OB GYN News articles from August 2005

OB GYN News archives from August 2005

Assess adults for varicella immunity.(News)
August 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- All healthy adolescents and adults born in the United States after 1965 should be assessed for varicella immunity and vaccinated if susceptible, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization...

Merritt, Hawkins snapshot of recruitment searches for ob.gyns.(VITAL SIGNS)
August 1, 2005... Merritt, Hawkins Snapshot of Recruitment Searches for Ob.Gyns. Note: Based on an average of 2,477 physician search and consulting assignments conducted per year for a 12-month period ending March 31. Source: Merritt, Hawkins &...

Good outcomes in 10-year data on lupus in pregnancy: thrombocytopenia at conception key factor.(News)
August 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- The risk for preeclampsia in pregnant women with lupus tripled if they had thrombocytopenia at conception, according to a review of data from a 10-year period at one institution. This previously unreported finding was...

SSRI use in pregnancy linked with birth defects.(News)
August 1, 2005... ST. PETE BEACH, FLA. -- Maternal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of certain birth defects, Sura Alwan reported at the annual meeting of the Teratology Society. Data...

South Dakota law stirs controversy.(News)
August 1, 2005... Antiabortion and abortion rights activists in South Dakota are battling over how much and what kind of information physicians should be required to give patients seeking an abortion. The fight is over a new informed consent law, which was...

FDA warns of glyburide in supplement.(News)
August 1, 2005... Adietary supplement available in the United States contains the oral hypoglycemic drug glyburide and could cause life-threatening effects in some people, according to a nationwide alert by the Food and Drug Administration last month. In a...

Laborists: who really benefits?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2005... Doctor Louis Weinstein's promotion of the laborist movement is a sign of the times ("Laborist Movement Poised to Take Off," June 15, 2005, p. 1). In our specialty, we were taught to be hands-on, eyes-on, nose-on, ears-on, and tongue-on...

Laborist movement oversold.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2005... According to Dr. Louis Weinstein, "using laborists makes sense" ("Laborist Movement Poised to Take Off," June 15, 2005, p. 1). Calculating their hours, pay, malpractice insurance, and benefits, he concluded that at 1,000 deliveries per...

Difficulties with laborist system.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2005... Many large single-specialty groups, including Kaiser Permanente, assign a physician to cover only labor and delivery for 12- or 24-hour blocks in house ("Laborist Movement Poised to Take Off," June 15, 2005, p. 1). Such a system does offer...

Pain relievers.(Opinion)(Cartoon)
August 1, 2005... "Psst!... Canadian imports?"

Reform Stark antikickback statutes.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
August 1, 2005... Physician adoption of electronic health records is woefully inadequate, and current Stark and antikickback laws are part of the problem. Congress should pass reforms that create new exceptions to these statutes so that hospital systems and...

Sibling donor oocytes linked to fewer problems.(Obstetrics)
August 1, 2005... COPENHAGEN -- The higher rate of obstetric complications documented in donor oocyte pregnancies is confined to those pregnancies in which the oocyte donor is not related to the recipient, according to Korean researchers. In fact,...

Carrier couples have same chance of having healthy baby, despite miscarriages.(Clinical report)
August 1, 2005... COPENHAGEN -- The chances of having a healthy newborn are similar among patients with a history of recurrent miscarriage, regardless of whether they have chromosomal abnormalities, Maureen T.M. Franssen, M.D., reported during the annual meeting...

Lower [beta]-HCG threshold for pregnancies of unknown location?(Obstetrics)
August 1, 2005... COPENHAGEN -- Roughly 20% of pregnancies currently regarded as failing intrauterine pregnancies may actually be viable, results of a prospective, observational study suggest. Serum HCG guidelines for recognizing intrauterine pregnancy...

High parity poses greatest SIDS risk in offspring.(Obstetrics)
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- High parity has replaced preterm delivery as the greatest risk factor for SIDS, according to a study of national data, presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. "Our highest single risk factor was...

HIV screen for all in pregnancy: USPSTF.(Obstetrics)
August 1, 2005... Physicians should screen all pregnant women for HIV infection, according to updated recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The task force--an independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care--recommended...

