There was a very important article written in the NY Times today. It highlighted a common medical scenario in my world—the defibrillator (ICD) world. I am going to talk about ICDs here, but the big picture inherent in this story illustrates the important issue of how best to apply invasive therapy to elderly and sicker […]
My inbox lit up this week with links to mainstream media reports that extreme exercise causes heart damage. Sure enough, a group of US researchers published an exhaustively complete review article on the Potential Adverse Cardiovascular Effects from Excessive Endurance Exercise. (Full text available.) Though published in the modestly circulated journal, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, this […]
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. […]
I’m still working on recapping the Heart Rhythm Society sessions from last month. It was an incredible meeting that offered vast amounts of worthwhile information. So much really–for patients, generalists and specialists alike. Part 2 of my favorite ICD-related posts from HRS 2012 is now posted over at Trials and Fibrillations at theHeart.org. It touches […]
My son and I watched this video yesterday. We both caught ourselves nodding in agreement. I’m sharing Mr. Joe Kraus’ (Excite.com) words because they so nicely highlight the struggles that come from living in this hyper-connected society. Enjoy. (I realize 15:31 is an eternity. Sorry about that. I still think it’s worth it.) I always […]
Last night at dinner, I had the chance to speak with a residency program director. The topic of young doctors came up. As is often the case when doctors of my generation talk about younger doctors, the issue of attitudes on work and life came to the fore. We olders like to bemoan the crazy […]
…I’d be like swim coach Mr. Todd Schmitz. As chronicled in the WSJ: At some point in the past, Mr. Todd Schmitz was a regular guy who coached kids’ swimming. Not any more. Coach Schmitz has been thrust into the media limelight by virtue of his prime student, Olympic hopeful, Missy The Missile Franklin. But […]
There are a few things that endurance sports enthusiasts understand well: the importance of hard work, dedication and the need to push through discomfort. In fact, I would submit that these requirements act not as deterrents but as draws. Take triathlon as a case and point: if it was easy and safe, and perhaps less […]
It took over a week to finish writing about some of the major news concerning defibrillators (ICDs) from the Heart Rhythm Society sessions this month. As therapies go, the ICD could not be much more complicated. These expensive devices are often implanted in patients at risk for–but not yet had–sudden death. The stats in this […]
It’s been so long. So much pain; so much grief. It feels guilty–all this peace that infects my neighborhood. Yours too likely. Of course there aren’t easy answers. Complicated is this world. It’s just been so long. So long. No answers here. Just Thanks. And hope that smart people find a way. To more peace. […]
“Mass social media is a crock. It is an inherent contradiction. This is why I like LinkedIn more than Facebook. It has a special purpose and therefore doesn’t feel like a time waster. FWIW, I predict the next huge win in social media will be in health care.” —Rich Karlgaard (Forbes.com) writing in WSJ […]