OB GYN News articles from October 2005

OB GYN News archives from October 2005

PAs make their mark in surgery.(News)
October 1, 2005... Definitive numbers are hard to find, but it appears that more hospitals are allowing physician assistants, nurse-midwives, and other midlevel providers to take over some duties from residents in the operating room. The practice has been...

Impact of liability concerns on residents in Pennsylania.(VITAL SIGNS)
October 1, 2005... VITAL SIGNS Impact of Liability Concerns on Residents in Pennsylania Strongly or Somewhat Agree View every patient as a 81% potential malpractice case Less eager to practice ...

Pelvic floor disorders up with vaginal delivery: risk increased twofold in large study.(News)
October 1, 2005... MONTREAL -- Vaginal delivery is associated with a nearly twofold increased odds of pelvic floor disorders, compared with cesarean delivery and nulliparity, according to results of a large epidemiologic study. "This study finally gives us...

NAMS supports limited role for testosterone tx.(News)
October 1, 2005... Postmenopausal women with symptoms of decreased sexual desire may be candidates for testosterone therapy, according to a new position statement from the North American Menopause Society. But the group did not go so far as to recommend...

Medical schools find alternate sites after Katrina.(News)
October 1, 2005... Medical schools affected by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath scrambled to find alternative locations and resources, to ensure that their students and residents would be able to continue practicing medicine. At press time, most of the...

Flood plan helps businesses prepare.(News)
October 1, 2005... Here are some general tips from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on flood and hurricane preparation for businesses: * Ask your local emergency management office whether your facility is located in a flood plain. Find out the history...

Plan now to backup business, practice records.(usage of electronic systems)
October 1, 2005... The recent disaster along the Gulf Coast may be a wake-up call for all physicians to establish some kind of emergency backup system for their businesses. "Physicians don't always think of themselves as running a business, but they're going...

Reclaiming the Gulf: how to volunteer.(services)(Brief article)
October 1, 2005... The federal government is seeking volunteers from the health care and relief professions listed below to deploy to the Gulf region. Deployment may last 14 days or longer and may include 12-hour shifts under austere conditions, according to the...

Hurricane Katrina causes delay in vote on $10 billion in Medicaid cuts.(News)
October 1, 2005... A planned vote in Congress on $10 billion in cuts to Medicaid and other changes to the program has become another casualty of Hurricane Katrina. "There's no doubt that Hurricane Katrina has made it necessary to provide additional resources...

Expect higher standards in research.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
October 1, 2005... Peer-reviewed research should provide clear guidance to clinical practice. However, there is considerable information that we as physicians have a right to expect from peer-reviewed research but are not getting. This deficiency makes it harder...

EMR: worth the expense.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2005... Our practice has been paperless for a few years now, and I think the argument about saving money is a bit overstated ("How to Make a Paperless Office Work for You," June 1, 2005, p. 50). Nevertheless, once you go paperless, you won't ever...

Pain relievers.(Cartoon)
October 1, 2005... "Your condition has no symptoms or health risks, but there is a great new pill for it."

Steroids before elective C-section at term studied.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... A single course of betamethasone before an elective cesarean section at term may decrease the risk of developing neonatal respiratory distress or transient tachypnea, according to the results of a randomized, controlled trial. The...

Mifepristone deaths raise unanswered questions.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Recent deaths due to sepsis following medical abortion may be the result of an interaction between factors specific to mifepristone--one of the drugs used in the abortions--and Clostridium sordellii, the cause of infection...

Know your options for peripartum hemorrhage: a leading cause of maternal mortality, hemorrhage accounts for up to 18% of pregnancy-related deaths.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Peripartum hemorrhage is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality, making it important to understand the myriad options for controlling bleeding, David C. Mayer, M.D., said at the Southern Obstetric and Gynecologic...

Valacyclovir prophylaxis cheapest route for prevention.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Oral valacyclovir was the most economically favorable treatment choice for the prevention of intrapartum herpes transmission in a recent analysis. The clinical outcomes and costs of the three strategies, including oral...

Expert offers insights on C-section techniques: small improvements in surgical technique said to confer substantial benefits to maternal health.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Small changes in technique can make a big difference in cesarean section outcomes, which is why it's important to keep up to date with the evidence concerning this procedure, Thomas Ivester, M.D., said at the Southern...