Tool helps women decide about invasive prenatal testing: the goal of the program is to help women make informed decisions consistent with their values.(Obstetrics)
August 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- A new computerized tool helps pregnant women decide whether they want invasive prenatal testing, Miriam Kuppermann, Ph.D., said during a meeting on antepartum and intrapartum management, sponsored by the University of...

What the data show about common concerns in pregnancy.(Obstetrics)
August 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- In the general ob.gyn. practice of Amy Meg Autry, M.D., visits with pregnant patients have evolved from giving equal time to examination and counseling to about 2% to examination and 98% to counseling. Dr. Autry of the...

MRSA infection seen in kids with labial abcesses.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- A recent series of "curious" cases of large vulvar or labial abscesses in previously healthy children were associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and represent the first reported cases of such abscesses in...

Obstructed hemivagina: conservative tx.(treatment)(vaginoplasty to treat obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal anomalies)(Brief article)
August 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Most young patients with obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal anomalies can be managed conservatively with single stage vaginoplasty, Nicole A. Smith, M.D., reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the North American...

ICSI fathers may transmit genetic disease risk.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Infertile men undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection display an elevated rate of genetic variations that may predispose them to pass on traits associated with neurodegenerative diseases, according to a study presented at the...

Study: IVF children are taller, have better lipid profiles.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- New Zealand school-aged children who were conceived using in vitro fertilization were taller and had more favorable lipid profiles than those conceived naturally, a case-control study concluded. Harriet Miles, M.D., and...

Monthly bisphosphonate holds its own at 2 years.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... VIENNA -- Oral ibandronate at 150 mg once monthly showed continued impressive therapeutic efficacy in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis at the 2-year mark in the Monthly Oral Ibandronate in Ladies (MOBILE) trial, Pierre D. Delmas, M.D.,...

Study ties long-term use of acid suppressors to fracture risk.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- Long-term use of proton-pump inhibitors, histamine[.sub.2]-receptor antagonists, and other acid suppressors increases the risk of hip fracture, Yu-Xiao Yang, M.D., reported at the annual Digestive Disease Week. Physicians...

Calcitonin spray may preserve trabecular bone architecture.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... BETHESDA, MD. -- Calcitonin nasal spray appears to preserve trabecular bone microarchitecture at the distal radius without substantially altering bone mineral density, Charles H. Chestnut III, M.D., reported during a meeting on bone quality....

More human papilloma virus shedding with HIV.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... BETHESDA, MD. -- HIV-infected women have higher rates of human papilloma virus shedding and higher rates of high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and are diagnosed more frequently with vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) than are...

Prognosis for vulvar Paget's disease called excellent.(extramammary Paget's disease )
August 1, 2005... BETHESDA, MD. -- Extramammary Paget's disease is most often found in the vulvar area and usually has an excellent prognosis, Peter J. Lynch, M.D., said at a conference on vulvovaginal diseases. The vulva is the site of about 65% of...

Third study finds MRI superior to mammography.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... ORLANDO -- A British study has found magnetic resonance imaging to be nearly twice as sensitive as x-ray mammography for detecting breast cancers in young women at high risk for disease due to genetic mutations or other family history of breast...

Pouch procedure tied to impaired sexual function.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... PHILADELPHIA -- Women who underwent an ileal pouch/anal anastomosis procedure for ulcerative colitis reported impaired sexual function, compared with historic, normal controls, Laura H. Goetz, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American...

Screen high-risk women for gonorrhea.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... Clinicians should perform routine screening of all sexually active women at increased risk for gonorrhea, because of the high risk for pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain associated with asymptomatic...

Decidual casts, DMPA linked in young patients: four cases suggest decidual casts might be a rare but important side effect associated with the contraceptive.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Decidual cast expulsion may occur in young patients using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate Stephen M. Scott, M.D., said during the annual meeting of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. ...

Adolescent girls report frequent changes in contraceptive methods.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Changes in contraceptive methods are frequent among adolescent girls, and tend to reflect pregnancy status and changes in sexual relationships and behaviors, Jennifer L. Woods, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the North...

