Browse Internal Medicine Articles by Topic

Fitness and Cognition in the Elderly

ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY: Peak levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are positively correlated with enhanced cognitive function among older adults.

Low Back Pain Best Prevented with Exercise and Education

In a meta-analysis of studies on preventing low back pain, researchers found a combination of exercise and education were the most likely interventions to prevent recurrence of this potentially debilitating condition.

Are Nighttime Extubations in the ICU Safe?

Compared to daytime extubations, ICU patients who undergo planned extubation at night do not experience higher likelihood of reintubation, increased length of stay, or increased mortality.

Head-elevated Positioning May Decrease Complications of Emergent Tracheal Intubation

In emergent intubations, a position in which the angle of the back was > 30 degrees above the horizontal (head-elevated) position was associated with fewer complications than intubations performed in the supine position, but the study has several limitations.

ICU Capacity Strain

ICUs are faced with the challenge of continuing care delivery under conditions of increasing strain that's tough to get a handle on.

Can Chemotherapy Damage Heart Valves?

Long-term lymphoma survivors were noted to experience valvular regurgitation out of proportion to reductions in left ventricular function and degenerative valve stenosis. The most evidence appeared in those who received radiation therapy in addition to chemotherapy.

Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Management — You Can’t Go Wrong

Rate control and rhythm control strategies for cardiac surgery patients with postoperative atrial fibrillation lead to similar hospital durations, similar complication rates, and similar very low rates of atrial fibrillation at 60-day follow-up.

Can CABG Really Improve Left Ventricular Function?

In implantable cardioverter defibrillator candidates with an ejection fraction < 35% who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, mean ejection fraction improved significantly, especially in those with baseline ejection fraction between 25-35%, obviating the need for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator in 58%.

CABG Improves Long-term Survival in Severe Left Ventricular Dysfunction

In patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure, and left ventricular ejection fraction < 35%, coronary artery bypass grafting plus medical therapy was associated with improved survival compared to medical therapy alone.

TAVR in Intermediate-risk Patients: How Low Can We Go?

Transcatheter and surgical aortic valve replacement in an intermediate-risk population have similar rates of death and disabling stroke at two years.