https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00572-9/fulltextOld calculators use old studies and can over exaggerate the calculated effecthttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33970197/We know when to start medication but it is so hard to prospectively know when to stop medication like anticoagulationhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34074830/2 Kiwi a day will increase your bowel movementshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34100866/We want to believe routine checkups work but realistically they don't work for patient oriented outcomes--but they make people 'feel good'-- what we do isn't always the doing, it's just being therehttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01063-1/fulltextDAPT following a stent-- but then just maybe we should stay with plavix and not aspirin

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2782015coffee is ok with atrial fibrillation -- just don't go crazy is probably good advicehttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2781351Hearing loss sucks and can really change your whole physical functionhttps://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1511elective orthopedic procedures with good evidence are limitedhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2781859PRP injections -- work about as well as vitamin D-- just stophttps://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1446muscle relaxants for back pain improve pain at 2 weeks 8 points on 100 point scalehttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2781311STOP GIVING LEVOTHYROXINE to a majority of normal or subclinical normal peoplehttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2781806antibiotics will always be given if they are always given

Extended Follow-up of Local Steroid Injection for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial | Neuropathy | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network Looked at just over 100 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome and randomized them to injection of 80 mg methylprednisolone, 40 mg methylprednisolone, or saline and there was no difference except for an extra 60 days delaying surgery but still surgery.Associations Between Sleep Position and Nocturnal Gastroesop... : Official journal of the American College of Gastroenterology | ACG (lww.com)  The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of spontaneous sleep positions on the occurrence of nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux and in the end stay on your left side. Lee CG et al. Effect of metformin and lifestyle interventions on mortality in the diabetes prevention program and diabetes prevention program outcomes study. Diabetes Care 2021 Dec; 44:2775. (https://doi.org/10.2337/dc21-1046. opens in new tab)DONT TREAT PRE-DMEffect of Anticoagulant Therapy for 6 Weeks vs 3 Months on Recurrence and Bleeding Events in Patients Younger Than 21 Years of Age With Provoked Venous Thromboembolism: The Kids-DOTT Randomized Clinical Trial | Pediatrics | JAMA | JAMA NetworkBIG TIME ARTICLE—FINALLY WE HAVE EVIDENCE cause nothing worse than saying—we have no evidence for thatadvances the field by bringing uniformity and consensus to the issue of length of anti-thrombotic therapy for a first-episode of provoked VTE in children.

Writing Group for the CODA Collaborative. Patient factors associated with appendectomy within 30 days of initiating antibiotic treatment for appendicitis. JAMA Surg 2022 Jan 12; [e-pub]. Now, investigators have explored in a secondary analysis of  The CODA Collaborative. A randomized trial comparing antibiotics with appendectomy for appendicitis. N Engl J Med 2020 Oct 5; [e-pub]. (data from a previous randomized antibiotics-versus-surgery trial (NEJM JW Gen Med Dec 1 2020 and N Engl J Med 2020; 383:1907). Have looke at the data to see could we predict factors that make you more likely to appendectomy and fail antibiotic therapy.  They identified 735 patients who had been randomized to antibiotic treatment; 154 (21%) of these patients underwent appendectomy within 30 days. Overall, 29% of patients in the antibiotics group underwent appendectomy within 90 days (41% of those with appendicolith vs. 25% without). The authors suggest hey maybe this appendicolith is the magic answer of who will fail therapy—maybe!! BUT remember this is secondary analysis so this is only hypothesis generating even a secondary analysis of a rct is just hypothesis. You need a new RCT to actually show causation.  Also as stated in the editorialists note that in subsequent analyses of this same data set, nearly 50% of patients underwent appendectomy within 2 years, regardless of the presence of an appendicolith, so an initial nonsurgical approach might only delay surgery. Some say 50% still going to surgery is terrible but I say even if 50% prevented from having surgery that is still 50% of people are being prevented from a surgery      Acetazolamide to Prevent Adverse Altitude Effects in COPD and Healthy Adults | NEJM Evidence Trial 1 was a randomized, double-blind, parallel-design trial in which 176 patients with COPD were treated with acetazolamide capsules (375 mg/day) or placebo- COPD patients had oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry of 92% or greater  primary outcome in trial 1 was the incidence of the composite end point of altitude-related adverse health effects (ARAHE)== Criteria for ARAHE included acute mountain sickness (AMS) and symptoms or findings relevant to well-being and safety, such as severe hypoxemia, requiring intervention. In trial 1 of patients with COPD, 68 of 90 (76%) receiving placebo and 42 of 86 (49%) receiving acetazolamide experienced ARAHEThe number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent one case of ARAHE was 4EVEN at NNT of 4 you  have to realize that still 50% of those with COPD required intervention to go back down to lower level.   Trial 2 comprised 345 healthy lowlanders.The primary outcome in trial 2 was the incidence of acute mountain sickness AMS assessed at 3100 m by the Lake Louise questionnaire score (the scale of self-assessed symptoms ranges from 0 to 15 points, indicating absent to severe, with 3 or more points including headache, indicating acute mountain sickness AMS).In trial 2 of healthy individuals, 54 of 170 (32%) receiving placebo and 38 of 175 (22%) receiving acetazolamide experienced acute mountain sickness AMS  The NNT to prevent one case of acute mountain sickness AMS was 10 (95% CI, 5 to 141).So use the acetazolamide still 1 in 5 individuals experience acute mountain sickness    Annals for Hospitalists Inpatient Notes - Clinical Pearls—Stopping, Starting, and Optimizing Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy in Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction | Annals of Internal Medicine (acpjournals.org) Treat with??Foundational medical therapy for HFrEF consists of comprehensive disease-modifying quadruple medical therapy, including angiotensin receptor–neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs), β-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (1). Quadruple medical therap(continued)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33734980/if you lay flat with a blood draw you may have psuedoanemiahttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2782300Men and UTI-- 7 dayshttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2782461don't get a UA prior to a procedure for screeninghttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2026845cardiogenic shock- dobutamine vs milrinone https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34259820/Dont use a CAChttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33637192/CKD = SBP <120https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2782564men are still more professional than women no matter what they wear-- or at least that is the perception among 36yr old patients

