I’ve written two new posts at the end of this week.
The first is on the state of heart rhythm medicine, or as we call it, electrophysiology. The editor of the TheHeart.org asked me to look at a recent series of state-of-the-art review papers published in the British journal, the Lancet. The last time the Lancet reviewed arrhythmia was 1993. Suffice it say, we have come along way in 19 years, and I have loved every minute of it. The title of the piece is…The Lancet revisits cardiac arrhythmia…It’s been an epic ride.
The second piece was for the Courier-Journal, In the Prime Voices. It was part 2 of my series on the dangers of pain medicines. What’s happening in my state is that legislators have passed sweeping legislation curtailing the use of opioid pain medications. It is true; Kentucky has a serious problem with abuse and misuse of opioids. The problem, as it always is with sweeping non-physician-guided regulation, is the unintended consequences. Namely, I and other doctors have already seen a rise in the use of NSAID drugs. Given the magnitude of our chronic disease problem here in Kentucky, we can ill afford adding NSAIDs to the mix.
The title of the In the Prime post is…Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs represent a clear and present danger, especially in Kentucky.
JMM