Texts may help people with diabetes manage care (USA)

What if a doctor's orders were as simple as two text messages a day to keep the ER at bay? A recent study published in Annals of Emergency Medicine used an automated mobile health (mHealth) program to reach low-income inner-city patients with type 2 diabetes and engage them in their own health and disease management outside of emergency facilities. Researchers recruited 128 participants who had sought care for diabetes at the Los Angeles County Hospital of the University of Southern California ED. The study reported that the largest safety-net hospital in the county's public care system annually serves 170,000 patients, 70 percent of them Latino. Study participants could choose English or Spanish versions of the messages, which offered tips on healthy behavior and disease management and did not require a smartphone to receive

The D2d Study (USA)

The goal of the Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes (D2d) study is to determine whether vitamin D supplementation is safe and effective in delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes in people at risk for the disease and to gain a better understanding of how vitamin D affects glucose metabolism. There are over 79 million Americans who are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle changes, such as healthy eating, exercise and weight loss, can decrease the chances of developing diabetes. However, many people still develop diabetes despite efforts at changing their lifestyle. Therefore, there is a continued need for the identification of modifiable risk factors and interventions that are safe, inexpensive and easy to implement to prevent type 2 diabetes and decrease disease burden. Based on recently published studies, vitamin D has emerged as a potential determinant of type 2 diabetes risk. However, according to reports by the Institute of Medicine and the Endocrine Society, the evidence to support vitamin D supplementation for prevention of diabetes is inconclusive and there is a need for definite studies in this area, such as the D2d study. The D2d study is a large multi-center clinical trial conducted in twenty cities around the United States. The D2d study will enroll approximately 2,400 participants who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either vitamin D or placebo and be followed for up to 4 years for development of diabetes. The D2d study is expected to define the role of vitamin D supplementation in modifying diabetes risk in people at risk for the disease

Smart phone strategy: reminder call helps control blood pressure (USA)

Better blood pressure control may be as simple as an automated telephone call. In a study published in the September issue of The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, researchers from Kaiser Permanente Southern California made automated phone calls to hypertensive patients reminding them to visit their doctor's office to have their blood pressure checked. Patients who received the calls controlled their blood pressure significantly better than the control group who received no calls (32.5 percent vs. 23.7 percent). Kaiser Permanente Southern California is a health delivery system that provides care to more than 3.5 million people. "This study provides new information about how an automated telephone message can lead to improved BP [blood pressure] control among patients with hypertension," said the study's lead author, Teresa Harrison, SM, in a press release. "We found that this simple outreach program can improve blood pressure control, especially among patients with multiple chronic conditions."

Prominent cardiologist admits record $19 million medical billing fraud scheme (USA)

A cardiologist with offices in New York City and New Jersey carried out what federal authorities called the largest health care fraud ever recorded by a single practitioner in those states. Federal prosecutors said 68-year-old Jose Katz of Closter, N.J., admitted to submitting $19 million in fraudulent billings to Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers. Prosecutors said he subjected thousands of patients to unnecessary and potentially life-threatening treatments as a result of phony diagnoses. "After years of prominence in his field, Jose Katz will now be remembered for his record-setting fraud," said U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman. "Katz was so focused on illegal profits that he directed unlicensed and unqualified providers to treat his patients, ordered unnecessary tests and cavalierly ordered treatments that could have caused patient harm. Ripping off the government and insurance companies is bad enough; risking patient health in the bargain is inexcusable," said Fishman. Katz also admitted keeping his wife on his payroll, even though she did little or no work, so she would be eligible for a quarter-million dollars in Social Security

