Sea Crest Health Care Center

By Ruth Folger Weiss

A few months after undergoing routine hip replacements, a number of patients of  a well known LA orthopedic surgeon started suffering from excruciating pains. The surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Dorr, was stymied until he discovered one factor they all had in common; the same replacement joint, manufactured by Zimmer Holdings, was implanted in all of them. Several needed to have their replacement replaced in another bout of surgery. When Zimmer was first contacted about this problem, they just brushed it off. It took a year of more complaints and pressure from doctors until they pulled this device off the market. In the interim many more patients unknowingly had their joints replaced with a faulty Zimmer “Durom Cup” with crippling results.

This upsetting scenario could have been avoided, and many patients could have been spared the agony, if the U.S. would have a Joint Registry in place. A Joint Registry is a national database that tracks the well being of patients with artificial hips and knees. Countries such as Australia, Britain, Norway and Sweden have such a system in place and the benefits are numerous. Tracking the success rates of the different joints available results in the faulty ones being pulled from the market much quicker. The registry data puts pressure on manufacturers to explain why their products perform poorly and the registry alerts surgeon to stop using flawed joints.

Monitoring devices like artificial joints supposedly falls under the domain of the The Food and Drug Administration but they are often overwhelmed by the vast number of products it monitors and because doctors often do not report problems.

Nearly one million hips and knees were replaced in the U.S. alone last year, about half of the world’s total. As the world’s leader in joint replacement, the U.S. should take the initiative and be the leader in follow-up too.  So far all efforts to establish a database here have failed due to the many hurdles, financial and practical, of our fragmented and decentralized health care system, as well as a lack of support from Medicare.

By Ruth Folger Weiss

A few months after undergoing routine hip replacements, a number of patients of  a well known LA orthopedic surgeon started suffering from excruciating pains. The surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Dorr, was stymied until he discovered one factor they all had in common; the same replacement joint, manufactured by Zimmer Holdings, was implanted in all of them. Several needed to have their replacement replaced in another bout of surgery. When Zimmer was first contacted about this problem, they just brushed it off. It took a year of more complaints and pressure from doctors until they pulled this device off the market. In the interim many more patients unknowingly had their joints replaced with a faulty Zimmer “Durom Cup” with crippling results.

This upsetting scenario could have been avoided, and many patients could have been spared the agony, if the U.S. would have a Joint Registry in place. A Joint Registry is a national database that tracks the well being of patients with artificial hips and knees. Countries such as Australia, Britain, Norway and Sweden have such a system in place and the benefits are numerous. Tracking the success rates of the different joints available results in the faulty ones being pulled from the market much quicker. The registry data puts pressure on manufacturers to explain why their products perform poorly and the registry alerts surgeon to stop using flawed joints.

Monitoring devices like artificial joints supposedly falls under the domain of the The Food and Drug Administration but they are often overwhelmed by the vast number of products it monitors and because doctors often do not report problems.

Nearly one million hips and knees were replaced in the U.S. alone last year, about half of the world’s total. As the world’s leader in joint replacement, the U.S. should take the initiative and be the leader in follow-up too.  So far all efforts to establish a database here have failed due to the many hurdles, financial and practical, of our fragmented and decentralized health care system, as well as a lack of support from Medicare.

By Neil Bekker

Flip flops, the standard beachwear, are now the hottest form of footwear worn throughout the long hot summer days. They may be stylish, comfortable and cool, but wearing them all the time is a recipe for foot pain.

Since they offer no arch support, heel cushioning, or shock absorption, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) they should not be used for extensive walking or for playing sports. Wearers can suffer foot pain, tendinitis, and even sprained ankles if they trip, and are also at greater risk for stubbed toes, glass cuts, puncture wounds, or having a heavy object smash their foot due to their exposed toes.

People with diabetes should choose their footwear with care since any foot injury can become serious, even leading to amputation. They should be vigilant to have a protective covering on their toes and they should stay away from flip-flops and sandals.

Orthopedic surgeons  have treated many people who ran or jumped in flip-flops and suffered sprained ankles, fractures, and severe ligament injuries that required surgery. If you use your flip-flops to play Frisbee or backyard football you’re asking for trouble.

Insect and snake bites are another danger. Emergency room physicians on both sides of the country report seeing adults and children with snake bites to the feet while wearing flip-flops or sandals.

