More articles from Editorial
- Could cardiac CT revolutionize the practice of cardiology?
Using computed tomography, physicians could move away from determining “probability” to establishing a definitive diagnosis of coronary artery disease.
- Coronary artery disease in diabetes: Which (if any) test is best?
Until randomized trials are done, the optimal testing strategy in patients with diabetes will remain subject to lively inferential debate.
- Drug-eluting stents are here—now what? Implications for clinical practice and health care costs
Many clinical and economic questions remain concerning how to apply these new stents.
- A DASH-like diet can decrease cardiovascular risk, but barriers to implementation exist
Making dietary changes and sticking to them is necessary but difficult.
- And an ARB makes nine: Polypharmacy in patients with heart failure
Based on strong evidence, a patient with advanced ischemic cardiomyopathy should be taking nine medications. But it is difficult not to worry about polypharmacy.
- The sports physical: One-on-one is OK; one-on-300 is not
Too many of the 8 million young athletes in the United States will undergo a preparticipation physical examination that is too cursory to be of much use.
- Avian influenza: A wake-up call from birds to humans
We can hope that a pandemic does not occur—or we can take proactive steps to prevent one. In particular, we must improve vaccination rates among patients and health care workers.
- Antioxidant studies need a change of direction
A major flaw of the studies to date is that they failed to measure changes in levels of oxidative stress.
- The doctors’ challenge: How can we follow guidelines better?
A substantial gap exists between evidence and clinical practice. So what is the answer?
- Genetic testing and health insurance: Can they coexist?
Many people are ambivalent about genetic testing, but the issues are fundamentally the same with any test, including a low-tech history and physical examination.