Heart Attack Prevention

Researcher says that walking for just ten minutes-a-day can half the risk of a heart attack.

Even a small amount of exercise can have a major effect on those with a sedentary lifestyle say doctors.  Dr Martha Grogan, from the Mayo Clinic, said in Health Heart for Life journal: “There are daily things we can do that can make a big difference in our effort to keep our hearts healthy … Moving even ten minutes a day for someone who’s been sedentary may reduce the risk of heart disease by 50 per cent.”

Francis Report

The report into the catastrophic failings at Stafford Hospital is to be released on Wednesday but the body that represents hospital managers has already warned the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, not to engage in a ‘blame game’ after it has examined the proposals put forward.

The Francis Report was commissioned to investigate the failings which lead to the unnecessary deaths of up to 1200 elderly patients at Stafford Hospital and will suggest changes to improve the way hospitals are inspected and training for medical staff.  The Department of Health has said it will carefully examine all the proposals put forward.

Chemotherapy Departments Overstretched

Cancer specialists are warning of increased waiting times for chemotherapy as treatment units are stretched to capacity.

Experts fear they may soon have to breach government guidelines on how long a patient should wait to start treatment.  Dr Elaine Lennan, a consultant chemotherapy nurse, said: “People are surviving longer so can have more treatment, there are lots of new therapies out there.  There has been this exponential rise in chemotherapy use and there’s a definite feeling among the professional bodies that chemotherapy units are struggling with demand.  They can’t keep pace.  Many have considered chemotherapy units to have elastic walls but they are now stretched to the limit now.  More often than not, it’s about capacity: we don’t have the chair space.”

Hospitals are supposed to ensure that patients receive their first cancer treatment within 31 days of being diagnosed, or within 62 days of a consultant’s decision to prioritise them.

Britains Abortion Rules

In Britain abortion is allowed on medical grounds but according to research by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, nearly all are granted on a suspect basis.

Approximately 98 per cent of abortions in Britain are granted on the grounds that the mothers mental health would be affected if the pregnancy goes ahead, giving her an increased chance of suffering depression, anxiety or feeling suicidal.  Two doctors are required to confirm that they believe this to be the case.  But the research found that continuing with an unwanted pregnancy didn’t lead to any more mental health problems than having an abortion.

Ann Furedi, head of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said the law means women have to pretend they will have a nervous breakdown and doctors have to pretend to believe them: “I think that doctors would be far happier with a situation where they didn’t have to go through the arrangements that exist at the moment.  But because they do, we all make it work.”

Saving Babies

Could something as simple as a tape measure help to save 600 babies a year?

Experts believe that up to 600 babies could be saved each year with the aid of a measuring tape and a chart.  Britain has one of the highest stillbirth rates in the developed world; there are over 3000 pregnancies affected annually.  The women affected are delivered early but researchers found this didn’t increase the mortality among the babies born prematurely.  The largest risk factor was foetal growth restriction which is the term used for babies who are ‘small for their dates’.

The problem is caused by the placenta being unable to get an adequate supply of nutrients to the baby.  Unfortunately this condition often goes unrecognised in pregnancies and increases the risk of stillbirth by eight-fold.  The study was conducted by Professor Jason Gardosi and his colleagues from West Midlands Perinatal Institute Birmingham and released in the British Medical Journal.