Cardiology

Jeffrey Berger, MD, from NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, discusses the implications of patients with atrial fibrillation taking anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs.

New research indicates that an over-the-counter supplement doesn't raise testosterone levels but a widely used class of prescription drug may lower them.

Community-wide programs to help residents reduce their risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) have had sporadic success. In rural Maine, however, such an effort has had sustained results lasting over a 40-year period, N. Burgess Record, MD and colleagues report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an important goal in population health. But according to American Heart Association guidelines on primary prevention of CVD, recommending that all healthy people take aspirin to do that is not the way to go. In a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, however, Ravi Hira, MD and colleagues find that not all physicians have gotten the message. The researchers looked at the National Cardiovascular Disease Registry's Practice Innovation and Clinical Excellence registry. Of 68,808 patients, 11.6% were taking aspirin inappropriately, the team found.

Aspirin can prevent heart attacks. But it carries risks and new studies show it is being used inappropriately. HCPLive went to NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan to discuss the issue with cardiologist Jeffrey Berger, MD

Over the counter or on a physician's advice, millions of people take aspirin prophylactically. Cardiologist Jeffrey Berger, MD, from NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, discusses the pitfalls and potential benefits of daily aspirin.

Surgical management of colon and rectum diseases changes quite quickly. Noting that many changes have been suggested in just the last year, 2 surgeons from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, assembled a review of the most significant. This paper appears in the January 2015 issue of Current Opinions in Gastroenterology.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Savaysa (edoxaban tablets), an anti-clotting drug, to treat patients afflicted with atrial fibrillation prone to stroke and severe blood clots, not caused by a heart valve problem.

A report published in the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN) estimated disease-associated malnutrition (DAM) costs the economy more than $157 billion annually, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), depression, and dementia contributing most to the costs.

A new analysis of several prospective health studies indicates that low testosterone levels at any age are associated with an increased risk ischemic stroke in men.

A new study indicates that left atria enlargement after catheter ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk that the condition will recur after a second ablation.

A new analysis of nearly 800 patient records has found an association between the oral anticoagulants used to treat atrial fibrillation and cerebral microbleeds.

This 27-year old female medical student with recently diagnosed hypertension is seen following a chest x-ray in work up of a positive PPD. Upon questioning, the patient notes what she described as "gray-out spells" when tired and leg numbness with exercise after periods of sitting.

There have been some disappointing studies and contradictory recommendations on using statins to treat stroke. HCPLive's Gale Scott interviewed Koto Ishida, MD, medical director of the NYU Langone Comprehensive Stroke Care Center, about the implications for clinicians.

Several studies published in 2014 addressed the risks and benefits of prescribing aspirin to prevent cardiovascular events. In a Q&A with HCPLive's Gale Scott, Jeffrey Berger, MD, takes up the debate.

Diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) can exist with or without neuropathic pain. Roughly half of patients with types I and II diabetes mellitus (DM) develop DPN. In type 1 DM, patients start to notice symptoms of distal polyneuropathy after many years of chronic prolonged hyperglycemia. It's more aggressive in type 2 DM, and can develop after only a few years of known poor glycemic control and may be present at diagnosis.

In this month's issue of Internal Medicine World Report (IMWR), we present summaries of highly relevant studies in the areas of cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, psychiatry, and neurology. Selected by our physician editor for their relevance to the practice of internal medicine, each study addresses a key clinical issue that can have a significant impact on patient care.

Just weeks after JAMA published a National Institutes of Health study refuting the idea that there are "good carbs" and "bad carbs' a new study in the journal finds eating whole grains is associated with lower overall mortality and death from heart disease

This month's issue of Internal Medicine World Report (IMWR) features another collection of studies selected by our physician editor for their potential impact on clinical practice.

With a new year comes New Year's resolutions, many of which involve getting healthy in the year ahead. A recent study has shown that by keeping those resolutions people can not only lose the weight they want but also avoid other health issues like diabetes.

A new genetic analysis of 239 patients provides the new information about which mutations put people at risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF)

New research indicates that contact force sensing technology increases the effectiveness of catheter ablations among patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) - but not among patients with non-paroxysmal AF.