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Sorafenib has been approved by the FDA forthe treatment of inoperable hepatocellular cancer. It is an oral multikinase inhibitor that was previously approved for advanced renal cell carcinoma. It is manufactured by Bayer HealthCare AG in Germany and marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation as Nexavar.
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Although pancreatic cancer growth is considered rapid, early recognition of resectable disease remains the best chance for long-term survival. It is possible that an early sign of evolving pancreatic neoplasm is glucose intolerance. In a series of 30 pancreatic cancer patients evaluated at the Mayo Clinic, CT scans obtained 6 months or more before the diagnosis revealed potentially resectable lesions in some, and this was notably true for those who had CT scans and new-onset diabetes several months before the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Thus, physicians evaluating adults with newly diagnosed diabetes should consider the possibility that the glucose intolerance is an accompaniment of early pancreatic neoplasia.
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IV bisphosphonate treatment is associated with an increased risk of inflammation in the bones of the jaw and face.
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Neither antibiotics nor nasal steroids nor the combination of the two reduces the duration of acute sinusitis symptoms compared with placebo.
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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commis-sion (EEOC) has issued interpretive guidelines to help health care employers understand their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the main message is that hospitals and other health care providers must proceed carefully when dealing with disabled employees.
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News: An elderly man was transferred to a nursing home following a brief stay at another facility. Although the man was currently taking more than 20 medications, the second page of the two-page prescription order sheet somehow was misplaced during the transfer. The second nursing home did not realize the mistake and accordingly failed to give the patient all of his necessary medications. The man subsequently experienced acute renal failure and died.
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The Rhode Island Department of Health has issued a reprimand and a fine of $50,000 to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence for its third wrong-site brain surgery in a year. The health department also issued a second compliance order due to this pattern.
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Shoulder dystocia drills should become a routine part of risk reduction in any hospital delivering babies, according to experts who say the drills can greatly improve how clinicians respond to this emergency.
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These are some examples of hospitals that have seen improvements in patient safety and outcomes from the use of rapid response teams (RRTs):