Strive for cultural competency to improve perinatal care.(methods)
October 1, 2005... STANFORD, CALIF. -- The young woman who arrived in labor was accompanied by a large and loud crowd of extended family members who spoke little English. With each contraction, the family yelled louder, Marylouise Martin, recalled. Instead...

Management of first delivery influences later surgery risk.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... Cesarean section in a first pregnancy may reduce a woman's risk of having pelvic floor surgery later in life, reported Ramalingam Uma, M.B., and colleagues at the University of Dundee, Scotland. The researchers said their study was prompted...

BV in pregnancy: neither oral nor vaginal metronidazole is optimal.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Oral and vaginal metronidazole appear to have comparable efficacy for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis in low-risk pregnant women, but neither is optimal for prevention of infectious complications at delivery, Jane...

Attention problems tied to alcohol use in third trimester.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. -- Prenatal alcohol exposure is most likely to affect children's attention problems when it occurs during the third trimester, a prospective study of 492 children determined. There is a high degree of correlation...

Don't ignore asymptomatic trichomoniasis: higher GM-CSF concentrations seen with such infections in pregnancy and indicate inflammatory response.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Asymptomatic trichomoniasis during pregnancy appears to elicit a maternal inflammatory response, and should not be ignored, Brenna L. Anderson, M.D., said during the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society for...

Organ transplantation doesn't worsen pregnancy outcomes.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... Pregnancy outcome in women who have an organ transplant is no worse after they undergo the procedure than it is before they have the surgery, results from a large Swedish population study have found. "The outcome data in the present study...

Study: postpartum depression risk not increased in HIV patients.(Obstetrics)
October 1, 2005... CHARLESTON, S.C. -- HIV-infected women were at no greater risk for postpartum depression than were their HIV-negative counterparts in a recent study, Nyota A. Peace, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society for...

Bone densitometry said to belong in primary care.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Measuring bone mineral density in older patients is as justifiable as measuring lipids, Dennis M. Black, Ph.D., said at a meeting on osteoporosis sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco. Lipid testing and...

Check eyesight to reduce fractures: impaired vision can double or quadruple the risk for hip fracture; repairing cataracts can cut fall risk.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Physicians who see patients with osteoporosis should have a visual acuity chart on the office wall to check eyesight, Steven R. Cummings, M.D., advised at a meeting on osteoporosis that was sponsored by the University of...

Consider fracture risk data when prescribing preventive drug tx.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Giving primary care physicians quantitative information about fracture risk can help them make more judicious use of preventive drug therapy for postmenopausal women at below-average risk for osteoporosis, Joan M. Neuner, M.D.,...

Even supplement users can have low vitamin D levels.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- A whopping 97% of 78 patients hospitalized for minimal trauma fractures had vitamin D levels of less than 30 ng/mL, Christine Simonelli, M.D., said at an international symposium sponsored by the National Osteoporosis Foundation....

Panel: no routine screening for BRCA mutations.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... Women should not routinely undergo genetic screening or counseling for breast and ovarian cancer risk based on gene mutations unless they are at high risk, according to a first-time recommendation on this topic by the U.S. Preventive Services...

Arterial aging signs seen in young PCOS patients.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Young women with polycystic ovary syndrome have evidence of endothelial dysfunction and low-grade, chronic inflammatory markers characteristic of much older patients, researchers reported at the annual meeting of the Endocrine...

Cortisol dips in PCOS patients treated for sleep apnea: study.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- A small study has found that treating obstructive sleep apnea in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome lowered their cortisol levels at night as well as during the daytime. Obstructive sleep apnea symptoms also greatly...

Study links chlamydia, abnormal uterine bleeding.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Chlamydia trachomatis may play more of a role in abnormal uterine bleeding than previously recognized, Miklos Toth, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology. ...

Ertapenem found effective for intraabdominal infections.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... MIAMI -- A daily dose of intravenous ertapenem for intraabdominal infections proved as effective as piperacillin/tazobactam administered every 6 hours, Nicholas Namias, M.D., said in a poster presented at the joint annual meeting of the...

Single-embryo transfer catches on in Europe: while SET becomes the standard of care in many countries, it's used much less often in the United States.(single-embryo transfer )(Statistical data)
October 1, 2005... COPENHAGEN -- While single-embryo transfer rates for in vitro fertilization procedures languish below 2% in the United States, the Europeans are hitting astonishing highs with impressive results. Aimed at reducing the growing...

