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Health Check: Higher Mortality for Weekend Hospital Admissions

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04/06/2014

Higher Mortality for Weekend Hospital Admissions

BBC World Service - Health Check, Higher Mortality for Weekend Hospital Admissions

A study of 55 million people shows more risk of death for patients admitted at weekends

Why survival chances are worse for hospital admissions at the weekend; Projected spikes of dengue fever in World Cup cities; When is it safe to return to sport after concussion?

Researchers in Japan have been gathering data about weekend mortality and hospitals involving 55 million patients from 72 different studies conducted around the world. They now have further evidence that a person’s chances of survival are 20% lower if they are admitted at the weekend. Professor Toshiya Shiga is an anaesthetist at Kaken Hospital and at the International University of Health and Welfare in Chiba, Japan. He presented the results this week at the Euroanaesthesia congress in Stockholm, Sweden.

Dengue Fever Brazil
If you are lucky enough to be heading to Brazil for this year's World Cup, you are recommended to have a Yellow Fever vaccination, and for some venues, consider taking malaria pills. But there is another disease carried by mosquitoes in many parts of Brazil for which there is currently no vaccine - dengue fever. Fortunately for visiting fans, most of Brazil's cities will be low-risk for this disease during the World Cup, but some experts say host cities in the north-east of Brazil could present a genuine risk of infection. One of the likeliest to be high-risk is Natal, from where the BBC’s Ben Tavener reports.

Sports-related Concussion
The numbers of athletes suffering from concussion is increasing. Last week in the United States the White House convened a summit on how to prevent concussion amongst young people. And all over the world sports federations are having to address the issue of concussion, whether in football, ice hockey, karate or boxing.  Recommendations vary, but generally players who have suffered a concussion are required to rest for seven to ten days. 
However doctors are beginning to question whether the brain really can heal that fast. Former boxing champion Dr Sanna Neselius is an orthopaedic surgeon researching concussion at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden. She has found that recovery from concussion takes much longer than previously thought.

(Photo: A doctor listens to a mans heart lying in a hospital bed)

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