Internal Medicine News articles from April 2006

Internal Medicine News archives from April 2006

AMA pact targets performance goals.(American Medical Association)
April 1, 2006... Specialty groups are concerned that the American Medical Association is unilaterally setting performance goals that doctors won't be able to meet. A recent agreement between the AMA and leaders in Congress outlines an ambitious 2-year time...

Primary care internists per 100,000 population.(VITAL SIGNS)
April 1, 2006... Primary Care Internists per 100,000 Population Sources: 2004 data, American Medical Association, U.S. Census Bureau RICHARD FRANKI/ELSEVIER GLOBAL MEDICAL NEWS

Intense statin Rx tied to regression of atherosclerosis: but study lacked controls, hard end points.(News)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Intensive statin therapy that dropped serum levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol below 70 mg/dL in most patients led to significant regression of coronary atherosclerosis in a study with 349 patients. The results are...

Headache medicine to become new subspecialty.(Medical specialties)
April 1, 2006... Headache medicine is about to come into its own, with the establishment of a new certification and accreditation program sponsored by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties. For now, the exam is open to any physician whose...

Committee proposes 2.8% Medicare pay hike.
April 1, 2006... The committee advising Congress on Medicare payments has called for reimbursement increases for physicians and hospitals next year, but is proposing to slow the growth rate for hospital payments. In its March report, the Medicare Payment...

AAA screening benefit added to Medicare.(abdominal aortic aneurysm)
April 1, 2006... The abdominal aortic aneurysm screening benefit recently approved for addition next year to the Welcome to Medicare physical may pose challenges for primary care physicians. Although such screening is potentially life-saving, providing it...

ABIM adds new practice improvement modules.(American Board of Internal Medicine)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The American Board of Internal Medicine has issued practice improvement modules on colonoscopy, hepatitis C, and HIV. Geared toward general internists, gastroenterologists, and infectious disease specialists, the computer-based tools will...

Trial data suggest value of drug therapy for prehypertension.(News)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- A first baby step toward drug therapy for prehypertension was taken with the presentation of the Trial of Preventing Hypertension results at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. TROPHY, a 4-year, 772-patient...

Percentage of older adults reporting cholesterol screening on the rise.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
April 1, 2006... Percentage of Older Adults Reporting Cholesterol Screening on the Rise Note: Based on a nationwide survey of more than 1 million adults. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ELSEVIER GLOBAL MEDICAL NEWS

The value of integrated care.(Column)
April 1, 2006... Psychiatrists and primary care physicians need to work together to meet the needs of psychiatric patients. In Texas, we have developed an integrated community program that has as its centerpiece just this kind of collaboration. The results are...

Is consumer-driven health care a good idea?(consumer education to choose their health insurance)
April 1, 2006... Point In a consumer-driven market, a product's price goes down and its quality goes up, even if the average consumer is not expert about that product. How does that happen? Markets are shaped not by the average buyers, but the marginal...

Problems with drug benefit plan.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... After noting that many Medicare Part D plans require prior authorization for "standard medications such as statin drugs," Dr. Yul D. Ejnes "advised physicians to have patience..." ("Medicare Part D Has Side Effects for Physicians," Feb. 15,...

Recovery audits invite fraud.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... In November 2005 we received a notice from Medicare demanding two "overpayments" of $98.70 and $99.65 for a February 2001 service ("Medicare Recovery Audit Contracts Raise Hackles," Feb. 1, 2006, p. 58). We paid the amount but have been...

ACGME wasn't thinking ahead.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... There is no questioning the accuracy of Dr. Sidney Goldstein's comments about the shortage of health professionals, but unfortunately, describing a problem that already is occurring does not suggest a significant insight ("A Dwindling Medical...

'Snickers' weight gain theory flawed.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... William Blank, Psy.D., describes the insidious nature of weight gain and explores the psychological underpinnings--a helpful and compassionate undertaking ("Food, Obesity, and the Brain," Jan. 15, 2006, p. 14). But the author's "Snickers...

Treating anxiety in MI patients.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... The article about using the Brief Symptom Inventory to diagnose anxiety in MI patients was interesting, but Mohannad Abu Ruz reached conclusions beyond the facts presented ("Brief Questionnaire Detects Anxiety After Myocardial Infarction," Feb....

Not-so-new treatment for joint pain?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... A recent article proposed that causing inflammation in tendo-osseous junctions has a salutary effect on pain and disability ("Nonsurgical Treatment Option Relieves Tennis Elbow Pain," Feb. 15, 2006, p. 39). The proposal that inflammation...

