Panel Says Yaz Label Should Be Re-Written
In a 21 to 5 vote, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that the labels on certain oral contraceptive drugs should be rewritten to reflect risks accurately. The pills in question contain the hormone drospirenone. The brand names for these products include Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz and Sayfral. Some studies suggest that the risk is higher for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in birth control pills with drospirenone than those with another hormone called levonorgestrel, a progestin. VTE occurs when blood clots …
Continue →Paper Transmits Hospital Germs
In the battle against hospital-acquired infections, health experts have already identified bed curtains, doctors’ lab coats, and nurses’ uniforms as potential germ factories. But papers being passed around the doctor’s office may also contain dangerous bacteria, a new study suggests. Researchers in Germany contaminated paper with four types of common bacteria and had volunteers handle the paper. They found that bacteria survived on the paper for at least 72 hours and could still be cultivated from paper a week later. …
Continue →IOM Recommends Independent Safety Agency for Health IT
Electronic medical records may improve patient safety—as long as those records are being used correctly, an Institute of Medicine report finds. The IOM report recommended setting up an independent federal entity to investigate injuries, deaths, and unsafe conditions related to health IT. Such an entity, like the Transportation Safety Board, could expose unintended but dangerous consequences, like dosing errors or failing to detect fatal illnesses. The organization wouldn’t approve or regulate products, though, since the committee felt it might inhibit …
Continue →Hospitals Debate Safety of Non-Sterile Wipes
A second recall of large amounts of potentially contaminated alcohol swabs is leading some infection experts to recommend that all non-sterile pads and wipes be removed from hospital settings. Nearly 300 million individual non-sterile alcohol prep products were recalled by Pacific Disposables International Inc. of Orangeburg, NY last month. The PDI recall follows an even more massive recall of hundreds of millions alcohol and iodine wipes and pads made and sold by the Triad Group and H&P Industries, Inc. of …
Continue →Four Loko Drink Cans to Show True Alcohol Content
The popular Four Loko beverage is again stirring up controversy after the Federal Trade Commission ordered them to change their packaging to reflect alcoholic content. Manufacturer Phusion Projects plans to put a warning on cans saying, “This can has as much alcohol as 4-1/2 regular (12 oz, 5 pct alc/vol) beers.” Previously, the packaging compared the alcohol content to one or two beers. The FTC, which monitors deceptive advertising, found the claims to be of serious concern. The drinks used …
Continue →Doctors May Be Wrong About Heart Attack Risks
A common method to calculate heart attack risks may be wrong, according to a new study in the Annals of Family Medicine. The findings might mean that doctors are basing their treatment decisions on inaccurate numbers, and potentially exposing patients to unnecessary treatment. Researchers found that the method grossly overestimated the amount of heart attacks in Spaniards, while a newer technique underestimated them. Doctors worldwide use the Framingham equation, a data set from a government-led study begun in 1948, in …
Continue →9/11 Firefighters at Increase Cancer Risk
Firefighters exposed to toxic fumes from ground zero during 9/11 are more likely to develop cancer, according to a new study published in the Lancet medical journal. The study revealed that those working at the site surrounding the World Trade Center towers are 19% more likely to get a cancer diagnosis when compared to firefighters not working at ground zero. The authors of the study suggested that the latency period—the time between exposure to a carcinogen and the development of …
Continue →MRSA Infections on the Rise Among Children
A strain of staph bacteria called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is making its way into the lives and homes of people not typically at risk for the fast-moving bacteria. Researchers are urging parents to become educated about symptoms of MRSA in order to ensure that the disease is caught early and stopped before becoming severe. If your child develops an unexplained red spot that resembles a spider bite, you might have reason for concern. Others describe the first signs of …
Continue →Half of Hospitals Buy Back-Door Drugs
Recent drug shortages may have prompted hospital officials to buy drugs from back-door sources, according to a new survey. Fifty-two percent of hospital purchasing agents and pharmacists reported they’d bought drugs from questionable vendors during the previous two years, the survey showed. The Institute for Safe Medication surveyed 549 hospitals about their purchasing practices. Hospital purchasing agents reported that they felt pressure from desperate patients and demanding doctors to purchase from “gray-market suppliers.” Gray-market suppliers often buy drugs from uncertain …
Continue →New Safety Warning Issued for Tainted Wipe-Maker
Povidone iodine swab sticks, prep solutions, scrubs and gels manufactured by H&P Industries of Hartland, Wis., could pose an infection risk to surgery patients and others having surgical procedures, Food and Drug Administration officials warned Friday. H&P Industries this week recalled all lots of the povidone iodine products. Although no direct contamination was found, the FDA was concerned about the lack of a system to detect microbial contamination when the products went on the market. This is the latest massive …
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