Friday’s COPD Newsletter from COPD Support, Inc.

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Volume 9, Issue 47
October 23, 2009
Joan Costello, Editor

POWER CORDS ON A VARIETY OF MEDICAL DEVICES MAY CAUSE FIRE.

FDA is investigating whether certain types of power cords used with medical devices may be defective. Two medical device manufacturers (Hospira, Inc. and Abbott Nutrition) have sent FDA 122 reports of sparking, charring, and fires from the power cords used with their
devices. The companies’ investigations of these reports determined that the power cord’s prongs may crack and fail at/or inside the plug.

The potential risks from this power cord failure include electrical shock,
delay in setup and therapy, interruption of therapy, device failure, and
fires. Depending on the device and therapy, these failures may
potentially lead to serious adverse health consequences, including death.

All the reports received so far from Hospira and Abbott have involved AC power cords with the black plastic bridge manufactured by the
Electri-cord Manufacturing Company. Hospira have voluntarily recalled
devices with the affected power cords and are making appropriate
replacements for existing customers. FDA is aware that Electri-cord has supplied the affected power cords to other medical device manufacturers.

The agency is now attempting to determine which devices may be equipped with these cords, because they could pose the same potential risk of electrical shock, delay in setup and therapy, interruption of therapy, device failure, and fires.

While further investigation into this matter continues, FDA recommends
that all users of medical devices, either in healthcare facilities or in the home, closely monitor the wear and tear on the electric cords used to power these devices. This vigilance is especially important in oxygen rich environments, in which electrical sparking and arcing may trigger a fire.

For an illustration of faulty plugs see:
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm187078.htm

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

-FDA WANTS MORE INFO ON INDACATEROL

-COLONIZED PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA

-SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM OF MASK MARKS

-LUNG COMPLICATIONS AFTER SURGERY

-THE CONSEQUENCES OF BREATHING BAD AIR

-BREATHE EASY

-DISPOSAL BY FLUSHING OF CERTAIN UNUSED MEDS

-H1N1 MISINFORMATION

-AGENCIES WARN WEB SITE OVER H1N1 CLAIMS

-NOTHING MEDICALLY MAGIC ABOUT ONIONS

-MISCELLANEOUS

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SOURCES: News items summarized in The COPD-NEWS are taken from secondary sources believed to be reliable. However, the COPD Family of Services does not verify their accuracy.
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FDA WANTS MORE INFO ON INDACATEROL

Drug manufacturer Novartis has developed a drug to be used as a
treatment option for COPD. The drug, called QAB149 or indacaterol, is to be the first once-a-day bronchodilator treatment for adult patients with COPD. While the European Medicines Agency has already recommended the drug for approval, the US FDA is asking for more information regarding the proposed dosing of the drug. Although Novartis intends to market the drug as a stand alone therapy, there are industry analysts who believe that the drug will achieve more success in sales if it was used in combination with other treatments.

It seems that Novartis recognizes this fact as well, as the company is reportedly currently studying combinations with NVA237, a drug that the company is developing with Vectura. It is also studying a combination with the inhaled steroid mometasone from Schering-Plough, but these combinations are not expected to reach the market until 2013.
http://hometestingblog.testcountry.com/?p=4412

COLONIZED PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA

Dear Dr. Gott: I have had COPD for many years and recently have been diagnosed with pseudomonas aeruginosa that has colonized. I have looked it up on the Internet, and what I find is very technical to read and not very encouraging. Does it ever go away? Will antibiotic treatment get rid of it? Will exercise, vitamins, minerals, diet changes or anything else be of assistance? What is the prognosis for this disease? What medical centers are doing research or trials?

Dear Reader: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a form of bacterium responsible for severe infections acquired primarily in a hospital setting, in people with compromised immune systems, and is responsible for some of the chronic infections in people who suffer from cystic fibrosis. All infections caused by pseudomonas are treatable and potentially curable.

The infection can involve any part of the body — the respiratory
tract, heart, bones, joints, central nervous system, skin, urinary and
gastrointestinal tracts. Because you indicate you have COPD, it is my
guess that the respiratory system is involved. If this is the case, you
should be under the care of a pulmonology specialist. After the
colonization phase of the disease, the infection evolves either to a
chronic or acute phase. Following colonization, substantial tissue
damage and invasion of the bloodstream can occur.