Pain relievers.(Opinion)(Cartoon)
April 1, 2006... "A warm stethoscope? Wow! You guys really are advanced."

Watch and wait with small, simple ovarian cysts.(Women's Health)
April 1, 2006... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- The proliferation of CT scans has brought an increasing number of incidental findings of postmenopausal ovarian cysts, Dr. William J. Hoskins said at a conference on obstetrics, gynecology, perinatal medicine,...

HIV infection boosts lesion risk in women with ASCUS.(Women's Health)(atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... HIV infection increases the likelihood that atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance will progress to squamous intraepithelial lesions, according to the findings of a 5-year study of more than 1,000 women. Such findings shore...

Two methods found comparable for achieving hemostasis after LEEP.(Women's Health)(loop electrosurgical excision procedure)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Monsel's paste produced less pain and worked faster than fulguration by a ball electrode in a randomized clinical trial comparing the two methods for achieving hemostasis after the loop electrosurgical excision procedure,...

WHI documented risks of hormone therapy: investigators look back on the landmark hormone study that left risk-benefit expectations in the dust.(Women's Health Initiative)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... BETHESDA, MD. -- In retrospect, perhaps the most startling thing about the hormone therapy study of the Women's Health Initiative was how wrong most experts had been beforehand about the benefits of estrogen in postmenopausal women. Before...

Cyclic mastalgia eased by topical afinoxifene gel.(Women's Health)(Drug overview)
April 1, 2006... SAN ANTONIO -- Topical afinoxifene proved effective for the treatment of cyclic mastalgia and also showed potential for reduction of mammographic breast density in separate phase II clinical trials presented at a breast cancer symposium...

Marrow micrometastases tied to breast ca risk: a major goal is to identify patients with early breast cancer who do not need systemic adjuvant therapy.(Women's Health)
April 1, 2006... SAN ANTONIO -- The presence of disseminated tumor cells in bone marrow at initial diagnosis of nonmetastatic breast cancer independently predicted a greater than twofold increased relative risk of overall mortality and other end points in a...

Genetic assay predicts risk of local, regional breast cancer recurrence.(Women's Health)
April 1, 2006... SAN ANTONIO -- A commercially available genetic assay has proved to be a potent predictor of the risk of local and regional recurrence of breast cancer, Dr. Terry Mamounas reported at a breast cancer symposium sponsored by the Cancer Therapy...

VTE risk tied to metastatic disease in breast cancer.(Women's Health)(venous thromboembolism)
April 1, 2006... SAN ANTONIO -- The incidence of venous thromboembolism in the year after breast cancer diagnosis is roughly 1%, Dr. Helen K. Chew reported at a breast cancer symposium sponsored by the Cancer Therapy and Research Center. That figure is...

Compression deformities found in 10% of osteopenic women.(Endocrinology)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Moderate to severe vertebral compression deformities are uncommon among postmenopausal women with osteopenia who lack a clinical history of fragility fracture, Dr. Angela M. Cheung reported during a poster session at the annual...

Scan both forearms to diagnose osteoporosis after broken wrist.(Endocrinology)
April 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Scanning just the dominant forearm of patients with a history of nondominant wrist fracture can miss cases of osteoporosis. More cases of osteoporosis were diagnosed when both forearms were scanned with dual-energy x-ray...

Bone turnover markers have pros and cons.(Endocrinology)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- A chief advantage of assessing bone turnover markers such as serum osteocalcin and urine hydroxyproline in osteoporosis patients is that they provide an integrated assessment of skeletal metabolism, Dr. Marc C. Hochberg said at the...

Ultrasound flags low BMD in disabled.(bone mass density)
April 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Heel ultrasound is a promising way to initially identify low bone mass in developmentally disabled patients, Dr. Kelly D. Krohn said during a poster session at the annual meeting of the International Society for Clinical...

Alendronate bests risedronate for raising BMD in older women.(Endocrinology)(bone mineral density)
April 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Postmenopausal women with low bone mineral density who received once-weekly alendronate at a dosage of 70 mg had significantly greater increases in bone mineral density and reductions in markers of bone turnover over a 2-year...

Medication burden substantial in women with osteoporosis.(Endocrinology)
April 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- About half of postmenopausal women who take bisphosphonates for osteoporosis take at least three concomitant medications, and 15% take six or more, researchers led by Dr. Sydney Lou Bonnick reported during a poster session at the...

Trabecular bone loss appears to begin in young adulthood.(Endocrinology)(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 1, 2006... NASHVILLE, TENN. -- Trabecular bone loss in both men and women may begin much earlier than previously thought, Dr. B. Lawrence Riggs reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. With his colleagues,...