Flip flops are also a driving hazard. If they are loose enough to pop off your feet, you’re in trouble since they get stuck under the brake and gas pedal.

One more thing, when you do wear them – don’t forget to smear sunscreen on your exposed toes.

By Donna Lampa

About  50%-90% of people with asthma also suffer from a common form of indigestion – gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). No one had been able to unravel the mysterious link between these two conditions, but now new studies have shed some light on this relationship.

According to a recent study published by the European Journal of Clinical Investigation, the act of inhaling small amounts of stomach acid back up into the esophagus and lungs, a hallmark of GERD, slowly produces changes in the immune system that may lead to the development of asthma.
Although the rising cased of reflux  may be causing increasing cases of asthma, the good news is that by modifying one’s lifestyle one can minimize gastric reflux thus reducing the risk of developing asthma.

You can avoid the risk factors of GERD by:

* Eating smaller meals
* Eating several hours before going to bed
* Raising the head of your bed a few inches
* Maintaining a healthy weight
* Limiting fatty foods, coffee, tea, caffeine, and alcohol because they can relax the esophageal sphincter and make reflux more likely.

By Neil Bekker

Flip flops, the standard beachwear, are now the hottest form of footwear worn throughout the long hot summer days. They may be stylish, comfortable and cool, but wearing them all the time is a recipe for foot pain.

Since they offer no arch support, heel cushioning, or shock absorption, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) they should not be used for extensive walking or for playing sports. Wearers can suffer foot pain, tendinitis, and even sprained ankles if they trip, and are also at greater risk for stubbed toes, glass cuts, puncture wounds, or having a heavy object smash their foot due to their exposed toes.

People with diabetes should choose their footwear with care since any foot injury can become serious, even leading to amputation. They should be vigilant to have a protective covering on their toes and they should stay away from flip-flops and sandals.

Orthopedic surgeons  have treated many people who ran or jumped in flip-flops and suffered sprained ankles, fractures, and severe ligament injuries that required surgery. If you use your flip-flops to play Frisbee or backyard football you’re asking for trouble.

Insect and snake bites are another danger. Emergency room physicians on both sides of the country report seeing adults and children with snake bites to the feet while wearing flip-flops or sandals.

Flip flops are also a driving hazard. If they are loose enough to pop off your feet, you’re in trouble since they get stuck under the brake and gas pedal.

One more thing, when you do wear them – don’t forget to smear sunscreen on your exposed toes.

~ by Damion Drilla

Dementia isn’t all about aging, studies show. Health in mid-life can have a marked effect on cognitive ability later on.

A British study of 10,308 people, mostly men, followed the subjects from roughly the ages of 35-55 (the study started in 1985) to about 60-75 years (the study ended in 2004).

Coronary heart disease in midlife was found to be linked to lower cognition in later years. In men, heart disease was linked to lower reason, vocabulary, and MMSE scores. In women, it corresponded additionally to lower phonemic and semantic fluency.

The longer the heart disease – meaning, the earlier it was contracted – the greater the drop in cognitive ability over the years. This suggests that heart disease creates an ongoing condition that continuously deteriorates mental function until dementia kicks in.

~ by Ellis Greaty

If you are a senior:

Exercise is good for you.

Aerobic exercise is very good for you.

Strength training is good for you.

And now… walking is good for you too.

OK, most of us have always suspected – even known, perhaps – that walking doesn’t hurt and probably helps. But now there is scientific evidence supporting this belief, and the numbers are telling.

The University of Georgia rounded up 26 geriatric study subjects all over the age of 60 and predominantly female. Half the group went walking 3 times a week, initially for 10 minutes, but building up to 40. The other half watched videos on nutrition. Before the study, the participants were evaluated on fitness and physical ability. At the end of the study, they were again evaluated. The difference was telling.

For those who went walking, physical function increased 25%. For those who watched videos, it decreased 8.3%. Disability risk decreased 41% in the walking group. Aerobic capacity increased 19%, while it declined 9% in the control group.

Not all of the benefits were physical. The walking group became a tight group of friends, really enjoying their walks together. Quality of life was greatly increased. So seniors should definitely get out there and walk – with a friend.

~ By Matthew Perrone, AP Business Writer

WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration warned doctors Monday that prescribing a certain group of psychiatric drugs to seniors suffering from dementia can increase their risk of death.
Antipsychotic drugs are approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disease, but doctors frequently prescribe them to treat elderly patients with dementia.

