After the death of a six-year-old Mastic Beach boy last September, the Stony Brook University Medical Center is implementing a pediatric early warning system in its emergency department.  Children now being treated in the Stony Brook University Medical Center’s emergency department are now evaluated by this system.

Earlier this month, the state Department of Health cited Stony Brook University Medical Center for not correctly diagnosing William Gonzalez, the six-year-old boy.  William died from heart complications on September 11, 2007, after it was discovered, too late, that he had an enlarged heart.  The state cited Stony Brook University Medical Center for its failure to consider other causes for the boy’s symptoms.  The prior month, William’s parents took him to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital when he began vomiting, was tired, and was unable to keep food down.  He was diagnosed with reflux at Brookhaven Memorial and was referred to Stony Brook.  William was seen at Stony Brook three times and each time he was seen, was treated reflux. (more…)

Women taking hormone replacement therapy—HRT—are likelier to require joint surgery, according to researchers at Oxford University.  Women taking HRT experienced a 58 percent greater risk of needing a new knee versus women who had never used HRT; the women’s chances of requiring a hip replacement were 38 percent higher if they were taking HRT.  HRT drugs link Premarin and Prempro are used to treat menopause symptoms.

The findings are a bit surprising because HRT is a popular preventative measure for osteoporosis, thinning of the bones.  The Oxford team said that while the results are baffling, they may be due to the effect of the oestrogen in HRT on the joints.  Meanwhile, other experts challenged the findings, noting that separate research on HRT shows it improves joint elasticity.  The research team believes HRT probably enables women to stay fitter for longer, resulting in greater demand for joint replacements as compared with their more sedentary counterparts.  The newest findings were published today in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases and are the result of a survey of 1.3 million middle-aged British women. (more…)

The Associated Press (AP) is now reporting that doctors are seeing drug-resistant staph bacteria acquiring so-called “superbug powers” resulting in much more serious illness than previously believed.  In the past, these germs had been easier to treat than the dangerous forms of staph found in hospitals and nursing homes, reports the AP.

“Until recently we rarely thought of it as a problem among healthy people in the community,” said Dr. Rachel Gorwitz of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Drug-resistant staph germs are “causing outbreaks in schools, on sports teams, and in other social situations,” said the AP.  A CDC study also revealed that at least 10 percent of cases involving the most common community strain were able to evade the antibiotics traditionally used to treat them.  “They’re becoming more resistant and they’re coming into the hospitals,” where they swap gene components with other bacteria and grow even more dangerous, said Dr. Keith Klugman, an infectious disease expert at Emory University. “It’s really a major epidemic.” (more…)

In yet another pet food recall, Mars Petcare US today announced it is recalling certain bags of SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend dry cat food sold, which was sold at Wal-Mart locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia. The pet food tested positive with Salmonella.  Owners are being advised not to feed the SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend dry cat food to pets and pet owners should dispose of the contaminated food in a safe manner, such as in securely covered trash receptacles.  Consumers should return the empty pet food bag to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, in the event of cross-contamination, can cause serious infections in people, especially children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.  Healthy people could experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and fever.  Sometimes, Salmonella can result in more serious health problems, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms.  Pets infected with Salmonella may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting, although some pets may only experience decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain.  Also, animals can carry the salmonella infection without exhibiting any visible symptoms and can potentially infect other animals or humans.  Pet owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-877-568-4463 or should visit the firm’s Website at www.petcare.mars.com. (more…)

The Justice Department is trying to have a lawsuit filed by Stryker Corp. dismissed.  The lawsuit, which was filed by the company against the federal government in August, is seeking  to prevent the enforcement of a subpoena  Stryker received in February.

The past year or so has been a rough one for Stryker.  In January, Stryker recalled some of its hip implant components made under the popular Trident line because of possible contamination issues.  The Stryker Hip Implant component recall involved two hip replacement cups – the Trident Acetabular PSL Cup and the Trident Hemispherical Cups – made at the Stryker facility in Cork, Ireland.  Acetabular Cups are used in the socket portion of replacement hip components.  The PSL version is the most commonly used Stryker cup in the U.S. The recall came after Stryker received two FDA warning letters about conditions at the Ireland plant, as well as a factory in New Jersey that also makes hip implants. (more…)

A new report has found that the cost for treating diabetes has skyrocketed, despite inconclusive evidence that newer, more expensive treatments provide added benefits to patients.

In 2002, diabetes accounted for more than 10 percent of U.S. health-care expenditures, and that number is expected to increase as the number of people with type 2 diabetes grows.   According to the study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago and Stanford University, between 2001 and 2007, spending for drugs went from $6.7 billion to $12.5 billion.

