An off-label clot-busting drug appears to work slightly better in treating stroke patients than an approved medication, a new review finds. The clot-buster tenecteplase is associated with a slightly higher likelihood of excellent recovery and reduced disability three months following a stroke, compared to the drug alteplase, researchers report. However, the likelihood of good recovery…  read on >  read on >

Folks who want solid protection during the cold and flu season should get the influenza vaccine now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. The ideal time to get the flu vaccine is by the end of October, the FDA said in a news release. “Flu viruses typically spread in fall and winter, with activity…  read on >  read on >

Women and men experience similar rates of dangerous complications after a major heart surgery. So why are women dying at higher rates than men when these complications strike? That’s the main question raised by a new study that involved more than 850,000 cases of Medicare beneficiaries who underwent high-risk heart surgeries. These operations included heart…  read on >  read on >

Following hurricane damage that shuttered a North Carolina plant that makes 60% of the country’s IV fluids, U.S. health officials have invoked the Defense Production Act to hasten rebuilding of the factory. A nationwide shortage of IV fluids has only worsened since Hurricane Helene wrecked the plant run by Baxter International Inc. late last month,…  read on >  read on >

Accident victims tend to flood emergency rooms on days with heavy air pollution, a new study shows. The number of patients treated at ERs increase by 10% to 15% on days with increased particle pollution in the air, researchers found. That increase is driven by cases of trauma, along with more people suffering breathing difficulties…  read on >  read on >