Table of Contents
From the Editor
- The arrival of ‘hunt-and-peck’ medicine
I initially had concerns when told that we would be typing all of our visit notes directly into the computer, but I was pleasantly surprised by the benefits of adopting electronic health records.
Im Board Review
- A 19-year-old man with oral ulcers, pulmonary infiltrates, and rash
What is the likely cause of this patient’s symptoms? A self-quiz based on an actual case.
Current Drug Therapy
Treating pulmonary arterial hypertension: Cautious hope in a deadly diseaseAdvances have brought cautious hope for patients with this progressive and deadly disease. Intravenous prostanoids are still the most effective drugs for long-term treatment, but oral options are available for some patients who can be closely monitored.
Review
- Getting the iron out: Preventing and treating heart failure in transfusion-dependent thalassemia
Chronic accumulation of iron due to regular blood transfusions leads to heart failure and death at a very young age, but chelation can avert this fatal outcome.
- Testis cancer: Rare, but curable with prompt referral
Even patients with distant metastases can usually be cured, but a delay in diagnosis and inadequate or inappropriate treatment increase the risk of death.
- Electronic health records: A primer for practicing physicians
Electronic health records have the potential to improve the quality of patient care, reduce the cost of health care, and expedite the transfer of information. Yet fewer than 20% of hospitals and physician practices now use them.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: An argument for wider clinical useThough ambulatory blood pressure monitoring currently has only a limited clinical role, it can be considered in many common situations, such as resistant hypertension, transplantation, pregnancy, chronic kidney disease, and dialysis.