FDA’s announcement was an update to a 2005 action, when regulators added warnings about increased heart attacks and pneumonia to drugs called atypical antipsychotics. The medicines include blockbusters like Eli Lilly & Co.’s Zyprexa and Johnson & Johnson’s Risperdal.

FDA said Monday those same risks apply to 11 older drugs known as typical antipsychotics, including Pfizer’s Navane and Endo Pharmaceutical’s Moban. The drugs were developed in the 1950s and have largely been replaced by the newer medications, which are believed to have fewer side effects, such as tremors.

Under FDA’s orders, both drug types will now carry boxed warnings — the most serious a drug can carry — describing their risks to dementia patients.

Analysts did not expect the announcement to negatively impact drug company earnings because the original antipsychotics are available as low-cost generics.

Federal officials have repeatedly urged doctors not to medicate seniors unnecessarily. Despite such warnings, health professionals continue to prescribe psychiatric drugs “off-label,” or for uses that have not been approved by FDA. About 20 percent of seniors in nursing homes who receive antipsychotics have not been diagnosed with psychiatric problems, according to data released by Medicare earlier this year.

While FDA regulates the approval and marketing of drugs, doctors are free to use their judgment when prescribing drugs.

The agency based its decision on two studies of a combined 65,000 seniors which showed those taking antipsychotics were more likely to die than those not on the drugs. Agency officials said it’s not clear why antipsychotics hasten death. Scientists also could not determine from the data whether one group carries greater dangers than the other.

“We’ve struggled with this decision but we ultimately decided the data are strong enough to expand this label to drugs in both classes,” said Thomas Laughren, director of FDA’s psychiatric drug division.

The agency stressed there is “no approved drug for the treatment of dementia-related psychosis,” and recommended doctors consider other treatment options.

“A lot of the things can be done to help change one’s environment so elderly patients can be more oriented and engaged,” said Dr. Eric Hollander, a professor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.

Many of the behavioral problems seen in seniors can be improved with simple, daily routines that patients can follow, Hollander said.

~ By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. life expectancy hit a record high of 78.1 years in 2006 while Alzheimer’s disease crept up a notch to No. 6 on the list of leading causes of death, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday.
Rates for 14 of the top 15 causes of death fell in 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report. Influenza and pneumonia deaths had the steepest drop, at 13 percent, compared to the previous year.

The life expectancy at birth of 78.1 years was up from a then-record of 77.8 years in 2005, continuing a rise going back decades, the CDC said.

Life expectancy for women (80.7 years) continued to exceed that for men (75.4 years). Racial disparities persisted as well, with white women’s life expectancy at 81 years compared to 76.9 for black women and white men’s life expectancy at 76 years compared to 70 for black men.

Infant mortality fell in 2006 to 6.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, down from 6.9 per 1,000 in 2005, according to the CDC. It still remains higher than many rich nations.

Heart disease, which killed 629,191 people, and cancer, which killed 560,102 people, remained the two top causes of death, followed by stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases such as emphysema and accidents.

STEADY RISE EXPECTED

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia in the elderly, leapfrogged diabetes to become the sixth-leading cause of death, killing 72,914 Americans in 2006.

The number of people with Alzheimer’s is projected to rise steadily in the coming decades as the proportion of elderly people in the U.S. population increases.

The Alzheimer’s Association said that up to 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and that by 2010, there will be almost a half million new cases per year. By 2050 it expects nearly 1 million new U.S. cases each year.

Diabetes fell to No. 7 on the list, where Alzheimer’s had been the previous year, the CDC said.

The death rate from diabetes fell 5 percent in 2006 from 2005. More people are developing the most common form of the disease, which is known as type 2 diabetes and is closely tied to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. But treatment for the diabetes is improving.

Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death (32,185 such deaths) and murder was the 15th leading cause (18,029), the CDC said. Of the top 15 causes of death, only kidney disease, at number 9, did not drop. Its rate remained steady, the CDC said.

The overall number of deaths in 2006 in the United States, a country of about 300 million people, was 2,425,900, a decrease of 22,117 from the 2005 total, the CDC said. The decrease was likely due to a more mild influenza season in 2006 than in the previous year, the CDC said.

The findings were based on data from nearly all death certificates nationwide, the CDC said.