Heart Matters

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Scott Sharkey, MD Takotsubo, or stress-induced cardiomyopathy (also known as 'broken heart syndrome'), was first recognized in Japan in the 1990s. Acute emotional or physical stress trigger the condition, which mimics the symptoms of a myocardial infarction (or MI). How can physicians differentiate between stress-induced cardiomyopathy and a more conventional MI, and...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: David Wilber, MD Although medications are generally first-line therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, adverse events or inadequate efficacy often make drug therapy suboptimal. How effective is catheter ablation, and should it be considered first-line therapy for some patients? Host Dr. Janet Wright talks with Dr. David Wilber, director of the Cardiov...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: David Wilber, MD Although medications are generally first-line therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, adverse events or inadequate efficacy often make drug therapy suboptimal. How effective is catheter ablation, and should it be considered first-line therapy for some patients? Host Dr. Janet Wright talks with Dr. David Wilber, director of the Cardiov...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: John Spertus, MD, MPH Addressing the totality of care for patients with heart failure is crucial to reducing readmissions. How can physicians better recognize the comorbities that may affect older patients with heart failure in order to improve outcomes? What type of benefits can a more holistic, nuanced approach to managing heart failure offer patients? Dr. John Sper...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: John Spertus, MD, MPH Addressing the totality of care for patients with heart failure is crucial to reducing readmissions. How can physicians better recognize the comorbities that may affect older patients with heart failure in order to improve outcomes? What type of benefits can a more holistic, nuanced approach to managing heart failure offer patients? Dr. John Sper...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Mohammad Madjid, MD, MS, FACC* When high-risk patients, such as the elderly, develop respiratory infections there can be a cascade effect of inflammation that moves from the lungs to the heart, triggering myocardial infarction (or MI). What is the mechanism by which vaccination might prevent MI? Dr. Mohammed Madjid, senior research scientist at Texas Heart Institute i...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Mohammad Madjid, MD, MS, FACC* When high-risk patients, such as the elderly, develop respiratory infections there can be a cascade effect of inflammation that moves from the lungs to the heart, triggering myocardial infarction (or MI). What is the mechanism by which vaccination might prevent MI? Dr. Mohammed Madjid, senior research scientist at Texas Heart Institute i...

Host: Jack Lewin, MD Guest: Jim Guest Recommendations and ratings are a dime a dozen for patients looking for more information about a physician or procedure online, but finding quality, consumer-friendly information that's also reliable can be more of a challenge. What tools can physicians recommend to patients for understanding the implications of both reform and other healthcare matters? Jim Gu...

Host: Jack Lewin, MD Guest: Jim Guest Recommendations and ratings are a dime a dozen for patients looking for more information about a physician or procedure online, but finding quality, consumer-friendly information that's also reliable can be more of a challenge. What tools can physicians recommend to patients for understanding the implications of both reform and other healthcare matters? Jim Gu...

Host: Jack Lewin, MD Guest: Rita Redberg, MD, MSc Guest: Bram Zuckerman, MD The FDA's premarket approval (or PMA) process was first established over 30 years ago, but thanks to technology, the development of devices has dramatically changed since then. How should the FDA modernize its premarket approval process to ensure medical device safety? Guests Dr. Rita Redberg, professor of clinical medicin...

Host: Jack Lewin, MD Guest: Rita Redberg, MD, MSc Guest: Bram Zuckerman, MD The FDA's premarket approval (or PMA) process was first established over 30 years ago, but thanks to technology, the development of devices has dramatically changed since then. How should the FDA modernize its premarket approval process to ensure medical device safety? Guests Dr. Rita Redberg, professor of clinical medicin...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Karol karol When patients present with shortness of breath, physicians often face a quandary: Is it the heart or is it the lungs? What is the relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and cardiac function? Are patients with even subclinical emphysema at risk for showing reductions in cardiac output and left ventricular volume? Dr. Karol Wats...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Karol karol When patients present with shortness of breath, physicians often face a quandary: Is it the heart or is it the lungs? What is the relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and cardiac function? Are patients with even subclinical emphysema at risk for showing reductions in cardiac output and left ventricular volume? Dr. Karol Wats...