Free statins in aisle 6: US supermarket chain giving away atorvastatin

In an attempt to gain a competitive edge over other retail outlets, Wegmans, a US supermarket chain with stores in the mid-Atlantic region, is offering free atorvastatin to its customers. The generic medication is available only to those with a prescription, but the hope is that the grocery store gains new customers by offering to fill these prescriptions at their pharmacies for no cost. The company intends to keep atorvastatin free until the end of 2013, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, after initially planning to end the promotion at the end of April. The company has not said how many new customers it has gained as a result of the promotion. Although supermarket loss leaders, the products sold at very low prices to draw customers into the store, typically include items such as soda, chips, or paper towels, it is not unheard of for US supermarkets and pharmacies to use generic medications as loss leaders. ShopRite gives seven diabetes drugs away for free as well as several antibiotics, notes the Inquirer. In addition, Meijer, a Midwestern store that sells everything from groceries to clothes to electronics, also gives atorvastatin away with a prescription. Lipitor, the branded version of atorvastatin made by Pfizer, was once a blockbuster medication for the company. In 2011, according to IMS Health, it had revenue of $8.2 billion. The patent expired in late 2011

Cardiac nurse program to be launched (USA)

Central Maine Medical Center and the Central Maine Medical Center College of Nursing and Health Professions are launching a specialty cardiac nurse residency program. The program will provide an educational pathway for graduate nurses to gain the knowledge and experience needed to provide acute cardiovascular nursing care. Scheduled to begin in June 2013, it will foster professional development based on the individual nurse resident's learning needs. The nurse resident will begin the program under the guidance of a primary preceptor. Program content, which includes instruction from College of Nursing faculty, consists of a core curriculum, standards of practice, and a cardiac/critical care course. After completing the 12-week program, the nurse residents will continue their critical care orientation under the guidance of a mentor for a year. The program will be offered for positions in the CMMC Intensive Care Unit and the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute Single-Stay Unit

80 percent of heart disease is preventable (USA)

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of U.S. men and women even though almost 80 percent of it is preventable, a Mayo Clinic cardiologists says. Cardiologist Dr. Martha Grogan, medical editor-in-chief of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life! said there are several simple tips to reduce heart disease risk. Grogan encouraged people to move 10 extra minutes each day because a sedentary lifestyle may increase the risk of heart attack almost as much as smoking does, recent studies showed. Make an effort each day to get up from the desk to go talk to a colleague instead of sending an email, or walk around the house as you talk on the phone, Grogan recommended. "Moving even 10 minutes a day for someone who's been sedentary may reduce the risk for heart disease by 50 percent," Grogan said in a statement. Americans too often cheat themselves of sleep and their hearts can pay the price, said Dr. Virend Somers, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and sleep expert. "Sleep is a necessity, like food and water. It's not a luxury," Somers said. Chronic sleep deprivation can increase the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression. Dr. Randal Thomas, a Mayo preventive cardiologist said a 53-year-old male smoker with high blood pressure has a 20 percent chance of having a heart attack over the next 10 years. If he stops smoking, his risk drops to 10 percent; if he takes high blood pressure medicine, it falls to 5 percent, Thomas said

Tough times ahead can tip the scale towards obesity (USA)

A new study from the University of Miami recently found that a tough economic climate can cause weight gain for individuals. In particular, the researchers discovered that, during hard times, people are more likely to look towards high-calorie foods that will keep them feeling happy over a longer period of time. In addition, they found that, when paired with messages like "live for today," individuals were more impulsive in their actions and consumed almost 40 percent more food than a group who wasn't given a message that was more neutral in tone. On the other hand, when food was paired with a "tough times" message, people appeared to consume around 25 percent less of the food provided. "The findings of this study come at a time when our country is slowly recovering from the onslaught of negative presidential campaign ads chalked with topics such as the weak economy, gun violence, war, deep political divides, just to name a few problem areas," explained Juliano Laran, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Miami School of Business Administration, in a prepared statement. "Now that we know this sort of messaging causes people to seek out more calories out of a survival instinct, it would be wise for those looking to kick off a healthier new year to tune out news for a while." The outcomes of the study were recently featured in the February edition of Psychological Science, a journal affiliated with the Association of Psychological Science

Novel catheter-based treatment for heart failure begins U.S. trial

CardioKinetix, Inc., a medical device company, based in Menlo Park, California, recently announced the start of a major U.S.-based trial for their Parachute™ Ventricular Partitioning Device, the first catheter-based treatment for heart failure. Implanted in a procedure similar to coronary angioplasty and stents, initial smaller trials for the device have shown positive results at two and three years. As a result of this data, the Parachute currently is approved for use in Europe and carries the CE Mark. The PARACHUTE IV Trial expects to enroll 478 patients in the U.S.