New concepts emerge for treatment of IC.(interstitial cystitis )
October 1, 2005... SAN ANTONIO -- Highly effective treatments for interstitial cystitis remain elusive, but new concepts are enlivening the field, Deborah R. Erickson, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association. Some of the...

Cognitive elements predict vulvar disorder impact.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Certain cognitive factors are significant predictors of pain intensity and sexual impairment in women with vulvar vestibulitis syndrome, Genevieve Desrochers said in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society...

Pain expectations linked to pain perception.(research)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
October 1, 2005... Decreased expectation of pain diminishes pain perception by 28%--more than a shot of morphine. Not only do people who expect less pain report feeling less pain, but their brains respond similarly, with functional MRI (fMRI) showing less...

Blunt suture needles advocated as safe, effective: American College of Surgeons issues statement in effort to improve safety of physicians and patients.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... A new statement from the American College of Surgeons endorses the universal adoption of blunt suture needles for all potential applications in the operating room. "There are surgeons who don't even know that blunt sutures exist for...

Signs may precede ovarian CA diagnosis by months.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... A study of California women with ovarian cancer showed that the patients had distinguishable symptoms at least 6 months before diagnosis, according to Lloyd H. Smith, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the department of ob.gyn. at the University of...

Valacyclovir proves safe for HSV-2 suppressive therapy of up to 20 months.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Once-daily treatment with valacyclovir for the suppression of genital herpes caused by herpes simplex virus type-2 was well-tolerated for up to 20 months in a recent study. Previously, data were available only for up to...

Vaginal flora may affect HIV RNA concentrations.(Gynecology)
October 1, 2005... CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Certain vaginal isolates affect the quantity of HIV RNA in cervicovaginal lavage, a study suggests. Hydrogen peroxide-producing lactobacilli, for example, were associated with a significant decrease in cervicovaginal...

Smoking linked to G. vaginalis and M. hominis.(risk factors)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
October 1, 2005... CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Smoking has been linked with the occurrence of bacterial vaginosis, but a recent study further elucidating its effects on microvaginal flora suggests that smoking is particularly associated with heavy growth of Gardnerella...

Panel: help needed with out-of-pocket drug costs.(Practice Trends)
October 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The full cost of drugs obtained through patient-assistance programs should be counted as out-of-pocket expenses under the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, according to council members at a meeting of the Practicing...

Council endorses 2.7% increase in Medicare payments.(Practice Trends)
October 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should not institute the 4.3% decrease proposed in the 2006 physician fee schedule, a federal advisory panel recommended. As it works to fix the sustainable growth rate, CMS...

Prepare for Medicare Part D launch in January.(Practice Trends)
October 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Physicians will face many questions about new Medicare Part D benefit in coming months as patients decide whether to enroll and which plan to select in the voluntary prescription drug program, Elizabeth Carder-Thompson said at the...

Analysts predict surge in limited insurance policies.(Practice Trends)
October 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Expect more health plans to offer limited insurance policies for people who are currently uninsured, Robert Laszewski said at a press briefing sponsored by the Center for Studying Health System Change. "Insurers are...

Salary affects specialty choice.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
October 1, 2005... When it comes to choosing a specialty, U.S. medical graduates are more concerned with their earning power than with medical liability costs, according to a study published in the September issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Procedure-based and...

Greater folic acid fortification.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
October 1, 2005... Officials at the March of Dimes are calling on the federal government to require higher levels of folic acid fortification in grain food. The request, which reflects a long-held policy of the March of Dimes, comes on the heels of new research...

Pesticide studies.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
October 1, 2005... A proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency would ban the inclusion of pregnant women and children in all new third-party intentional dosing research involving pesticides intended for submission to the agency. The proposal says that EPA...

Reporting neonatal herpes.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
October 1, 2005... A group of experts in obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to request reporting of cases of neonatal herpes from all states and U.S. territories. The call to action, which was...

Census Bureau statistics.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
October 1, 2005... The Census Bureau reports that 45.8 million Americans were without health insurance in 2004, up from 45 million in 2003. While the increase is statistically small, it means that "an additional 860,000 Americans live without the safety net of...

Consumer-directed care will require price quotes.(services)
October 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- The growth of consumer-directed health plans means physicians and their staff will need to talk more with patients about their prices and the value of their services. "Admitting-office conversations will change dramatically,"...

