Central arteriovenous anastomosis for the treatment of uncontrolled hypertension

Although renal denervation didn’t go down so well for the management of refractory hypertension, that doesn’t mean the problem has gone away. This new randomised controlled trial is about trying something a little different – and the early results look promising. Check it out at the Lancet, here.

review | epilepsy

This review from the BMJ is more focused on the drug treatment of epilepsy – an area that has really exploded over the last ten years. To get the latest, check it out here.

 

 

source | BMJ

image | Wikimedia Commons

 

Immunisation for adults

There will always be some regional variation, but it’s worth checking out the latest US guidelines on vaccination, having just been updated. Check them out here.

Atrial fibrillation as a risk factor for myocardial infarction

We all know that ischaemic heart disease is a risk factor for AF, through multiple mechanisms, however how about AF as a risk factor for having an MI?

Turns out AF doubles your risk (1.7 after adjustment for major risk factors). This association was stronger in women, and not significant in the older age group.

It’s not just strokes – AF is becoming a serious public health issue, and one we don’t know enough about. Read more at JAMA Internal Medicine.

 

image | Wikimedia Commons

source | JAMA Internal Medicine

 

review | abortion

Abortion is a hard concept, even for many doctors, both from an ethical standpoint but even from a purely medical view. It’s therefore critical for us to have an excellent grasp of the topic – and here’s a review from the BMJ.

 

image | Thomas Widmann

source | BMJ

The new lipid guidelines

New guidelines for lipid management are out from the States. See them here, and check out the NEJM summary here.

 

image | Taryn

 

Merry Christmas

To everyone who reads here at medjuice, thanks for your support and regular visits and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a good break leading into a new year. There are a lot more medical breakthroughs coming this year – it’s going to be exciting. See you all in the new year!

Managing hypertension

One of the most common conditions in the world, and yet despite the vast array of medications we have, the treatment of hypertension is still exceedingly variable. To even up the stakes, here is the latest guideline from the Americans on the management of hypertension.

Read it here. 

A summary of statins

Statins are now an essential part of the therapy for ischaemic heart disease, but what’s their role in primary prevention? This review of the evidence in this month’s JAMA gives a great overview. 

Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis – stents or tablets?

The recent AHA meetings have provided a littany of articles to look at, with the most recent coming in an online first form over at the New England Journal of Medicine. This topic however has been looked at before (ASTRAL and STAR), and now this new trial titled CORAL aims to put the argument to bed once and for all.