Xtreme Eating 2013: extremism running amok at America's restaurant chains

A milkshake with a slice of apple pie blended right in. A 3,000-calorie plate of pasta. A breakfast that includes deep-fried steak and pancakes (and hash browns and eggs and gravy and syrup). Obesity rates may show signs of leveling off, but it looks like America's major restaurant chains are doing everything possible to reverse the trend, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group unveils the latest "winners" of its Xtreme Eating Awards in the current issue of its Nutrition Action Healthletter. "It's as if IHOP, The Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano's Little Italy, and other major restaurant chains are scientifically engineering these extreme meals with the express purpose of promoting obesity, diabetes, and heart disease," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "You'd think that the size of their profits depended on their increasing the size of your pants."

Camera offers new view of the heart (USA)

Colquitt Regional Medical Center, Georgia, USA, purchased a new D-SPECT Nuclear Myocardial Perfusion camera for use in the cardiology department. The new camera allows for advanced high-speed imaging of the heart while lowering the radiation dosage. According to the size of the patient, the system alters the time length of the scan and the dose administered to produce a sharper image quality each time the equipment is used for cardiac screenings. "This camera is ten times faster than the previous system we used," said David Spence, director of diagnostic imaging. "Images can be obtained in about 12 minutes compared to the older system that took 40 minutes allowing for better patient comfort and time for the scan acquisition of the heart. The images are of exceptionally high quality and allow for better interpretation of the patient’s heart." The system is designed like a chair with a camera that is stationary to the patient reducing motion. Patients with breathing difficulties can be scanned upright for all images. The system is also designed to accommodate patients weighing up to 500 pounds

Good Samaritan gives CPR to Canadian tourist suffering heart attack in midtown (USA)

The family of a Canadian tourist who suffered a heart attack in midtown want to say "thank you" the stranger who saved his life. Relatives of Jason Kroft, a Toronto lawyer, have put up fliers around 6th Ave. and 45th St. hoping the good Samaritan works in the area and will come forward. Kroft, 40, was visiting family in Manhattan on October 5th when he clutched his chest and fell to his knees, his brother Ryan Kroft told ABC. The family called 911, but with no time to spare, a stranger emerged from the crowd. "The man appeared and asked a few questions and the next thing I knew he was giving mouth-to-mouth," Kroft said. As the ambulance arrived, Jason Kroft's wife, two daughters and brother rushed to see him into the ambulance. The life-saving stranger had already disappeared into the crowd. The family has only been able to identify the man as red-haired, in his 40's, and wearing a blue jacket and dress pants. Kroft was recovering after open-heart surgery at St. Luke's Hospital. "We would definitely like to find the guy and thank him, but if he doesn't want to be identified, we don't want to force him," Ryan Kroft said

Strokes in young people 'rising', study finds (USA)

A new study shows that the risk for stroke is becoming more common among people younger than 55 years old. The study, supported by National Institutes of Health and published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that strokes among people under 55 made up a greater percentage of all strokes over time, growing from about 13 percent in 1993-94 to 19 percent in 2005. "The reasons for this trend could be a rise in risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol," said study author Brett Kissela, MD, MS, with the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology

Health-care costs hit the elderly hard, diminish financial wellbeing (USA)

The protection of the savings of the elderly - one of the primary goals of Medicare - is under threat from a combination of spiraling healthcare costs and increased longevity. As the government attempts to reduce Medicare costs, one suggestion is that the elderly could pay a larger proportion of the costs of their healthcare. But exactly how much would this be and what impact would it have on their finances? A new study by Amy Kelley at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and her colleagues, funded by the National Institute on Aging, aims to identify the portion of wealth Medicare beneficiaries spend on healthcare costs in the last five years of life. Their work appears online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Medicare provides nearly universal health care coverage to the population over 65. However it does not pay for everything. There are co-payments and deductibles, and more importantly, homecare services and non-rehabilitative nursing home care, which are not covered. If proposals suggest the elderly should make even larger contributions to care, it is important to know more about patients' out-of-pocket spending under the current Medicare program

