BRONX, NY — In the civilian world, the word “concussion” might evoke the image of a football player and the sound of helmet-to-helmet contact. In a military environment, it might evoke the image of a soldier in the path of a blast wave. In both...
Supplemental Oxygen Needs Rarely Addressed in COPD Inpatients
CHICAGO — Patients hospitalized with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who require supplemental oxygen (O2) are at increased risk of hospital readmissions, but little information exists on the quality of evaluation and documentation regarding the need for supplemental O2 in that population.
MS Surprisingly Prevalent in U.S., Dropping Among Servicemembers
The prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the United States population appears to be nearly double previous estimates. Among servicemembers, however, the rate of new MS diagnoses has dropped significantly in recent years.
Focus on Diabetes Control, Cancer Screening Helps Reduce MS Deaths
OKLAHOMA CITY — While multiple sclerosis (MS) itself remains incurable, development of more effective treatments over the past 25 years has increased life expectancy for patients with the disease. Today, MS patients have a life expectancy only about seven years less than individuals without the disease, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Lobectomy Still Has Significant Survival Benefit in Early NSCLC
While increased use of stereotactic body radiation might have played a key role in doubling survival rates for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) among veterans between 2001 and 2010 compared to conventional radiation, a new study confirms that isn’t always the best way to assure longer survival.
VA Hospitals First to Publicly Report Opioid Prescribing Rates
In January, the VA became the first hospital system in the United States to publicly post opioid prescribing rates.
Post-Prostatectomy ART Beneficial for Prostate Cancer Patients
BOSTON—After prostatectomy, options for prostate cancer with adverse pathological features such as pT3 and/or positive margins can be managed with adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) or surveillance followed by early-salvage radiotherapy (ESRT) for biochemical recurrence. The...
4Kscore Predictive for African-American Veterans With Prostate Cancer
MIAMI—While the 4Kscore test has been shown to accurately detects aggressive prostate cancer and reduces unnecessary biopsies overall, its performance in African-American (AA) men remained unclear. To remedy that, a study led by researchers from the Miami VAMC and the...
Gene Assay Can Help Determine Active Surveillance Usefulness
BEDFORD, MA—Active surveillance (AS) has been widely implemented at the VA as a standard of care for low-risk prostate cancer (PCa). A study in the American Journal of Managed Care posits, however, that patient characteristics such as age, race and Agent Orange (AO)...
Cancer Trials Boom in VA’s New England Region
The number of clinical trials open to veterans with cancer in the New England region (VISN 1) grows every week, leading a return to the prominence the VA had in trial programs in decades past and offering veterans access to the “gold standard” of treatment in oncology.
Long-term Opioid Prescribing Declines in VHA, Bucking National Trend
Extended Prescribing Dropped from 9.5% in 2012 to 6.2% in 2016
By Brenda L. Mooney
IOWA CITY, IA—Long-term prescribing of opioid painkillers is on the decline at the VA, in contrast to what appears to be happening outside of federal medicine.
DoD, VA Still Struggle with Diagnosing, Treating Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries
Diagnosing and treating mild traumatic brain injury continues to pose challenges for clinicians, TBI experts told lawmakers.
Chemotherapy Use Declines for Breast Cancer Patients
With growing concern about overtreatment of breast cancer as outcomes have improved over time, not much research has been performed on how chemotherapy use and oncologists’ recommendations have changed in recent years.
Laparoscopic, Robotic Surgeries Equivalent for Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer patients increasingly are receiving minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (MIPD).
Advanced NSCLC Patients Still Receive Aggressive Treatment
Aggressive care for cancer patients appears to be increasing at the end of life, and the VA is part of that trend, according to a new study.
New Research Addresses Unique Challenges to Brain Health Faced by Servicemembers
Neuroscientists are tackling some of the challenges to brain health predominantly experienced by servicemembers – and that has important implications for the broader population.
MHS Leads the Way With Alternative Remedies for Pain, Mental Health
The military health system has taken a leading position with the availability and usage of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)W.
VA Study Addresses Concerns About Anti-Epileptic Drugs, Suicidal Behavior Link
In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert about increased risk for suicidal ideation and behavior for patients taking anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs).
Epilepsy Centers of Excellence Provide Options for Veterans With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy
Epilepsy is substantially more common in veterans than the general population and, in up to 40% of them, anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) fail to control their seizures.
VHA Data Helps Validate Tool for Hypoglycemia Risk ID
OAKLAND, CA—Data from more than 1.3 million VHA patients was used to help validate a practical tool for identifying people with diabetes who are at the highest risk for being admitted to an emergency department or hospital due to severe hypoglycemia. Also used to...
VA Study Shows Kidney Disease Ups Diabetes Risk
LOUIS—For years, research has shown that patients with diabetes have an increased risk of kidney disease. But what about the reverse? A new study published in the journal Kidney International provides evidence that kidney dysfunction also ups the risk of developing...
Hypoglycemia Common in Hospice Patients Continuing Insulin Treatment
BOSTON—Clinical guidelines recommend relaxing glycemic control target levels for patients with diabetes and advanced disease and eventual discontinuation of medications as patients near death to avoid hypoglycemia. A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine...
Is Stroke Hospitalization Higher for Mentally Ill Veterans?
A recent study raises questions about whether stroke survivors with severe mental illness are at risk for increased nonpsychiatric hospitalization at the VHA compared to stroke survivors without prior psychiatric diagnoses.
Better Sleep Metrics Can Identify CVD Risk in Sleep Apnea
MIAMI—Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to increase the risk of early mortality, stroke, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). A study published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology noted that OSA is defined by the apnea–hypopnea index, a severity index that...
Using EMR to Improve Statin Adherence in MHS
DURHAM, NC -- Even though HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease, nearly half of patients stop taking statin medications one year after they are prescribed. A study published by PLoS One noted that discontinuation...
Veterans Treated by VA Often Have Risk Factors for Elder Abuse
The VHA should take a lead role in combatting elder abuse, which affects at least 10% of older adults in the United States, according to a recent medical journal article.
Hospitalized COPD Patients More Likely to Also Have PH
HOUSTON — Having comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary hypertension (PH-COPD) increases the risk of hospitalizations and death compared to COPD alone, according to a new study. Identifying PH in COPD is challenging, however, because...
Longer LOS Doesn’t Reduce COPD Readmissions
Recent financial penalties for high risk-adjusted chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) readmissions have pushed hospitals to search for ways to reduce readmissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a new study notes.
Study Looks at Soldiers’ Pre-Deployment Respiratory Health
The respiratory health of military personnel deployed to Southwest Asia continues to be an issue of great concern in light of their exposures to a variety of environmental hazards.
Surveys Show Why VA Good Prescribing Practice Also Should Include Deprescribing
Amy Linksy, MD, MSc, of the VA Boston Healthcare System said VA patients sometimes complain that taking too many drugs is a burden. Photo from Twitter BOSTON — For years, physicians have had one primary question about the medications they prescribe: Will the...
