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ADA 2011: Dynamic Visual Representation of Key Data Helps Eliminate Hypoglycemia in the ICU

Real-time blood sugar and insulin infusion data displayed in the electronic medical record allows physicians to tailor treatment and get more patients to goal.

Top 10 Recent ICU Quality Initiatives

Plenary session at CHEST 2013 focused on the impact of early warning scores, medical response teams, availability of critical care attending intensivists, and other quality measures in intensive care.

A Thoracic Surgeon Describes His Take on Lung Cancer Screening

A major clinical challenge encountered by thoracic surgeons lies in the decision to pursue surgery, which must be weighed between surgical risk and the reliability of CT findings.

Diabetes-related poor outcomes in chronic heart failure: Complex interactions with sex and age

This propensity-matched study, in which patients with and without diabetes were well balanced in all measured baseline characteristics, including traditional risk factors and comorbidities, found that diabetes was associated with increased mortality and hospitalization in ambulatory patients who had chronic, mild-to-moderate heart failure and were receiving angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. These findings also highlight the sex- and age-related variations in the effect of diabetes in these patients.

Blend the Money in Your Blended Family

Tactfully Time Your Disability Insurance

Syncope, metoprolol, and tilt-table testing

Neurocardiogenic syncope (vasovagal syncope) is the most common cause of loss of consciousness, ranging in various studies from 18% to 58% of all syncopal events.

Serelaxin Shows Promise in Treating Acute Heart Failure

Results from the RELAX-AHF show serelaxin reduces cardiovascular deaths and improves symptoms in patients with heart failure.

Twelve Myths About Physician Assisted Suicide and Medical Aid In Dying

People of good conscience, including many physicians, are sharply divided on the ethics of MAID/PAS. Unfortunately, much of the support for this practice is founded on several myths and misconceptions regarding existing MAID laws and practices, according to Ronald Pies, MD.

Atherosclerotic renovascular disease in older dialysis patients

We hypothesized that atherosclerotic renovascular disease (ARVD) might account for a growing proportion of end-stage renal disease in the United States because of shared risk factors and the aging of the population. We tested this hypothesis through an evaluation of 146 973 older patients starting dialysis therapy in the United States between 1996 and 2001.

The Fight in Flint: How One Pediatrician Stopped a Disaster

A pediatrician in Flint, MI faced a torrent of criticism and official denials when she discovered her patients were being poisoned by dangerously high levels of lead in their water. Here's the inside story of how she fought back.

Mexico the Easy Way: CRUISING THE RIVIERA

The 6-minute walk test in chronic heart failure

We examined the relationship between the 6-minute walk test and self-perceived changes in symptoms in 1077 elderly patients with chronic heart failure. We found that changes in 6-minute walk test distance were sensitive to changes in self-perceived symptoms of heart failure.

Integrating the existing emergency medical system with automated external defibrillators for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

We investigated whether a program based on diffuse deployment of automated external defibrillators operated by trained volunteers and laypersons across the largest county in Italy would safely and effectively improve the current survival rate among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Compared with historical control subjects, the new strategy resulted in a 3-fold increase in 1-year survival free of neurologic impairment.

Chest pain syndrome in women: A diagnostic dilemma

The ability to diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD) in women may be limited by the sensitivity and specificity of symptoms as well as of noninvasive testing. The choice of which test should be performed to evaluate the presence of CAD in women remains controversial. Currently American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines recommend initial evaluation with exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) testing. In a meta-analysis of 3721 women, however, exercise ECG had a sensitivity of 61% and a specificity of 70%1 as compared to 68% sensitivity and 77% specificity in men.

Antihypertensive Combination Drugs: Effectiveness, Adherence, and Pleiotropic Effects

The decreasing age of onset of hypertension in the general population paired with increasing life expectancy has resulted in an increased incidence of this disorder, which will likely culminate in higher rates of morbidity and mortality in the future.