How a digital NHS saves time and money – and transforms care | Afzal Chaudhry

Imagine this scenario: a patient arrives at hospital for an appointment or an emergency, or is admitted for treatment and the clinical team can see their medical record in its entirety, wherever and whenever they need to.

At Cambridge University hospitals NHS foundation trust, that is what we set out to achieve when, seven years ago, we decided to invest in a sustainable digital future for our hospitals. Rather than relying on paper-based processes and simply replacing outdated technology as it became obsolete, we wanted to transform the way we care for our patients.

In 2013 we began a 10-year eHospital digital programme, to create a fully integrated electronic patient record (EPR) system, andset in motion a modernisation of our networking and computing infrastructure. More than 100 colleagues from various clinical areas were seconded to the eHospital team, so our EPR was built by our staff, for our staff.

In October 2014 our EPR went live across both hospitals in our trust: Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie. It spans all clinical areas – both inpatient and outpatient – including A&E, critical care, clinics, wards, surgery, pharmacy, laboratory and radiology services.

It was a big undertaking. More than 175,000 hours of training were delivered to about 12,000 staff in nine weeks as we prepared to make the system live. Around 5,500 old computers were replaced with 6,750 new ones, and we connected another 500 laptops, 395 workstations on wheels and 420 handheld devices, such as iPods with barcode wristband scanners. We also installed 1,350 wifi access points across all clinical areas.

For some of our staff the transition from paper to digital was not simple, even though they had access to the same information as before, just presented in a different way. Having “super users” – hospital staff who volunteered to have extra training so they could help others – proved invaluable.

The EPR has 3,200 concurrent users and every single one looks at the most up-to-date version of patient records

Today our EPR is vital to better patient care. It has helped us improve quality and safety, reduce duplication and eliminate unnecessary delays. Inpatients do not have to stay in hospital for longer than necessary as the time taken to prepare discharge medications has halved. Every inpatient has a barcoded wristband, which links directly to the EPR, and allergy-related prescribing alerts in the system have reduced adverse medication reactions, saving around 2,500 inpatient bed days per year.

Outpatients now only come in to hospital if it’s necessary as clinicians can review their patients’ notes and x-rays virtually. In orthopaedics this has freed up 4,500 appointments a year. Patients attending the surgical pre-assessment clinic complete their initial documentation on tablets, meaning this department now sees approximately 20% more patients than before.

Integrated handheld and mobile devices enable clinicians to document information in the EPR in real time at a patient’s bedside. This has released the equivalent of 120 nursing posts, allowing staff to spend more quality time with patients.

We typically have 3,200 concurrent users of the EPR at peak times and every single person is looking at the most up-to-date version of their patient’s record. Overall, we have reduced the use of paper records by 99%.

Moving forward, we are introducing a patient portal, MyChart, which will give patients secure access to parts of their medical record, so they can be more in control of their health information. The future of electronic healthcare is coming with the forthcoming launch of Care Everywhere and EpicCare Link, which will allow us to share key patient information electronically with other hospitals and primary care services.

As one of the UK’s highest rated trusts for the effective use of technology in providing high-quality patient care, not only will we continue to focus on using technology to deliver further improvements for our patients, but also as a global digital exemplar hospital we are committed to sharing our learning with others and helping the NHS embrace its digital future.

Dr Afzal Chaudhry, chief medical information officer at Cambridge University hospitals NHS foundation trust, will be speaking at eHealth Week on 3-4 May. The Guardian Healthcare Professionals Network is media partner for the event.

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How a digital NHS saves time and money – and transforms care | Afzal Chaudhry

NHS saves £600m in crackdown on agency fees

The NHS has slashed more than £600m from the billions it pays every year for temporary doctors and nurses by cracking down on fees paid to “rip-off” staffing agencies, new figures reveal.

Gaps in hospital rotas sent the bill for temporary staff soaring from £2.2bn in 2009-10 to £3.6bn last year. But hospitals have halted the relentless increase in recent years of the rates for stand-in personnel needed to ease chronic understaffing and ensure patient safety on wards.

Data compiled by NHS Improvement, which regulates the health service in England, shows that hospitals spent £613m less since the blitz on agency staff began on 15 October last year, compared to the 12 months before caps on hourly rates were brought in.

In August, for example, NHS trusts spent £252m on agency staff – £61m (19.5%) less than the £313m they paid out in the same month the year before. Similarly, in July they spent £256m compared to their £331m outlay in July 2015.

