans, which makes having it done at a reputable institution more imperative:

Magnetic resonance machines, though, vary enormously, and not just in the strength of their magnets. Even more important, radiologists say, is the quality of the imaging …

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Are MRI results accurate?

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My take: Tim Russert

Uncategorized
June 14, 2008

WSJ Health Blog: “Russert’s doctor Michael Newman said the tough-questioning but congenial host of NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ had been under treatment for asymptomatic coronary disease, but that it was under control with medication. He was carrying excess weight, Newman observed, but he got regular exercise and he performed well on an exercise stress test in April.”

GruntDoc: “I therefore propose a new sign in …

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My take: Tim Russert

My take: What makes a good medical blog?

Uncategorized
May 2, 2008

Maria writes: “I’d like your take on what you think constitutes a ‘good’ medblog . . . I am continually surprised with what people like about medblogs. Some people like brief links, some people like critical discussions, some people like stories.

This ultimately all boils down to opinion, but I’d like to know what traits you like in medblogs.

Can you start by opining that you strongly dislike …

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My take: What makes a good medical blog?

Abortion by massage

Uncategorized
September 7, 2007

Disturbing:

The petite 44-year old, who declined to give her last name, paid 150 pesos ($3) for a hilot, or traditional midwife like Minda, to crush her three-month old fetus using rough strokes and pincer-like grips on her belly.

The procedure, which can also involve pounding the lower abdomen to trigger a miscarriage, is called a massage.

(via Healthbolt)

Abortion by massage

What killed Beethoven?

Uncategorized
August 29, 2007

Lead poisoning is the common answer. However, new analysis (found in the Beethoven Journal – which I never knew existed) sheds new light:

Christian Reiter has conducted months of painstaking work applying CSI-like methods to strands of Beethoven’s hair.

He says his analysis, published last week in the Beethoven Journal, found that in the final months of the composer’s life, lead concentrations in his body spiked …

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What killed Beethoven?

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