Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) has expressed concern over possible reuse of insulin pens in more than one patient and said yesterday it will be sending letters to as many as 185 diabetes patients who might be victims of such medical malpractice.  The letters will urge patients to be tested for hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and HIV.  The hospital said it was still not clear whether an insulin pen—a pre-filled syringe meant to be used in a single patient to dispense insulin—was used in more than one patient and Dr. Steven Walerstein, the hospital’s medical director, said there were no reports of any resulting infection.

Arthur Gianelli, NUMC’s chief executive, said nurses reported hearing about a possible syringe reuse and NUMC opted to err on the side of caution. “We don’t know if it actually happened, but there was enough hearsay to conclude it might have happened,” Gianelli said.  “We decided we have to do the best we can to protect people’s health.”  NUMC said it removed all insulin pens and notified the state Department of Health, which was on-site yesterday investigating the potential problem. (more…)

A recent study has shed new light on the frequency of depression among nursing home patients.  The study - which involved 272 elderly patients with an average age of 81— looked at how often those patients reported feeling depressed and were prescribed antidepressants at both a long-term care facility and through a home-care agency.  The research revealed that patients in a nursing home setting are more likely to be prescribed antidepressants and to self-report depression as compared to those patients being treated in a home-health care setting.  Jodi Shapuras and Lindsay Egan, undergraduate students in the social work program at ISU, conducted the research at their internships as part of a senior-level field practicum class.  Shapuras and Egan said they weren’t surprised by their findings.

“We are both interested in working with the elderly population in our careers, so we conducted this research to get a better feel for the prevalence of depression in those who need some level of outside care,” said Shapuras of Mitchell, Indiana.  “As social workers, it is important to understand the mental health issues, such as depression, within the different care settings.  We actually hypothesized that the long-term care patients would utilize antidepressants more and would self-report depression more,” said Egan of Terre Haute, Indiana. “When an individual moves to a long-term care facility, they undergo a tremendous amount of changes.  They are no longer able to live independently and are relying on others for care and this greatly affects how they feel about themselves and the world around them.” (more…)

Seventy seven more former patients of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada have tested positive for hepatitis C, and their illnesses are likely the result of the unsanitary methods employed by the now-closed clinic.  The 77 cases of hepatitis C combined with those confirmed earlier bring the number of cases linked to clinics run by the same group of doctors to 85.

In February, the Southern Nevada Health District sent letters to 40,000 people treated at the clinic, advising them to get tested for hepatitis B and C, and HIV. The Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada has been under investigation since early January, after health officials learned of three people who had been diagnosed with hepatitis C after being treated there. Ultimately, the Southern Nevada Health District said a total of six people were known to have contracted hepatitis C after being treated at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. Five of them were treated the same day in late September; the sixth is believed to have been infected in July, the district said. The Southern Nevada Health District investigation revealed that “unsafe injection practices related to the administration of anesthesia medication might have exposed patients to the blood of other patients.” In March, a seventh hepatitis C victim, who had been treated at a clinic owned by the same group that owns the Endoscopy Center, was identified. (more…)

Palama Meat Company is voluntarily recalling some ground beef products processed at its Kapolei plant in Hawaii that  between April 9-21 due to possible E. Coli contamination.  Approximately 4,500 cases of ground beef-related products are affected.  To date, Palama Meat has recovered about 40% of the product affected by this recall.

Consumers who have any of the following products are asked to return the product to point of purchase for a refund.  The following products with any of the associated Lot Codes are subject to recall.  A label with the production Lot Code is on every case and the production Lot Code is the date of production in a six-digit number in a Year Day Month (YR DY MO) format: (more…)

In a move that shocked Merck and Wall Street analysts last week, Merck’s new and long-awaited cholesterol drug—Cordaptive—was rejected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Some leading heart researchers were not surprised, saying that the FDA is more reticent to approve new drugs in the wake of recent defective drug controversies and accusations the FDA might have approved several which were not fully tested.

“There is a shifting landscape in the medical community,” said Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Steven Nissen.  Nissen’s outspoken criticism factored in painkiller Vioxx and diabetes medicine Avandia being withdrawn from market. 

”When you have a drug that has potentially widespread actions in the body, you would like to characterize its effects before using a drug in a number of patients,” he said. “There is a question if we know enough about a new drug to go forward.” (more…)

Honda ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) have been recalled because of a defect that could cause them to lose steering control.  The steering defect, which affects about 1,400 Model Year 2008 Honda TRX500 ATVs, has not resulted in any reported injuries.

