This Wednesday Feb 11th, at 9 PM EST, one day after PBS Frontline features Dr. Atul Gawande and his new book Being Mortal, I will guest host the Hospice and Palliative Care (#HPM) Tweet Chat. Dr. Christian Sinclair is a physician leader in HPM and a co-editor of Pallimed. He recently commented on my stewardship piece […]
I do not speak nor understand French. (I wish I did.) But it is not necessary to enjoy this song. I think it is as close to anti-inflammatory as a tune can get. I discovered this beautiful voice from a blog–a cycling blog at that. I have written often that success in social media comes […]
The medical decision–to have a screening mammogram, to take warfarin, to undergo a catheter ablation–is, at its core, a gamble. We pit the treasure of the win (benefit) against the pain of the loss (harm). In times past, medical gambles were easier. You took the antibiotic or you lost your leg. Most medical decisions today […]
Concussions are serious. This I know from personal experience. My concussions changed my view of life. Thumps on the head are like that. My first concussion happened in a cyclocross race. The track had 2 grassy mounds, both about 3-feet high and in close succession. You approached them at speed. Physics dictate that going over […]
My latest column over at theHeart.org discusses the disordered balance of power in the doctor-patient relationship. As most of you know, I harbor strong biases about the quality of medical decisions, especially in the elderly. Attached. Yes, I am attached to the issue of decision quality. Nearly all of electrophysiology, and much of cardiology, involves […]
My colleague and friend Dr. Melissa Walton-Shirley wrote a nice review article on antibiotics and cardiac issues over at theHeart.org. It is worth a look. MWS is a heck of writer. Although she is writing to doctors, the issues she raises about antibiotics are relevant to everyone. I recently reviewed a case in which a serious […]
I am prepping for an upcoming talk on using social medial to improve health care delivery. The thing about these sorts of lectures is that canned talks have no shelf life. What does in the digital era? It is strange that I get asked to talk with other doctors about digital media. I am hardly […]
Research now indicates 50% of middle–aged people live with one chronic disease. Translation: half of middle-aged people are not healthy. (You don’t need a reference there. Just walk out into the world and look around.) This new normal creates a challenge for caregivers. How will we care for the onslaught of chronic disease? Surely not […]
I knock, then enter the exam room. “Hi. My name is John Mandrola.” (Maybe it is my age but I am moving away from calling myself Doctor Mandrola.) “I am a heart rhythm specialist. I have looked at your chart so I know a little about your medical history.” “Can you tell me how you […]
What follows is an introduction to my most recent post on theHeart.org | Medscape Cardiology. It was published yesterday. Many of the comments are excellent. The link is at the end of this post. You might wonder what pool-safety has to do with lifestyle disease. Here is how they relate: I am currently reading an […]
One of my good friends, a guru of sorts, once told me during a ride that things change. He was 50 years-old at the time and the change he was referring to was cycling abilities and priorities. At the time, I was at the peak of my cycling prowess; we were part of strong masters […]