Health Info

I have had a lot of radiation over the last three years and am sensitive to radiation issues.  The amount of radiation in seven smoked cigarettes is equivalent to one chest X-ray.  Scary.

Ever wonder if the hospital to which you are going really is safe?  The federal government, with the cooperation of hospitals nationwide is now rating hospitals as to whether they provide lifesaving treatments that are required by the standard of care.  This was in response to widespread knowledge that common procedures are often forgotten by hospital staff and doctors.  For example, when pneumonia is suspected, antibiotics should be given upon admission.  Everybody agrees with this but this often does not occur.  To find our how our local hospitals rate, go to the following web address: cms.hhs.gov/quality/hospital/.  This takes you to the page called hospital quality initiative “HQI”.  In the highlights section, click on “Data Available” then select Washington and Seattle for whatever hospital you wish.  This is also linked on my website.  Eventually, hospitals will be rated for many common procedures and each individual doctor will also be rated.  For now they rate for three things: Heart attack care, heart failure care and pneumonia care.  It is shocking to go through some of the ratings for our local hospitals. 

A while ago the Journal “The Annals of Emergency Medicine” conducted a retrospective survey, receiving thousands of patient records.  Their finding was that people who live in homes which possess a gun are almost twice as likely to be killed by guns as inhabitants of homes without guns.  Also, homes with guns are 16 times as likely to commit suicide using those guns.  They also found that 56% of gun victims knew their shooter.  15% of gun deaths were the culmination of a family argument.  Finally they found that women were more likely to be gun victims.  The medical community is beginning to view crime and violence as a health issue as a result of these and other studies.  It is about time.

Often when I do a personal injury case I get to know not only the injured person but also their family, friends, treating practitioners and so on.  In one personal injury case I learned quickly that my injured client had a wife who had suffered a stroke at a very young age as a result of a negligent medical procedure.  She has substantially recovered after a great deal of heroic effort on her part.  She sent me the following information.  It is extremely important for all of us to read and memorize.  It could save the life of someone you love.  Even though a stroke does damage there are specialized new procedures which, if administered promptly at a qualified emergency room, can maximize the possibility of a return of function.