Birth control knowledge, safe sex don't necessarily equate.(Gynecology)
August 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Adolescent girls at high risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections who participated in a recent study were knowledgeable about common birth control methods, but most reported having unprotected sex. Of 332 girls...

Family history, age increase risk of skin cancer.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2005... ST. LOUIS -- Family history is a strong risk factor for melanoma in women, while age appears to be the biggest risk for the development of basal cell carcinoma, Abrar Qureshi, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society for Investigative...

NAT2 genotype, red meat tied to increase in colorectal ca risk.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- High intake of red meat has been linked to increased risk of colorectal cancer in many studies, and a new study has found a possible reason. NAT2 genotype appears to activate carcinogenic heterocyclic amines produced in cooked...

Statins linked with reduced risk of breast, lung, prostate cancers.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2005... ORLANDO -- Statin use was associated with a reduction of about 50% in the risk of breast, lung, and prostate cancers in three retrospective, case-control studies that mined a database containing medical records for 1.4 million veterans. ...

Urge hypertensive women to change some habits.
August 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Most physicians believe in urging hypertensive patients to alter their lifestyle in beneficial ways, even though this seldom comes to pass, Norman Kaplan, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society of...

Bupropion effect much better in controlled trials.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Low-income smokers prescribed bupropion in primary care settings are less successful with smoking cessation than participants in controlled trials, according to a study presented at the annual conference of the Society of...

West Nile virus season off to slow start, CDC says.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2005... Significantly fewer cases of West Nile virus infection have been reported so far in 2005 compared with this time last year, but federal officials warn the season is still early. By mid-July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Expert: fibromyalgia tender point criteria flawed.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2005... DESTIN, FLA. -- The tender point criteria commonly used to diagnose fibromyalgia are not useful and in fact may even explain why the disease appears to disproportionately affect women, Daniel Clauw, M.D., said at a rheumatology meeting...

MRSA growing as community pathogen.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2005... BETHESDA, MD. -- Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was three times more prevalent than nosocomial MRSA in a small, non-teaching community hospital, reported Ananthakrishnan Ramini, M.D., at the annual conference on...

Physician tax plan promotes debate in Michigan.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2005... Michigan physicians are divided over efforts by Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) to pass a physician tax that would help increase payments to Medicaid providers in the state. Under the governor's proposal, a 2.28% gross receipts tax would be...

Antifraud effort could help trim Medicaid program costs.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Private bounty hunters are one way to fight fraud in the Medicaid program, according to Stan Dorn, J.D., who is senior analyst at the Economic and Social Research Institute. Successfully used by Medicare, the bounty hunter...

Abortion ban in the courts.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
August 1, 2005... The "Partial Birth Abortion Act of 2003" was ruled unconstitutional last month by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. The ruling was based on the law's failure to provide an exception in cases where a woman's health was at stake. The...

Talking about HPV.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
August 1, 2005... Less than 20% of women who participated in a recent survey said their health care provider had ever discussed the connection between the human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. The survey, commissioned by the Association of Reproductive...

Alternatives to malpractice litigation.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
August 1, 2005... Proposed legislation that would provide grants to states to explore alternatives to the current medical malpractice system is gaining support from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The "Fair and Reliable Medical Justice...

Meeting mammography goals.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
August 1, 2005... More than 75% of women age 40 years and older reported in surveys that they have had a mammogram in the past 2 years, according to a study published in the July/August issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion. This exceeds the Healthy...

Family planning use.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
August 1, 2005... Publicly funded family planning clinics are serving more clients than ever, according to a report from the Alan Guttmacher Institute. Title X family planning clinics reported serving more than 5 million people in 2004--about a 1% increase over...

Governors propose Medicaid reform strategies.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2005... The Bush administration has focused on overhauling the Social Security program, but the nation's governors and health providers say the real crisis is in Medicaid. The National Governors Association (NGA) has offered a reform proposal to...

Panel defers to hospitals on false-labor cases.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Local laws and practice patterns should dictate which health care providers can certify false labor cases, according to a preliminary recommendation from the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act Technical Advisory Group. ...

More ob.gyns. cut services in response to liability risk.(DATA WATCH)
August 1, 2005... More Ob.Gyns. Cut Services in Response to Liability Risk Decreased high-risk ob. care Stopped practicing ob. Decreased deliveries 1996 19% 9% 6% 1999 17% ...