If maintained, the NHS stands to meet its target of spending £1bn less a year on temporary staff, which would be key to its ambition to reduce hospitals’ collective overspend of £2.5bn last year to £580m. Hospitals are now paying 18% less on average for nurses whom they hire through agencies which NHS England boss Simon Stevens last year criticised for “ripping off the NHS”. The limits on fees for stand-ins have also succeeded in reducing the cost of locum doctors, but only by 13%.

Jim Mackey, NHS Improvement’s chief executive, will cite the figures as proof that the NHS is making progress at controlling its costs when he, Stevens and health secretary Jeremy Hunt give evidence to MPs on the Commons health select committee on Tuesday.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, has accused staffing agencies of ripping off the NHS. Photograph: Felix Clay for the Observer

Medical organisations reacted with alarm to disclosures that Theresa May, the prime minister, has told Stevens that, despite mounting concern that the NHS is under dangerous strain, it would not receive any extra funding when Philip Hammond, the chancellor, presents his autumn statement on 23 November. “If these reports are true, the prime minister needs to explain how exactly the NHS will keep up with rising demand without the necessary investment.

“Theresa May talks about injecting £10bn into the NHS, yet in reality the increase in health spending is less than half that,” said Dr Anthea Mowat, a spokeswoman for the British Medical Association.

“The NHS is already the most efficient healthcare system in the world. The notion that the funding crisis can be solved with further efficiency savings is a myth, and these are not savings, they are year-on-year cuts that have driven almost every acute trust in England into deficit, led to a crisis in general practice and a community and social care system on the brink of collapse,” added Mowat.

Two-thirds of the acute, mental health, community services and ambulance trusts covered by the new rules on agency staff had cut the amount of money they spend on them, NHS Improvement said. Since April trusts have only been allowed to pay 55% more than the usual rate for the job for temporary workers, though they are allowed to breach that supposed ceiling “on exceptional safety grounds” in order to ensure that patients do not come to harm because of staff shortages.

However, Mackey recently told trusts that, despite the progress on agency fees, “across the sector we are falling short of what is needed and must do more to reduce over-reliance on agencies”. The regulator will soon start to publish quarterly updates on how much each trust has spent on such staff in what some in the NHS see as a crude “naming and shaming” exercise designed to embarrass trusts into spending less and do not take account of high vacancy rates which force them to turn to agencies in the first place. It also plans to phase out altogether hospitals’ use of expensive interim senior executives, whose temporary costs can see them being paid over £1,000 a day. “Reducing spending on the agency bill is fundamentally important for NHS finances. But it’s not a panacea,” said Anita Charlesworth, chief economist at the Health Foundation thinktank, Hospitals are still heading for an overspend of £580m this year despite receiving £1.8bn of “sustainability and transformation” funding, and NS England has made only “slow progress” at finding its promised £22bn of efficiency savings, she warned.

“Reducing the agency bill will help but it’s not the solution. The NHS needs a comprehensive plan to improve efficiency,” she added.

“The NHS has saved over £600m since we introduced our agency price cap system. Most NHS trusts have responded well to the caps, using them to significantly reduce their agency spending and improve their workforce management,” said Dr Kathy McLean, NHS Improvement’s executive medical director.

NHS saves £600m in crackdown on agency fees

Dragon"s Den rejected me but my invention saves lives across the NHS

Nurses work on the frontline and are in an ideal position to innovate

“Since I appeared on Dragons’ Den last year, the business has surged and there is more support,” says Neomi Bennett.

Bennett is the inventor of Neo-slip, a pouch-like contraption that makes it easier for patients to wear their anti-embolism stockings, known to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) clots. Although it was rejected on Dragons’ Den, Bennett considers being able to highlight the problem of DVT with millions of viewers as her biggest achievement.

Bennett came up with the idea in 2011 while working as a student nurse at Kingston University. She says: “In my final year, I was asked to look at problems faced by patients and find a solution [as part of risk assessment essay]. I noticed many people, especially the elderly, were finding it difficult to apply anti-embolism stockings because they are tight and often uncomfortable. Some would eventually give up and stop using them.

“Twenty-five thousand people die every year in the UK from preventable deep vein thrombosis, so I knew we needed a product that encourages people to use those stockings and this is how Neo-slip came about.”