Gut hormones after gastric bypass.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... Gastric bypass surgery, unlike gastric banding, alters gut hormones that favor satiety and long-term changes in body weight. Formerly obese patients who had undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass had increased levels of peptide YY (PYY) and...

Albuminuria, central fat in diabetes.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... Microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria appear to occur more often in men with type 1 diabetes than in women with the disease because men have more visceral fat, according to findings from a cross-sectional follow-up study. Further studies...

Type 1 diabetic women and fractures.(osteoporosis screening in diabetic women)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Women with type 1 diabetes should be targeted for osteoporosis screening and possible fracture prevention as they transition through menopause, said Elsa S. Strotmeyer, Ph.D., and her associates of the University of Pittsburgh. Bone...

Alternative tests can help detect insulin resistance.(Endocrinology)
April 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Surrogate measures of insulin resistance, while not nearly as reliable, may be far more practical for routine clinical use than the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and the insulin suppression test, which can take 3 hours or...

Rimonabant enhanced weight loss success, improved lipids.(Endocrinology)(Drug overview)
April 1, 2006... Rimonabant, an investigational drug that is a cannabinoid-1 receptor blocker, promoted modest but sustained decreases in weight and waist circumference when combined with a low-calorie diet, reported Dr. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer of the Obesity...

Diabetes CME credit via the web.(Endocrinology)(Continue Medical Education)(www.betterdiabetescare.nih.gov)(Website overview)
April 1, 2006... Physicians can earn continuing education credits through the National Diabetes Education Program's "Better Diabetes Care" Web site. The site offers tools to help physicians solve challenges in their own practices. Up to 10 hours of CME...

New tests for MCI show potential but have limits.(mild cognitive impairment)
April 1, 2006... ROSEMONT, ILL. -- Experimental technologies for evaluating patients with suspected mild cognitive impairment hold great promise, but until their clinical relevance is well understood, they should not be used in routine practice, Dr. Paul B....

Antidementia drugs still available in the U.K.: U.S. experts watch as health officials in the United Kingdom recommend limiting the use of three drugs.(Geriatrics)
April 1, 2006... Health officials in the United Kingdom have backed off a draft recommendation that would have cut off Alzheimer's disease patients from three antidementia drugs, but they are still recommending limiting the drugs' use to only those patients...

Tailored interventions relieve stress for Alzheimer's caregivers.(Geriatrics)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- Quality of life among caregivers of Alzheimer's patients can improve significantly when interventions are tailored to their needs, according to the first randomized trial of such interventions. "Physicians are really in a...

Paratonia: a clinical marker of Alzheimer's disease progression?(Geriatrics)
April 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- The presence of paratonia in patients with Alzheimer's disease may be sign of cognitive decline, according to the results of a small study. Paratonia (increased tone from variable resistance to movement) "may be useful as a...

Warn elderly about alcohol and medications.(alcohol interaction with drugs)
April 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- Elderly people tend to quit drinking alcohol as their health declines, but their medications play little role in this decision, a new study shows. "We found no increased likelihood of drinking cessation among people taking...

Osteoporosis facts for seniors.(Geriatrics)(http://nihseniorhealth.gov/osteoporosis/toc.html)(Website overview)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The NIHSeniorHealth Web site has added information about the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. The descriptions include risk factors, warning signs, and current treatment and research. To access the information, visit the site at...

Heart health is key in new diet guidelines for children.(Adolescent Health)
April 1, 2006... New dietary recommendations from the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics mark the organizations' first substantial revision of pediatric nutritional guidelines in 24 years, according to Dr. Samuel S. Gidding, chair...

Intervention steers teens away from obesity-related behaviors.(Adolescent Health)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... An integrative exercise and nutrition intervention initiated during primary care modestly improved the diet, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors of adolescents, reported Dr. Kevin Patrick of the University of California, San Diego, and...

High school girls at risk for female athlete triad syndrome.(Adolescent Health)(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 1, 2006... A significant proportion of female high school athletes meet the criteria for one of three health disorders that comprise the female athlete triad syndrome, according to a cross-sectional study. Jeanne F. Nichols, Ph.D., of the San Diego...

Impulsivity drives adolescent suicide attempts: most suicide attempts by teens reflect emotionally charged, rash behavior, and suicide notes are rare.(Adolescent Health)
April 1, 2006... SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. -- Only 4% of 164 adolescents who tried to kill themselves left a suicide note, in a retrospective, single-institution study reported at the annual meeting of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. "This situational...

