Can geriatrics survive?

Can England's NHS survive?

n engl j med 369;1 nejm.org july 4, 2013 1 a crisis that can be resolved only by altering the fundamental principle on which it was founded — provision of funding from general taxation, with care being free at the point of use. Although the criticism was sparked by a February report on an inquiry into shortcomings at one hospital,1 the problems originated in 2010, when two profound forces were ...

Can cognition survive heart surgery?

In this issue of Circulation, Jensen et al 1 report that cognitive difficulties were no fewer when off-pump (OPCAB) versus conventional (CCAB) coronary artery bypass grafting was used. This important investigation, a substudy of the Best Bypass Surgery Trial, is a randomized prospective controlled trial that compares OPCAB with CCAB. Although the numbers seem relatively small (ie, 120 elderly p...

The health care market: can hospitals survive?

Does it sound familiar? Resources are scarce, competition is tough, and government regulations and a balanced budget are increasingly hard to meet at the same time. This is not the automobile or oil industry but the health care industry, and hospital managers are facing the same problems. And, maintains the author of this article, they must borrow some proven marketing techniques from business ...

Coxibs: Can this Class of Drugs Survive?

Can trauma surgeons survive business medicine?

Although it may be apocryphal, it is said that the Chinese have a curse that states, “May you live in interesting times.” We live in interesting times. Hospitals across the country are facing financial difficulty and trauma centers are the first area examined for closure. Trauma centers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Las Vegas have closed, at least temporarily, because of problems with spe...