Patient-reported outcome measures are increasingly integrated into quality assessments following total joint arthroplasty (TJA), but patient perceptions of quality paired with the phase of surgical care has not been described, according to a new report.
High Plantar Fasciopathy Rates in U.S. Military
U. S. armed forces have high rates of ankle and foot injuries and mean medical and personnel costs for the DoD.
Veterans’ White-Matter Volume Affected by Physical Activity Level
Trauma exposure affects cardiovascular, cerebral and mental health, causing declines.
PTSD in Veterans With HIV Leads to More Antiretroviral Therapy Nonadherence
In veterans with HIV, having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increased the likelihood of being nonadherent with their HIV treatment and requiring modification to their HIV treatment, according to a recent study.
Updated VA/DOD Stroke Rehabilitation Guidelines Enhance Patient Care
Revised treatment algorithms, 24 new recommendations and an expanded literature review on complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches
VA Committee Hears About Challenges Getting Community Mental Healthcare
The Republican focus on further expanding VA-funded community care has been fueled, in part, by reports from veterans and service organizations detailing the hurdles they have had to go through to obtain care for themselves or their clients.
CVD, CKD Combine to Increase Surgical Mortality
What are the interactive effects of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) on long-term mortality following major operations?
How Different Heart Failure Types Are Affected by CKD
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is defined by the KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) guideline as abnormal kidney structure or function, present for more than 3 months, with implications for health.
Decreasing Renal Function Affects PAD Treatment
What is the impact of the severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on mortality and major adverse limb events (MALE) after endovascular revascularization of the superficial femoral artery (SFA)?
Happiness Levels in U.S. Military Veterans Similar to General Population
Overall, U.S. military veterans report happiness levels that are only slightly lower than the general population, despite potentially traumatic experiences during deployment.
Factors Linked to Major CVD Events in Veteran Postmenopausal Women
In contrast to the civilian population, certain indicators of socioeconomic status, such as education, occupation, household income and neighborhood socioeconomic status, aren’t significantly linked to major cardiovascular disease events in postmenopausal women veterans, according to a recent study.
Deputy VA Secretary Nominees Faces Hard Questions on Firings
At his confirmation hearing, President Donald Trump’s nominee for deputy VA secretary, Paul Lawrence, PhD, promised he would look into recent firings at VA
A Quarter of U.S. Veterans Older Than 60 Have Been Diagnosed with CVD
One in 4 U.S. veterans age 60 and older have reported being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease at some point, which has potential implications for their physical and mental health, according to a recent study.
Critics: Some of the $2 Billion in Contracts VA Cut Were Essential for Veteran Care
VA Secretary Doug Collins announced in a video in late February that VA had cut $2 billion in cuts to contracts thus far. While he said the funds would be redirected to veterans’ health care and benefits, critics claimed the cuts will do the opposite.
More than 1,000 Firings at VA Are Just the Beginning of ‘Generational Change’
President Donald Trump began his second term with a flurry of executive orders that have resulted in the firing of thousands of employees, including many at VA, with the promise of deeper cuts to come.
VA Study Underscores the Urgent Need for Clear Guidelines on Treating Chronic Pain
A new VA-led study underscored the urgent need for clear guidelines on how best to treat chronic pain, especially when it comes to prescribing opioid pain medications.
SGLT2i Use Linked to Higher Risk of Amputations in Diabetes Patients
More than 30 million U.S. adults—including approximately 25% of veterans—have diabetes, putting them at increased risk of heart disease.
Legislators Push for Better Oversight of VA Community Care Providers
As promised, the new Republican-led Congress began the legislative year by focusing heavily on community care in VA, with a glut of hearings targeting different aspects of the issue.
VA Experts Push for Consistency, Innovation in Bladder Cancer Care
Bladder cancer, recently designated as a presumptive condition for Gulf War and Post-9/11 veterans, per the PACT Act, is the third most prevalent noncutaneous cancer among veterans, following prostate and lung cancer.
Impulse Oscillometry Not Recommended for First-Line Airway Obstruction Evaluation After Deployment
When evaluating airway obstruction in military personnel after deployment, impulse oscillometry (IOS) may serve as an additional diagnosis tool, but it can’t replace the reliability of the standard spirometric evaluation, according to a recent study.
Rural Veterans Have Less Access to Crucial COPD Therapies Post-Discharge
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a group of progressive and complex conditions that affect the lungs, require a comprehensive treatment approach.
Oral, Intravenous Antibiotics, Both Effective in Treating Fracture-Related Infection
Both oral and intravenous antibiotics are effective after fracture-related infection (FRI), a serious complication following fracture fixation surgery, according to a recent study.
GOP Legislators Push Bill to Expedite Firing Authority for VA Employees
Republican legislators are again seeking to provide the VA secretary with expedited firing authority for VA employees that are deemed “bad actors.”
Martin Focuses on Improving Sleep-Disorder Treatment for Veterans
We spend approximately one-third of our lives asleep, but it’s only been in the last couple of decades that the medical community has begun to understand in detail just how important sleep can be to our lives.
Issues Weren’t That Different in VA 60 Years Ago
With news every day about VA staffing cuts, the cancellation of contracts and, essentially, the way the agency does business, it is interesting to look back to what might seem to us as a simpler time – 60 years ago, when U.S. Medicine began.
A Range of Factors Put Veterans at Higher Colorectal Cancer Risk
Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major health threat in the United States, ranking as the fourth most common cancer among men and women combined.
VA Offers Pathway through First-Line Treatment Options for mCRC
The VA diagnoses approximately 4,000 new CRC cases annually. More than half of people with CRC either have metastatic disease at diagnosis or will develop it
The Importance of Hyperselection in Treating Metastatic CRC
Recent research in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) demonstrates that personalized therapy outperforms broad approaches to treatment of this challenging malignancy in federal medicine and elsewhere.
Staying Ahead of EFGR Dermatological Toxicities in CRC
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors such as panitumumab are pivotal in treating metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with wild-type KRAS mutations in the first, second and third lines, especially in patients with wild-type RAS genes.
New Treatment Options Extend Survival for Veterans with DLBCL
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most prevalent subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), characterized by its aggressive nature.