Yes this is a CME lecture but yes you get it for the expensive price of Free Fifty Free....

Contraception 2021 Sep 20;[EPub Ahead of Print], D Grossman, S Raifman, N Morris, A Arena, L Bachrach, J Beaman, MA Biggs, C Hannum, S Ho, EB Schwarz, M GoldSTUDY DESIGNThis is an interim analysis of an ongoing prospective cohort study conducted at five sites. Clinicians assessed patients in clinic and, if they were eligible for medication abortion and ≤63 days' gestation, electronically sent prescriptions for mifepristone 200 mg orally and misoprostol 800 mcg buccally to a mail-order pharmacy, which shipped medications for next-day delivery. Participants completed surveys three and 14 days after enrollment, and we abstracted medical chart data for this interim analysis. In this prospective cohort study, researchers estimated the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of medication abortion with mifepristone dispensed by a mail-order pharmacy with next-day delivery after in-person clinical assessment. The researchers found that complete medication abortion occurred for 96.9% of participants; 88.4% reported being very satisfied receiving medications by mail, and 89.6% said they would use the mail-order service again if needed. Of the 4.9% who experienced adverse events, none were related to mail-order dispensing.This research suggests that mail-order pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone is effective and acceptable to patients, providing further evidence that the in-person dispensing requirement for this medication should be removed. IMPLICATIONSThe in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone, codified in the drug's Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, should be removed.      Stevens SM et al. Antithrombotic therapy for VTE disease: Second update of the CHEST Guideline and Expert Panel Report. Chest 2021 Aug 2; [e-pub]. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2021.07.055)  The ninth edition of the CHEST Clinical Practice Guidelines for managing venous thromboembolism (VTE) — published in 2012 and updated in 2016 — now has a second update, which addresses 14 clinical questions and offers 32 guidance statements for clinicians who manage patients with VTE. The 2012 guideline (Chest 2012; 141:Suppl:e419S and the 2016 update (NEJM JW Emerg Med Feb 2016 and Chest 2016; 149:315) both are publicly available.Key RecommendationsPatients with isolated subsegmental pulmonary embolism (PE): Rule out proximal deep venous thrombosis (e.g., with ultrasonography). If risk for recurrent VTE is low, surveillance is recommended over anticoagulation. If risk for recurrent VTE is high, anticoagulation is recommended. (Weak recommendation, low-certainty evidence)Patients with incidentally discovered asymptomatic PE (other than isolated subsegmental PE): Same initial and long-term anticoagulation that patients with symptomatic PE receive should be used. (Weak recommendation, moderate-certainty evidence)Patients with cancer-associated VTE: Direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs; i.e., apixaban, edoxaban, or rivaroxaban) should be used for the treatment phase of therapy (strong recommendation, moderate-certainty evidence). Caveat: for patients with luminal gastrointestinal malignancies, apixaban or low-molecular-weight heparin is preferred to reduce bleeding risk.Patients with antiphospholipid syndrome: Warfarin (target international normalized ratio, 2.5) is recommended over DOAC therapy during the treatment phase for VTE. (Weak recommendation, low-certainty evidence)Catheter-assisted mechanical thrombectomy: Recommended for patients with PE and hypotension who also have high bleeding risk, failed systemic thrombolysis, or shock that is likely to lead to death before systemic thrombolysis can take effect. (Weak recommendation, low-certainty evidence)Initial anticoagulation setting: Outpatient treatment is recommended over hospitalization in patients with low-risk PE, if access to medications and outpatient care is available. (Strong recommendation, low-certainty evidence)Treatment-p(continued)

