Showing posts with label COPD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COPD. Show all posts

Sunday, March 18, 2018

AAFP Geriatric Medicine July 18th-21st, 2018 in Charleston, SC

Featuring the latest evidence-based, in-depth information on family medicine topics, AAFP live courses make it convenient to learn and refresh your knowledge. Connect with your colleagues and experts, and improve patient care—all in just a few days.

More than 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day. As this generation ages,
the geriatric patient population will surge, and the need for care will continue
to rise. Gain clinical knowledge related to geriatric medicine you can directly apply to your practice.

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

·         Improve adherence to evidence-based clinical guidelines in practice.
·         Construct evidence-based strategies to diagnose, treat and manage common
·clinical conditions seen among the geriatric population.
·         Demonstrate ability to communicate effectively with the patient to ensure
·that diagnosis and treatment recommendations are understood.
·         Recognize when to refer to, or consult with, other specialists to provide
optimal patient care.

Earn up to 25.5 AAFP Prescribed credits—19.5 credits for attending the course and another 6 for participating in optional workshops (additional fees apply).
AAFP members: $895/Nonmembers: $1,195


Save $100 when you register by June 18.  Register now or call (800) 274-2237.




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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Heart Disease vs Lung Disease: Can We All Get Along?

A bit of medical humor: Ask a cardiologist about the purpose of the body and s/he will tell you it's to support the function of the heart.  Ask a pulmonologist about the purpose of the body and s/he will tell it's to support the function of the lungs.  This reminds me of the late Rodney King's immortal quote, "Can we all get along?".  I mention this because it often comes down to the primary care provider, a family physician or general internist, to help a patient torn between two opposing therapeutic regimens.  For instance, beta blockers are often used in those with heart disease but their antithesis, beta agonists, are used in common lung diseases.  But patients often have both conditions, which then begs the question, "Which medication should I use, doc?"

In a nested case-control analysis of a retrospective cohort study published early online last week in JAMA Internal Medicine, the authors noted that new use of long-acting beta agonists and anticholinergics in older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was associated with an increase in cardiovascular events.  The authors arrived at their conclusion by finding 191,005 patients w/COPD and comparing those who'd recently been prescribed a LABA and/or LAA to controls who were not prescribed either medication.  The former were more likely to be hospitalized for a cardiovascular event soon after starting their LABA +/- LAA.  Of note, all were older than 65yo.

So, what does this mean for you & me?  First, we can't live w/o our heart.  Second, we can't live w/o our lungs.  Duh, right?  But the fact remains that taking medications considered standard of care for COPD has just been linked to an increase in heart disease events.  Granted this study doesn't prove cause & effect.  However, it does raise some grave concerns.  At the very least, we need to monitor our patients more closely.  And until more evidence is published, we'll need to include cardiovascular events in our discussion regarding new use of LABAs & LAAs.



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