A millimeter-scale, wirelessly powered cardiac device (USA)

A team of engineers at Stanford has demonstrated the feasibility of a super-small, implantable cardiac device that gets its power not from batteries, but from radio waves transmitted from outside the body. The implanted device is contained in a cube just eight-tenths of a millimeter in radius. It could fit on the head of pin

Less chronic disease in store for fit 50-year-olds: study (USA)

Fit 50-year-olds are less likely to get chronic diseases as they age, according to a U.S. study that sheds new light on the link between exercise and healthy aging. "It has been known for decades that if you are more fit, you live longer," Dr. Jarett Berry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, told Reuters Health. "But it has not been clear that you have a higher quality of life, that you age better." It's possible that fit people just delay the onset of chronic illness, for instance, and end up being sick just as long as their weaker peers. But that doesn't appear to be the case, according to the new research, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. "We see truly reduced chronic disease, rather than just delaying the inevitable," said Berry, who led the study. He and his colleagues studied more than 18,600 healthy men and women who had undergone a treadmill test sometime around age 50 to measure their cardiorespiratory fitness

Unnecessary Stent Lawyers announce website for cardiac patients (USA)

The attorneys at Morgan and Morgan have announced that a website has been launched for patients who have undergone a cardiac catheterization or stent procedure. The site was developed in light of reports that some doctors and hospitals may be unnecessarily ordering these procedures in an attempt to increase their own revenue. On the site, patients can learn more about these allegations and find out how they can determine whether their cardiac stent procedure was necessary. Visit the website at unnecessarystentlawyers.com

Double-blind study tests heart-rhythm drugs (USA)

In the next three years, about 400 people on the brink of death will be part of a study for which they did not volunteer. In Clackamas and Washington counties in Oregon, and Clark County in Washington state, paramedics responding to unconscious people in cardiac arrest will administer CPR, then shock with a defibrillator. That's standard procedure, but if that doesn't work, a paramedic will pull open a mystery packet of unlabeled syringes for injection. Inside will be either one of two heart-rhythm medications, or a simple saline solution - saltwater. Neither paramedics nor doctors will be told what the syringes contained. Researchers later will use bar codes on the syringe to see if survival rates differ between them

Cardiac arrest survival improving in U.S. hospitals: study

More people hospitalized for cardiac arrest are surviving compared with a decade ago, according to a U.S. study, possibly because of changes in hospital treatment and the way bystanders respond when somebody collapses. The study, which appeared in the journal Circulation, found that in 2008, the death rate among U.S. residents hospitalized after cardiac arrest was just under 58 percent - down from almost 70 percent in 2001. Researchers, led by Alejandro Rabinstein of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, based their findings on a national hospital discharge database that included nearly 1.2 million people hospitalized for cardiac arrest. They stressed that the numbers accounted only for cardiac arrest victims who survive long enough to be admitted to the hospital. Many people die before then

Heart attack survivors living close to highways face higher 10-year death risk (USA)

Living close to a major highway poses a significant risk to heart attack survivors, reinforcing the need to isolate housing developments from heavy traffic areas, a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center study concludes. Writing in the May 7 edition of Circulation, researchers found heart attack survivors living less than 100 meters or 328 feet from a roadway have a 27 percent higher risk of over within 10 years than survivors living at least 1,000 meters away. That risk recedes to 13 percent for those living between 200 and 1,000-meter or 656 to 3,277-feet from the roadway. "Living close to a highway is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in those with underlying cardiac disease," says Murray Mittleman, MD, DrPH, a physician in the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of BIDMC's cardiovascular epidemiological research program. "Besides air pollution, exposure to noise could be a possible mechanism underlying this association." The Onset study of 3,547 heart attack survivors in 64 community hospitals and tertiary care medical centers recorded 1,071 deaths over 10 years. Of that total, 63 percent of the patients died of cardiovascular disease, 12 percent died of cancer and 4 percent expired from respiratory disease. Researchers analyzed factors such as personal, clinical and neighborhood-level characteristics such as income and education