With help from UnLtd, which supports social entrepreneurs in the UK, and a government loan, she set up her own enterprise in 2012 and has not looked back. Neo-slip is currently supplied to 34 hospitals and various independent pharmacies across the UK. The product has also won Royal College of Nursing and Smarta 100 innovation awards.

A single mother of three, who left school at the age of 16, Bennett says her entrepreneurial journey hasn’t been easy. “In addition to studying nursing, I had to learn how to run a business – its structure, processes and logistics – as I didn’t have any business background. There were also financial challenges as [is the case] with start-ups.”

She says the health service is better at signposting than at practical support.

My children inspired me to invent a tool to prevent dehydration in older patients

Naomi Campbell first thought of a drinking aid while watching her children use a toy to sip their drink. A community nurse at the time, she wondered if something similar could be used to prevent dehydration inolder people. “It may sound corny but it really was a light bulb moment,” she says.

With the help of a £15,000 grant by NHS Innovations South West, she designed a device called a micro straw that allows patients to drink their fluids independently, reducing their dependence on nursing staff.

The next problem was monitoring their intake, so Campbell came up with another creation: a cup with a scale on the side to make it easier for staff and carers to check the amount of fluid consumed. The micro straw was granted a UK patent in 2013, while the simple measures cup was trialled in Falmouth hospital and is now used in all Cornish community hospitals.

Campbell is now working on a complete education package, combining her innovations with practical risk assessment and monitoring tools, to raise awareness among carers and healthcare organisations.

“Dehydration is long-term problem … elderly patients need to be supported, encouraged and helped to drink. Sometimes older people avoid drinking water because they are concerned about going to the bathroom or too hesitant to ask for help,” she says.

“There is a need to improve basic hydration care in the NHS and wider health and social care system. There are many issues around elderly care hydration that nursing hasn’t addressed – poor chart-keeping, monitoring of drink consumed and identification of patients who are at risk.”

Nurses understand problems and have solutions but we’re not good at putting ourselves forward

Bernadette Porter, creator of NeuroResponse, a nurse-led telehealth service for MS patients, says there needs to be a culture change in the NHS. “To encourage more nurses to innovate, we have to give them permission to fail,” she says.

With a career spanning more than 25 years, Porter understands the health service and its complexities. In 2003 she was the first nurse in the NHS to be appointed a multiple sclerosis nurse consultantand was was awarded an MBE in 2013.

The idea of NeuroResponse came to her at a social entrepreneurship course. “We were challenged to think about care from a user’s perspective … and we use technology in all spheres of life such as banking and shopping, so why not use it to bring expert care nearer to patient’s home?”

She was selected as one of the 17 innovators for the NHS Innovation Accelerators (NIA) programme last year to scale up the project across England. It is already being expanded to other parts of London and Essex.

Porter says it was a good experience to network with other NIA innovators: “All of them had a ‘can do’ attitude, which is what we need in the NHS.”

She adds that there should be more community forums for innovators where they can share their ideas, support each other and learn more about entrepreneurship, information technology and co-designing services. “Nurses work with patients directly, understand their problems and have a good idea about the solutions. However, we are not good at putting ourselves forward. We need to be more confident.”

Shrestha Trivedi is a freelance journalist

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Dragon"s Den rejected me but my invention saves lives across the NHS

Obamacare"s Accountable Medicare Energy Saves Yet another $400M

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A quickly expanding overall health care delivery program that rewards physicians and hospitals for working collectively to boost good quality reaped $ 411 million in savings, the Obama administration mentioned.&nbsp The Centers for Medicare &amp Medicaid Services said Tuesday much more than 350 accountable care organizations combined to achieve savings in 2014 as the government [...]

Obamacare"s Accountable Medicare Energy Saves Yet another $400M

Intensive Insulin Treatment Saves Lives- But Is The Locating Nevertheless Appropriate?

A trial that started out back in 1990 continues to show a substantial mortality benefit for intensive insulin therapy in heart assault (MI) sufferers. But specialists say the trial layout is so outdated that the findings ought to have no influence on clinical practice nowadays.

Throughout the many years 1990 by way of 1993 the Swedish DIGAMI I (Diabetes Mellitus Insulin Glucose Infusion in Acute Myocardial Infaction 1) trial randomized 620 MI sufferers with elevated glucose ranges to either intensive insulin treatment or typical treatment. Earlier benefits from the trial showed helpful results, such as improved survival, for sufferers in the intensive treatment arm.