Davidson KW et al. Screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA 2021 Aug 24; 326:736. (https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.12531) The Task Force found moderate-certainty evidence that screening is beneficial for nonpregnant adults (age range, 35–70) who are overweight (i.e., body-mass index [BMI], ≥25 kg/m2) or obese (BMI, ≥30 kg/m2) and have no symptoms of diabetes. Referring patients for, or directly providing, effective preventive interventions is recommended (B recommendation).  The main change from the 2015 recommendation is the lower age threshold for screening — 35 rather than 40. The decision was made because of the increasingly younger age of onset for diabetes and the known benefits of intervention at a wide range of ages. Notably, the USPSTF found little direct evidence that screening improves clinical outcomes;  Lifestyle modifications and metformin are considered appropriate interventions for preventing or delaying onset of diabetes; however, metformin is not approved for this specific use by the U.S. FDA. ---- NO NO NO NO NO NO NO you cant do that..    Aringer M et al. European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) SLE classification criteria item performance. Ann Rheum Dis 2021 Feb 10; 80:775. (https://doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-219373) Diagnosising SLE—its always lupus till its not lupus but new diagnosis criteria In 2019, the European League Against Rheumatism and the American College of Rheumatology published the following classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; Ann Rheum Dis 2019; 78:1151):·                     Positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) test with titer ≥1:80 is a required “entry criterion.”·                     If the ANA criterion is met, points are assigned from seven clinical categories and three immunologic test categories; a criterion is not counted if another cause is more likely than SLE. A score ≥10 is considered to be consistent with SLE. When these criteria were validated, sensitivity for SLE was 96%, and specificity was 93%. But ANA what about ANASensitivity and specificity of ANA were 99.5% and 19.4%, respectively. NEXT  Gómez-Outes A et al. Meta-analysis of reversal agents for severe bleeding associated with direct oral anticoagulants. J Am Coll Cardiol 2021 Jun 22; 77:2987. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.04.061)Use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) is associated with about a 3% annual risk for major bleeding, though that varies by age, comorbidity profile, and concomitant therapies.  investigators examined clinical outcomes associated with the use of 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4PCC), idarucizumab, or andexanet for severe DOAC-associated bleeding.These drugs are greatBut if you do bleed then about 20% of the time we cant get hemostasis with mortality around 18% DESPITE getting reversal agents.. This is good to talk to your patients about— The risk of bleeding in 1 and 33 per year..Out of every 3300 people treated about 20 people will have a bleed that isn’t controlled and 18 of those people will die.It sounds like a lot but remember without these drugs the risk of stroke is much much higher, of course depending on your comorbid conditions. NEXT  Cardiovascular risk prediction in type 2 diabetes before and after widespread screening: a derivation and validation study - ClinicalKeyLancet, The, 2021-06-12, Volume 397, Issue 10291, Pages 2264-2274, Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd Formulas for cardiovascular (CV) risk calculations are based on population studies and generally include diabetes as a major risk factor. Do formulas that were derived when diabetes usually was diagnosed at later stages overesti(continued)

