The Rounds Table

Send us Fan Mail What if you could tell a woman about to undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer that you had an intervention that would significantly reduce her risk of hair loss during therapy? Or, tell an adult patient with physician diagnosed asthma that they could safely stop their asthma medications? This week on The Rounds Table we welcome ... The post Keeping a Cool Head – Reducing Hair Los...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Rounds Table we are trying something a little different: just the salient points from FOUR articles instead of two! Same time spent listening, twice the take-away! Dr. Michael Fralick, general internist at St. Michael’s Hospital, takes the lead on this rapid fire approach. Even in the post-SPRINT era optimal BP targets ... The post Rapid Fire to Keep the Blood Pum...

Send us Fan Mail It’s palliative care week on The Rounds Table! Kieran and Ariel guide listeners through two noteworthy new studies: interventions to clarify goals of care for individuals with advanced dementia; and a randomized trial of treatment for delirium in palliative care. Goals of care discussions are critical in ensuring treatments are aligned with patients expressed wishes. ... The post...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Rounds Table we are breaking the dogmas in clinical practice to find out if less is more. Does diverticulitis even require antibiotics in the age of antimicrobial stewardship? Next, how does casting compare to surgery for ankle fractures in older adults? Kieran and Lauren Lacroix discuss two thought-provoking new studies: Diverticulitis ... The post Breaking the S...

Send us Fan Mail “There is no comparable healthcare system in the world that does not ensure universal coverage of [at least] essential medicines.” – Dr. Steve Morgan on the need for Pharmacare in Canada What would a Canadian National Pharmacare Program look like? We break it down for you this week on a special episode of The Rounds ... The post REPLAY – Is Canada Ready for National Pharmacare? ap...

Send us Fan Mail Here at The Rounds Table we aren’t quite over Valentine’s Day; it’s cardiac week! Kieran and Paxton take listeners through two exciting studies on the influence of genetic and lifestyle factors in coronary disease and “Triple Therapy” in patients with atrial fibrillation and recent percutaneous coronary intervention. It’s easy to feel helpless as a physician ... The post Mending a...

Send us Fan Mail Kieran and Fraser are back this week to take listeners through two exciting new studies. What percentage of people that present to the Emergency Department have an adverse drug event (ADE)? How big does an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) have to be to warrant surgical repair? Listen to find out! Emergency Department visits for ADEs ... The post REPLAY – Keeping a Pulse on Drug Rea...

Send us Fan Mail “There is no comparable healthcare system in the world that does not ensure universal coverage of [at least] essential medicines.” – Dr. Steve Morgan on the need for Pharmacare in Canada What would a Canadian National Pharmacare Program look like? We break it down for you this week on a special episode of The Rounds ... The post Is Canada Ready for National Pharmacare? appeared fi...

Send us Fan Mail It’s a new year, which means new theme music for The Rounds Table! This week, Kieran and Jay take listeners through alternatives to inpatient hospitalization and the effects of PPIs on community acquired pneumonia. Hospitals often operate at over 100% capacity, and inpatient care is expensive – it accounts for 32% of US healthcare dollars! ... The post REPLAY – New Year, New Medic...

Send us Fan Mail It’s palliative care week on The Rounds Table! Kieran and Ariel guide listeners through two noteworthy new studies: interventions to clarify goals of care for individuals with advanced dementia; and a randomized trial of treatment for delirium in palliative care. Goals of care discussions are critical in ensuring treatments are aligned with patients expressed wishes. ... The post...

Send us Fan Mail Kieran and Fraser are back this week to take listeners through two exciting new studies. What percentage of people that present to the Emergency Department have an adverse drug event (ADE)? How big does an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) have to be to warrant surgical repair? Listen to find out! Emergency Department visits for ADEs ... The post Keeping a Pulse on Drug Reactions: E...

Send us Fan Mail Is quitting cold turkey the best way to stop smoking? When should you transfuse a patient? How effective are current models of palliative care? We’re answering relevant and thought-provoking questions this week on The Rounds Table! Ashley, like many family physicians, makes a point of advising and supporting smoking cessation at most visits she has ... The post All Things Must End...

Send us Fan Mail It’s a new year, which means new theme music for The Rounds Table! This week, Kieran and Jay take listeners through alternatives to inpatient hospitalization and the effects of PPIs on community acquired pneumonia. Hospitals often operate at over 100% capacity, and inpatient care is expensive – it accounts for 32% of US healthcare dollars! ... The post New Year, New Medicine: Alte...

