-
By Jonathan Abrams, MD
Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Dr. Abrams serves on the speakers bureau for Merck, Pfizer, and Parke-Davis.
-
By Jonathan Abrams, MD
Synopsis: A majority of patients report improvement in functional quality of life early after AVR. Similar functional recovery was demonstrated for patients along the full spectrum of valve sizes indexed to body size, even for values considered to represent severe mismatch for patient size. Factors other than prosthesis-patient size influence functional quality of life early after AVR.
Source: Koch CG, et al. Impact of Prosthesis-Patient Size on Functional Recovery After Aortic Valve Replacement. Circulation. 2005:111:3221-3229.
-
By Michael H. Crawford, MD
Synopsis: BNP levels are significantly elevated in RCM patients as compared to CP patients, and should be a useful noninvasive marker to distinguish the 2 conditions.
Source: Leya FS, et al. The Efficacy of Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels in Differentiating Constrictive Pericarditis From Restrictive Cardiomyopathy. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2005;45:1900-1902.
-
A new study from England defines acute lower respiratory tract infection as an uncomplicated acute illness, with cough as the primary symptom and at least one symptom or sign localized to the lower respiratory tract including sputum, chest pain, dyspnea, or wheeze.
-
-
The young woman sitting in front of you is in good health and says she would like to use a birth control pill. Which pill do you prescribe?
-
As you check the chart of a new patient, you note that she has previously experienced nausea on birth control pills, but cant remember the brand name of her prescribed oral contraceptive (OC). She would like to re-establish pill use. Which OC will you suggest?
-
On Aug. 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would indefinitely postpone its decision to allow nonprescription status for the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B popularly known as the morning-after pill.
-
As you review the list of contraceptive options available at your family planning facility with your next female patient, which one most likely will receive the nod from her?
-
More women are choosing long-term birth control through use of intrauterine contraception, say participants in the 2005 Contraceptive Technology Update Contraception Survey.