Panel decides not to link on-call service to Medicare.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- On-call services should not be a condition for participating in Medicare, a federal advisory panel on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act has recommended. While most panel members panned the idea of an...

Gynecologists strike back with laparoscopic uterine artery occlusion.(MASTER CLASS)
August 1, 2005... One only needs to check the Internet to see how aggressively our colleagues in radiology are marketing uterine artery embolization/uterine fibroid embolization. Although the radiologic approach certainly has merit, the risk of inadvertent...

Laparoscopic UAO: minimal risks, considerable benefits.(MASTER CLASS)
August 1, 2005... There was a time when almost all women with symptomatic leiomyomas were amenable to hysterectomy or myomectomy when medical therapy failed to relieve their pelvic pressure and pain, menorrhagia, and, in many cases, anemia. Today, that has...

Apligraf shows promise in building vaginal wall in Rokitansky syndrome.(Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser syndrome)
August 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Apligraf has been used successfully to line a new vagina in a patient with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome. The human skin equivalent derived from human infant foreskin has been used widely for wound repair, but this...

Clinical Preventive Services Guide.(FYI)
August 1, 2005... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has adapted the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2005 as a pocket-sized book. The book includes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's recommendations on the prevention and early detection...

Brochures focus on crime victims.(FYI)
August 1, 2005... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released two brochures--"Answers in the Aftermath" and "Supporting the Survivor"--addressing the mental health problems facing victims of violent crime. Copies can be obtained...

Campaign targets sugar control.(FYI)
August 1, 2005... The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has launched a campaign to improve diabetes management. "State of Diabetes in America: Striving for Better Control" provides those with type 2 diabetes with tools to help control blood sugar...

USP launches redesigned Web site.(FYI)
August 1, 2005... The U.S. Pharmacopeia has redesigned its Web site to include several new features. The Web site now offers a multilingual portal for Spanish and other languages. Shortcuts for accessing information from the home page have been added, and main...

Occupational exposure advice.(FYI)
August 1, 2005... The National HIV/AIDS Clinicians' Consultation Center at the University of California, San Francisco, offers the PEPline, a clinicians' postexposure-prophylaxis hotline. Experts provide around-the-clock advice on managing occupational exposures...

2005 national treatment directory.(FYI)(Directory)
August 1, 2005... The updated "National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs 2005" is now available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The guide offers information on public and private treatment facilities,...

Free medication program launched.(FYI)
August 1, 2005... The nonprofit Lawson Health Care Foundation has initiated a program to help Americans with limited resources obtain free medications. To qualify, an applicant may not have prescription drug coverage and must have an average monthly income of...

FDA drug safety initiative.(FYI)
August 1, 2005... The Food and Drug Administration has launched an initiative to make drug safety information more accessible to physicians and patients. A new Web location provides access to drug-specific safety information. For more information, visit...

'Changes' series updated.(FYI)
August 1, 2005... The National Cancer Institute has updated two women's health booklets: "Understanding Breast Changes: A Health Guide for Women" and "Understanding Cervical Changes: A Health Guide for Women." To order the publications call 800-422-6237 or visit...

Senior vision topics added.(FYI)
August 1, 2005... Five vision loss topics--glaucoma, cataract, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and low vision--have been added to the National Institutes of Health senior health Web site. Older adults can access up-to-date information...

Topical pain cream.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2005... ALCiS daily pain relief is a topical cream for the relief of muscle and joint pain, including that associated with arthritis, backache, strains, sprains, and bruises. The liposomal delivery system transports pain medication to the site of pain....

Single-dose antibiotic.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2005... Zmax (azithromycin extended release) for oral suspension has been approved for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia and acute bacterial maxillary sinusitis. The drug offers a full course of treatment in a single 2-g dose. For...

Redesign for EpiPen.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2005... The packaging of the EpiPen and EpiPen Jr. (epinephrine) auto-injectors has been redesigned. The new design includes improved self-administration instructions on the auto-injector label, color-coded packaging, a new carrying case for needle...