Send us Fan Mail Bugs, drugs, and optimal duration for antibiotic therapy? New frontiers in HIV treatment? Listen this week as Kieran and Jay Spiegel, a resident in General Internal Medicine in Toronto, discuss two studies: It’s hard to remember what the right drug is to treat a certain bug, let alone the correct duration of therapy. Further, for ... The post REPLAY: Bugs & Drugs – Duration of...

Send us Fan Mail We’re back this week with Kieran and Ashley to take another look at diabetes and sweet treats. Should current practice guidelines be taken with a grain of salt – or should I say – sugar? Listen to find out! New drugs have popped up on the market for diabetes management, necessitating an update to practice ... The post REPLAY: Testing and Treatment in Diabetes – Taken with a Grain...

Send us Fan Mail It’s big data week on The Rounds Table! When initiating pharmacotherapy for atrial fibrillation, which drug is best? How does frailty influence surgical outcomes? Kieran and Michael Fralick, General Internist at St. Michael’s Hospital, take listeners through two noteworthy studies: When a new medication is developed it is generally compared against standard of care or ... The post...

Send us Fan Mail This week’s episode is jam-packed with critical care medicine. What is the effect of conservative versus conventional oxygen therapy on mortality in patients in the ICU? Hydrocortisone on development of septic shock? Kieran and Laura take listeners through two important studies examining these questions. Prior research suggested excessive oxygenation in patients admitted to the IC...

Send us Fan Mail It’s arrhythmia week on The Rounds Table! Should heart failure patients give up a caffeine jolt in the morning? How can we better identify appropriate patients for ICDs? Paxton Bach, fellow in General Internal Medicine at UBC, joins Kieran to discuss two exciting studies: Studies that inform practice toward the best medical treatments are of ... The post DANISH with your Coffee? I...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Fraser Pollard, Family Physician in Trenton ON, discusses his frustration with the lack of effective treatments for osteoarthritis for long-term pain and disability in his patients. But there is hope! Fraser dips his toes into critically examining alternative medicine in leading listeners through a single blinded comparative effectiveness trial of Tai Chi versus physiotherapy...

Send us Fan Mail It’s so hot you can barely touch it – the PESIT study! So what’s the buzz all about? Pulmonary embolism is one of those dreaded diagnoses – it can be life-threatening, but often elusive in its diagnosis since so many other conditions cause similar symptoms. Kieran takes listeners through the multi-centre cross sectional PESIT study ... The post PESIT and PATCH it! – Plugging ICH w...

Send us Fan Mail Physician burnout is a work related syndrome involving emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. The prevalence of burnout has reached a shocking 50% in both staff and resident physicians! Something needs to be done. Ariel Lefkowitz, Chief Medical Resident at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, takes listeners through a systematic review...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered about when to mechanically ventilate patients with dementia in the ICU? Or how hospital quality predicts survival post MI? Tune in this week as Dr. Laura Walker, Chief Medical Resident at St. Michael’s Hospital, and Kieran discuss two intriguing studies!  The prevalence of dementia is steadily rising across North America. Among hospitalized nursing ... The post If yo...

Send us Fan Mail We’re back this week with Kieran and Ashley to take another look at diabetes and sweet treats. Should current practice guidelines be taken with a grain of salt – or should I say – sugar? Listen to find out! New drugs have popped up on the market for diabetes management, necessitating an update to practice ... The post Testing and Treatment in Diabetes – Taken with a Grain of Sugar...

Send us Fan Mail   A recurring question: in the management of BP, how low should we go? This week, Paxton and Kieran discuss two studies that aim to refine the answer. The appropriate treatment target for systolic blood pressure in elderly patients with hypertension is uncertain, particularly for the frail elderly. Kieran leads the discussion on the SPRINT ... The post Aging gracefully – SPRINTing...

Send us Fan Mail   This week’s Rounds Table is all about studying studies, emphasizing the importance of understanding a body of evidence within the context of existing literature. A refreshing reminder that the “big picture” in medical research can be easy to lose sight of when keeping up to date with individual trials! Dr. Ashley Minuk, Family Physician ... The post The Bigger Picture: Industry...