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AF ablation Atrial fibrillation Doctoring Health Care Health Care Reform

Disturbing trends in the heart rhythm clinic — New post up over at theHeart.org

What follows is a short intro to my latest column on theHeart.org | Medscape Cardiology. —- The title of the piece is Three Concerning Trends in the Electrophysiology Clinic. I worked on the 750-word piece the entire week. It was hard to get the tone just right. This is because the trends do not reflect […]

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Atrial fibrillation Doctoring General Cardiology Health Care Health Care Reform

Dronedarone (Multaq), clinical guidelines and patient safety

(What follows is a brief introduction for a post I wrote over at Medscape/Cardiology. The link is at the bottom of the page.)  It is appropriate to worry about medical errors and patient safety. Here the low-hanging fruit is plentiful: antibiotic stewardship, automated notification of drug interactions and attention to hand washing all join a […]

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Atrial fibrillation Doctoring Exercise General Cardiology General Medicine Health Care Reform Healthy Living Hospice/Palliative Care Social Media/Writing/Blogging

2013: Year-end summary of top cardiology stories

When the editors of Medscape asked me to write a Top Ten article on the best Cardiology stories in 2013, I jumped at the chance. I spent a lot of time thinking about Cardiology this year. I was invested. Plus, 2013 was a year for pivoting–big time pivoting. What made news in 2013 was not […]

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AF ablation Atrial fibrillation Doctoring General Cardiology General Medicine Healthy Living Social Media/Writing/Blogging

New post up over at TheHeart.org-Medscape Cardiology — Part 2 of Progress in Cardiology

Part one of Progress in Cardiology was a sober look at the current lull in innovation. In part 2, as promised, I tell you what is right and optimistic about my field. There is a lot. The post touches on the return of the basics. Basics in doctoring and basics in therapeutics are huge new […]

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AF ablation Atrial fibrillation Doctoring General Ablation General Cardiology

New post up on theHeart.org/Medscape Cardiology…Where is the progress in Cardiology?

On the way home from the American College of Cardiology meeting this spring, I wrote a post about the lack of real progress in Cardiology. I got to thinking: Here I was attending major meetings all over the world, and few, if any, studies struck me as game-changers. Everything seemed so painfully incremental. So many […]

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AF ablation Doctoring ICD/Pacemaker

New post up at theHeart.org — Noticing the burden of our therapy.

It’s not normal for me to study the literature on pediatric cardiology. There’s more than enough medical science on adults to keep me busy. But this one on the quality of life in kids with cardiac devices caught my eye. Researchers found that kids with either pacemakers or ICDs (defibrillators) and their families reported significantly […]

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Atrial fibrillation Dabigatran/Rivaroxaban/Apixaban

New post up on Trials and Fibrillations…Apixaban (Eliquis) was supposed to beat Pradaxa and Xarelto?

There was big news this week on the much-anticipated, but yet-to-be-evaluated novel blood thinner, apixaban (Eliquis). The FDA wants more information from the ARISTOTLE trial. They have inquired about “data management and verification.” That sounds serious. I made some comments about apixaban over at Trials and Fibrillations on theHeart.org. Here’s the mystery: Apixaban boasts incredibly […]

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ICD/Pacemaker

My new (ICD-related) post is up over at Trials and Fibrillations

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 […]

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Doctoring Reflection

New Trials and Fibrillations post is up:

When doctors make big salaries… The “rich”-doctor debate is old, but surely not tired. Lately a number of stories detailing the big salaries made by cardiologists have stirred the pot again. How much is your doctor worth? Do we make too much? How happy are we with what we make? Head over to the Trials […]

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AF ablation Atrial fibrillation

A new opportunity…Trials and Fibrillations

I am very excited. Nervous too. The ante has been upped. 240,000 members – 60,000 cardiologists – 38,000 other physicians – 66,000 Health care professionals. That’s the TheHeart.org: a website where one can find the latest developments in cardiology and cardiovascular research, including heartwire news and commentary by some of the world’s top cardiologists. It’s […]