Now, a paper published in The Lancet Diabetes &amp Endocrinology, presents 20-yr followup benefits displaying an typical two.three yr increase in survival for patients in the remedy arm (median survival seven. years versus four.7 years, HR .83, CI .70-.98, p=.27).

The finding, writes Denise Bonds in an accompanying editorial, is constant with the evolution of the discipline in latest decades. Despite the fact that earlier trials demonstrated the rewards of intensive glucose manage in type 2 diabetics, much more latest trials have found no advantage for intensive manage more than conventional therapy. This is because patients in DIGAMI one had drastically greater HbA1c levels than individuals in subsequent trials and, moreover, have been significantly less likely to acquire now-confirmed therapies like ACE inhibitors and statins (the final of which had been not even offered at the begin of the study).

Darren McGuire, a cardiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, presented a in depth critique of the trial:

1. Most folks misinterpret this trial as a glucose control trial, as does Dr. Bonds in the accompanying editorial. This trial was a trial evaluating two management strategies: insulin vs. no insulin not evaluating two levels of glucose management. Past the very first 48 hrs throughout the hyperglycemic/hyperinsulinemic “GIK-like” infusion protocol, contrasts of glucometrics had been not statistically diverse at any subsequent trial timepoint. So, this trial shed no light on regardless of whether glucose manage is powerful, rather that a technique utilizing insulin is better than a approach not employing insulin.

2. The acute infusion was not targeted to glucose management, but rather an infusion of dextrose developed to help delivery of large dose insulin (~five units/kg/24 hr) targeted to hyperglycemic targets (glucose of 126-198mg/dL by protocol).

three. I consider most importantly, one particular can interpret the trial as showing superiority in the insulin handled patients that was driven by adversity in the “control group”. In the DIGAMI era, sulfonylurea prescription drugs had been about the only alternative (along with metformin), and concern remains about the CV security of sulfonylureas. My individual interpretation of DIGAMI is that randomization to insulin protected participants from getting taken care of with sulfonylureas, therefore bettering outcomes. This is buttressed by two particular concerns. First, the “treatment benefit” in DIGAMI was most evident in the patients entering the trial not treated with insulin (i.e the “least sick” of any given diabetes cohort) this is counter to the ever-prevailing concept that sickest patients advantage most from successful therapies. In this case, those not getting into on insulin were most very likely in the course of trial treatment to obtain sulfonylureas if randomized to the “control” arm. Second, insulin glargine has been shown to be almost identical to placebo for CV efficacy in the ORIGIN trial. However not an acute publish ACS trial, ORIGIN had a massive representation of individuals with prior MI. This suggests the contrast in DIGAMI is not since insulin was greater, but that “control” was worse.

Intensive Insulin Treatment Saves Lives- But Is The Locating Nevertheless Appropriate?

Woman saves six-yr old sister from uncommon immune disorder with transplant

Kacey said: “I truly feel really proud about what I did. Ahead of the operation we have been all fairly unhappy because I missed out on a great deal of items due to the fact Milly could not do anything at all.

“Now she is much happier and we can play out the front, we can go to McDonald’s and we are going on vacation. Prior to we could not do any of that.”

Milly, who goes back to college right after Easter, additional: “My sister was wonderful and sort when she helped me. I can’t don’t forget how I felt before but now I feel fairly alright. The ideal issue is taking part in outside.”

Mothers and fathers Theresa and John, the two 39, stated they realised “something was not right” with Milly quickly after she was born.

She was continually in and out of hospital with a enormous variety of illnesses, virtually shedding her battle with a chest infection aged 16 months.

It was not right up until an infection in her toenail resulted in a hospital admission and nine courses of antibiotics that medical professionals ordered far more exams, in August 2012.

Aged four she was diagnosed with persistent granulomatous disease – a uncommon disorder the place the immune technique can not battle infections, only suffered by a single in eight,000,000 ladies.

Spores from reduce grass and leaves could have resulted in a fatal chest infection, and a straightforward lower finger could very easily have led to blood poisoning.

Her parents, from New Milton, Hampshire, have been forced to pull her out of school and preserve her indoors away from other youngsters.

Her mother, Theresa, explained: “She fundamentally had no defence against anything at all. We went by means of hell and back and she genuinely suffered.