“We found dramatic changes in the treatment patterns for diabetes during the past decade,” study author Dr. G. Caleb Alexander, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, told The Washington Post. “This includes a remarkable change in drugs, as well as significant increases in costs.”

The study attributes much the increased treatment costs to expensive new drugs, which can be 8 to 11 times more costly than older, generic diabetes drugs.  Such drugs, including Januvia, Byetta and Avandia, are marketed as being more convenient and offering better control of blood sugar than the older medicines.  In many cases the new drugs are being used instead of insulin, the use of which dropped from 38 percent in 1994 to 28 percent in 2007.

However, it is not clear just how much these new drugs are actually benefiting patients.  “There are some real innovations here,” Alexander said. “But we don’t know enough about the comparative effectiveness of these medicines compared with older medicines to make a final verdict.”

In some cases, new diabetes drugs are found to have dangerous side effects after they are approved and have been prescribed to millions of people.  For instance, recently the diabetes drugs Avandia and Byetta have been the subject of safety concerns. On August 18, the FDA said that Byetta had been linked to 6 cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta since its October alert. All patients required hospitalization, two patients died and four patients were recovering at time of reporting. Byetta was discontinued in all 6 cases.  Then, on August 26, Amylin announced that four additional fatalities had been confirmed in Byetta patients suffering from milder forms of pancreatitis.

Concerns about Avandia arose in 2007, after a New England Journal of Medicine revealed data linking Avandia to an increased risk of heart attack.   Avandia, which has been on the market since 1999, has long carried warnings of its cardiovascular side effects, such as an increased risk for congestive heart failure and GlaxoSmithKline has known about concerns over Avandia’s heart attack risks since at least 2004; however, the heart attack risk was not mentioned in Avandia’s packaging information until November.  The FDA raised existing warnings about congestive heart failure after the New England Journal’s publication triggered a congressional inquiry.

A risk assessment group now says damage costs from Hurricane Ike could go as high as $21 billion.  That figure would make Hurricane Ike the third most expensive storm in U.S history, behind Hurricanes Katrina and Andrew.

The new estimate from Risk Management Solutions of $13 – $21 billion is higher than the $7 – $21 billon figure the group released just four days after the Sept. 13 storm.  The damage estimates include $10 billion to $15 billion for wind and storm surge, $2 billion to $3 billion from inland wind and flood losses and $1 billion to $3 billion in offshore losses.   (more…)

Thousands of medical devices are approved every year in the U.S. without proof of their effectiveness.  The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) defends this process – known as 501(k) approvals – by claiming that it promotes innovation.  But a recent article in The New York Times raises serious concerns that 501(k) approvals might actually be putting patients at risk.

According to The New York Times, when Congress gave the FDA authority over medical devices in 1976, it allowed a quick review process for any new product deemed “substantially equivalent” to something already on the market.  That expedited process became known as a 510(k) review under the relevant section of the law.  But in 1976, devices played a much smaller role in medicine.  Critics of the 510(k) review argue that the complexity of the thousands of devices on the market today makes the expedited process inadequate. (more…)

The rapidly increasing E.coli outbreak that is linked to the Harvey’s chain restaurant in the North Parry area of Ontario, Canada has resulted in a 15-year-old girl remaining hospitalized and in serious condition.  There are 209 other suspected cases of E. coli that also appear to be linked to Harvey’s in North Bay.

Now, the first reports of a class action suit against Harvey’s are emerging, while the local health unit there continues to fight off claims it delayed advising the public which restaurant was involved.  The first cases were reported two weekends ago, said Dr. Catherine Whiting, medical officer of health for the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit.  Although the symptoms, which include bloody diarrhea, were similar, a common link was not found.  “And then Sunday, a few more cases were reported.  At that time later in the afternoon, we received our first positive lab report,” Dr. Whiting explained. Soon after, Harvey’s was found to be the common denominator. (more…)

Hong Kong authorities are expanding their testing of food to now include meat products imported from China, the Associated Press (AP) reported this weekend.  The expansion was implemented following the discovery of excessive melamine levels found in Chinese eggs.

The AP reported that the broadening of testing followed an announcement this weekend that Hong Kong testers discovered 4.7 parts per million of melamine in imported eggs produced by a division of China’s Dalian Hanwei Enterprise Group.  The legal melamine limit for food products in Hong Kong is nearly half that at 2.5 ppm.  Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health, York Chow said that the melamine may have come from feed given to the chickens that laid the eggs, “The preliminary opinion experts have given us is that there is a problem with the feed,” Chow is quoted as saying in the AP.  Chow reported that the egg results prompted officials to expand food testing to meat imports from China; Hong Kong officials will increase checks of eggs imported from China, as well. (more…)