Hispanic adolescent females may have increased depression risk.(Adolescent Health)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Variables that affect the development of major depressive disorder among adolescent Hispanic girls reflect those found in the general adolescent population, Alinne Z. Barrera said at the annual meeting of the Association for...

Depressed parents model poor coping skills for their children.(Adolescent Health)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The role of parental depression is not a consistent, equivalent risk factor for youth depression, Benjamin L. Hankin, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Parental...

Chronic daily headache has range of causes.(Neurology)
April 1, 2006... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Consider a range of explanations when a chronic daily headache patient does not improve with standard therapy, Dr. Joel R. Saper suggested at a symposium sponsored by the American Headache Society. Some top reasons...

Estimated costs of stroke for 2006.(DATA WATCH)(Statistical table)
April 1, 2006... Estimated Costs of Stroke for 2006 (in billions) Direct Costs Hospital $15.5 Nursing home $14.3 Physicians/other professionals $3.1 Home health care ...

Acronym helps identify red flags in acute severe headache.(Neurology)
April 1, 2006... LAS VEGAS -- TEASE-First in deciding when to order neuroimaging for headache presenting in the acute setting, Dr. John B. Chawluk said at a symposium sponsored by the American Headache Society. The acronym will identify most red flags that...

Newly recognized syndrome causes dizziness and headache.(vertical heterophoria unusal complication )(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- Vertical heterophoria is a newly recognized syndrome responsible for a high proportion of otherwise un-diagnosable cases of dizziness and headaches, Dr. Arthur J. Rosner said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of...

Telemetry finds silent arrhythmias after stroke.(Neurology)(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- All patients hospitalized for stroke should receive at least 24 hours of continuous cardiac rhythm monitoring upon admission to detect silent arrhythmias, Dr. Michael J. Schneck said at the 31st International Stroke Conference. ...

Stay the statin course during acute stroke care.(Neurology)(Drug overview)
April 1, 2006... KISSIMMEE, FLA. -- Stroke patients who take statins should continue to do so during their treatment for acute stroke, because withdrawing the drugs for as brief a time as 3 days is associated with significant worsening of neurologic outcomes,...

Restless legs patients have high depression rate.(Psychiatry)(Clinical report)
April 1, 2006... SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. -- People with restless legs syndrome were three times more likely to have a major depressive disorder in a study of 1,071 Baltimore residents reported by Dr. Hochang Benjamin Lee at the annual meeting of the Academy of...

Bulimia resources offered on web.(www.bulimiaguide.org)(ECRI website)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... ECRI, a nonprofit health services research agency, has launched a Web site to provide evidence-based resources for those affected by bulimia nervosa. The site includes information about risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment options and costs....

Prevalence of other psychiatric disorders among patients with major depressive disorder.(Statistical table)
April 1, 2006... Prevalence of Other Psychiatric Disorders Among Patients With Major Depressive Disorder 12-month Lifetime Any personality disorder 38% 31% Any anxiety disorder 36% 41% Nicotine...

Include trauma therapy in addiction programs.(Psychiatry)
April 1, 2006... COLORADO SPRINGS -- Trauma therapy should be an integral part of substance abuse recovery programs, because trauma is at the root of most addictions, Dolores J. Walker said at a symposium on addictive disorders sponsored by Psychotherapy...

View any addiction as manifestation of syndrome.(Psychiatry)(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 1, 2006... COLORADO SPRINGS -- All addictions, whether chemical or behavioral, should be viewed as different manifestations of an underlying addiction syndrome--and addiction recovery programs will fail to achieve optimal outcomes until their protocols...

Partial PTSD affects 25% of primary care patients.(Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 1, 2006... TORONTO -- A significant proportion of primary care patients--25%--may have partial posttraumatic stress disorder, and they appear to have health and physical functioning problems and medical care utilization similar to patients with the...

Personal Medical Record.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... The Healthcare Personal Medical Record is a passport-sized fill-in-the-blank book that patients can use to collect medical information that physicians need most. The booklet comes with an instruction manual and sells for $14.95. For more...

Kit spells it out.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... The Joint Commission Resources' "Spell It Out!" kit includes items to remind physicians and staff about the list of do-not-use abbreviations and the rationale for spelling out the terms. The kit includes clipboards, posters, quick reference...

Lipofen approved.(drug approval)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Lipofen (fenofibrate capsules: 50 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg) is indicated for use as adjunctive therapy to diet to reduce elevated LDL cholesterol levels, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B, and to increase HDL cholesterol levels...

Subcutaneous immune globulin.(Vivaglobin for infection prevention in immune deficiency diseases)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Vivaglobin (immune globulin subcutaneous [human]) is indicated for subcutaneous injection for the prevention of serious infections in patients with primary immune deficiency diseases. For more information, contact ZLB Behring by visiting...

