More articles from Clinical Reviews
- Preoperative screenings What tests are necessary?
Ordering preoperative tests is as easy as checking a form. But what tests are worthwhile for which patients?
- The preoperative bleeding time test: assessing its clinical usefulness
Because of the bleeding time test's low value in predicting perioperative bleeding, it should be abandoned as a routine screening test.
- Postoperative pulmonary complications: risk assessment, prevention, and treatment
Preoperative pulmonary function testing is needed only in high-risk patients; proper management can decrease the risk.
- Evaluating cardiac risk in noncardiac surgery patients
The history, examination, and resting EKG are the cornerstone of cardiac risk assessment, but new techniques are available for questionable cases.
- Evaluating unexplained syncope with upright tilt testing
A review of this problematic technique for diagnos ing vasovagal syncope and recommendations for its use.
- Accuracy and predictive values in clinical decision-making
The accuracy and predictive value of a diagnostic test may differ substantially between research and clinical populations, owing to differences in disease prevalence. The article suggests ways researchers could end the confusion.
- Asthma: current controversies and emerging therapies
Anti-inflammatory drugs for maintenance therapy, use of beta agonists, emergency management, immunotherapy, and newer therapies.
- Coronary heart disease in African Americans: primary and secondary prevention
How physicians can help improve the cardiovascular health of their black patients, who have a high level of CHD risk factors.
- Left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiovascular prognosis
LVH is an important independent predictor of cardiovascular risk, but the therapeutic implications remain to be explored.
- Management of acute myocardial infarction in the elderly
Because elderly patients are at greater cardiac risk than younger patients, they have more to gain from treatment. Risk-benefit analysis plays a pivotal role in treatment decision-making, since treatments may pose more risk for older patients.