Tag: United States

The Top U.S. Hospitals have 28% Lower Mortality Rate

The American Heart Association did a new study concerning hospitals and their mortality rates. We now know that the top 5 percent in the United States have a 28% lower death rate than other hospitals in the nation. Health Grades is an independent health care ratings company released this information January 29th, 2007. They also found that patients who have surgery at the top-rated hospitals are about five percent less likely to suffer complications than patients at other hospitals are.

The Health Grade Company analyzed death and mortality rates for 26 procedures and diagnoses, including bypass surgery, angioplasty, stroke, and heart attack, at all 5,122 nonfederal hospitals. The top hospitals reduced their death rate by an average of 11.7 percent and reduced post-surgical complication rates by 3.4 percent. The study author claimed that if all U.S. hospitals had the same quality of care as the top hospitals, 158,264 lives would have been saved and 12,409 major complications avoided. Unfortunately, there is a gap in the quality of care provided by high quality hospitals and other hospitals in the United States, according to Health Grades.

In order to qualify for the Health Grades list, hospitals were required to meet minimum thresholds in terms of patient volumes, quality ratings and the range of services provided.
In the top 5% of hospitals that deal with heart, patients there are 229 in the nation today. The hospitals are located all around the nation and keep a high standard of performance.
The Christ Hospital located in Cincinnati, Ohio ranked number one in cardiovascular care is affiliated with several other hospitals in the area that are accredited as being in the top 100 of the 5% heart hospitals.

One of the most distinguished top cited heart hospitals and medical centers is the Robert Wood Johnson’s University Hospital. This hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. This hospital is the principal teaching hospital of the University of Medicine in the state of New Jersey. It is a very demanding position to be the one is who teach others how to take care of heart patients.

The Dayton Heart Hospital focus on patient care and fighting any problems that deals with heart problems. Each year heart disease kills more people than any other disease. Patients want new and better ways of healing. The physicians, community leaders, and others want to reduce the impact of heart disease has on society.

Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan has updated its heart wing, is now one of the leading hospitals for open-heart surgery, and transplants. The staff at Spectrum Hospital is very sensitive to patient needs and stress levels and tries to help in any manner possible. When a patient leaves the hospital, the care does not stop at that point. They provide in home nurses that visit the patient on a daily basis to make sure that they are coming along very well. Therapy is a part of the patient care after a month or so when the patient feels they are ready. The patient then goes to the therapy wing and a professional helps lead in proper therapy techniques. The hospital also provides a dietician who helps with your diet plan. The care provided is necessary for complete recovery.

Medical How It Works Saving the Heart

There is no cure for congestive heart failure, but there are things that you can do to help prolong your life and protect your heart from farther damage. Treatment is a matter of changing your lifestyle and drug therapy, which will change your quality of life. The medical field improvement over the past twenty years has grown in leaps and bounds. Lifestyle changes are the same quit smoking, losing excess weight, drinking less alcohol, and eating healthy low saturated fat and low salt foods. Then do not forget to exercise which is helpful for most patients. This is good advice that is a key to preventing heart failure but the most important is the medical. This is where your physician is very important do not attempt to try to prescribe your own medicines. The physician is well equipped to provide you with the proper medical treatment.

The heart like other parts of our bodies can malfunction in different ways. That is why we should trust the cardiologist a specialist in the medical field. One of the most common medicines prescribed for patients is a beta-blocker. The beta-blocker reduces the heart rate and output of blood by counteracting a hormone called noradrenalin. While this drug can prevent heart failure, it is not recommended for anyone with severe heart failure.

Patients who suffer from fluid retention and/or high blood pressure the medical field suggests that a diuretic will help compensate but some of the side effects is loss of potassium, weakness, muscle cramps, and joint pains. Let your doctor know right away if you feel any ill effects from the diuretic.

This is just an example of some drugs used by the medical field that can help prevent heart failure. There are other treatments that the medical field uses are just as valuable.
Congestive heart failure can become quiet extreme that is why the medical field has been experimenting with heart transplants and mechanical pumps, which are attached to the heart. There is another experimental procedure for severe heart failure, which is available at a few U.S. medical centers. This procedure, called cardiomyoplasty, involves detaching one end of a muscle in the back, wrapping it around the heart, and then suturing the muscle to the heart. An implanted electric stimulator causes the back muscle to contract and pump blood from the heart.

