November 22nd 2024
Your daily dose of the clinical news you may have missed.
Preventing Reinfarction: Basic Elements of an Effective Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
May 1st 2007ABSTRACT: Patients who experience an acute myocardial infarction (MI) are at very high risk for recurrent cardiovascular events. Both site-supervised and home-based cardiac rehabilitation programs can effectively reduce all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Start risk factor reduction as soon as possible; pharmacotherapy is best initiated while patients are still in the hospital. All patients who have had an MI should receive aspirin, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, and a ß-blocker, unless these agents are contraindicated or are not tolerated. Prescribe aggressive lipid-lowering therapy to bring patients' low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels to below 70 mg/dL. For smokers, quitting is the single most important change they can make to reduce future risk of MI.
Pilonidal Sinuses in a Man With Diabetes
May 1st 2007A 45-year-old man sought medical advice after suffering for 6 months with recurrent pain and a purulent discharge at the sacrococcygeal region. Two weeks before this consultation, an abscess on the patient's right buttock had been drained by another physician. The patient had type 1 diabetes mellitus for 5 years; his medical history was otherwise unremarkable.
Is obesity really a risk factor for asthma?
May 1st 2007Obesity is a well-known risk factor for many diseases. Now it looks like asthma can be added to the list. A meta-analysis that was conducted by Beuther and Sutherland indicated that being overweight is associated with a 50% increase in the incidence of asthma. The risk applies to both men and women.
Cachexia Secondary to Pancreatic Cancer?
May 1st 2007Frightened but lucid man who appears stated age. Vital signs are normal. No mass palpable in abdomen, though there is a faint suggestion of upper-abdominal distension. No supraclavicular lymphadenopathy, umbilical nodules, or upper-abdominal vascular bruit.
Enoxaparin Outdoes Heparin for Post-Stroke Venous Thromboembolism
April 20th 2007SAN ANTONIO, Tex. -- Enoxaparin (Lovenox), a low-molecular-weight heparin, proved more effective than unfractionated heparin for preventing potentially fatal leg and lung clots after acute ischemic stroke, researchers reported.