The other day some of the nurses were trying to remember the nicknames for two types of respiratory patients. Although it was somewhere in our memory vault, we just couldn't recall. One of our hospitalists came by and immediately was able to state it.... "blue bloaters and pink puffers." Here are a few links to refresh your memory. Pink Puffers COPD type A
Blue Bloaters COPD type B
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Women and Heart Disease
Facts about Heart Disease in Women from the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease:
Prevalence:
8,000,000 American women are currently living with heart disease - 10% of women ages 45 - 64 and 25% age 65 and over.
6,000,000 of women today have a history of heart attack and/or angina or both. Nearly 13% of women age 45 and over have had a heart attack.
435,000 American women have heart attacks each year; 83,000 are under age 65 and 9,000 are under age 45. Their average age is 70.4.
4,000,000 women suffer from angina, and 47,000 of them were hospitalized in 1999.
Mortality:Heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women and kills 32% of them.
43% of deaths in American women, or nearly 500,000, are caused by cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) each year.
267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, which kill six times as many women as breast cancer.
31, 837 women die each year of congestive heart failure, or 62.6% of all heart failure deaths.
At-Risk:
The age-adjusted rate of heart disease for African American women is 72% higher than for white women, while African American women ages 55-64 are twice as likely as white women to have a heart attack and 35% more likely to suffer from coronary artery disease.
Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than non-smoking women.
Women with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have heart attacks.
High blood pressure is more common in women taking oral contraceptives, especially in obese women.
39% of white women, 57% of black women, 57% of Hispanic women, and 49% Asian/Pacific Islander women are sedentary and get no leisure time physical activity.
23% of white women, 38% of black women, and 36% Mexican American women are obese.
Compared with Men:
38% of women and 25% of men will die within one year of a first recognized heart attack.
35% of women and 18% of men heart attack survivors will have another heart attack within six years.
46% of women and 22% of men heart attack survivors will be disabled with heart failure within six years.
Women are almost twice as likely as men to die after bypass surgery.
Women are less likely than men to receive beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors or even aspirin after a heart attack.
More women than men die of heart disease each year, yet women receive only:
33% of angioplasties, stents and bypass surgeries
28% of inplantable defibrillators and
36% of open-heart surgeries
Women comprise only 25% of participants in all heart-related research studies.
Statistics complied from:
National Center on Health Statistics; National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and American Heart Association's 2002 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update, which may be viewed online at: http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/10148328094661013190990123HS_State_02.pdf
Prevalence:
8,000,000 American women are currently living with heart disease - 10% of women ages 45 - 64 and 25% age 65 and over.
6,000,000 of women today have a history of heart attack and/or angina or both. Nearly 13% of women age 45 and over have had a heart attack.
435,000 American women have heart attacks each year; 83,000 are under age 65 and 9,000 are under age 45. Their average age is 70.4.
4,000,000 women suffer from angina, and 47,000 of them were hospitalized in 1999.
Mortality:Heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women and kills 32% of them.
43% of deaths in American women, or nearly 500,000, are caused by cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) each year.
267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, which kill six times as many women as breast cancer.
31, 837 women die each year of congestive heart failure, or 62.6% of all heart failure deaths.
At-Risk:
The age-adjusted rate of heart disease for African American women is 72% higher than for white women, while African American women ages 55-64 are twice as likely as white women to have a heart attack and 35% more likely to suffer from coronary artery disease.
Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than non-smoking women.
Women with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have heart attacks.
High blood pressure is more common in women taking oral contraceptives, especially in obese women.
39% of white women, 57% of black women, 57% of Hispanic women, and 49% Asian/Pacific Islander women are sedentary and get no leisure time physical activity.
23% of white women, 38% of black women, and 36% Mexican American women are obese.
Compared with Men:
38% of women and 25% of men will die within one year of a first recognized heart attack.
35% of women and 18% of men heart attack survivors will have another heart attack within six years.
46% of women and 22% of men heart attack survivors will be disabled with heart failure within six years.
Women are almost twice as likely as men to die after bypass surgery.
Women are less likely than men to receive beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors or even aspirin after a heart attack.
More women than men die of heart disease each year, yet women receive only:
33% of angioplasties, stents and bypass surgeries
28% of inplantable defibrillators and
36% of open-heart surgeries
Women comprise only 25% of participants in all heart-related research studies.
Statistics complied from:
National Center on Health Statistics; National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and American Heart Association's 2002 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update, which may be viewed online at: http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/10148328094661013190990123HS_State_02.pdf
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Partnership for Prescription Assistance
Dear Healthcare Provider:
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research companies, is a central clearinghouse that connects individuals who are uninsured or lack adequate healthcare coverage to programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. The PPA is the largest private-sector patient assistance effort helping people in need who qualify obtain their medicines through more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. Since its launch in April 2005, the PPA has helped more than 4.3 million individuals find programs, but many more could benefit if they were only aware that help was available.
“The PPA is continuing to make tremendous inroads by assisting struggling Americans who need it most,” said Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). “America’s pharmaceutical research companies are devoted to not only inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives, but to making sure all patients have access to those medicines. That is why we continue to work with healthcare providers to make sure no patient goes without the medicines they need.”
Healthcare providers can direct their patients to the PPA’s easy-to-use Web site (www.pparx.org) or the toll-free number (1-888-4PPA-NOW) where trained operators field calls in more than 150 languages.
In addition, the PPA provides information on nearly 10,000 free healthcare clinics and has connected more than 194,000 patients with clinics and healthcare providers in their communities.
More than 1,300 national, state and local organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, United Way of America, the YMCA and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, have partnered with America’s pharmaceutical research companies to help spread the word about the PPA.
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research companies, is a central clearinghouse that connects individuals who are uninsured or lack adequate healthcare coverage to programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. The PPA is the largest private-sector patient assistance effort helping people in need who qualify obtain their medicines through more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. Since its launch in April 2005, the PPA has helped more than 4.3 million individuals find programs, but many more could benefit if they were only aware that help was available.
“The PPA is continuing to make tremendous inroads by assisting struggling Americans who need it most,” said Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). “America’s pharmaceutical research companies are devoted to not only inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives, but to making sure all patients have access to those medicines. That is why we continue to work with healthcare providers to make sure no patient goes without the medicines they need.”
Healthcare providers can direct their patients to the PPA’s easy-to-use Web site (www.pparx.org) or the toll-free number (1-888-4PPA-NOW) where trained operators field calls in more than 150 languages.
In addition, the PPA provides information on nearly 10,000 free healthcare clinics and has connected more than 194,000 patients with clinics and healthcare providers in their communities.
More than 1,300 national, state and local organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, United Way of America, the YMCA and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, have partnered with America’s pharmaceutical research companies to help spread the word about the PPA.
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