We trust that when we go to the hospital, we’ll get cured and sent home good as new… or at least not sicker than when we went in. According to a new study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, each year nearly 650,000 hospital patients get a serious infection during their stay …
If you think that iPads are just entertainment devices, you should read about St. Edward High School in Ohio athletic trainer Jason Cruickshank. He uses an iPad to help diagnose his student athlete concussions. Using the tablet with the C3 Logix concussion app, the coach has a baseline measure of all his athletes’ cognitive function, balance, …
Since posting the story about how 18 patients at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, were possibly exposed to the rare but deadly Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), we’ve had folks ask for more information. While there has been no additional information provided by the hospital, we’ve put together this list of answers to common questions: I’ve …
Q&A about Possible CJD Exposure at Forsyth Medical Center Read More »
In early February 2014, a security guard at Duke’s Dan River Steam Station found that a pipe running under a 27-acre waste pond had collapsed, allowing 82,000 tons of coal ash mixed with 27 million gallons of water to drain out. The spill turned the river cloudy for miles. Two health advisories have been released, …
Today, officials at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, admitted that improper medical instrument sterilization exposed 18 neurosurgery patients to the deadly Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). CJD is caused by infectious agents called “prions,” which are extremely difficult to kill. On January 18, 2014, a patient suspected of having CJD had surgery. Instead of throwing away …
Forsyth Medical Center Exposures Some Patients to Serious Disease Risk Read More »
According to an article on WRAL.com, the number of cases of influenza jumped in December. A total of 13 people have died of flu this season, and 5 of those deaths happened just last week. What’s most surprising is that seven of the 13 deaths happened to people in their prime, between the ages of …
“Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!” I can’t help but think of that famous line from the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles when I read about the attitude of the dietary supplement industry. Although they might paraphrase it as “Regulation? We don’t want no stinkin’ regulation!” According to a recent article in The New …
U.S. 64 will be upgraded to interstate highway status between Raleigh and Rocky Mount, and renamed I-495. According to a story in the News & Observer, DOT will widen the inside and outside shoulders of this part of the highway to meet interstate standards. These improvements will take place “as part of normally scheduled reconstruction activities along …
From Raleigh to Rocky Mount, US 64 to Become I-495 Read More »
This year, the theme of Fire Prevention Week (October 6-12, 2013) is “Prevent Kitchen Fires.” More fires start in the kitchen than in any other part of the home, accounting for 40% of all home fires. Among the safety tips that firefighters and safety advocates will be emphasizing this week are: Stay in the kitchen …
Women who have been harmed by transvaginal surgical mesh are finally seeing justice in the form of positive lawsuit verdicts in the millions of dollars. Some of the verdicts that have come in this year include: A South Dakota woman was awarded $3.35 million because the mesh manufacturer—Johnson & Johnson—failed to adequately warn her doctor …
Millions of Dollars Awarded in Transvaginal Mesh Cases Read More »