Preparing for your golden years.(THE REST OF YOUR LIFE)
October 1, 2005... At age 51, Marguerite P. Barnett, M.D., considers herself "a bit young to retire," but the thought crosses her mind. "I'm in a medical malpractice state and sometimes I think strongly about [retiring] because of stressors," said Dr....

Prioritize flu shots until late October, CDC says: pregnant women, health care workers are included on the first tier of the CDC's vaccine priority chart.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(clinical trials)
October 1, 2005... As physicians prepared for the upcoming influenza season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that until Oct. 24, vaccination should be restricted to several priority groups. The following groups should receive the...

Aspirin, exercise may help prevent colon cancer recurrence.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2005... ORLANDO -- Intriguing data from a prospective colon cancer trial suggest that aspirin and exercise might help protect survivors from recurrence of the disease. Only 75 patients (8.9%) in the 846-patient trial reported regular aspirin use;...

Groups affirm utility of metabolic syndrome dx.
October 1, 2005... Less than a month after two major diabetes organizations called metabolic syndrome a poorly defined and misleading diagnosis, the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute issued a joint statement reaffirming...

Chronic osteoarthritis.(DRUG UPDATE)
October 1, 2005... The much publicized removal of all but one of the three cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors from the U.S. market because of concerns over their cardiovascular risks has forced clinicians to reconsider pain control strategies for many of their patients...

Ethnicity may play a role in eating disorders.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2005... Culture appears to play a role in disordered eating. Black and Caribbean girls had the lowest rates of disordered eating, probably because African American culture sends teens the message that physically attractiveness isn't completely tied...

Women prefer female endoscopists.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2005... Nearly half of women prefer a female endoscopist for colorectal cancer screening, reported Stacy B. Menees, M.D., and her associates at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. A questionnaire filled out by 202 of 212 women while waiting for...

Study: B vitamin therapy no help after MI.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2005... STOCKHOLM -- Lowering plasma homocysteine with B vitamin therapy does not prevent subsequent MIs and strokes in patients who have had an MI--to the contrary, it may even be harmful, according to the results of the first large randomized...

Silent coronary disease seen in many hypertensive diabetics.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2005... TORONTO -- A large proportion of patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes also have silent coronary artery disease, according to myocardial perfusion imaging studies presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine. ...

Hospitalizations for heart disease in 2003.(DATA WATCH)
October 1, 2005... DATA WATCH Hospitalizations for Heart Disease in 2003 Congestive heart failure 24% Coronary atherosclerosis 23% Cardiac dysrhythmias 18% Acute myocardial infarction 17% Other heart diseases 17% ...

Very-low-carb diet curbed metabolic syndrome.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- A very-low-carbohydrate diet was effective at raising serum levels of HDL cholesterol, lowering triglyceride levels, and producing weight loss in overweight patients with metabolic syndrome in a controlled study with 27 patients....

Essure offers easier sterilization.(MASTER CLASS)
October 1, 2005... Despite many advances in minimally invasive tubal ligation surgery, it remains a more complicated procedure than vasectomy to achieve sterilization, the most common contraceptive option in the United States today. The introduction of a...

Short-course Levaquin approved.(PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... The Food and Drug Administration approved a 5-day course of Levaquin (levo-floxacin) with 750-mg once-daily tablets to treat adults with acute bacterial sinusitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella...

Chlamydia and gonorrhea tests.(PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... Liquid pap specimens collected and processed with the Cytyc Corp. ThinPrep system can now be used with the Gen-Probe Inc. APTIMA Combo 2 assay to test for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. For more information about this product,...

Fecal occult blood test.(PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... Hemoccult ICT is an immunochemical fecal occult blood test for colorectal cancer and adenomas that uses antibodies to detect the globin portion of human hemoglobin in the lower GI tract. Restrictions on diet or certain drugs, such as...

Pads for mild anal incontinence.(PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... ARD absorbent pads have a butterfly shape that stays in place without tape during most normal activity. One 3.5-by-5-inch, latex-free pad absorbs up to 6 mL. A free sample pack is offered by Birchwood Laboratories Inc. at www.birchlabs.com or...

Transport pathogens at room temp.(PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2005... BD Universal Viral Transport maintains the viability of viruses, chlamydia, mycoplasma, and ureaplasma during transport at room temperature. The device, which contains antimicrobial agents that suppress bacterial and fungal contamination, can...

