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Several years ago as a medical student, I was wisely taught that the clinician should approach the patient with atrial fibrillation in the acute setting with the following thoughts in mind: 1) the patients hemodynamic state; 2) control of the ventricular rate; and 3) consideration of acute cardioversion. Certainly, nothing has changed regarding the consideration and classification of hemodynamic instability.
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The electrocardiogram (ECG) in the Figure was interpreted as showing premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and chamber enlargement. Do you agree? Can you identify at least four findings "keyed by the P" in this ECG?
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Timely follow-up care is necessary to prevent adverse outcomes in patients who are discharged from the emergency department (ED). In particular, it may be unsafe to discharge a patient with a potentially serious health problem if timely and appropriate follow-up care cannot be ensured following the visit to the ED.
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Based upon the results of studies showing that early mechanical revascularization substantially reduces mortality among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association classified this intervention as a class I recommendation in their 1999 guidelines.
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It is well-established that patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with ST-segment elevation (STE) on the electrocardiogram (ECG) benefit from early coronary revascularizationpreferably by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but also via fibrinolysis.
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The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, has issued a Sentinel Event Alert that asks health care organizations to pay special attention to how tubing and catheters are connected so dangerous misconnection errors can be prevented.
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New indication for tacrolimus (Prograf) by Astellas Pharma US. The FDA has approved tacrolimus (Prograf), a drug that suppresses the bodys immune reaction, for the prevention of graft rejection in the recipients of heart transplants.
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Enanta Pharmaceuticals has initiated a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in the United States and Canada for EDP-420, an investigational bridged bicyclic macrolide antibiotic for the treatment of community-acquired respiratory tract infections.
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Since Sept. 11, 2001, terror has become a common word in the American vocabulary. A recent addition are the words dirty bomb.