There are a number of medical conditions that can predispose a person to this form of infection, including diabetes, meningitis, cystic fibrosis, cancer, drug addiction and more. Care is geared toward the best-known antibiotic available for the area of the body affected.

Pseudomonas infections are often treated with a combination of penicillin or cephalosporin and an aminoglycoside. Surgery may be required for diabetic foot ulcers, perforated bowel or drainage from an abscess. Diet should be addressed by people with cystic fibrosis.

The prognosis for this condition varies, depending on the area of the
body affected. While the outlook may appear grim, a patient can become well-educated, take antibiotics when given by a physician, avoid stress and ensuing hypertension, stay away from people with bacterial infections, and maintain a healthful diet. Tap into pulmonary consults when necessary for respiratory support, go to a neurosurgeon if drainage of a brain abscess is present, an ophthalmologist for eye infection, a surgeon for debridement of necrotic tissue and so forth. Remember that all infections caused by pseudomonas aeruginosa are treatable and have the potential to be cured.
http://newsok.com/diagnosis-of-bacterial-infection-leaves-patient-with-questions/article/3410329#ixzz0UZbCvSKB

SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM OF MASK MARKS

By Kim Curtis. Q. Mask interfaces are constantly changing. Some of the latest are beginning to take shapes that answer the demands of users. But for many years, being a PAP user and a woman has not been a good combination. Questions are asked by PAP users and non-PAP users about the telltale marks that masks leave on the faces of nightly users.

Masks that use headgear that comes from the chin are not user-friendly for side to side sleepers. Some of the covers on the market can help with this nuisance.

I also have seen some wild solutions to this problem. One lady told me
she used hair curlers to combat mask marks. I could not quite grasp how she used her curlers but it was clear after she sent me a picture. She cut the foam curlers she used for her hair and placed the foam side down to keep the mask from leaving marks on the side of her face. I found this solution comical at first and then I was convinced that this was the answer to her problem. On eBay you can buy felt pads with Velcro ends that fit over the straps.

A. Or make your own. 3×3 piece of flannel and attached a thin strip of
Velcro to two opposite ends place around the straps…no marks at all!
Ruth M. Harris

A. If HEADGEAR is the culprit, or adjustable forehead pieces that have
been loosened as much as possible without affecting the fit, I’ll have
them go to the local drugstore and pick up moleskin used for corn relief
etc. They can custom cut it, and double it up as needed. It can be
removed when it gets dirty. And it’s not terribly expensive. If the
moleskin is cut just a little larger than the strap, it reduces the
visible lines on the skin. Wayne Hull.
http://community.advanceweb.com/blogs/zz_5/archive/2009/10/19/solutions-to-the-problem-of-mask-marks.aspx

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MEDICAL DECISIONS. Your physician should be consulted on all medical decisions. New procedures or drugs should not be started or stopped without such consultation. While we believe that our accumulated
experience has value, and a unique perspective, you must accept it for what it is…the work of COPD patients. We vigorously encourage
individuals with COPD to take an active part in the management of their disease. They do this through education and by sharing information and thoughts with their primary physician and pulmonologist. However, medical decisions are based on complex medical principles and should be left to the medical practitioner who has been trained to diagnose and advise.
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LUNG COMPLICATIONS AFTER SURGERY

Risks associated with surgical procedures include pulmonary (lung) complications. These lung complications can be severe…Certain surgical procedures are more likely to be associated with lung complications, including operations on the lungs, the heart, and the upper abdomen. The October 14, 2009, issue of JAMA is a theme issue devoted to surgical care and includes an article about pulmonary complications after surgery.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/302/14/1610

THE CONSEQUENCES OF BREATHING BAD AIR

By Jill U. Adams. It’s easy to see how air pollution would affect
respiratory disease: You breathe in smog-filled miasma all day and the
ozone, other noxious gases and small particulate matter therein can make you wheeze and cough. Pollutants can trigger asthma attacks and bronchitis in susceptible individuals. But it’s harder at first blush to understand links to other conditions. In two studies reported last week, bad air was associated with higher rates of appendicitis and ear infections.

The new reports have been met with surprise because neither health
problem seems obviously linked with the airway or bloodstream. At the
same time, they represent a trend toward broadening the research scope of air pollution and health.

Research on air pollution has been conducted worldwide for decades and is part of the basis for government regulation of air quality. Study after study has found more hospitalizations and higher death rates when certain pollutants are high. In addition to respiratory effects, research has established that air pollution increases the risk of cardiovascular events such as arrhythmia, heart attack and stroke, and the incidence of certain cancers.