I've found that I can often increase compliance with statins by having pt take them 3x/week or QOD.  I try this often especially in my secondary prevention group. I understand "any statin is better than none", but do data support this approach?   -- any is better than none! No rct with this but yes data supports every other day but that is observational..what about vascepa in reducing CAD risk both primary and secondary risk? Vascepa is now the first and only drug approved by the FDA as an adjunct to maximally tolerated statin therapy to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization, and unstable angina requiring hospitalization in adult patients with elevated triglyceride (TG) levels (≥150 mg/dL) and established cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus and two or more additional risk factors for cardiovascular diseaseReduce it trial---The big trial which showed all the promise used mineral oil as a placeboAND then we have evaporate trial—which showed steady plaqueThe groups didn’t start off the same!When you do an RCT- everything is random and therefor EVERYTHING IS EQUAL—but that idnt happen. And yes the people were blinded but they don’t say that the people reading the CT was blindedThe placebo group had higher CRP and dramatically worse cholesterol panels after taking mineral oilThen most recently we have the strength it trial- which showed no difference and should have had high bioavailability! Like LDL that went up 50 points in the placebo group!! That shouldn’t happen!What about fibrates for triglycerides > 400 or 500 to prevent complications like pancreatitis? No – no- no- no evidence for fibrates, period, throw them away. DRUGECTOMY for everyoneGiven evidence is only for patient to age 79, what do you recommend for patients over 79 with high lipids or on who are on a statin if concern for risk of negative cognitive effects of statins in this group?   Remember 5 years or less to live. stop the statin. And the cognitive declinePlease comment on lipophilic vs hydrophilic statins and possible detrimental effects on cognition.If cognitive risk is so small, why is there a black-box warning? It makes it difficult to convince the patient to take a statin when they read this warning.ano M, Bell KL, Galasko D, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of simvastatin to treat Alzheimer disease. Neurology 2011;77(6):556-563.In this multicenter trial, the authors gave simvastatin or placebo to 406 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease, aged at least 50 years, with a Mini-Mental State Examination score between 12 and 26, who otherwise would not have been taking a statin. Simvastatin was no better than placebo in slowing cognitive deterioration in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease. (LOE = 1b)Steenland K, Zhao L, Goldstein FC, Levey AI. Statins and cognitive decline in older adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment. J Am Geriatr Soc 2013;61(9):1449-55.These researchers serially assessed approximately 3500 elderly patients for 3.4 years. The elders did not have dementia at baseline and approximately one third were using a statin. After 3.4 years of follow-up, the rate of cognitive decline among statin users was comparable with that of nonusers. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circ.128.suppl_22.A10589Results: Significantly higher proportional reporting ratios (PRRs) were observed for lipophilic statins, which more readily cross the blood-brain barrier, (range: 1.48-3.50) compared to hydrophilic statins (range: 0.68-1.60). However, fluvastatin, lovastatin, and pitavastatin (lipophilic) had relatively few adverse reports in the AERS database. The signal of higher risk of cognitive dysfunction was observed for the lipophilic statin atorvastatin (PRR = 2.68, 95% confidence interval: 2.52-2.85) followed by simvastatin (PRR = 2.20, 95% confidence interval: 2.02-2.40).Conclusions: Inconsistent(continued)

DYSh out information on DYSlipidemia: An Evidence-based Update on Cholesterol ManagementPlease contact me for more information:    Andrew Buelt, D.O.  [email protected] Questioning Medicine PodcastAthrosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Calculator (ASCVD)10 yr ASCVD risk calculator developed in 2013ASCVD event defined as nonfatal myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease (CHD) death, fatal or nonfatal strokeDevelopment of ASCVD calculator used African-American and White men and women age 40 to 79 yrs old (not hispanic, watch for inclusion drift) Risk assessment should occur every 5 yrs in moderate risk individuals and can occur more frequently if the patient is nearing a cutoff for treatmentSerum Lipid LevelLipid levels are stable over long durations of timeSerum lipid lab values have high intra-test variabilityTesting more frequently than every 10 years leads to overdiagnosis from lab error and not true changes in serum lipid levels. Primary PreventionTreatmentStatins are the only currently approved drug to reduce cardiovascular events in primary prevention patients Primary prevention statins should be used for those with diabetes, LDL ≥ 190, ASCVD 10 yr risk of 11.25%No trial has EVER looked at treatment titration to a specific cholesterol number compared to standard treatment dose...EVERCoronary Calcium Scoring No prospective RCT existLargest observational study currently in existence had 5,185 patients, 58 patients were correctly reclassified, 292 patients incorrectly reclassified, 4,835 patients had no benefit or harm other than lost time, money, resources (0.3% benefit, 6.7% harm, 93% no benefit or harm)Secondary Prevention Define as individuals with previous angina, MI with or without intervention, ischemic stroke/TIA, peripheral arterial disease (claudication or abdominal aortic aneurysm)Treatment-First Line Treatment = StatinHigh dose statin reduces major adverse cardiovascular events by 1% more than moderate dose statinHigh dose statin cause adverse events WITH therapy discontinuation 1% more often moderate dose statin ANY dose statin is better than no statinStatins cause myalgias at a rate that is not statistically different from placeboSecond line treatmentIncrease statin dose to max tolerated then add EzetimibeThird line treatmentPCSK9 inhibitor