As usual there were a lot of things happening this week in healthcare, and not all of it was technology related. Here’s a quick look at some of the stuff I browsed this week.
– “Up” was #1 at the box office last weekend. No big surprise there. My family and I will most likely be sitting in a theater watching it this weekend.
– Computex started this week. If you want to know what the movers and shakers in the gadget industry are doing, this is the place to be. This is wickedly cool stuff!
– 9 to 5 Mac reports that “Apple to start re-charging for re-downloading apps directly on the iPhone“. – That’s a real bummer, if it turns out to be true. I like being able to immediately re-download something if I happen to accidentally delete it. Hey, it happens.
–Engadget.com: “If NC State’s athletic branches had even half the aptitude as its medical researchers, maybe then those blue boys down the road wouldn’t have so much right to bang us up. Personal beefs aside, we’re simultaneously stoked and amazed by a new machine crafted down in Raleigh, one that enables scientists to keep a heart pumping even after it has been removed from the body, but for research purposes only. Andrew Richards, a bright young mechanical engineering student, designed the so-called dynamic heart system, which “pumps fluid through a pig heart so that it functions in a very realistic way.” Obviously, such a device has a multitude of benefits, including time / money savings compared to alternative approaches, the ability to record the inner workings of a pumping heart and scoring the creator some serious street cred in the industry. Mind-blowing video is just after the break.” – Take a look at the video if you get the opportunity. You’ll be amazed and “grossed-out” all at the same time.
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy (Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 1064-1083): “Increasing the prophylactic doses of LMWH may be appropriate in morbidly obese patients (body mass index  40 kg/m2). The use of total body weight is appropriate for therapeutic doses of LMWH in obese patients. Laboratory monitoring of the anticoagulation effect of LMWHs is generally not necessary, but should be considered in patients with morbid obesity (weight >190 kg), those with severe renal impairment, and those with moderate renal impairment with prolonged (>10 days) LMWH use. When anti-Xa activity is monitored, it should be determined using a chromogenic method and a calibration curve based on the LMWH used.” – This would be a significant development if it turns out that LMWH requires adjustment for morbidly obese patients. The present standard of care is to give this patient population the same prophylactic dose as non-obese patients. Unfortunately, the article is only a review of the currently available literature and contains no new research data.
McKnights: “There was no battle cry. No calls to storm the halls of Congress. Instead the message at the American Health Care Association’s two-day Congressional Briefing was subtle: You can ask lawmakers for long-term care reform, but save your energy for other issues.†– This is a real shame as long-term care (LTC) is one area of healthcare that could use a little reform. I had the opportunity to work as a LTC “consultant†a couple of years back. The pharmacy that I worked for was state of the art and very efficient. As far as the nursing homes went (i.e. LTC facilities), let’s just say they could have used a little help.
RHStrategic.com: “Notes from the Slammer†– This post contains some great video of Talyst pharmacy automation in action, specifically their InSite Remote Dispensing System. It’s impressive hardware. I’ve posted on it before.
Leave a Reply