A study published on October 30, 2007, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology again noted that the use of certain chemotherapy drugs in breast cancer patients can increase the risk of developing congestive heart failure. This potential was first noted more than thirty years ago, but has become more of a problem in the past fifteen years as more early-stage breast cancer patients are receiving...
After a USF student, Rachel Futterman, was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, the university has braced itself for more cases of the rare but potentially deadly disease. Bacterial meningitis, an infection of the brain and spinal cord lining, is a rare but potentially fatal illness. Early symptoms can resemble the flu, including fever, severe headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, rash and...
In a move that's been expected for weeks, President Bush has threatened to veto a bill that would expand healthcare coverage for children. The child healthcare program is set to expire September 30 and Congress will most likely vote to renew it, setting a showdown with the President. The program covers children, many of whom would not have access to healthcare without it. Bush has argued that...
A 2006 registry of Medicare patients has found that 15% of doctors implanting defibrillators have had no formal training in the procedure. The implantable cardioverter defibrillator (or ICD) is the small device implanted beneath the patient's collarbone and connected to the heart through insulated wires. The device is designed to provide an electric shock to the heart if its rhythm is...
In recent years, drug stores and retail stores such as WalMart have introduced health clinics in their stores where shoppers can come in and be treated for various ailments they would have normally waited for days or weeks to see their primary care doctors. While the patients are seen more quickly, health officials have called into question their standard of care, hygiene, and their lack of...
A recent German study published in Lancet concludes that the use of MRI in addition to mammography may increase the likelihood of early detection of breast cancers. More than 7,000 women were screened for breast cancer over a five-year period using both mammography and MRI. During this time period, 193 women were diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, an early form of breast cancer. Of the...
