This is a story about a new medical intervention. It’s an important story because it affects all doctors—and therefore all patients. 1. It’s expensive. Of course. 2. There is no credible evidence that it works. But its marketing is aggressive. 3. The overwhelming majority of physicians disapprove of it. 4. Cheaper alternatives exist. 5. The […]
Is good health really all that digital? I am not so sure. I am a skeptic. I realize this is a risky thing to say these days. It’s hard to bet against Apple. And It was only seconds after Tweeting such doubt that John Nosta, an expert in digital health technology, tweeted back: @drjohnm Health […]
When the editors at Medscape asked me to put together an essay on the Top 10 stories in cardiology in 2014, I thought it would be an easy project. I was wrong. It turns out there was a lot to say about the happenings in cardiology this year.  In the end, the final essay had 37 references–a […]
I know physicians. They are smart, hard-working and prideful. They do a lot of good in this world. But one thing we have been utterly incapable of doing is organizing together and speaking as one voice. The American Board of Internal Medicine may have changed that. The hubris, overreach, and tone-deafness of ABIM may have […]
Here is a list of ten things to say about the experience of having an AF ablation. (Note: This list concerns standard radio frequency catheter ablation for AF.) 1. AF ablation is a big deal: The first thing to say about AF ablation is that it is a big procedure. I tell patients to expect […]
A report from the WSJ this week detailed the fact that FDA reviewers had significant and undisclosed financial ties to industry. I found this discovery remarkable, especially the undisclosed part. But perhaps more remarkable was the lack of reaction it created. The article has only 39 comments, paltry numbers of Tweets and FB shares and […]
A study published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology will change a way of thinking about the disease atrial fibrillation. And it’s about time. One word describes AF therapy in the past decade: plateau. Ten years have passed and we have no new drugs and no real breakthrough in AF ablation. […]
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Viva La Evidence
Hi All, It’s been a while. The hospital is abuzz with electrophysiology problems. I’ve been unleashing some serious medical fury in the past weeks. It has been fun, though it gets in the way of writing and training. James McCormack (@medmyths) is a “Pharmacist, Professor, Medication Mythbuster, and Healthy Skeptic at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical […]
Last week, I attended the American Heart Association (AHA) 2014 Scientific Sessions in Chicago. I was there as both a learner and physician-writer for theHeart.org. Here are a few paragraphs on the meeting. The main purpose of this post is to introduce the five editorials I wrote. The links to the posts are at the […]
What follows is a guest post from Dr. J Rod Gimbel, a cardiac electrophysiologist from Knoxville, TN. Dr. Gimbel has written extensively on the issue of electronic surveillance systems and electromagnetic interference (EMI) with cardiac implantable electronic devices, such as pacemakers and defibrillators. **** I’d like to express my appreciation for allowing me to guest […]
My friend and colleague William Dillon (@wmdillon) is an interventional cardiologist. He and his wife Sally have started a non-profit foundation called Start the Heart Foundation. Their goal is to improve survival of patients who suffer cardiac arrest in Louisville Kentucky. The odds of surviving cardiac arrest here in Louisville are dismal: more than 90% […]