Host: Jack Lewin, MD Guest: Mark McClellan, MD, PhD Defensive medicine and medical liability concerns create a symbiotic relationship that costs everyone in the medical system. Has healthcare reform legislation addressed the medical malpractice issue, and will it do enough to contain healthcare costs? Dr. Mark McClellan, director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Inst...

Host: Jack Lewin, MD Guest: Mark McClellan, MD, PhD Defensive medicine and medical liability concerns create a symbiotic relationship that costs everyone in the medical system. Has healthcare reform legislation addressed the medical malpractice issue, and will it do enough to contain healthcare costs? Dr. Mark McClellan, director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Inst...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Christian Wolpert, MD It's one thing to produce guidelines, and quite another to encourage guideline adherence. The first step in this might be to gather data about current practices, and then determine ways to standardize treatment and increase access to quality therapy. The European Heart Rhythm Association (a branch of the European Society of Cardiology) conducts a...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Christian Wolpert, MD It's one thing to produce guidelines, and quite another to encourage guideline adherence. The first step in this might be to gather data about current practices, and then determine ways to standardize treatment and increase access to quality therapy. The European Heart Rhythm Association (a branch of the European Society of Cardiology) conducts a...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Nathalie Farpour-Lambert, MD Childhood obesity is a significant health concern in the US and worldwide. How does obesity impact a child's cardiovascular function and influence future risk of heart disease? Dr. Nathalie Farpour-Lambert, head of the Pediatric Exercise Medicine and Obesity Care Program in the department of pediatrics at the University Hospitals of Geneva...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Nathalie Farpour-Lambert, MD Childhood obesity is a significant health concern in the US and worldwide. How does obesity impact a child's cardiovascular function and influence future risk of heart disease? Dr. Nathalie Farpour-Lambert, head of the Pediatric Exercise Medicine and Obesity Care Program in the department of pediatrics at the University Hospitals of Geneva...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Randall Thompson, MD It's widely believed that modern behaviors of inactivity, stress and poor diet are primary causes of the development of cardiovascular disease, but history may suggest otherwise. What is new evidence from ancient Egyptian mummies teaching us about heart disease? Dr. Randy Thompson, cardiologist at St. Luke's Hospital Mid America Heart Institute in...

Host: Janet Wright, MD Guest: Randall Thompson, MD It's widely believed that modern behaviors of inactivity, stress and poor diet are primary causes of the development of cardiovascular disease, but history may suggest otherwise. What is new evidence from ancient Egyptian mummies teaching us about heart disease? Dr. Randy Thompson, cardiologist at St. Luke's Hospital Mid America Heart Institute in...

Host: Jack Lewin, MD Guest: David Blumenthal, MD, MPP Electronic management of health information will someday replace the pen and paper chart. How significant a role will health information technology, or HIT, play in the newly-reformed healthcare system? What incentives are the federal government offering to foster the widespread, meaningful use of or HIT, and more importantly, what qualifies as...

Host: Jack Lewin, MD Guest: David Blumenthal, MD, MPP Electronic management of health information will someday replace the pen and paper chart. How significant a role will health information technology, or HIT, play in the newly-reformed healthcare system? What incentives are the federal government offering to foster the widespread, meaningful use of or HIT, and more importantly, what qualifies as...

Host: Jack Lewin, MD Guest: Kevin Weiss, MD Although the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program may conjure up unpleasant testing jitters, its value to both patients and the medical professional community should not be underestimated. How does MOC improve clinical performance, increase physician accountability and ultimately improve quality of care for patients? How will the MOC program evolve...

Host: Jack Lewin, MD Guest: Kevin Weiss, MD Although the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program may conjure up unpleasant testing jitters, its value to both patients and the medical professional community should not be underestimated. How does MOC improve clinical performance, increase physician accountability and ultimately improve quality of care for patients? How will the MOC program evolve...