Flexible storage for Norditropin.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Patients using the Norditropin NordiFlex (somatropin [rDNA origin] injection 5-mg and 10-mg growth hormone pens) now have the option to safely store their pens at room temperature (up to 77[degrees]F) for 3 weeks after initial use or in the...

Climara Pro indicated for osteoporosis.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Climara Pro (estradiol/levonorgestrel 0.045/0.015 mg/day) Transdermal System is indicated for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. For more information, contact Berlex Laboratories by visiting www.climarapro.com or by calling...

Generic oxycodone approved.(drug approval)
April 1, 2006... Oxycodone extended release tablets (10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg) are indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe pain when continuous analgesia is needed for an extended period of time. The tablets are the generic equivalent of OxyContin...

Hydrating acne care line.(Chester Valley Pharmaceuticals Inc acne care products)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Benziq line of acne care products blends benzoyl peroxide with hydrating ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, panthenol, and glycerin. The line includes a wash and a gel (both 5.25% benzoyl peroxide), plus a low-strength gel (2.75%...

Femara approved as initial Tx.(drug approval)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Femara (letrozole) is indicated as a treatment for use after surgery in postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive early breast cancer (adjuvant setting). For more information, contact Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation by visiting...

Prevent chemotherapy nausea.(Emend approval for preventing nausea )
April 1, 2006... Emend (aprepitant) has been approved for use with other antiemetic medicines for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with initial and repeat courses of moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. For more information, contact Merck & Co....

Real-time translation service.
April 1, 2006... The Personal Assisted Languages (PAL) system is a wireless, mobile, video-conferencing service that connects health care providers with on-demand interpreters for more than 150 languages. For more information, contact the Language Access...

Oral treatment for chronic peripheral diabetic neuropathy.(DRUG UPDATE)(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 1, 2006... Peripheral diabetic neuropathy is believed to affect at least 20% of all adults with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus. Optimal glucose control is the key to preventing or delaying its onset. Once neuropathy occurs, establishing good metabolic...

Early clot data don't absolve Ortho Evra patch.(Rx)(Drug overview)
April 1, 2006... Preliminary results from two large ongoing epidemiologic studies evaluating the safety of the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch provided conflicting data on whether the risk of thrombotic events might be greater with the patch than with oral...

Studies strengthen link between Tequin and abnormal blood glucose.(Rx)(Drug overview)
April 1, 2006... Results from two large studies of patients aged 66 and older show a strong association between the use of gatifloxacin and inpatient treatment for both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. The findings follow close on the heels of the drug's fourth...

New Tequin labeling addresses concerns about dysglycemia.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has announced labeling changes for Tequin (gatifloxacin) that update the prescription information as a result of continued reports of cases of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia in patients taking the drug. Tequin is...

Cefazolin lots recalled for microbial contamination.(Hanford Pharmaceuticals Inc)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Hanford Pharmaceuticals Inc. is recalling four lots of the drug cefazolin for injection because of the possibility of microbial contamination, which may pose a serious or life-threatening risk for some patients. The recall affects 379,975...

Rituximab approved as adjunct for refractory rheumatoid arthritis.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have not adequately responded to at least one anti-tumor necrosis factor-inhibitor therapy now have an alternative treatment. The Food and Drug Administration has approved...

Bypass surgery trumps PCI for multivessel disease: a large study has shown that bypass surgery provides a survival advantage in patients with severe occlusion.(Cardiovascular Medicine)(percutaneous intervention )
April 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- Bypass grafting is superior to percutaneous intervention for the treatment of severe coronary artery disease, according to a large retrospective study presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. The...

Coronary bypass worth the risks in some octogenarians.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
April 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- Percutaneous coronary intervention may not be the best revascularization option for all octogenarians with multivessel coronary artery disease, according to a large study that pitted the procedure against surgical bypass. The...

Syncope statement puts cardiac evaluation first.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
April 1, 2006... A new scientific statement from the cardiology community on the evaluation of syncope could either win nods of acceptance or raise eyebrows with its support for echocardiograms and stress tests and its caution against tilt table testing. ...

PCI beats thrombolysis in MI patients under 80.(Primary percutaneous coronary intervention)(myocardial infarction)
April 1, 2006... SNOWMASS, COLO. -- Primary percutaneous coronary intervention proved clearly superior to thrombolytic therapy in elderly acute MI patients in an international trial--but only up to age 80, Dr. Cindy L. Grines reported at a conference sponsored...