Paramedic UK » Clinical Matters

Swine flu ‘hits airways harder’

Editor — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:05:34 +0000

H1N1 swine flu attacks the respiratory system in a more sustained way than the standard seasonal virus, research in animals shows.

Tests showed swine flu multiplies in greater numbers across the respiratory system, and causes more damage.

And instead of staying in the head like seasonal flu, it penetrates deeper into the respiratory tissues – making it more likely to cause pneumonia.

The University of Wisconsin study appears in the journal Nature.

It also suggests that swine flu may mimic the flu virus which caused the great pandemic of 1918, in which millions died.

The 1918 virus also had a greater ability than standard flu to cause damage to the respiratory system.

via BBC NEWS.

Night shift work can cause host of health problems

Editor — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:33:16 +0000

Night shift work is strenuous, but the potential health problems, such as obesity and cardiovascular disease, may be much bigger than previously thought, according to a recent study.

The study conducted by Harvard University in Boston and published in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed a higher risk of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease among night shift workers.

Blood levels of leptin were down, which increases obesity risk in the long term, the report said. Other symptoms included a higher level of the stress hormone cortisol and higher blood pressure.

“There is convincing evidence for an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic complications associated with shift work, but the underlying mechanisms were largely unknown,” said Frank Scheer, a neuroscientist involved in the project.

via Earthtimes.

Mystery of the Spanish Flu Solved

Editor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:55:44 +0000

MIT researchers have explained why two mutations in the H1N1 avian flu virus were critical for viral transmission in humans during the 1918 pandemic outbreak that killed at least 50 million people -believed more than that taken by the Black Death, and higher than the number killed in World War I.

The 1918 flu pandemic -commonly known as the Spanish flu- was an influenza pandemic that started in the United States, appeared in West Africa and France and then spread to nearly every part of the globe in three waves lasting from March 1918 to June 1920, spreading to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands. It was caused by an unusually severe and deadly Influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1. In contrast to most influenza outbreaks which predominantly affect juvenile, elderly, or otherwise weakened patients, the Spanish Flu also claimed healthy young adults, resulting from infection rates of up to 50% and the extreme severity of the symptoms, suspected to be caused by cytokine storms.

Read full article: The Daily Galaxy

Acetaminophen (paracetamol) to be banned by FDA?

Editor — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:35:05 +0000

Pain is such a common problem in the United States that Vicodin is the most widely prescribed drug in the country.

It alleviates the pain of surgery, soothes aching joints, and beckons to Gregory House, the misanthropic TV doctor played by Hugh Laurie.

Vicodin and similar painkillers are so tightly woven into daily American life that if the Food and Drug Administration takes the advice an expert panel issued Tuesday and prohibits them, doctors and patients will scramble for alternatives, experts said.

“If they were to ban those, what do you think would happen tomorrow? It would be a mess,” said Timothy Ives, associate professor at the University of North Carolinas Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

Read full article: Philadelphia Inquirer

Barriers To Best Resuscitation Practices

Editor — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:49:51 +0000

American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report:

Study highlights:

Cardiac arrest patients may not be getting the best care by EMS personnel due to a number of external factors.

EMS should have adequate time in the field to give high-quality CPR and other resuscitation efforts before transporting cardiac arrest patients.

EMS should follow national guidelines for transporting cardiac arrest patients and determining when to end unsuccessful resuscitation efforts.

Read full article: Earthtimes

Hospital Disaster Potential Highighted

Editor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:20:52 +0000

Factors that lead to emergency department overcrowdings, ambulance diversions and other incidents that endanger patient safety have been revealed.

A study published in BioMed Central’s open access Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine has shown that reductions in the number of hospital beds and downsizing or closure of emergency departments may create a dangerous loss of ‘surge capacity’.

Read full article: Medical News Today

A quarter of Britons are hazardous drinkers

Editor — Mon, 25 May 2009 08:29:43 +0000

Almost a quarter of Britons are “hazardous drinkers” and hundreds of thousands more of them are being admitted to hospital for alcohol-related reasons than five years ago, according to official figures.

The statistics showed that 33 percent of men and 16 percent of women drank potentially dangerous amounts, the National Health Service (NHS) Information Center said.

Read full article: Reuters

Response To Sexual Assault

Editor — Mon, 25 May 2009 06:32:27 +0000

Once again, The EMS Spot has a great article that, although targeted at a US audience, is an informative read for all of us who from time-to-time have to deal with this unpleasant and often difficult type of job.

The EMT Spot

Prehospital identification and treatment of inhalant abuse

Editor — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:41:01 +0000

Almost 10% of the American population age 12 or older has engaged in “huffing,” a practice by which toxic chemicals are inhaled from spray cans, usually common household items.

Read full article: JEMS.com.

Thanks Paramedic_Daily via Twitter

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in children

Editor — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:35:59 +0000

Paediatric cardiac arrest has traditionally been considered a futile medical condition with dismal outcomes.

Data in the 21st century indicate that more than 25% of children treated for in-hospital cardiac arrests survive to hospital discharge and more than 10% of children older than 1 year treated for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests survive to hospital discharge

Read full article: Current Opinion in Critical Care.

Thanks ShockSymposium via Twitter