In the News

Drug-coated stents triple the risk for heart attack compared to "bare-metal" stents

According to WSJ (subscription required), "a recent Swiss study found 3.3 more heart attacks and deaths per 100 patients with drug-coated stents than with the uncoated, bare-metal ones, beginning six months after implantation and ending a year later. The heart attacks and deaths were mostly attributed to blood clots."

A drug-coated stent costs $2,300 apiece, compared to $700 for an uncoated stent.

WSJ cites a review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine this week: Drug-Eluting Stents for the Management of Restenosis.

References:
Concerns Prompt Some Hospitals To Pare Use of Drug-Coated Stents. WSJ.
Narrative Review: Drug-Eluting Stents for the Management of Restenosis: A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence. Annals of Internal Medicine.


Doctors' income falls over the last 8 years

According to MarketWatch:

Physicians' income fell 7% after adjusting for inflation between 1995 and 2003. Primary care doctors income fell even more than 10% in that time.

During the same period, lawyers and engineers had a 7% inflation-adjusted gain. In a nutshell, while doctors lost 10%, lawyers made 7%...

This decline in income may lead to shortage of primary care doctors.

Last year, the average CEO was paid $10.9 million a year. This is 262 times the average worker yearly salary of $41,000.

Reference:
Doctors' income falls over eight years. MarketWatch.
BIG news for ER docs. AllBleedingStops.blogspot.com
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