Antimicrobial products for skin prep.(PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... Chlorascrub products feature 3.15% chlorhexidine gluconate and 70% isopropyl alcohol for infection control. The swabs, swab sticks, and maxi swab sticks can be used for skin preparation for peripheral IVs, blood cultures, and minor surgical...

Nonsteroidal cream for dermatitis.(PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... Prescription-only Atopiclair nonsteroidal cream is available for the management of chronic symptoms of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis. Contact Chester Valley Pharmaceuticals by visiting www.chestervalleypharma.com or by calling...

Antibiotic for skin infections.(PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... Avelox (moxifloxacin HCl) tablets are indicated for treating complicated skin infections in adults caused by methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, or Enterobacter cloacae. Contact...

Obstetric medicine niche builds slowly.(News)
October 15, 2005... By most odds, the patient would have died. Only 10%-15% of women survive a postcesarean amniotic fluid embolus. "She was coded numerous times," recalled Kathleen Cote Bowling, M.D., an ob.gyn. at Women and Infants Hospital, Providence,...

Trial: Burch with sacrocolpopexy lowers SUI risk: absolute reduction in risk pegged at 20%.(News)
October 15, 2005... ATLANTA -- Stress urinary incontinence is common after abdominal sacrocolpopexy for advanced pelvic organ prolapse, but concomitant Burch colposuspension significantly reduces the risk of this outcome, according to findings from the Colpopexy...

Longitudinal study ties incontinence to lifestyle.(News)
October 15, 2005... MONTREAL -- Female urinary and fecal incontinence is associated with lifestyle, according to a recent longitudinal study. "Body mass index, smoking, and hormone replacement therapy remain bad news for the pelvic floor," said Kaven Baessler,...

More than half of patients discussed health information found online with their physician in the past year.(VITAL SIGNS)
October 15, 2005... VITAL SIGNS More Than Half of Patients Discussed Health Information Found Online With Their Physician in the Past Year Never 43% Sometimes 25% Once or twice 18% Always 15% Note: Based on a nationwide...

Vaginal delivery after anal sphincter tear tied to more flatal incontinence at 3 months.(News)
October 15, 2005... MONTREAL -- Most women who choose a subsequent vaginal delivery after experiencing an anal sphincter tear during childbirth end up with an increase in "minor" fecal incontinence symptoms--namely flatal incontinence--after their next delivery,...

Musings of a physician after Katrina.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
October 15, 2005... My entire career, except for 2 years in the U.S. Army, has been centered in New Orleans--at Tulane Medical School, the U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and on the faculty of Louisiana State University. Although the city has weathered many...

Method identifies risk factors for second C-section.(Obstetrics)
October 15, 2005... The following factors are associated with an increased risk of emergency cesarean section in women who have had a previous cesarean section and are attempting vaginal birth: older maternal age, low maternal height, male gender of baby, labor...

Pulmonary stenosis ups obstetric risks.(Obstetrics)
October 15, 2005... STOCKHOLM -- Pregnancy in women with isolated congenital pulmonary valve stenosis is associated with an extremely high rate of obstetric and fetal complications, Willem Drenthen, M.D., reported at the annual congress of the European Society of...

Autoantibodies play key role in cardiomyopathy.(Obstetrics)
October 15, 2005... STOCKHOLM -- Autoantibodies directed against the [[beta].sub.1]-adrenergic receptor appear to play a role in the pathogenesis of postpartum cardiomyopathy, Gerd Wallukat, M.D., said at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology....

Ob.gyns. scramble to care for displaced patients: care includes exams and delivering babies, but some physicians even have helped patients resettle.(Obstetrics)
October 15, 2005... Edgar Mandeville, M.D., had to step out of his traditional role as an ob.gyn. when he responded to a call from a colleague to care for displaced patients in Baton Rouge, La., following Hurricane Katrina. "We had 6,000 patients under one...

Web site lets doctors tap evacuees' rx data.(Obstetrics)
October 15, 2005... A broad coalition of public and private sector groups has launched a secure Web site where physicians and pharmacists can access medication histories for patients who were evacuated from their homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. ...

Possible risks of Paxil in early pregnancy spur label change.(Obstetrics)
October 15, 2005... New data linking paroxetine use in the first trimester of pregnancy with increased risk of major congenital malformations has prompted changes to the drug's label. Preliminary results of a retrospective epidemiologic study sponsored by...