Heart and cardiology

1,642 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 48

How to make industry influence transparent in continuing medical education

August 25, 2009Aug 25, 200911

by Larry Husten, Ph.D. A recent hearing of the Senate Aging Committee on continuing medical education (CME) should scare anyone who might need to see a doctor in the next few years. But you don't need to be a Washington…

by Larry Husten, Ph.D.

A recent hearing of the Senate Aging Committee on continuing medical education (CME) should scare anyone who might need to see a doctor in the next few years. But you don’t need to be a Washington policy wonk to discover that there’s a huge problem with CME.

Just walk into the lobby of any major downtown hotel when a large medical conference is in town and you will …

Conditions and diseases

Did Demerol cause Michael Jackson’s cardiac arrest and death?

Kevin Pho, MD

June 26, 2009Jun 26, 200914

Michael Jackson's death continues to consume the news cycle. There is currently no clear explanation. Some have speculated that it may be related to the narcotic pain drug, Demerol. According to this report from the UK's The Sun, "An Emergency…

Michael Jackson’s death continues to consume the news cycle.

There is currently no clear explanation. Some have speculated that it may be related to the narcotic pain drug, Demerol. According to this report from the UK’s The Sun, “An Emergency Room source at UCLA hospital said Jackson aides told medics he had collapsed after an injection of potent Demerol …

Conditions and diseases

How did Michael Jackson die, and the medicine behind sudden cardiac death

Kevin Pho, MD

June 25, 2009Jun 25, 200919

Michael Jackson is dead at age 50. I've received several e-mails to comment on this story, but there's really too few details to go on. I'm sure more will emerge in the near future. According to news reports, emergency medical…

Michael Jackson is dead at age 50.

I’ve received several e-mails to comment on this story, but there’s really too few details to go on. I’m sure more will emerge in the near future.

According to news reports, emergency medical services were called to his home in Los Angeles, where he was found in presumed cardiac arrest. CPR …

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Patient voices

5 top medical comments, June 14th 2009

Kevin

June 14, 2009Jun 14, 2009

Here are some of the more interesting comments readers have left recently. 1. Carla Kakutani on how Massachusetts' health reform won't relieve ER overcrowding: Insurance does not equal access (although it’s better than nothing). Nothing changes until every stakeholder recognizes…

Here are some of the more interesting comments readers have left recently.

1. Carla Kakutani on how Massachusetts’ health reform won’t relieve ER overcrowding:
Insurance does not equal access (although it’s better than nothing). Nothing changes until every stakeholder recognizes they have to control costs and allow a rebuilding of primary care in the US. That includes doctors and patients, along with everybody’s favorite villains, the insurance companies and big pharma. …

Read more…

5 top medical comments, June 14th 2009

Conditions and diseases

Op-ed: Not all screening tests lead to early, better treatment

Kevin Pho, MD

April 23, 2009Apr 23, 20094

The following op-ed was published on April 23rd, 2009 in the USA Today. As a primary care doctor, it's heartening to hear President Obama call for "the largest investment ever in preventive care." That means more people, for one, will…

The following op-ed was published on April 23rd, 2009 in the USA Today.

As a primary care doctor, it’s heartening to hear President Obama call for “the largest investment ever in preventive care.” That means more people, for one, will be undergoing tests to screen for various forms of cancer. But this might be one of those cases where what sounds like common sense is actually more …

Health policy

Op-ed: Unbiased research for doctors is good medicine

Kevin Pho, MD

March 26, 2009Mar 26, 2009

The following op-ed was published on March 26th, 2009 in the USA Today. As a primary care doctor, I am frequently faced with decisions where the choice is not always clear. Do the latest, more expensive drugs work better than…

The following op-ed was published on March 26th, 2009 in the USA Today.

As a primary care doctor, I am frequently faced with decisions where the choice is not always clear. Do the latest, more expensive drugs work better than the less costly, older medications? Will ordering an MRI help me treat a patient’s lower back pain? Often, the answer to these questions is, “I’m not sure.”

Because …

Ways you can die from having sex

Kevin

February 17, 2009Feb 17, 20094

Cosmo Magazine, that bastion of reliable medical advice, declares, "An orgasm almost killed her."Intrigued, gynecologist Amy Tuteur reads further, and finds its about case where a woman developed stroke-like symptoms after intercourse, and was diagnosed with an embolic stroke.The patient…

Cosmo Magazine, that bastion of reliable medical advice, declares, “An orgasm almost killed her.”

Intrigued, gynecologist Amy Tuteur reads further, and finds its about case where a woman developed stroke-like symptoms after intercourse, and was diagnosed with an embolic stroke.

The patient was taking the birth control pill, which can raise the risk of blood clots. In this case, it was also combined with the presence of …

Read more…

Ways you can die from having sex

Jett Travolta’s seizure and death, was Scientology a factor?

Kevin

January 3, 2009Jan 3, 20096

Jett Travolta tragically passed away yesterday, after being found unconscious in his hotel room by his caretaker. There is speculation that he had a seizure and hit his head on a bathtub.Travolta apparently had a long history of medical problems,…

Jett Travolta tragically passed away yesterday, after being found unconscious in his hotel room by his caretaker. There is speculation that he had a seizure and hit his head on a bathtub.

Travolta apparently had a long history of medical problems, including Kawasaki disease, which is a vasculitis that primarily affects children. It is one of the most common causes of acquired heart disease in children, and …

Health policy

Op-ed: Shortage of primary care threatens health care system

Kevin Pho, MD

June 20, 2008Jun 20, 200815

The following op-ed was published on March 13th, 2008 in the USA Today. Crippling health care bills, long emergency room waits and the inability to find a primary care physician just scratch the surface of the problems that patients face…

The following op-ed was published on March 13th, 2008 in the USA Today.

Crippling health care bills, long emergency room waits and the inability to find a primary care physician just scratch the surface of the problems that patients face daily.

Surveys suggest that health care is a top domestic priority in the presidential election, and there is no lack of ideas on how to fix our system. …

Conditions and diseases

Tim Russert and the limits of a normal stress test

Kevin Pho, MD

June 14, 2008Jun 14, 200821

WSJ Health Blog: "Russert's doctor Michael Newman said the tough-questioning but congenial host of NBC's 'Meet the Press' had been under treatment for asymptomatic coronary disease, but that it was under control with medication. He was carrying excess weight, Newman…

WSJ Health Blog: “Russert’s doctor Michael Newman said the tough-questioning but congenial host of NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ had been under treatment for asymptomatic coronary disease, but that it was under control with medication. He was carrying excess weight, Newman observed, but he got regular exercise and he performed well on an exercise stress test in April.”

GruntDoc: “I therefore propose a new sign in …

Conditions and diseases

Patent foramen ovale and Tedy Bruschi’s 2005 stroke

Kevin Pho, MD

March 15, 2005Mar 15, 200512

It was just reported that Tedy Bruschi is undergoing surgery for a hole in his heart:New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi -- who once played for the University of Arizona - is back in the hospital tonight, according to sources…

It was just reported that Tedy Bruschi is undergoing surgery for a hole in his heart:

New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi — who once played for the University of Arizona – is back in the hospital tonight, according to sources in Tucson and Boston.

The team isn’t confirming this news yet, but KOLD News 13 has learned Bruschi is undergoing surgery to repair a hole in his heart.

…