Those of you who run or ride know what the second day back after a break feels like. The first day is awesome. The body is fresh and snappy; there is an adrenaline rush at the start. It’s easy to overcook it on Day 1. Then there is me at the ACC on day 2. […]
Category: General Medicine
Big news was released today in the treatment of heart attack. Please allow me a (slightly) wordy intro. —— I’m not normally an alarmist. I often vouch for the heart’s durability. The exception to this rule is heart attack. Heart attacks are…well…very serious. In this case, alarm is clearly a good thing. So is teamwork. […]
Let’s talk about the newest cholesterol myth gone busted. I can hardly write; I’m so giddy. That’s what happens to me when simplicity and obviousness triumphs over complicated testing that adds nothing to (or even clouds) the big picture. They come to my office with pages of data dissecting the particle sizes and sub-fractions of […]
Who knew that a having a nuclear stress test might put you at risk for suspicion of terrorism? No, I am not making this up. A famous medical blogger, known as the Skeptical Scalpel, cited this bizarre news report of a CT firefighter who was stopped by the state police. The unsuspecting public servant was […]
It’s entitled: More on ECG screening to prevent sudden death in the young: On risk, the Italian experience and notes from the real world. Here’s the lead in… Earlier this week, I wrote about one of my favorite topics in medicine: the ECG. This 12-pronged view of cardiac vectors catapulted my interest in the human […]
There was a flurry of words written today about preventing the rare but tragic occurrence of sudden cardiac death in a young person. At the heart of the debate lies the issue of how best to protect the young from dying. I think it’s worth making two more points on this issue. Treating Sudden Death: […]
When a news source as powerful as The NY Times publishes an article about sudden cardiac death in young people, one expects accurate information. It’s far too important a topic to write about imprecisely. This piece, entitled Should Young Athletes Be Screened for Heart Risk, included numerous inaccuracies and failed to tell important facts about […]
You may have heard that the new blood thinner, rivaroxaban (Xarelto) made news at the recent ACC meeting in Chicago. The Einstein PE trial showed rivaroxaban equivalent to standard therapy (enoxaparin followed by warfarin) in the treatment of pulmonary embolism (blood-clot in lungs). When the researchers looked at net clinical benefit, a measure that gives […]
To those who submitted posts, I say thanks. I appreciate that you did. Medical Grand Rounds keeps going because of you, the medical blogger. Your voice, your impressions, your passions and your human stories make our field such a great canvas. Let’s get it started: A Hand of Hearts: I was delighted that one of […]
Important challenge to dogma alert: You may have heard that high cholesterol leads to heart disease. Most experts accept the important role that cholesterol plays in heart disease: High cholesterol, particularly LDL (the bad kind), favors build up of plaque, which then leads to obstructed arteries and heart attack. It’s simple. It makes sense. Even […]
An interesting debate has emerged in cardiology this week. The science is interesting, but equally intriguing–for a general audience–is the stage on which this debate plays out. That social media features prominently could only be called cool. First the debate: What role, if any, should genetic testing play in guiding modern heart care? The specifics […]