Relief for hot flashes.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2005... Be Koool hot flash gel strips can be applied to the back of the neck, forehead or other areas for relief of hot flashes. The strips draw heat out of the body and last for 5 hours. The strips do not need to be refrigerated and sell over the...

E-mail security for HIPAA.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2005... Attach Plus 2.2.7 software provides PDF and ZIP password protection for desktop systems to comply with HIPAA's technical security mechanisms requirement. The software supports several versions of Microsoft Outlook and a number of other e-mail...

Retractor for cesarean sections.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2005... The OB/Mobius elastic retractor is available for use during cesarean-section procedures. The disposable retractor comes in four sizes for incisions from 2 cm to 17 cm. For more information, contact Apple Medical Corp. by visiting...

Mobile CME tool.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2005... The MobileCME system allows physicians to take continuing medical education courses on handheld devices--Palm- and Pocket PC-based operating system devices and smartphones. Content is delivered from several U.S. medical schools. The free pilot...

Evidence-based software.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2005... "Clinical Inquiries" are included in the latest version of Pepid software for primary care physicians. Inquiries are initiated by real-world questions from physicians and are then researched and published. This tool provides evidence-based...

Severe apnea can present fetal threat.(News)
August 15, 2005... DENVER -- Obstructive sleep apnea is far more common during pregnancy than most physicians realize and in its more severe forms can jeopardize the fetus, Meir H. Kryger, M.D., said at a satellite symposium held in conjunction with the annual...

Physician malpractice judgments and settlements on the rise.(VITAL SIGNS)
August 15, 2005... Physician Malpractice Judgments and Settlements on the Rise Note: Based on yearly averages of 184,506 payments (judgments and settlements) made during 1991-2003 in the United States. Source: Health Affairs KEVIN FOLEY,...

Mifeprex warnings updated in wake of four deaths: sepsis identified as cause of death.(News)
August 15, 2005... The maker of the abortion drug mifepristone has again announced it is adding to the warnings section of the product's package insert--less than a year after a previous revision--to include information on four deaths that have occurred in women...

'Vanishing twin' may hurt outcomes in IVF singletons.(News)
August 15, 2005... COPENHAGEN -- The poorer obstetric outcome of singletons conceived through in vitro fertilization, compared with those who are naturally conceived, may be partially explained by the phenomenon of the "vanishing twin"--the disappearance of at...

Severe genital mutilation associated with infertility.(News)
August 15, 2005... Severe female genital mutilation was associated with primary infertility in a case-control study of 278 women, investigators reported. Overall, the 99 study participants with primary infertility were significantly more likely to have...

Vitamin [B.sub.6] may lower colorectal cancer risk.(News)
August 15, 2005... High intake of vitamin [B.sub.6] is associated with a protective effect against colorectal cancer in women, especially those who drink alcohol, reported Susanna C. Larsson of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and her associates. In a...

States providing Medicaid abortion coverage beyond federal requirments.(DATA WATCH)
August 15, 2005... States Providing Medicaid Abortion Coverage Beyond Federal Requirments Note: The federal Medicaid program pays for abortions only in cases of life endangerment, rape, and incest. Source: The Alan Guttmacher Institute KEVIN FOLEY,...

FDA grants approval to novel insomnia drug.(News)
August 15, 2005... Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved an insomnia drug with a unique mechanism of action and several features unique among hypnotics approved for insomnia: It is not a controlled substance and does not produce some CNS side...

More data collection, more time lost.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 15, 2005... Your article on the development and impending use of clinical performance measures in the ambulatory care setting sent chills down my spine ("Consensus Reached on Ambulatory Care Measures," June 1, 2005, p. 53). I don't want to suggest...

Problems with performance measures.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 15, 2005... A recent article quoted CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, M.D., as saying that Medicare supports efforts to implement valid, reliable measures ("Consensus Reached on Ambulatory Care Measures," June 1, 2005, p. 53). If he believes that,...

Proper delivery technique a lost art.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 15, 2005... I read with amusement two articles in the June 1, 2005, issue ("Incontinence Twice as Likely With Vaginal Birth," p. 17, and "Anterior Genital Trauma, Incontinence Link Studied," p. 29). Right occiput posterior is the normal presentation at...