The medical field has also another surgical procedure called mitral valve repair may help extend and improve the lives of people with congestive heart failure. This procedure aims to correct leaky valves resulting from cardiomyopathy, or heart muscle disease, by surgically inserting a flexible annuloplasty ring at the mitral valve opening.

The medical field has made great strides in medicines and in surgical procedures that greatly increase the quality of life, we have. The medical field has experimented with such things as healthy heart diets and specialized exercises that can only help to improve quality of life. Now it is up to you it is your heart!

Manifestations of Arthritis

Manifestations of Arthritis
Amanda Baker

One of the most common conditions in the United States today is
a debilitating inflammatory disease that affects our joints. It
is estimated that there are over 100 different forms of this
disease and over 40 million people suffer from one form or
another.

Though typically thought to be an affliction of the aging,
arthritis can affect anyone at any time, and with all of the
different forms, each with their own symptoms, it could be hard
to determine just what type of arthritis an individual is
suffering from.

The signs and symptoms of arthritis are varied, though some of
the first symptoms are familiar and easy to recognize. Symptoms
such as general pain or swelling around the joints, an increased
stiffness in the joints in the morning, a cracking sound in the
knees when standing, and joints with a red appearance that feel
warm to the touch are all signs of arthritis.

However, before you rush to purchase an over-the-counter
arthritis treatment, you should talk to your doctor. Your doctor
is the only one who will be able to tell you what form of
arthritis you may have and how to treat it.

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common forms of
arthritis that plagues sufferers. It affects the joints and is a
systemic disease that can affect other organs. Rheumatoid
arthritis symptoms tend to disappear after sometime, but the
problem is still there. The true cause of rheumatoid arthritis
is presently unknown, though many suggest that things such as
infections, fungi, or bacteria are the culprits. However, there
are also those that believe that rheumatoid arthritis is
hereditary. Painful and swollen joints are a common warning sign
of rheumatoid arthritis, followed by muscle pain, extreme
fatigue, redness and warmth at the joints, even a low grade
fever and appetite loss.

Next to rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis is a common
affliction, caused by breaking down of joint cartilage.
Osteoarthritis commonly begins in one joint and typically only
affects the one joint. It does not move to internal organs.
Osteoarthritis commonly affects the knees, hips, hands, and
spine. By the time the pain starts setting in for an
osteoarthritis sufferer, the damage to the affected joint
cartilage could be considerable.

Relieving pain from a form of arthritis can be as simple as
over-the-counter or prescription medication. However, in the
most severe cases, surgery may be necessary. Being overweight
can also play a role in arthritis. Some physicians believe that
a change in diet can ease the pain of arthritis, though there is
a lot of debate on the topic. Regardless, you should speak to
your doctor who can tell you just what form of arthritis you may
have, and what treatment options may work best for you.

About the author:
Amanda Baker writes for http://tobeinformed.com – a website for
health, fitness and wellness information.

Manage the Pain of Osteoarthritis

Manage the Pain of Osteoarthritis
Kamau Austin

Manage the Pain of Osteoarthritis

The Mayo Clinic refers to osteoarthritis as a “wear and tear”
condition that effects people as they age. It is a degenerative
disease and is the most common form of arthritis. It is one of
the most common causes of disability among adults. More than 20
million people in the United States have the disease.
Researchers project that in the next 25 years over 20% of
Americans-beyond the age of 65 will be at risk for
osteoarthritis.

Today, more than half of the population age 65 or older would
show x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis in at least one joint.
Both men and women have the disease with more men getting the
disease before age 45, and more women getting the disease after
that point.

Osteoarthritis may affect any joint in the body and it is
characterized by a breakdown in the cartilage between the
joints. The most common joints affected are the hips, knees,
lower back, fingers and feet.

Osteoarthritis often develops slowly and quite often there are
no symptoms. A person affected with the disease may not know
that they have it until it is revealed during a routine x-ray.

People with osteoarthritis may have one or more of the following
symptoms.

– Pain in a joint during or after use; or after a period of
inactivity, such as after a night’s sleep. – Pain in a joint
during a change in weather. – Swelling or pain in a joint, after
use. – Bony lumps on the end or middle joints of the hands –
Loss of flexibility

Interestingly, the first year of onset of the disease may bring
acute pain, that then fades within a year or so of its
appearance. This is especially true of osteoarthritis of the
fingers.

