WEDNESDAY, Jan. 26, 2022 (HealthDay News) — U.S. hospitals continue to reel from the pressure posed by the ongoing pandemic, facing critical workforce shortages and rising labor costs that amount to a “national emergency,” hospital executives say. Nearly 1,400 hospitals — 31% of the nation’s total — are on theContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 26, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Saline intravenous (IV) fluids are as effective as more costly solutions in treating intensive care patients and keeping them alive, Australian researchers report. “Just about every patient admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) will receive intravenous fluids for resuscitation or as partContinue Reading

MONDAY, Jan. 24, 2022 (HealthDay News) — When American kids do downhill skiing or snowboarding, they almost always wear a helmet, their parents say, but they’re far less likely to do so when cruising down a neighborhood hill on a sled. That puts them at risk for serious head injuries,Continue Reading

FRIDAY, Jan. 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Some recreational pot shops are using tricks from the old playbooks of alcohol and tobacco companies to target underage users on social media, a new study reports. Despite state laws restricting such marketing, researchers found marijuana retailers on social media promoting their waresContinue Reading

FRIDAY, Jan. 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) — If you or someone you know has suffered a concussion, a medical evaluation is crucial, an expert says. A concussion is “a short-lived functional brain injury typically caused by a bump or blow to the head,” Cleveland Clinic concussion specialist Dr. Richard FiglerContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) — A seemingly endless wait in an emergency department can be taxing for many reasons, but new research suggests that long delays in being admitted to the hospital may even raise a patient’s risk of death within the following 30 days. Why? One possibleContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Homelessness is difficult enough, but when it’s compounded by serious mental health issues the result can be an inability to function at even the most basic level. Sometimes that leads to round-the-clock involuntary hospitalization, and when that happens a state-appointed psychiatric conservator canContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Big surprise bills for any colonoscopy done after a positive result from a stool-based screening test will be prevented under new federal rules, a group of U.S. medical organizations say. On Jan. 10, the Biden administration issued guidance requiring private insurers to coverContinue Reading

TUESDAY, Jan. 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) — It can happen so fast. One moment, a family is eating dinner together like usual. Soon after, they go off to do other things before being brought back together by a child’s scream. That is what unfolded in the Beckman home in StateContinue Reading

MONDAY, Jan. 17, 2022 (HealthDay News) — U.S. insurers are paying millions of dollars a year to cover the cost of ivermectin for COVID-19 patients despite a lack of proof the anti-parasitic drug is effective against the virus, a new study finds. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration andContinue Reading

MONDAY, Jan. 17, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Power outages are becoming more frequent in the United States, and a new study highlights one consequence of prolonged blackouts: carbon monoxide poisonings. Looking at major U.S. power outages between 2007 and 2018, researchers found that carbon monoxide poisonings spiked during those disruptions,Continue Reading

THURSDAY, Jan. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Here’s more evidence that marijuana may make driving more dangerous: As pot has been legalized in more countries and states, a greater number of people are driving intoxicated by the drug and crashing, researchers report. THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, has beenContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Jan. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) — President Joe Biden plans to announce Thursday that a “surge” of U.S. military medical personnel will soon be deployed to hospitals struggling with staff shortages amid soaring COVID-19 cases. More than 1,000 will begin arriving at hospitals nationwide starting next week, and thatContinue Reading