“We always knew anything was wrong – a common cold would turn into a chest infection, and a tummy bug would last for weeks.

“It was a relief to know what was wrong but we have been informed it was fairly unusual to locate a perfect match, and even if we did there was a one in ten possibility it wouldn’t operate.

“It was a horrible time. She could not do anything. She could not go to the beach, to the forest, be near cut grass or wood. It was all as well considerably of a danger of infection.

“She couldn’t even go to the retailers. She could not leave the property. And Kacey had to miss out also because we had to prohibit what she did because of the bugs she could carry back, and we did not want her sister to be jealous.”

The loved ones had been informed she would need to have a bone marrow transplant “sooner rather than later” to survive – but that the process could kill her.

Kacey and brother Brody, 3, have been examined for the illness, which revealed that each have been healthful, and her sister was ideal match.

Milly had to have 10 days of chemotherapy to fully wipe out her own immune technique, prior to she got Kacey’s bone marrow at Excellent Ormond Street Hospital on August 30 final year.

Inside of days Theresa observed a substantial change in her youngest lady.

“Milly was so various,” she said, “She employed to be really withdrawn all the time, and to appear at her she was really pale, with dark circles around her eyes. Inside of five days the colour was back in her cheeks.”

Recent tests results exposed Milly is on the street to a total recovery and the entire household are acquiring back to standard with their very first vacation, a journey to Spain, booked for June.

Theresa additional: “We are carrying out all the items folks just take for granted. Mille went to her very first birthday party final month. Kacey had her 1st sleepover last evening.

“We still have to be careful, but they can go out and perform collectively and we have lots to search forward to.”

Woman saves six-yr old sister from uncommon immune disorder with transplant

Two-year-old saves mother"s existence by dialling 999

A two-year-old boy has saved his mother’s life by managing to call 999 when she collapsed, telling operators: “Mummy’s on the floor.”

Paramedics rushed to their home in Barrow Upon Soar, Leicestershire where they discovered his mother Dana Henry, who had collapsed due to a dangerous blood clot after waking up with stomach pains.

At 11.31am, Riley rang 999 and said: “Mummy’s asleep,” after which the call was passed to the ambulance service who managed to trace the address. He repeatedly said ‘hello’ and kept operators on the line, trying to explain that his mum was on the floor.

Dana said: “I am so proud of Riley. He is mummy’s little hero. I have told so many of my friends and family about what he did. My friends who have young children are so amazed, and are making sure their children would know what to do.”

Dana said she and partner, Rob Ward, 30, had always drilled it into Riley and his sister, Caitlin, five, that they should ring 999 if ever they could not wake either of them.

Source Caters News Agency

Two-year-old saves mother"s existence by dialling 999

Two-year-old saves mother"s life by dialling 999

A two-year-old boy has saved his mother’s life by managing to call 999 when she collapsed, telling operators: “Mummy’s on the floor.”

Paramedics rushed to their home in Barrow Upon Soar, Leicestershire where they discovered his mother Dana Henry, who had collapsed due to a dangerous blood clot after waking up with stomach pains.

At 11.31am, Riley rang 999 and said: “Mummy’s asleep,” after which the call was passed to the ambulance service who managed to trace the address. He repeatedly said ‘hello’ and kept operators on the line, trying to explain that his mum was on the floor.

Dana said: “I am so proud of Riley. He is mummy’s little hero. I have told so many of my friends and family about what he did. My friends who have young children are so amazed, and are making sure their children would know what to do.”

Dana said she and partner, Rob Ward, 30, had always drilled it into Riley and his sister, Caitlin, five, that they should ring 999 if ever they could not wake either of them.

Source Caters News Agency

Two-year-old saves mother"s life by dialling 999

Doctor"s Diary on sugar: Scaremongers fail to mention that it also saves millions of lives

Even so, this is just the most current scientific finding in a campaign to blame sugar for practically every little thing, particularly the so-called epidemic of diabetes and weight problems. It is not automatically that folks are consuming more sugar, but rather, it is claimed by Californian endocrinologist and prominent anti-sugar evangelist Robert Lustig, the incorrect kind: the cheap, higher-fructose corn syrup typically located in carbonated drinks that has replaced a single third of our complete sugar consumption in excess of the previous thirty years.

