Prostheses

A recent BBC News slide show on Prosthetics through Time caught my attention. The slides are those things that most of us would identify as artificial limbs. The artificial arms look quite similar to the one worn by a co-worker of mine at the Hershey Chocolate Factory in 1972. He had lost his arm when it got caught in an open conveyor belt that still ran in that section of the factory.

The National Library of Medicine has a long list of items under its subject heading of Prostheses and Implants. These include:

• artificial larynx
• bone screws
• cochlear implants
• dentures
• drug eluting stents
• heart valves
• vena cava filters

Some years ago, a high school student visitedi me in the hospital library where I worked. She was an artist, but wanted to go to college to design replacement parts for persons whose faces had been disfigured by trauma and wondered about information resources for someone pursuing such a career. In those pre-Internet days, I likely was not able to provide much assistance.

When I hear the word prosthesis, I tend to think of arms and legs, not facial features or electro-mechanical implants. MedlinePlus has numerous references on its Artificial Limbs page. You don't have to look very far to find stories of athletes with one leg for competitive running and another for everyday wear. When you see the technical advances in these components that allow para-athletes to compete at high levels of performance it is hard not to be impressed.

Still, in looking at the artificial toe from Ancient Egypt, I am equally impressed with the concept of what that provider was trying to accomplish. That does not seem to have changed much in several millennia. The main changes seem to be in the technologies used by the prostheses.

3 comments - Posted by Steve Rauch at 12:25 PM - Categories:

Obesity Trends 2010

According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) more than one third of American adults are obese (defined as having a Body Mass Index > 30). The NHANES data are from 2007-2008.

Using their Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), CDC has data that are two years newer, and their findings are similar. Here is the 2010 map for obesity in the United States:

The Obesity Trends web site displays maps from 1985 through 2010, making it easy to see the trend as the map goes from light blue to red. The site includes links to related resources: diabetes, physical inactivity.

Last year, Colorado had been the only state with an obesity rate below 20%, but that ended with last year's assessment. Twelve states have obesity rates of 30% or more. With the association between obesity and other chronic diseases, one would expect to see instances of diabetes and heart disease mirror this same trend.

To see your own individual standing, take the Adult BMI Calculator for a spin.

The first time I saw these maps was in a presentation by Howard Frumkin on Smart Growth. Dr. Frumkin believes that our built environment influences individual health. Read through an illustated transcript of a talk he delivered in Scotland in 2006. As you can see, the maps have continued on their trend.

32 comments - Posted by Steve Rauch at 12:19 PM - Categories:

Growing Future Hospital Leaders

Poudre Valley Health System has been one of the most successful health systems in Colorado. Their hospital in Fort Collins was the first Magnet-designated hospital in Colorado. This spring, PVHS and the University of Colorado Hospital announced their intent to develop a joint operating agreement to form a unified nonprofit health system.

Such success does not come without great people and great leadership. Rulon Stacey, CEO of PVHS, and current chairman of the American College of Healthcare Executives, divulged six steps that PVHS takes to help develop their own staff into the future leaders they will need for continued success:

1. CEO meets with every new employee
2. Donate to local colleges
3. Provide funding for training in an employee's field
4. Set up a formal mentor program
5. Help employees understand strengths and weaknesses
6. Extend succession plan as far down as possible

It is an interesting list, no one item seems to be particularly earth-shattering, yet whatever they are doing seems to be working out for them. Thanks to Becker's Hosptial Review for letting us read the entire article

3 comments - Posted by Steve Rauch at 1:52 PM - Categories:

Cornerstone Time Capsule

32 comments - Posted by Steve Rauch at 4:16 PM - Categories:

The Diabetes Belt

3 comments - Posted by Steve Rauch at 1:03 PM - Categories:

The Haptics of Writing

6 comments - Posted by Steve Rauch at 11:50 AM - Categories:

C25K

6 comments - Posted by Steve Rauch at 2:55 PM - Categories: