Atrial fibrillation (AF) was described in animals in the 17th century by William Harvey and then confirmed as an electrocardiographic diagnosis by William Einthoven in 1906. Symptoms of AF are both somewhat generic and highly variable. These can include palpitations, fatigue, dyspnea, chest discomfort, lightheadedness and anxiety. At other times, patients don't have any ... Continue Reading
Recognizing and Treating Dysautonomia
Dysautonomia is a condition where the autonomic nervous system is dysfunctional. In other words, automatic mechanisms are not working properly — think blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, digestion of food, etc. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is one type of dysautonomia.1 POTS can be triggered by multiple conditions, including hormonal changes, ... Continue Reading
Treating Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms
An 82-year-old grandmother falls and cannot move her legs. A 33-year-old computer programmer with no medical problems suddenly develops severe back pain. A 24-year-old daycare worker suddenly cannot breathe. These are all patients with very different clinical scenarios but have one explanation. They are affected by acute thoracic aortic syndrome. In most cases, this syndrome ... Continue Reading
Increasing Access to Care for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disorder characterized by the thickening of the left ventricle in the absence of a secondary cause. Once thought to be a rare disease, it’s now estimated that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy occurs in 1 out of every 200 individuals. Since the underlying genetic cause of this disease was first discovered in the 1990s, there have ... Continue Reading
Making Sense: Surgical Options for GERD
By Srinivasa Gorjala, MD, FACS
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when stomach acid repeatedly flows back into the tube connecting your mouth and stomach (esophagus). This backwash (acid reflux) can irritate the lining of your esophagus. Many people experience acid reflux from time to time. However, when acid reflux happens repeatedly, it can cause GERD. Most people are able to manage the ... Continue Reading
A New Era for Esophageal Resection
By Shady M. Eldaif, MD
“Esophagectomy” has long been associated with negative connotations. Physicians’ natural instinct to protect their patients from difficult treatments may complicate the discussion of potentially curative surgery for esophageal disorders, especially in the setting of patient's preconceived notions about recovery from surgery of this magnitude. However, a clear increase in the ... Continue Reading
Multidisciplinary Management of Gastric Neoplasms
Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting are frequent complaints in the general population, triggering a staggering number of primary care and emergency room visits each year in the United States. Benign causes will underlie the vast majority of cases, but rarely, gastric neoplasms such as gastric adenocarcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumors or gastric neuroendocrine tumors will ... Continue Reading
Liver and Pancreas Surgery
Surgery of the liver and pancreas has progressed tremendously in recent years. Advances in nonsurgical treatments are paralleled and in some cases outpaced, by surgical advances to problems impacting the hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) tract, leading to growth in the population of patients with (benign and malignant) diseases of the liver and pancreas that benefit from ... Continue Reading
Seeking Solutions to Workforce Shortages
By Nancy Wood
The healthcare workforce shortage continues to present critical issues for hospitals and physician practices alike. According to one analysis, approximately 100,000 registered nurses left the field in 2021, and another study estimates that four years from now, 21% of physicians will be eligible to retire. Furthermore, the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a ... Continue Reading
Clarifying the Conversation
By Jayne Morgan, MD
Is it time for Chief Medical Communication Officers? It certainly seems so. For the past 2 ½ years, I have served as the Executive Director of the COVID Task Force for the Piedmont Healthcare System in the state of Georgia. With more than 30,000 employees and 22 medical campuses across the state, Piedmont is the largest single healthcare provider in ... Continue Reading
The Future of Emergency Medicine
By David Wright, MD, Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine with contributions from Drs. Megan Davis, Kate Heilpern, Arthur Kellermann, Ricardo Martinez, Angela Mills and Monique Smith
The Emergency Department (ED) is where people turn in their time of need. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The department is the people’s safety net— and it’s a big net. The Emergency Department handles crises ranging from physical, emotional and social problems and helps people no matter their background, status or condition. Emergency Medicine ... Continue Reading
Weathering the Blows
By Michael Zdradzinski, MD, FACEP; Michelle D. Lall, MD, MHS, FACEP; Sheryl Heron, MD, MPH, FACEP; and James O’Shea, MBBS, FACEP
Emergency healthcare worker well-being in Atlanta. The last several years have been a challenging time to be an emergency healthcare worker (EHCW) which includes emergency physicians, associate providers, nurses and staff. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, EHCW burnout rates were already higher than those in other specialties or care environments, with rates ranging from 2% in ... Continue Reading
Meeting Patients’ Needs
By Dr. Shamie Das, Alexis Lynch, Meredith Stauch and Jocelyn Montgomery
Creating the emergency department workforce of the future. Advanced practice providers (APPs), including nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), have been members of healthcare teams across various specialties for decades. Since the program's beginnings in the 1960s, the role of APPs in clinical practice have continued to evolve, serving the needs of patients ... Continue Reading
Tips for Navigating the Internet
Beneficial apps for parents and children. Navigating the new age of technology can be a daunting task, yet the increase of social media usage among young children means it is imperative for parents to monitor their child’s social media viewing and interactions. Children at younger and younger ages learn how to manipulate phones, laptops and TVs, but the content they are ... Continue Reading
Pediatric Cardiology Advances
As the largest pediatric cardiac program in the Southeast and one of the top five largest pediatric heart centers in the nation, the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Heart Center provides advanced, innovative care to infants, children and teens with a variety of heart conditions. Children’s Heart Center is the only pediatric cardiac program in Georgia that cares for all ... Continue Reading
