Internal Medicine Alert – April 15, 2024

How Safe Is Cannabis for the Heart?

A nationwide Danish study of new prescriptions for medical cannabis for chronic pain compared to control patients has found that the 180-day incidence of atrial fibrillation/flutter is two-fold higher, but the absolute number of arrhythmias is small.

Rates of Ad Hoc PCI Higher for Multivessel and Left Main Diseases

In this retrospective analysis of patients from the New York state percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting databases, ad hoc PCI was performed frequently among patients with left main and multivessel disease. Also, variability in ad hoc PCI use among hospitals and physicians for these populations was high.

Empowered Relief vs. CBT vs. Health Education for Low Back Pain

This randomized clinical trial involving adults with chronic low back pain demonstrates that a single session of a pain management class, when compared to a full course of cognitive behavioral therapy, yields noninferior (clinically on par) outcomes in pain catastrophizing and several other measures at the three-month follow-up.

Iloprost Injection (Aurlumyn)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved iloprost for the treatment of severe frostbite to reduce the risk of amputation of fingers or toes. Iloprost, a synthetic analog of prostaglandin, initially was approved in 2004 for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. For that indication, it was given a priority review, accelerated approval, breakthrough therapy, and orphan drug designations. Iloprost for the frostbite indication is distributed by Eicos Sciences as Aurlumyn.

What Are Those T Waves?

The patient whose ECG appears in the figure presented to an ambulatory care clinic for chest pain. Is the patient likely to have hyperkalemia?