More articles from Commentary
- Patent foramen ovale and the risk of cryptogenic stroke
There is no longer any doubt that patent foramen ovale can be the culprit in stroke, and closure is safe and effective.
- Changes to practice may help avoid ‘double trouble’
When draining large effusions, take precautions to prevent pneumothorax and reexpansion pulmonary edema.
- Niacin’s effect on cardiovascular risk: Have we finally learned our lesson?
For now, the renaissance of niacin as a means of lowering cardiovascular risk is only wishful thinking.
New cholesterol guidelines: Worth the wait?An appraisal of the controversial new guidelines, with case scenarios illustrating their advantages and shortcomings.
- The conundrum of explaining breast density to patients
Several states have mandated that, after mammography, patients be informed if their breasts are dense. Explaining what this means is a challenge.
- The overdiagnosis of pneumonia
We are hospitalizing more patients with “pneumonia,” but it has not improved outcomes.
- Azithromycin and risk of sudden cardiac death: Guilty as charged or falsely accused?
We need not abandon this drug, but we should see if our patients have risk factors, and take precautions.
- Electronic siloing: An unintended consequence of the electronic health record
For all their purported benefits, electronic systems drive caregivers to work alone, thereby discouraging spontaneous interaction.
- Should healthy people take calcium and vitamin D to prevent fractures? What the US Preventive Services Task Force and others say
The USPSTF recently threw cold water on the use of these supplements, but the findings need to be put in context.
- The 2012 ACR guidelines for osteoarthritis: Not a cookbook
Treatment approaches differ depending on the patient’s clinical presentation and on the preferences of the patient and the physician. Often, more than one approach is possible.