WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — More than one-fifth of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in New York City have critical illness, and nearly 80% of critically ill patients need ventilators to help them breathe, according to a new study. The findings have important implications for U.S. hospitals, specifically the needContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) Young to middle-aged asthmatics who are hospitalized for COVID-19 are likely to be on a ventilator longer than patients without asthma, new research reports. Patients with asthma who were between 20 and 59 years of age needed a ventilator to help with breathing fiveContinue Reading
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Roughly 16 million Americans have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but only a fraction have access to a lifesaving treatment called pulmonary rehabilitation. COPD is a family of diseases, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, that make breathing difficult and worsens over time. TheContinue Reading
FRIDAY, May 8, 2020 (HealthDay News) — You’re sick, perhaps very sick, so you head to the local emergency department fearing the onset of COVID-19. But what symptoms most clearly point to a need for urgent care? Based on a review of more than 1,000 patients who’ve already sought careContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A new analysis suggests there may be a simple, noninvasive technique that could delay, or even eliminate, the need for ventilation in COVID-19 patients. It’s called “proning.” And it appears to be remarkably effective at boosting “blood oxygen saturation” levels, often called sats,Continue Reading
WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Daily use of inhaler medication by Americans with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, a new study shows. Researchers analyzed data on controller inhaler use by nearly 7,600 patients who use Propeller Health, which uses electronicContinue Reading
FRIDAY, May 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Many people who are seriously ill with COVID-19 end up on ventilators to help them breathe, but sometimes, even ventilators aren’t enough. That’s when a device called ECMO may help. ECMO can do the work of the lungs and in some cases, theContinue Reading
TUESDAY, April 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Doctors are increasingly worried that people are mistaking stay-at-home orders to mean they should avoid emergency medical care — including for serious lung diseases. People with chronic lung conditions, such as emphysema and moderate to severe asthma, are among those at higher riskContinue Reading
TUESDAY, April 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Almost half of the U.S. population — 150 million people — are exposed to air pollution that puts their health at risk, the American Lung Association says. Climate change is making air pollution worse due to record levels of particle pollution and higherContinue Reading
SUNDAY, April 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Despite increased demand for inhalers in some parts of the United States, Americans with asthma shouldn’t ration their medications during the coronavirus pandemic, the American Lung Association says. Rescue inhalers are in short supply in some areas because hospitals are giving albuterol toContinue Reading
THURSDAY, April 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — With protective gear in short supply, Duke University researchers say they’ve designed a much-needed respirator for health care workers battling COVID-19. The respirator was created by a medical and engineering team at the university and is being used by Duke Health doctors treatingContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — As the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic grows, it is increasingly clear the infection is more than a lung disease. Many patients are developing heart complications, though the reasons are not fully understood. People with heart disease or a history of stroke areContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The coronavirus hits older people and those with chronic medical conditions hardest. But many of these folks didn’t take the virus seriously as the outbreak took off in the United States, a new study finds. Before stay-in-place orders were announced, investigators called nearlyContinue Reading
MONDAY, April 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — With a sudden need for more ventilators due to the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have been busy trying to come up with alternatives to a standard ventilator. Engineers from Georgia Tech and Emory University in Atlanta think they may have developed such a device.Continue Reading