Practice Management
A large study of 55,200 emergency department (ED) visits among adults aged 65 years and older found that heat-related risk varies by population, and higher-than-average “feels like” temperatures in the summer months are associated with greater all-cause ED use for EDs with predominantly Medicaid-covered populations. Researchers analyzed visits from May 1 to September 30 between 2022 to 2024 at 2 New York hospitals and compared the data, as published in JAMA Network Open. At a …
Read More
Under the extreme temperatures in Maricopa County, Arizona, 35 heat-related deaths have been confirmed this year so far by the county medical examiner’s office. However, the real-world total is possibly much higher, according to an analysis by The Guardian. The state is on track to witness its hottest August on record with temperatures hitting at least 110°F nearly every day so far. In Philadelphia, 5 heat-related deaths have been confirmed, and Maryland’s Department of Health …
Read More
Preliminary research presented by the American Heart Association at its hypertension scientific sessions this week in Boston suggests that measuring blood pressure while a person is lying down may be a better predictor of heart health than typical readings when a patient is sitting. Researchers analyzed data from a long-running study and found that supine blood pressure readings were more effective at predicting strokes, serious heart issues, and by comparison. The study’s 11,369 participants were …
Read More
Urgent message: The urgent care provider’s most critical role in heat illness is to identify risk factors and the cause, to cool and hydrate the patient, assess for complications, and educate the patient in the hope of preventing a more serious exposure. Bridget Dyer, MD, Samuel Keim, MD, and Peter Rosen, MD Heat illness occurs when external heat conditions and internal heat production overwhelm the ability of the body to dissipate heat. Evaporation of sweat …
Read More