Jones & Bartlett Learning Medicine Blog

The highly anticipated fourth edition of the must-have ECG interpretation resource is now available.  The Complete Guide to ECGs has been developed as a unique and practical means for physicians, physicians-in-training, and other medical professionals to improve their ECG interpretation skills. The highly interactive format and comprehensive scope of information are also ideally suited for physicians preparing for the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Cardiovascular Disease or Internal Medicine Board Exams, the American College of Cardiology ECG proficiency test, and other exams requiring ECG interpretation.

Topics: ABIM, ACC, American college of cardiology, Cardiology, cardiology, ECG, General Medicine, medicine, New Edition

The Tarascon Pharmacopoeia 2015 Editions continue the tradition as the leading pocket drug reference packed with vital drug information to help clinicians make better decisions at the point of care.

Topics: Cardiology, doctors, dosing, Global Health Blog, Hospital Medicine Blog, emergency medicine, General Medicine, hospital medicine, Infectious Disease, infectious disease, medicine, mobile medicine, oncology, Pharma, pharma, Pharmacopoeia, physicians, prescribe, prescribing, Prescribing, primary care, Pyschiatry & Mental Health, Tarascon

Topics: Cardiology, Center for Disease Control, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, Department of Health and Human Services, heart, heart attack, HHS, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Million Hearts, Stroke

Reposted from the American Heart Association's blog.

Topics: AHA, American Heart Association, cardiac arrest, Cardiology, defribillator, General Medicine, heart attack, patient education

 

Proteus Digital Health is creating medicines with mobile technology to make healthcare more accessible, manageable and innovative for patient and provider. In July 2012, the FDA approved Proteus Digital Health's microchip, an ingestible pill containing a tiny sensor that can communicate, via their Digital Health Feedback System, vital information about medication-taking behaviors and how the patient's body is responding.

Topics: Cardiology, CorTemp, doctors, Hospital Medicine Blog, FDA, General Medicine, HQ Inc, medication, mobile medicine, mobile medicine, oncology, Physician, pill, Prescribing, primary care, Proteus, Pyschiatry & Mental Health

Jones & Bartlett is pleased to announce the launch of  the Jones & Bartlett Learning Author’s Corner, a resource for prospective and new authors. The site contains the most up-to-date, general information on art development, manuscript submission, the publishing process, and editorial contacts. It also houses pertinent documents including: author information forms, marketing questionnaires, and proposal guidelines.

Topics: allied health, Author, Cardiology, Contest, Global Health Blog, Hospital Medicine Blog, education, General Medicine, health, Infectious Disease, Authors, Jones & Bartlett, medicine, oncology, patient education, Prescribing, primary care, publication, Pyschiatry & Mental Health, text

Re-posted from Yahoo News:

Topics: Belluck & Fox, Cancer Institute, Cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Harvey Pass, Infectious Disease, infectious disease, Authors, metabolic disease, NanoString Technologies, nCounter Analysis System, NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, oncology, patient education, patient education

Perioperative statin therapy has long been felt to confer cardiac protection during both cardiac surgery and major noncardiac surgery.  Until recently the data have been scarce to definitively make claims in support of this belief.  In 2004, Durazzo et al. conducted the first randomized trial examining the use of Perioperative statins in major noncardiac surgery.  They compared the use of atorvastatin 20 mg daily compared against placebo initiated 2 weeks prior to elective major vascular surgery and continued for 45 days post-operatively.  The investigators found that statins were associated with a 70% relative risk reduction of the combined end-point of death, nonfatal MI, unstable angina, or stroke. [1] Prior to this in 1999, Christenson had demonstrated cardioprotective effects of statins during coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. [2]

Statins are thought to be beneficial for a myriad reasons:

• They lower lipids and have additional pleiotropic effects.
• The cardioprotective effects of statins during the perioperative period is more likely related to their pleiotropic effects than their lipid-lowering effects.
• Statins inhibit the action of HMG-CoA Reductase which is the rate-limiting step in cholesterol synthesis, but effective lipid lowering takes months.
• Perioperative studies have demonstrated that statins confer a cardioprotective benefit when started even 1-2 weeks in advance of major surgery.
• These pleiotropic effects of statins include suppression of endothelial nitric oxide which promotes coronary vasodilation.
• Statins also reduce lipopolysaccharide-induced tissue factor release, decrease plasminogen activator inhibitor levels, and increase tissue plasminogen activator; the combination of which reduces coronary thrombosis.
• Statins also have anti-inflammatory properties which may provide more plaque stability. [3]

Topics: atorvastatin, atrial fibrillation, beta-blockers, bypass grafting surgery, cardiac surgery, Cardiology, cardioprotective, cholesterol, coronary artery, Dr. Joseph Esherick, Hospital Medicine Blog, Authors, lipids, MI, myonecrosis, statin therapy, Stroke, unstable angina

Dr. Joseph Esherick Monthly Blog – January 2012

When I was in medical school in the early 1990’s, one of the principles that I learned was to never prescribe beta-blockers to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  We knew that stimulation of beta-2 receptors caused bronchodilation and therefore the belief was that beta-blockers would cause bronchospasm and lead to COPD exacerbations.  This practice was analyzed in a Cochrane review by Salpeter et al. in 2005 which concluded that, “cardioselective beta-blockers, given to patients with COPD do not produce a significant short-term reduction in airway function or in the incidence of COPD exacerbations. “[1] Another study focusing on the treatment of systemic hypertension in patients with pulmonary disease also concluded that cardioselective beta-blockers (β₁-selective antagonists) were safe to use in patients with stable COPD.[2] One final review of the available evidence came to the same conclusion that, “the use of cardioselective beta-blocker therapy in patients with cardiovascular disease and comorbid COPD [appears safe].”[3]

These previous reviews attested to the safety of beta-blocker therapy in patients with stable, mild-moderate COPD.  However, a recent study analyzed the question whether beta-blockers in patients with COPD are beneficial if there is an indication for their use?[4]

Topics: beta-blocker therapy, beta-blockers, bronchospasm, Cardiology, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, Dr. Joseph Esherick, Hospital Medicine Blog, Authors, Tarascon Hospital Medicine Pocketbook, Tarascon Medical Procedures Pocketbook, Tarascon Primary Care Pocketbook

September marks the annual observance of National Cholesterol Awareness Month.

Topics: atherosclerosis, Cardiology, cholesterol, heart disease, national cholesterol awareness month, National Lipid Association (NLA), patient education, patient education