More articles from 1-Minute Consult
- How soon can a patient undergo noncardiac surgery after receiving a drug-eluting stent?
Lacking direct data, we base our approach on data from patients with bare-metal stents and from patients receiving antiplatelet therapy for acute coronary syndromes.
- Should patients with TIAs be hospitalized?
Some patients may need to be hospitalized for specific reasons. The important point is that TIAs are not benign and that the causes of TIAs should be urgently diagnosed and treated.
- Do hip fractures need to be repaired within 24 hours of injury?
There is considerable debate on this point. The answer hinges on whether the patient is medically stable and can undergo surgery.
- Should adults with suspected acute bacterial meningitis get adjunctive corticosteroids?
Yes, they should receive dexamethasone starting with or immediately before the first dose of antibiotics.
- Which adults with acute diarrhea should be evaluated?
Data are scarce, but certain factors call for a more detailed evaluation.
- Atrial fibrillation: When is rate control enough?
This seems like a straightforward question, but it is not.
- Mypatienthaselevated prolactinand infertility, but normal periods and a negative pituitary study
Prolactin comes in different sizes. We should consider a diagnosis of macroprolactinemia before embarking on a series of potentially unnecessary and expensive tests and treatments.
- For low platelets, how low is dangerous?
The answer depends on the cause of the thrombocytopenia and on whether surgery or childbirth is planned.
- When and how is it appropriate to terminate the physician-patient relationship?
This should be a last resort, done only in extreme cases, and only after trying to work things out, giving fair warning, and making sure you are not abandoning the patient.
- When should patients be allowed to drive after ICD implantation?
The problem is not the device, it is the arrhythmia. A “one-size-fits-all” approach to restricting driving should be avoided.