Medtronic Recalls 60,000 Sets Of Medical Supplies Used For Insulin Pumps Over Concerns About Safety
With a sizable percentage of nursing home patients diagnosed with diabetes, we have been contacted by a number of current and former clients regarding a product recall involving Medtronic's MiniMed Paradigm insulin pumps. The medical device recall was initiated in July, 2009 after defects were discovered in a particular lot of the infusion sets. Infusion sets are the thin, plastic tubing that delivers insulin from an insulin pump to the patient's body. The recalled infusion sets can be identified by both the lot number (Lot 8, Quick-set infusion sets) and the reference numbers: MMT-396, MMT-397, MMT-398 and MMT-399 (lots starting...
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Diabetic Ketoacidosis Is An Under-Appreciated Danger Facing Many Nursing Home Patients
Diabetes is a serious illness affecting many nursing home residents. Diabetics face an increased risk for a variety of health problems and complications, including ketoacidosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a dangerous complication of diabetes that occurs when you don’t have enough insulin in your body. This serious complication is more common in people who have type 1 diabetes, rather than type 2 diabetes. Diabetic ketoacidosis develops when you have too little insulin in your body, raising your blood sugar level. This causes your body to break down fat for energy, creating toxic acids known as ketones. If left untreated, this can...
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Nursing Homes Must Be Prepared To Handle Diabetic Patients
Nursing home residents suffering from diabetes face increased risk for a variety of health problems and complications, requiring additional caution and care. However, there are no specific guidelines for providing proper care for nursing home residents suffering from diabetes. Therefore, each facility must carefully determine the unique needs of each patient are successfully accommedated. As the Baby Boomer generation ages, nursing homes will have to deal with increased numbers of residents and increased numbers of residents suffering from type 2 diabetes. The 2004 National Nursing Home Survey revealed that 24.6% of nursing home residents had diabetes as a primary admission...
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Young, Middle Aged & Seniors. Nursing Homes Struggle To Care For An Increasingly Diverse Group Of Residents
The Enquirer-Herald had a really interesting article regarding younger people in nursing homes. Increasingly, nursing home are becoming a place for people of all ages. Over the past 20 years, the number of residents at nursing homes has surged. Today, people under 65 comprise almost 10% of the nursing home population. At Orchards Rehabilitation and Care Canter, an Idaho nursing home, four out of five people are under 55. According to administrator Mindy Shepard, a lack of alternatives is the real reason for younger people are entering facilities once deemed only for the aged. "It's not that uncommon because we have...
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Nursing Homes Not Prepared To Handle Diabetic Residents
The Washington Post had an article on the growing diabetic population in nursing homes. Despite the fact that up to 25% of nursing home residents have diabetes, a study published in Diabetes Care determined many diabetic nursing home residents are not getting appropriate care according to the standards proposed by the American Diabetic Association. The study revealed while 98% of diabetic nursing home residents had their blood glucose monitored, only 38% met their short-term glucose goals. One of the problems facing nursing home residents with diabetes is the lack of specific guidelines set forth to care for elderly people with...
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Never Event #3: Poorly Controlled Blood Sugar, Hyperglycemia & Hypoglycemia
Medicare has determined that complications associated with poorly controlled blood sugar should be included on the 'never list' as they are so easily avoidable that the costs of the treatment should not be permitted to be submitted to CMS for reimbursement. In 2007, there were 14,929 reported cases of poorly controlled blood sugar amongst diabetics in hospitals. Hyperglycemia Hyperglycemia develops when there is too much sugar in the blood (glucose > 180mg/dl). Hyperglycemia may be caused by skipping insulin does, infection or illness. Prolonged hyperglycemia can result in infection, slow-healing cuts and sores, vision problems, nerve damage...
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Failure To Provide Medication Is A Common Error In Nursing Homes
Failure to provide medication is a common problem facing nursing home residents. Many situations involving failure to provide medication result from problems with the transition of a resident's medical charts from a hospital or facility where they were prior to their admission to the nursing home. Nonetheless, nursing homes have a responsibility to provide quality care to their residents. This includes conducting an assessment upon admission to assure all medical needs are met. Yesterday's blog entry on the untimeliness of administration of medication reminded me of a case my office is working on. In our case, a Chicago-area nursing...
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Study Shows Errors In Timing Of Administration Of Medication In Assisted Living Facilties
According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the likelihood of a medication error is low. The authors of the study looked at 12 long-term care facilities in 3 states. The results of the study are surprising considering that many long-term care facilities use aides who no formal training in the administration of medication. Among the studies findings are: Overall error rate of 28.2% Timing errors were the most common (70.8%). The resident did not receive the medication within an hour of the scheduled time. Wrong dosage 12.9% of the time Skipped dosage 11.1%...
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