The current report from the Department of Energy that, on average, our residences are seven degrees Fahrenheit warmer than in the 1970s is scarcely surprising, as 40 years ago, two thirds did not have central heating. This has manufactured us perhaps a less hardy nation – not like elsewhere, as I learnt from a Russian patient who, with her husband and 3 kids, celebrated the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany on January 19 with a swim in an outdoor pool in south London.

This chilly ritual has been taken up with great enthusiasm because the fall of communism. The spiritual rewards are paralleled by the physical and psychological, as recommended by a research of 49 winter swimmers carried out by Prof Pirrko Huttinen of the University of Oslo, published in the Worldwide Journal of Circumpolar Health. Above a period of four months, they reported an improvement in memory and mood, much less stress and fatigue, and lowered signs and symptoms of rheumatism, asthma and fibromyalgia.

——————–

The young female featured last week with a variety of distressing neurological signs and symptoms following her return from a backpacking vacation in West Africa has elicited some valuable observations. Initial, an RAF Group Captain, now retired, reviews the exact same pattern of events following a sailing vacation on Minorca in 2007, commencing with a serious sore throat, major to deafness, loss of balance, facial palsy, trouble in swallowing and double vision. It took sixteen months to recover, and even now he is even now really deaf, his stability is bad and, bizarrely, his left eye closes at the breakfast table when consuming and reading through The Daily Telegraph at the exact same time.

This pattern of symptoms, observes neurologist Dr John Boughey, is strongly suggestive of an inflammatory process in the brain stem, possibly induced by the herpes simplex virus – even though there are a number of other feasible candidates. The signs must proceed to boost, albeit gradually, although the vertigo and clicking in the ear warrant a more assessment from an ENT professional.

————————

Finally, my thanks to a reader for passing on a most beneficial tip for those troubled by recurrent cystitis – as she has been for 15 years. Her GP arranged for her to have an ultrasound of the bladder, which demonstrated some residual urine. She was advised to stroll about the bathroom for a couple of minutes soon after passing urine and to then attempt once again. The outcome of this practice has been “astounding”: she has not had cystitis because.

Email healthcare concerns confidentially to Dr James LeFanu at drjames@telegraph.co.uk. Solutions will be published on the Telegraph website each and every Friday, at telegraph.co.uk/wellness

Doctor"s Diary on sugar: Scaremongers fail to mention that it also saves millions of lives

Hgh Doses of Omega EPA Saves Hit & Run Victim in Coma

Very first reported by CNN — It was mild curiosity that drew John Virgin and his son Bryce to the flashing lights and commotion of an accident scene near their residence.

In the back of John’s thoughts was his older son, Grant, who had gone for a stroll close by minutes earlier.  John looked down at the area that had been cordoned-off — the pavement covered with blood — and his heart sank.

“At that level you realize your worst fear,” he said. “I knew it was grave.”

Minutes earlier, the 16-12 months-previous had been airlifted to a nearby trauma center following being struck by a hit-and-run driver. He had a extended checklist of injuries: a torn aorta, a traumatic brain injury — like skull fractures and bleeding throughout his brain — compound bone fractures and spinal fractures. Seemingly countless bits of broken glass and gravel had been embedded in his skin

When they arrived, they were met by grim-faced doctors who supplied the slimmest odds that Grant Virgin would reside via the evening.

From that second forward — time and time yet again — they would go against doctor’s orders. That included attempting unconventional, untested therapies — something that may assist Grant. One particular in distinct involved offering him high doses of omega-three fatty acids (discovered in phytoplankton).

Fish oil is what the Virgin family members believes eventually — significantly — altered his daily life program, and healed his brain.

Weeks before fish oil was even regarded, Grant Virgin underwent a number of surgeries, and spent considerable time on a ventilator.

Ultimately, his body was stable, but his brain was nevertheless riddled with damage. He was in a coma, and his medical professionals urged his household to “wait and see” although his brain healed.

“The physician told me, ‘OK, now we wait.’ and I go, ‘We wait?’ ‘Yes, we wait,’” said JJ Virgin, who questioned that program of action — “‘Surely there’s one thing we can do?’”

The doctor’s response, according to her: “‘Nope, there’s absolutely nothing we can do. We just wait. The brain’s got its own time routine.’”

About the same time, she was receiving a flurry of suggestions from close friends. One suggested attempting progesterone to heal her son’s brain.

In early research, progesterone has been linked with decreased irritation in the brain and improved neurological outcomes right after traumatic brain damage. But the data in this spot, despite the fact that promising, are extremely early.