The exact cause of osteoarthritis is not known but some
researchers believe that we are more susceptible to
osteoarthritis as we age. It may be caused by a combination of
factors, including being overweight,aging, a previous joint
injury, heredity and muscle weakness.

The pain of osteoarthritis can range from that of a minor
inconvenience for some sufferers, to chronic and debilitating
for others. In cases where pain is severe, joint replacement
surgery may be considered.

There is no cure for osteoarthritis, and treatment is geared
towards reducing pain and increasing joint. Treatment may
include medication, physical therapy, occupational therapy and
self-care.

Pharmaceutical medication is used to treat the pain and may
include, over the counter topical pain relievers that are rubbed
into the skin at the effective joint, NSAIDs and acetaminophen
taken internally to help with pain.

Prescription medications may include COX-2 inhibitors such as
Celebrex may be considered for relieving pain, But both Celebrex
and the recently removed from the market durg, Vioxx, are now
linked with some rather serious side effects including, high
blood pressure, and an increased risk of stroke and heart attack.

For some people, a side effect of living with chronic pain is
depression. Since disturbances in sleep may accompany
osteoarthritis, anti depressants may be prescribed because they
can reduce chronic pain a well as help to alleviate sleep
disturbances.

From time to time a doctor may suggest that an osteoarthritis
patient receive injections of corticosteroid, which when
injected into the joint space can offer some relief from pain
and inflammation.

Surgical procedures can provide pain relief and relieve
disability that may result from the deterioration of the joints.
These procedures may include joint replacement; repositioning
bones and fusing bones.

The surgical procedures and prescription medications may be
overkill in the case where the osteoarthritis sufferer has only
mild pain and inflammation. There is much that the mild or
occasional sufferer can do to alleviate their pain ontheir own.

Life-style changes can help the condition so dramatically that
it is sometimes the only treatment the occasional suffered will
need.

Some things that you can do to help with the pain and stiffness
are: – Exercise regularly – Control your weight – Eat a healthy
diet – Apply heat to alleviate pain – Choose appropriate
footwear to help support your back and hip joints. – Apply cold
for occasional flare-ups – Practice relaxation techniques

In all cases osteoarthritis sufferers can benefit from making
some changes in how they approach everyday activities. – Arm
yourself with information and a “can do” attitude: Work with
your health care professional to take control of your treatment
and actively manage your arthritis. – Make use of a brace or
cane if needed. A brace can greatly help to support a painful
knee. And walking with a cane can help support an ailing hip.

– Keep activity within your limits. Osteoarthritis can make you
prone to fatigue and muscle weakness. Take a short nap or rest
when you fell tired. – Avoid straining your finger joints. Use a
kitchen tool or hot water to help with opening jars and bottles.
Kitchen centers and hardware stores are beginning to carry a
supply of kitchen aids to help with simple tasks that may be
difficult for osteoarthritis sufferers.

– Take breaks. Periodically relax and stretch. – Maintain good
posture. Good posture more evenly distributes your body weight
making it easier to support.

Regardless of the approaches that people take to dealing with
their osteoarthritis almost everyone can benefit from the use of
natural supplements. Glucosamine. is a naturally occurring
substance that has been shown to be extremely effective in
treating osteoarthritis.

Phosoplex is a natural supplement takes glucosamine one step
better by combining it with Bio Cell Collagen II, a
concentration of many elements including glucosamine.

The makers of Phosoplex have a valid point when they tell us
“…If we consume only single elements involved in the complex
process of keeping our joints and other connective tissue
healthy we could only expect partial effectiveness.” Phosoplex
with its full spectrum of essential elements provides broader
nutritional support aiding the overall health of individuals
joints.

More information about Phosoplex can be found at
http://www.bodestore.com/phosoplex.html

About the author:
Kamau Austin is a health and fitness enthusiast and advocate. He
is also the publisher of … www.healthandfitnessvitality.com .
He writes on a regular basis on timeless health and fitness tips
at the Fit After Forty Blog. See more useful health and fitness
news and tips at…
http://www.healthandfitnessvitality.com/blogs/fitnessblog.htm