Browse Clinical Articles by Topic

Clinical Briefs By Louis Kuritzky, MD

White-Coat HTN Make Diabetics Walk Treatment of Complicated Grief

Does Stress Management Improve Markers of Cardiovascular Disease?

By Ralph R. Hall, MD, FACP Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine Disclosure; Dr. Hall is a consultant for Sanofi-Aventis. Synopsis: Exercise and stress management improved markers of cardiovascular disease more than usual care alone.

Fluid Balance in Runners: Getting it Right

By Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH Clinical Professor, University of California, San Diego Disclosure; Dr. Scherger reports no financial conflicts to this field of study.

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in CHF Who and When

By Harold L. Karpman, MD Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine Disclosure; Dr. Karpman reports no financial conflicts of interest in this field of study. Despite the recent explosion of pharmacologic agents available for the treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF), many patients continue to be severely symptomatic and their prognosis remains poor.

Rifaximin to Control Travelers’ Diarrhea

By Malcolm Robinson, MD, FACP, FACG Emeritus Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK Disclosure; Dr. Robinson serves as a consultant for TAP, Pfizer, Janssen, Eisai, J&J-Merck, and Procter & Gamble, is on the speakers bureau of Janssen, Eli Lilly, Solvay, TAP, and Aventis, and does research for Forest Labs, Wyeth-Ayerst, AstraZeneca,and Centocor. Synopsis: Rifaximin, a newly released nonabsorbed antibiotic, appears to safely and effectively prevent the onset and substantial morbidity of travelers diarrhea.

Pharmacology Update Ibandronate Sodium Tablets (BonivaTM)

By William T. Elliott, MD, FACP, and James Chan, PharmD, PhD Dr. Elliott is Chair, Formulary Committee, Northern California Kaiser Permanente; Asst. Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco; Dr. Chan is Pharmacy Quality and Outcomes Manager, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA Drs. Chan and Elliott report no financial relationships to this field of study.

Amiodarone vs Sotalol for Atrial Fibrillation

By John P. DiMarco, MD, PhD Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville Dr. DiMarco is a consultant for Novartis and does research for Medtronic and Guidant. Synopsis: Amiodarone and sotalol have a similar efficacy for converting atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm, that the drugs do not significantly impair electrical cardioversion and that amiodarone is superior to sotalol which, in turn, is better than placebo, for maintaining sinus rhythm. Source: Singh BN, et al. Amiodarone Versus Sotalol for Atrial Fibrillation. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:1861-1872.

Sudden Death in Patients with Myocardial Infarction and Left Ventricular Dysfunction or Heart Failure

By John P. DiMarco, MD, PhD Synopsis: The absolute risk for sudden death or cardiac arrest is greatest in the early period after myocardial infarction, and the event rate declines significantly over time. Source: Solomon SD, et al. Sudden Death in Patients With Myocardial Infarction and Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Heart Failure, or Both. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:2581-2588.

Biventricular Pacing ECG

By Michael H. Crawford, MD Synopsis: BiV capture can be accurately detected by observing the R/S ratio in leads V1 and I of the 12-lead ECG.

New POTS Treatment?

By Michael H. Crawford, MD Synopsis: Acute acetylcholinesterase inhibition reduced standing heart rate and symptoms in POTS patients. Source: Raj SR, et al. Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition Improves Tachycardia in Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. Circulation. 2005;111:2734-2740.