ATVs can be very dangerous vehicles, even in the best of circumstances. According to data collected by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), ATVs killed more than 500 people in 2006 and of those victims nearly 1 on in 5 was a child.  In addition to ATV deaths, accidents involving these vehicles sent 146,600 people to hospital emergency rooms that same year.   .  Some 75% of the ATV accidents result in serious damage to the head or spinal cord of the accident victim. Head injuries are a major cause of serious life threatening or lifelong physical problems and ailments. Injury to the spinal cord can result in paralysis of the entire body for life. In its annual report released in February, the CPSC said Pennsylvania has had the highest number of reported ATV deaths since 1982, followed by California, West Virginia, Texas and Kentucky. Every state had at least one death attributed to ATVs. (more…)

A man who claims he fell violently ill with Salmonella poisoning after eating at Casa Fiesta in late April is suing the restaurant. Kody Dewitt, who is seeking over $25,000 in damages for the hospital bills and hardships he claims he suffered from eating Salmonella-tainted food at Casa Fiesta, filed the lawsuit in Huron County Common Pleas Court this week. The lawsuit follows an Ohio Department of Health investigation into 26 confirmed cases of Salmonella food poisoning wherein all of the patients ate at Casa Fiesta at 196 Milan Avenue, according to Tim Hollinger, Huron County health commissioner.

The lawsuit contends that soon after Dewitt ate at Casa Fiesta on April 25, he fell terribly ill, requiring hospitalization; he lost wages because of the Salmonella poisoning; and he sustained bodily injury and permanent damage that will forever limit his earning capability. Local news agencies report that other people who claim they were sickened by Salmonella-tainted food at Casa Fiesta plan to sue. (more…)

The US Justice Department wants to know more about a crucial Vytorin study, the results of which were concealed for more than  a year.  Known as ENHANCE, the study found that Vytorin  was no more effective at preventing clogged arteries than less expensive statin drugs.   The Justice Department probe is just one of many looking into the way ENHANCE was handled.

Vytorin, which was developed and marketed jointly by Merck and Schering-Plough, was approved for use by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004. Since it came on the market, Vytorin sales have reached $5 billion per year. Vytorin is a combination of cholesterol-lowering Zetia and the statin Zocor. Statins like Zocor reduce the amount of cholesterol produced by the liver, while Zetia lessens the amount of cholesterol in food that is absorbed in the intestines. High cholesterol levels put a person at risk of developing clogged arteries – a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Doctors and Vytorin users were led to believe that the drug would effectively reduce both sources of cholesterol, thereby lessening the amount of plaque build up in the arteries, as well as the risk of having heart attacks and strokes. (more…)

A prominent consumer advocacy group says Ortho Evra, Johnson & Johnson’s controversial birth control patch, is too dangerous to be on the market.  Public Citizen is asking federal regulators to ban Ortho Evra because it poses a higher risk of potentially fatal blood clots than other hormone-based contraceptives.

When Ortho Evra was introduced in 2002, Johnson & Johnson touted the once-weekly patch as a convenient alternative to daily oral contraceptive pills. The drug’s original safety label stated that the patch’s health risks were similar to those of oral contraceptives. But in 2005, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warned that women using Ortho Evra were exposed to approximately 60 percent more estrogen than those who use oral contraceptive pills. It is believed that the difference in exposure is related to the delivery mechanism of the birth control patch. Hormones in birth control pills are partially diluted by the digestive system. However, hormones in Ortho Evra are absorbed directly into the blood stream, which causes a higher concentration of the medication to enter a patient’s body. High levels of estrogen can greatly increase the risk of developing blood clots, heart attacks, strokes and other serious injuries. (more…)

Two women who were hospitalized for several weeks due to E. coli infections that were linked to tainted lettuce in a Wendy’s meal are suing the popular fast food chain.  Dozens of people attending an education conference in June 2006 fell ill after eating food from Wendy’s.  The women say they ate the contaminated food at a Wendy’s restaurant in North Ogden, Utah and the lawsuits were filed this week against Wendy’s International in Salt Lake City federal court.  Lesiel Calvert and her husband, who live in Weber County and Megan Richards and her husband, who live in Cache County, filed the lawsuits.  The lawsuits seek an unspecified amount of money.

Escherichia coli is a relatively common bacteria found in the human digestive tract is normally harmless; however, some strains, including those linked to food poisoning, are serious and can cause fatal blood poisoning, cystitis, and deadly septicemia.  In the United States, E. coli is the leading cause of food-borne illness.  About 73,000 people are infected and 61 people die from it E. coli each year.  And, last year alone, over 22 million pounds of beef and vegetables were recalled due to E. coli outbreaks. (more…)