The study did not examine how pollution might cause appendicitis, but
researchers speculate that inflammatory processes are involved.
Substances the body produces to ramp up inflammation are implicated in appendicitis. Other research has found these substances in healthy
volunteers after they breathed diesel exhaust.

A similar argument is used to explain cardiovascular risk factors
associated with air pollution: that substances involved in blood
clotting are produced after exposure to bad air…the new studies are
just first steps. They are sure to stimulate more research on how air
pollution might trigger these conditions as well as other nonrespiratory
diseases.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-closer12-2009oct12,0,911830.story

BREATHE EASY

by Leslie Gilbert Elman. Here’s a quick quiz. Answers at the link
following.

1. Which two foods contain vitamins that may improve lung health and could be used to treat the symptoms of COPD?
a) beans and rice
b) carrots and liver
c) oranges and salmon

2. Carrying too much fat on this part of the body could affect your
breathing:
a) thighs
b) upper arms
c) waist

3. Around what age are your lungs typically at their best?
a) 15
b) 20
c) 30

4. You’ll find it easier to breathe if you can control your:
a) temper
b) finances
c) time spent on the phone

5. Dust mite allergies cause sneezing and watery eyes, and in severe cases can lead to asthma. The best way to wash dust mites out of fabrics and clothing is to use:
a) more laundry soap
b) hotter water
c) fabric softener

6. Most people know that smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer.
What’s No. 2?
a) air pollution
b) radon
c) sunspots
http://www.americanprofile.com/article/36108.html

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COMMERCIAL FREE: We do not accept any paid advertising. Any
corporations, products, medicines (prescription or non) mentioned in
this newsletter are for informational purposes only and not to be
construed as an endorsement or condemnation of same.
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DISPOSAL BY FLUSHING OF CERTAIN UNUSED MEDS

Medicines play an important role in treating certain conditions and diseases, but they must be taken with care. Unused portions of these medicines must be disposed of properly to avoid harm. Almost all medicines can be thrown away in the household trash after mixing them with some unpalatable substance (e.g., coffee grounds) and sealing them in a container. However, certain medicines may be especially harmful and, in some cases, fatal in a single dose if they are used by someone other than the person the medicine was prescribed for. For this reason, a few medicines have special disposal directions that indicate they should be flushed down the sink or toilet after the medicine is no longer needed.

It is important to note that disposal by flushing is not recommended for the vast majority of medicines. Unused or expired medicines that do not have flushing directions in the label can be disposed of safely in the household trash by:

-Mixing them with something that will hide the medicine or make it
unappealing, such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds.

-Placing the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag.

-Throwing the container in your household trash.

The list from FDA tells you what unused or expired medicines you should flush down the sink or toilet to help prevent danger to people and pets in the home. Flushing these medicines will get rid of them right away and help keep your family and pets safe.
http://tinyurl.com/ygk7pdm

H1N1 MISINFORMATION

Editor’s note: FactCheck.org, is a project of the University of
Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. The group is kind of like a political Snopes. Both groups aim to get to the truth of the matter.

This week FactCheck takes a look at the rumors and half truths
surrounding H1N1.

Wild rumors are flying about the newly developed vaccine for pandemic
influenza H1N1, also known as “swine flu.” We’ve seen e-mails stating
that the vaccine is tainted with antifreeze or Agent Orange, causes Gulf War syndrome, or has killed U.S. Navy sailors. One says the vaccine is an “evil depopulation scheme.” The claims are nearly pure bunk, with only trace amounts of fact. If you are the sort who trusts anonymous e-mails more than you do doctors and experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, you may wish to stop reading now. For others, here are the facts as stated by the best authorities we can find:

-The vaccine does have some risks - the same risks as the seasonal flu vaccine. Except for the virus, it is functionally identical to the
vaccine that’s given every year.

-The multidose formulation of the vaccine contains thimerosal, which prevents contamination. Some have accused thimerosal of causing developmental disorders in children, but scientific evidence doesn’t support this.

-The vaccine does not contain squalene, which has been accused - also without good evidence - of causing Gulf War syndrome.

-There’s no reason to believe that a vaccination would cause
Guillain-Barre syndrome. GBS was associated with several hundred flu
vaccinations in 1976, but there’s been no evidence of an association
since then, despite close monitoring.

