Table of Contents
From the Editor
- ‘Just listen to the patient’
Sometimes our patients really do tell us exactly what they have, if we listen with a prepared mind.
Editorial
- The optimal revascularization strategy for multivessel coronary artery disease: The debate continues
In contrast to previous studies, a study from a large New York registry found that mortality rates were lower among patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) than among similar patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). What are we to believe?
Current Drug Therapy
- CABG or PCI? A cardiothoracic surgeon’s perspective
The preference for treating multivessel coronary disease with percutaneous interventions is not justified.
Patient Information
- CABG OR PCI? An Interventional Cardiologist’s Perspective
Neither the New York study nor Dr. Casserly provides a plausible explanation for why CABG might offer a survival advantage.
The Clinical Picture
- Side effects of antidepressants: An overview
Noncompliance with antidepressant treatment remains worrisome. Educating and reassuring patients about potential side effects promotes effective treatment.
Im Board Review
Current Drug Therapy
- A young woman withan eroded plaque on the hand
She has a painful, inflamed eroded plaque at the previous site of an intravenous catheter. She is afebrile, and blood cultures and tissue cultures are negative.
- A middle-aged woman with chronic liver disease and shortness of breath
Her dyspnea has worsened in the last 3 months and is worse when she assumes the upright position. What is the cause?
Review
- New therapies for type 2 diabetes based on glucagon-like peptide 1
Several new agents are under development, and one has been approved. They will be attractive for a number of reasons.
Departments
- Do thiazolidinediones cause heart failure? A critical review
Although these drugs cause fluid retention, they may have benefits in patients with heart failure. This article outlines how to monitor for and manage side effects.
- Assessing the risk of surgery in patients with liver disease
All liver disease is not the same, and neither is all surgery, but recent studies have defined objective criteria for determining when surgery is safe for patients with liver disease.