Practice Management
In 2023, the American Heart Association (AHA) introduced a staging construct for cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic (CKM) syndrome. Subsequently, a 2024 JAMA article found among a study population of 10,762 U.S. adults, almost 90% met criteria for CKM syndrome (stage 1 or higher), and 15% met criteria for advanced stages between 2011 and 2020. In a new survey of 4,000 adults, AHA found that only 12% of respondents had heard of CKM, and 68% incorrectly …
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An analysis of 19 randomized placebo-controlled trials with 6,506 participants found the commonly prescribed pain drug tramadol only modestly reduced pain scores for chronic pain—showing improvement of just 0.93 points on a 0–10 numerical scale (97.5% confidence interval [CI], −1.26 to −0.60; p < 0.0001). The effect size fell below a minimal threshold of 1.0 point as defined by the authors. Additionally, serious adverse events were more common with tramadol (odds ratio [OR] 2.13; 97.5% …
Read MoreM.J. is a 12-year-old African American female who presented with trouble “taking a breath” which was abrupt in onset, starting two hours prior to presenting and accompanied with abdominal pain and fatigue which resolved prior to her visit. Dyspnea was constant and not related to position. There were no alleviating or aggravating factors. Observations and Findings Patient was alert and in no distress and spoke in full sentences. Pmhx: bronchitis one year prior; no asthma, …
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