Despite the general consensus that excessive alcohol consumption should be avoided prior to and during pregnancy, there is very little data on the effects alcohol consumption in early gestation has on birth outcomes.
Re-establishing the doctor-patient bond is critical, especially in an era of more informed patients and increasing physician burnout.
The best setting for the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy is primary care, where diabetes and its associated chronic pain can be managed as a single entity. The American Diabetes Association defines diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) as "the presence of symptoms and/or signs of peripheral nerve dysfunction in patients with diabetes after exclusion of other causes." Approximately 16% of diabetic patients will experience painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN).
Price was found to have chartered more than 2 dozen flights, racking up roughly $400,000 in extraneous costs.
Numerous clinical trials have shown that HMG CoA reductase inhibitor (statin) therapy reduces the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease.
When encouraging and supporting patients to quit smoking, varenicline is unlikely to increase the risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events such as suicide, depression, and aggression, even in patients with pre-existing psychiatric illness.
Features of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) include obstruction at the left ventricular outflow tract (caused by a markedly thickened proximal interventricular septum) and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve. The case discussed here illustrates several classic features of this disease including clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, and noninvasive and invasive management.
This resource describes several measures that patients with diabetes can take to prevent or control diabetic neuropathy, including peripheral neuropathy.
We assessed the pattern of use and the effectiveness of antithrombotic therapy in a cohort of high-risk elderly patients hospitalized for atrial fibrillation, with data derived from prescription, hospitalization, and mortality databases from 3 linked registries. Results showed that antithrombotic therapy was underused, even in patients with no comorbid conditions. In addition, patients exposed to antithrombotic therapy had a significantly lower mortality rate. The collection of epidemiological data by record linkage represents a flexible and readily available tool for monitoring and improving routine clinical care.
Triglyceride levels are usually measured after the patient has fasted, and then exclude remnant lipoproteins. Except for the first few hours of the morning, individuals are usually in a nonfasting state for most of the day. We investigated whether nonfasting triglyceride levels predicted the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic heart disease, and death in the general population. Results showed that increased nonfasting triglyceride levels were associated with an increased risk of MI, ischemic heart disease, and death.
The boom of social networking should make it easier for physicians and patients to communicate with one another. But reimbursement, liability, and privacy concerns are getting in the way. How can these obstacles be overcome? Read on.
A large multinational observational study of patients with hepatitis C reveals etiology does not play a major role in HCV survival rates and that early detection and access to treatment have a greater impact.
We conducted 2 feasibility studies to assess the performance and safety of the percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) transcatheter occlusion system for the prevention of stroke in high-risk patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation. Results showed that percutaneous LAA occlusion can be performed using the device at acceptable risk. This procedure may be particularly useful for patients at increased risk of ischemic stroke with a contraindication to anticoagulation therapy.
The report by Johnsen and colleagues details the changes in plaque composition and size as defined by duplex ultrasound at 2 time points 7 years apart
Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) often coexist. The use of beta-blockers in HF patients has a class 1A recommendation in both the European and American guidelines. In current guidelines for heart failure therapy, the recommendation for beta-blockers is not restricted to patients with sinus rhythm, and includes all HF patients.