On The Wards

List of iPhone Med Apps

wardslave — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:09:51 +0000

Over the past year, I have noticed a surge in the number of medical colleagues using the Apple iPhone. I can no longer recall how many times I have seen students, residents, fellows, and attendings pulling the device out of their white coat pockets. This is not surprising, considering that Apple has had phenomenal success [...]

If Homeopathic Practitioners Ran The ED

wardslave — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:50:17 +0000

I am not familiar with Mitchell and Webb, but a brief Bing search reveals that they are British comedians known for starring in several popular comedy sketches and sitcoms. In one of their shows, The Mitchell and Webb Look, they satirize homeopathy and its impotence in treating serious diseases. “A&E” stands for “Accident & Emergency” and [...]

GERD

wardslave — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:42:27 +0000

GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a medical condition where the incompetency of the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) permits chronic reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. Links GERD (Squidoo)

The Fattest States in the US

wardslave — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:31:38 +0000

Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently released the report F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America 2009, which highlights the unabated growth (pun intended) of obesity in the United States. Adult obesity rates have increased in 23 states and have not decreased in any of the [...]

New & Interesting (29 June 2009)

wardslave — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:34:26 +0000

The “New & Interesting” series features short compilations of select research findings, news articles, and random tidbits in bullet-point format. General Interest Articles Beth Israel Deaconess researchers compared the effects of true and sham acupuncture in relieving symptoms of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). The study did not find evidence to support superiority of true acupuncture over its [...]

TED Talk: Surgery’s Past, Present, and Robotic Future

wardslave — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:04:04 +0000

Catherine Mohr, research surgeon and instructor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, presents a TED talk on the history of surgery and the exciting visions for the future. The journey begins 10,000 years earlier with the illustration of a trephanated skull and rapidly traverses eons to talk about the seemingly barbaric operations preceding the development [...]

Obesity

wardslave — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:16:30 +0000

The BMI (body mass index) is defined as kg / m2, with weight in kilograms (kg) and height in meters (m). The BMI is used as an aid to assess an adult person’s weight classification: underweight (BMI <18.5), normal (18.5-24.9), overweight (25-29.9), obese (30-39.9), and morbidly obese (>40).

Endocarditis

wardslave — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:08:08 +0000

Endocarditis is an inflammation of the cardiac endothelium. There are infective and non-infective forms. Duke Criteria The Duke criteria were established in 1994 by the Duke Endocarditis Society. These criteria serve as guidelines for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis. To be diagnosed with endocarditis, the patient must fulfill two major criteria, one major and three minor criteria, [...]

Directory of Open Access Journals

wardslave — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:08:12 +0000

The advent of the Internet and Web 2.0 (for what it’s worth) has stimulated a movement for open information sharing and has heralded the migration from subscription-based paper publications to their more accessible–and free–digital counterparts. Notable by-products of this change include sites such as Wikipedia, NCBI Bookshelf, and the Johns Hopkins OpenCourseWare. Traditional academic journals [...]

New & Interesting (15 June 2009)

wardslave — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:04:26 +0000

The “New & Interesting” series features short compilations of select research findings, news articles, and random tidbits in bullet-point format. Deep sedation improves polyp detection on colonoscopy (Reuters) CARDIA sleep study: reduced sleep is associated with higher blood pressure levels in midlife (Arch Intern Med) St. Jude Medical announces leading sponsorship of the CABANA (catheter ablation versus anti-arrhythmic [...]