The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says patients who received Johnson & Johnson’s all-metal hip replacements need more frequent testing, according to Bloomberg.
In light of almost 16,800 reports of problems with all-metal hip implants since 2000, federal regulators hope that precaution will help prevent risky replacement surgery for some recipients. The FDA recommendation was part of a report advising members ...
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In an interview with Metro New York, author Katherine Sharpe discusses some of the reasons behind what she sees as a widespread trend among American medical professionals to overprescribe antidepressants.
Sharpe is the author of Coming of Age on Zoloft, which deals with the experiences of young people trying to figure out who they are after spending their formative years on antidepressants.
When antidepressants first came onto the market, medical professionals tended ...
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A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel holding a two-day forum about metal-on-metal hip implants will discuss widely reported problems with the devices, but will not make a decision on whether or not to ban them.
A report in U.S. News and World Report about the panel quotes an FDA spokeswoman as saying: “During the panel meeting, FDA will discuss failure rates and modes for these devices, as well as any ...
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A recent report in Scientific American takes a look at a faulty heart device that’s been responsible for at least 20 deaths.
According to the article, implantable defibrillator leads are wires that connect defibrillators – devices similar to pacemakers – to the heart. “Over the past decade, the $10 billion heart device industry has seen several high profile cases of malfunctioning products that posed severe risks to patients,” the article states.
The ...
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The natural gas extraction method called hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is controversial primarily because of its potential impact on the environment.
But on a science blog for The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, four scientists with NIOSH point out another potential hazard from fracking – lung ailments for workers exposed to the process.
Fracking, used in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania, involves injecting a mixture of water and chemicals ...
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The Coalition to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis provides some advice on preventing DVT, which is the formation of a potentially deadly blood clot in one of the deep veins.
Much of the information deals with recognizing the signs, symptoms and risk factors for developing blood clots. They include long periods of physical inactivity, smoking, recent surgery and pregnancy.
Use of birth control pills can also be a risk factor for developing blood ...
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