LAKEPORT, Calif. – Sutter Lakeside Hospital has resumed all normal mammography operations as of Monday, Dec. 21.
“We’re pleased to announce that our equipment is up and running again, and we’re scheduling mammograms as usual,” said Siri Nelson, chief administrative officer, Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “Our dedicated imaging staff has worked tirelessly to restore normal operations, and can assist patients with rescheduling his or her mammogram. We’re proud to continue our partnership with our community to provide Lake County with the best care possible.”
To learn more about Sutter Lakeside, visit www.sutterlakeside.org/ or call 707-262-5121.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – According to the age-old saying, if you don’t move it, you lose it.
Research is finding that the same is true for hospital patients, and unnecessary bed rest causes more harm than good.
An analysis on bed rest demonstrated that lack of movement was not beneficial and led to complications such as muscle atrophy, pressure ulcers and weakened bones, according to a 2009 study on mobilizing intensive care patients published in the Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal (CPTJ).
“The sooner a patient moves, the better,” said Joe Prisco, PT, director of Rehabilitation Services for Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “Even 48 hours of bed rest depletes the physiological reserve of patients and can lead to a 35 to 50 percent decline in patient functionality. There is also an increased risk for falls and readmission, as well as a longer length of stay.”
Post-hospitalization weakness can last for years, according the CPTJ study. However, early mobilization may reduce the muscle deconditioning which results from bed rest. Early exercise and physical therapy decreases inflammation, pain and immobility, according to the study.
Other risks of unnecessary bed rest include an increased risk for stroke, bone density loss, urinary tract infection, constipation, increased sensitivity to pain, and decreased circulation.
“Even a little bit of movement is beneficial,” said Prisco. “Sitting in a chair instead of bed for meals, dangling your feet over the bed, or doing bed exercises increases function. Frequent ambulation (walking), is also important. It’s much easier to lose muscle tone than it is to restore it.”
Movement helps restore muscle tone, gastrointestinal function, normal breathing, blood flow, and strength and balance, as well as ward off pneumonia and fluid buildup in the chest.
“Rest and sleep is important, but a patient should rest upright and move whenever possible, unless the doctor has strictly ordered otherwise,” said Anne Garner, RN, Medical/Surgical Unit Nurse Manager. “Ambulation affects every function of the body. While pain may be unavoidable, movement disrupts ‘pain pathways.’ Complementary pain management like the resources offered by our Comfort Cart can also help, as pain is partially a mental experience over which a patient has a degree of control.”
If you or a loved one is hospitalized, proactively communicate with your care providers about how to maintain functionality through frequent movement; be sure to understand your plan of care and ask questions.
To learn more about safe ways to maintain function while hospitalized, please contact Sutter Lakeside Hospital Physical Therapy at 707-262-5090.
SACRAMENTO - California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith is urging Californians to protect themselves against mosquito bites if traveling to Mexico or Latin America, where there have been increased reports of the mosquito-borne diseases chikungunya and dengue.
Travelers should also be aware that there is currently transmission of dengue on the Big Island in Hawaii, and precautions against mosquito bites are advised; there are no reports of dengue transmission on the other Hawaiian islands.
“We want all Californians to be extra careful when traveling to these regions and take steps to avoid mosquito bites,” Dr. Smith said. “The mosquitoes that transmit chikungunya and dengue are aggressive daytime biters.”
Chikungunya is a viral disease characterized by acute onset of fever and severe joint pain. Dengue, another viral disease, is characterized by high fever, severe headache, muscle and joint pain, rash, and in severe cases bleeding manifestations.
For both, treatment is supportive, the disease is not contagious person to person, and there is no vaccine.
For 2015, 164 cases of chikungunya and 90 cases of dengue have been reported in California residents, all with a history of travel to areas where transmission of these diseases occurs.
Of reported cases in 2015, 148 (90 percent) chikungunya and 77 (86 percent) dengue cases had a history of travel to Latin America.
The number of reported California dengue cases with a history of travel to Mexico has increased in the last three years, with 80 in 2013-2015 compared to 17 in 2010-2012.
Three California residents have acquired dengue during the recent outbreak in the Big Island in Hawaii. There have been no cases of chikungunya and dengue acquired locally in California.
CDPH recommends that travelers prevent exposure to mosquito bites by wearing protective clothing and applying insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 according to label instructions. DEET can be used safely on infants and children two months of age and older.
In addition, make sure that your hotel or lodging has air conditioning or doors and windows with tight-fitting screens to keep out mosquitoes.
Chikungunya was first introduced to the Caribbean in late 2013, and by Nov. 30, 2015, over 25,000 confirmed cases were reported from the Caribbean and Central, South, and North America, including over 9,000 cases in Mexico.
Dengue transmission has also been prevalent throughout Latin American countries in recent years, and the risk of dengue is present in several Mexican states, including Baja California Sur (where Cabo San Lucas and La Paz are popular tourist areas).
If you have returned from an affected region and have fever with joint pain or rash within the two weeks following your return, please contact your medical provider and tell the doctor where you have traveled.
If your doctor suspects chikungunya or dengue, please protect yourself against mosquito bites until you recover. This will prevent spread of the virus to mosquitoes and potentially humans here in California.
SACRAMENTO – California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith on Wednesday updated the warning regarding certain seafood caught in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
All bivalve shellfish except razor clams have been removed from the current health advisories. Recent samples have shown that the levels of domoic acid have declined and are non-detectable in mussels from this region.
Advisories continue to be in place for:
· Consumers to avoid eating recreationally and commercially caught Dungeness and Rock crabs caught in waters between the Oregon border and the southern Santa Barbara County line. This is due to the persistent dangerous levels of domoic acid in these species.
· Consumers to avoid eating razor clams from Humboldt or Del Norte counties. Razor clams can retain domoic acid for a long period of time and remain at dangerous levels for this toxin.
Domoic acid accumulation in seafood is a natural occurrence that is related to a ‘bloom’ of a particular single-celled plant.
The conditions that support the growth of this plant are impossible to predict. CDPH will continue its efforts to collect a variety of samples from these areas to monitor the level of domoic acid in seafood.
Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood.
In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days.
In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory (a condition known as amnesic shellfish poisoning), coma or death.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with this event.
To receive updated information about shellfish poisoning and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at 800-553-4133.
For additional information visit CDPH’s Natural Marine Toxins: PSP and Domoic Acid Web page and CDPH’s Domoic Acid health information page.