Grand Rounds 2:31

Grand Rounds 2:31Welcome to the 83rd edition of Grand Rounds, hosted here at the Health business blog! I noticed at least a couple of changes since I hosted #40 almost a year ago. First, the pre-Rounds writeup on Medscape (thanks Nick) and second, the sheer number of submissions.Now, let’s get started…Editor’s picks (aka Dave’s Faves)“I hope they clean those things between uses.” A ChronicBabe wearing a Holter monitor invites her boyfriend over for sexcapades.“Isn’t that the same guy I saw leaving ChronicBabe’s apartment?” Dr. Charles scores an invitation to visit his patient’s homebrew lab to monitor beer-induced atrial fibrillation. “Hey, Doc, do I really have to wear that Holter again tonight?”“What did the deaf nurse say to the patient who forgot to wear her hearing aids?” Find out at Healthy Policy.“Don’t take my word for it,” when you can ask AJ, who can recall the details of every day of her life back to 1980. (Over my med body!)“I thought doctors were gods,” but Orac Knows that many are stupid enough to fall for Intelligent Design.“If you’re looking for a fun-filled evening at your house, call Dr. Charles.” But if you’re in labor, Neonatal Doc recommends going to the hospital instead.“Can we have your liver (once you’re done using it)?” That depends. It’s Organ Donor Awareness Month and donorcycle wants us to ponder ways to alleviate the organ shortage. Should we have presumed consent for donation? Should organs be restricted to those who’ve agreed to donate their own organs?BEST OF THE RESTWorkplaceWhen the bird flu arrives, how many health care workers will fly the coop? (Healthcare.wurk.net)If you want to summon the Evil Spirits That Watch Over the Emergency Department (ESWOEDSs), just say something innocuous. (Doc Around The Clock)It takes dedication to go to work when bullets are whizzing around the neighborhood. (Digital Doorway)This harasser needs to calm down and stop yelling at Barbados Butterfly, otherwise Tim’s (Medic of One) mugger might have to be sent in his direction.Doctor/patient relationship Have you heard about those annoying patients? The ones that are always late, are seeking drugs and so on? PegSpot has. Meanwhile a (formerly) Difficult Patient provides insight into why some patients behave as they do.Dr. Flea continues to fight a losing battle to keep kids out of the ER and away from unneeded IV rehydration. In this episode the NEJM, NIH and GSK have crushed him like a bug with a new use for Zofran.HealthyConcerns heads to the doctor for her annual exam and (almost) enjoys it.GruntDoc reviews a book about a doctor who journeys from Chicago to the mountains of Nepal and concludes that it’s pretty good.Inked Caduceus will be a great doctor if they’ll just stop lecturing her about mitosis and meiosis and let her watch BALL, a one-man show about a man’s battle with testicular cancer.TreatmentsA disgruntled youth is featured in Tony Plant’s post about Fish vs. Drugs for Children and Criminals. Keep him away from me please.Diabetes Mine is holding her breath, hoping for the success of MannKind’s inhaled insulin in clinical trials. Among other things, the inhaler is a lot more socially acceptable than the Exubera bong.Keep smiling, bloggers! Fixin’ Healthcare reports a new mood checker program is keeping an eye on us.MiniMed’s combined insulin pump/glucose monitor is the closest thing yet to an artificial pancreas. (Straight from the Doc)It’s not just for killing aliens anymore. Virtual Reality shows potential in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments)InsureBlog worries about Advair.Pinworm: it ain’t a pretty picture. (Inky Circus)Practical adviceTired of Twilight Zone meetings (and after all who isn’t)? MSSPNexus Blog will help you avoid them.Graduating nurses, here are a few things Emergiblog wants you to know as you head out into the world.In case Google doesn’t already have enough on you to ruin your life, Clinical Cases and Images reports that some patients are using Google Calendar to keep track of their medical conditions. No thanks.Health educationGood news courtesy of the Homely Scientist. Mercury fillings are probably not killing us.There are a lot of myths about stress. Dr. Serani dispels six of them.A new study examines the impact of nature vs. nurture on the development of obesity. Bottom line, according to Aetiology: diet and exercise is still your best bet.Wandering Visitor notes that working in a popcorn factory can damage your lungs. (The butter flavoring is the culprit.)Diabetes and heart disease are a bad combination in Malaysia and elsewhere. The heart of the matter helps us understand why.The Biotech Weblog and The Cheerful Oncologist are advocates for the Mediterranean Diet. Oncologist boils it down for us: “STOP EATING JUNK FOOD, YOU FATTIES!” Such tact.Avoid this one if you can. Inside Surgery tells us about Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome.DiseaseProof wants to get you up to speed on prostate cancer, aka breast cancer for men.Inhalant abuse is a problem in the Philippines and the US, too. (Parallel Universes)Love and hope Dream Mom shares a stirring story of her special needs Dear Son and provides information about ARX testing.The Mote in the Light reminds us that health care professionals may be hardened to death but aren’t immune from grief.Tales from the Womb describes the emotional impact on caregivers of a badly ill child.Testing the Cultural Divide concludes that medical shows are so popular because medicine is romantic.Milliner’s Dream shares a story of her family and their feet.Wonky stuffCalifornia Medicine Man wonders whether NEJM published a pilot study of pre-hypertension treatment to please people in high places.The Blog That Ate Manhattan would rather see study results released in peer-reviewed journals rather than the general media.Why is Allan Hubbard running around the country blaming the health care crisis on lack of pricing transparency by providers? Could it be because the Administration has a rather superficial and dogmatic view of health reform? Matthew Holt lays it all out for you.If you still think Allan Hubbard is on to something, The Doctor is In explains the maze of medical coding.Hospice Blog is determined to get the $625 that Blue Cross has been withholding.When is a patient too ill or old for medicine? Kevin, MD’s readers have some thoughts on the matter.Pay for performance (P4P) sounds like a reasonable concept to Treat Me With Respect, except that the current P4P systems are really pay for keeping costs down.KidneyNotes is shocked that acute renal failure is no longer a surefire indication for hospital admission.Hippocrates seeks your feedback for a talk he is preparing on the role of blogs in consumer driven health care.Can’t we all just get along? Hospital Impact would like to see clinical and financial managers collaborate.***That’s it for this edition! Next week’s host is Polite Dissent.