Doctors might be overprescribing sedatives to stroke survivors, a new study warns. About 5% of people are prescribed a benzodiazepine following a stroke, to help calm anxiety and improve sleep, researchers found. Benzodiazepine meds include Valium, Ativan and Xanax. But these prescriptions often are for pills that last longer than a week, which could hamper… 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 >
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 >
Public concerns about contracting RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) have significantly declined during the past year, a new survey shows. About 1 in 4 people (26%) are now worried that they or a family member will get RSV during the next three months, the Annenberg Public Policy Center survey shows. That’s less than the 1 in… 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 >
Half of people who develop blood poisoning, otherwise known as sepsis, are dead within a couple of years, a new study finds. A little more than 50% of patients admitted to an ER with sepsis died within two years, Danish researchers report. “We found that certain factors increased the risk of death after sepsis, including,… read on > read on >
A simple tweak in available vial sizes of the breakthrough Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi could save Medicare hundreds of millions of dollars each year, a new analysis claims. About 6% of Leqembi (lecanemab) is discarded because patients are frequently prescribed doses lower than the size of the drug’s single-use vials. This waste costs Medicare about $1,600… read on > read on >
Facing a nationwide shortage of vital IV fluids after Hurricane Helene knocked out a North Carolina production plant, officials heaved a sigh of relief at the news that a second plant in Daytona Beach, Fla., was spared by Hurricane Milton and remains functional. According to the New York Times, a spokeswoman for B. Braun, the… read on > read on >
Friendships forged during a person’s turbulent teenage years lay the essential foundation for their happiness later in life, a new study suggests. Being broadly accepted by peers in early adolescence and forming close connections as an older teen both predict how well-adjusted a person will be in adulthood, researchers found. “Friendships during the teenage years… read on > read on >
After Hurricane Helene knocked out a North Carolina production plant for a major supplier of IV fluids for U.S. hospitals, officials said the federal government is reaching out internationally to help restore supply. The situation could get even worse: As Hurricane Milton barreled down on Florida, a second IV fluid maker’s facility in Daytona Beach… read on > read on >
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