-While it’s true that a Navy vessel was prevented from deploying because of a flu outbreak, that had nothing to do with the vaccine, which hadn’t been developed at the time. And there were no deaths aboard the ship, as some e-mails claim.

-Vaccination is not mandatory for the public nationally or in any state,
although New York requires that health care providers get vaccinated.
Massachusetts legislation granting standby powers in case of health
emergencies does not require vaccination or establish quarantine
“camps.”

Note: This is a summary only. The full article with analysis, images and
citations may be viewed at:
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/10/inoculation-misinformation/

AGENCIES WARN WEB SITE OVER H1N1 CLAIMS

By Michael Smith. The FDA and Federal Trade Commission have warned a medical Web site to stop marketing a health supplement using claims it helps prevent the spread of the H1N1 pandemic flu. The letter — the first issued jointly by the agencies — told the owners of the site www.drweil.com to stop marketing their product Immune Support Formula or face legal action.

Advertising on the site, the agencies said in the Oct. 15 letter, says
“Dr. Weil’s Immune Support Formula can help maintain a strong defense
against the flu” and claims it has “demonstrated both antiviral and
immune-boosting effects in scientific investigation.” The claims are not
true, the letter said, noting the “product has not been approved,
cleared, or otherwise authorized by FDA for use in the diagnosis,
mitigation, prevention, treatment, or cure of the H1N1 flu virus.” The
site operators were told they had 48 hours to give the agencies a plan
to discontinue their fraudulent marketing. The Web site’s owner, Andrew Weil, MD, said in a statement that the offending material was primarily educational, and that it was the “opinion” of the agencies that the language did not meet current standards. However, he said he had ordered the material removed from the site.

Since May 2009, the FDA says, it has warned more than 75 Web sites to stop the sale of more than 135 products with fraudulent H1N1 influenza claims.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/URItheFlu/16508?

NOTHING MEDICALLY MAGIC ABOUT ONIONS

Claim: Placing peeled onions about a home will protect everyone dwelling within from flu viruses.

False: There’s nothing medically magical about peeled or cut onions.
They don’t act as sponges that soak up whatever viruses or nasty
microbes might be present in the same room with them. However, the
belief that they do act in this fashion antedates the 2009 flu outbreak
by at least a hundred years. Long-standing superstition asserts that
keeping raw onions in the house (either cut or whole) will draw illness
causing germs from the air, thereby rendering them free of
contamination. While this folk belief is indeed an old one, there’s
precious little reason to place any store in it: No scientific studies
back it, and common sense rules it out. Cold and flu viruses are spread
from person to person through touching, through close contact, and
through droplets from coughs and sneezes carrying the virus (either
directly or by landing on environmental surfaces which are later touched by others). Such viruses don’t simply float about loosely in the air where the supposedly almighty onion can attract and hold them all in magnet-like fashion, thereby preventing everyone in the vicinity from coming in contact with them. Read the entire article at Snopes
http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/onion.asp

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MISCELLANEOUS

Wait For Benefits Is Three Years If Health Care Passes
(AP) “Sixty years is how long politicians say they’ve been pushing for
legislation that provides health care access for all Americans. They’ll
have to wait another three if the President gets a bill to sign this
year. Under Democratic bills, federal tax credits to help make health
insurance affordable for millions of low- and middle-income households
won’t start flowing until 2013 — after the next presidential election.
But Medicare cuts and a sizable chunk of the tax increases to pay for
the overhaul kick in immediately. The eat-your-vegetables-first approach is causing heartburn for some. Three years is a long time to wait for dessert, and opponents could capitalize on misgivings about the complex legislation to undo what would be a “signature achievement.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091011/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_waiting_time_6

Free Online Java Games
http://www.freehalloween.com/

Dell Free sample brain booster puzzle. Print out and solve.
http://extranet.acsysweb.com/vSiteManager/Penny/Public/Upload/Docs/BrainBoostersPuzzle5.pdf

Political Awareness
Forwarded by Dick/MO. Just how aware are you of what’s happening today? A 12 question current events quiz by Pew Research. Quick to fill out (a minute or two) and interesting. Provides results and comparisons with other test takers. After you click the link below, click on Take The Quiz.
http://pewresearch.org/politicalquiz/quiz/

Until next Friday,
Joan Costello, Editor

Web version of the News: http://copd-support.com/news.html

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