Despite that, beginning about two weeks right after the accident, his mom and father started intermittently rubbing a cream containing progesterone on him. (A leading professional questioned the efficacy of administering progesterone in this way, noting that in studies, it is administered intravenously.)

JJ Virgin received far more guidance, this time from close friends who had observed a CNN report about large-dose fish oil used in cases of serious traumatic brain injury.

Fish oil, they imagined, may heal Grant Virgin’s brain.

“If somebody said to me, you know what, you can give him fish oil, you can give him far better nutrition, you’ll get perhaps five% (improvement), I’ll consider that,” she explained.

She acquired in touch with one particular of the foremost omega-3 experts, Dr. Barry Sears, who had consulted on the initial-ever case of large-dose fish oil for traumatic brain injury in 2006.

It concerned a miner, Randal McCloy, who was involved in a deadly explosion in West Virginia. His brain had been badly damaged by carbon monoxide, and his staff of medical doctors was attempting desperately to hold him alive.

McCloy’s neurosurgeon at the time, Dr. Julian Bailes, describes thinking about substantial-dose fish oil in this situation, as akin to “throw(ing) the kitchen sink at him.”

“There is no recognized remedy, there’s no acknowledged drug, there’s absolutely nothing that we have actually to supply these sorts of patients,” mentioned Bailes, co-director of NorthShore Neurological Institute in Evanston, Illinois, throughout a preceding interview with CNN.

The theory behind fish oil as a therapeutic intervention for traumatic brain injury is at after easy and complicated.

Basically stated, the brain’s cell wall is, in portion, composed of omega-three fatty acids.

“If you have a brick wall and it will get damaged, wouldn’t you want to use bricks to fix it?” mentioned Dr. Michael Lewis, founder of the Brain Health Schooling and Investigation Institute. “By supplementing using (omega-three fatty acids) in significant doses, you give the basis for the brain to restore itself.”

Much more difficult is how omega-3 fatty acids may manage irritation — or injury — in the brain. Sears likens it to quelling a metaphorical fire in the brain.

That “fire” commences when the brain is traumatized — as with a profound injury like Grant Virgin’s, or milder insults like concussions suffered on a soccer field. Neurons snap, setting off a wave of irritation in the brain that can smolder for prolonged intervals of time — sometimes weeks or months soon after the damage has occurred.

“That (inflammation) will carry on more than and more than except if there is a 2nd response that turns it off,” explained Sears, president of the Irritation Analysis Foundation.

The fatty acid that Sears says can properly “turn off” that inflammatory fire is a metabolite (what remains after the entire body breaks one thing down) of eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, referred to as resolvin.

EPA is identified in substantial concentrations of phytoplankton, which is eaten by fish that absorb its nutrients.

“What we feel is taking place is, large amounts of EPA coursing in the brain metabolize into resolvins, turning down and turning off inflammatory method,” explained Sears.

Taking into consideration that, in accordance to the Centers for Illness Control and Prevention, one.seven million traumatic brain injuries arise in the United States each year, any intervention — particularly a inexpensive one particular like fish oil — is an fascinating prospect.

But Omega-three as a viable and effectively-studied intervention is still a approaches off for now it dwells in the realm of the anecdote or case research.

And a situation similar to Grant Virgin’s: a teenager named Bobby Ghassemi who nearly died in a car accident prior to obtaining a massive infusion of fish oil. A couple of months later, he attended his high school graduation.

There was the case of an 8-yr-old woman who nearly drowned after her stroller rolled into a canal. Her head and face had been beneath water for far more than 5 minutes.

Eighty-two days soon after her accident, in accordance to a case review published last yr in the journal PharmaNutrition, she was provided substantial doses of omega-three fatty acids, soon after which, “…the patient exhibited extremely gradual but steady progress in terms of her tolerance for stimulation and action.”

Jordan Markuson is the Founder of Aqua Wellness Labs.  He has been a nutritionist and entrepreneur for over ten years.  He is an activist supporting consumption of raw greens and consuming only renewable, normal and natural meals.  Jordan believes that based on all accessible scientific proof,  when meals is cooked it loses the majority its essential nutrients.   He is really interested in marine based mostly foods since of the crucial fatty acids they produce nowhere else on earth.

Hgh Doses of Omega EPA Saves Hit & Run Victim in Coma