A New Educational Framework to Improve Lifelong Learning for Cardiologists.

Lifelong learning is essential for the practicing cardiologist. Present lifelong learning mechanisms are stagnant and at risk for not meeting the needs of currently practicing cardiologists. With the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease, growing complexity of patient care, and ongoing pressures of nonclinical responsibilities, educational programming must evolve to meet the demands of the contemporary cardiovascular professional.

Frequency of Use of Statins and Aspirin in Patients With Previous Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is commonly performed to treat ischemic heart disease, but long-term benefits are limited by failed patency of bypass grafts. Both statin medications and aspirin hold class I indications for all post-CABG patients and should be continued indefinitely unless contraindications exist. Unfortunately, there are limited data regarding long-term usage of these essential medications.

Safety, effectiveness, and outcomes of cardiac catheterization in nonagenarians.

With an aging population, nonagenarians (≥90 years of age) are increasingly being considered for cardiac catheterization. Because of the paucity of outcomes data in this population, we sought to evaluate the acute and intermediate outcomes of nonagenarians undergoing cardiac catheterization. A retrospective cohort of 44 nonagenarians undergoing 53 cardiac catheterizations from 2002 to 2010 was identified.

Extensive abdominal aortitis in a patient with Crohn's disease.

A 36-year-old woman with past medical history of Crohn's disease presented to our hospital with fever and back pain. Initial computed tomography (CT) demonstrated extensive abdominal aortitis. Here, we discuss the very rare association between Crohn's disease and aortitis, in addition to clinical and radiographic follow-up for our patient.

Defining "complications" in spine surgery: neurosurgery and orthopedic spine surgeons' survey.

Study Design: Survey of neurosurgical and orthopedic spine surgeons.

Objective: To define the "complications of spinal surgery," we surveyed a large group of practicing spine surgeons to establish a preliminary definition of perioperative complications.

Summary Of Background Data: Although the risk of complications following spinal procedures plays an important role in determining the appropriateness of surgical intervention, there is little consensus among spine surgeons regarding the definition of complications in spine surgery.

Clinical survey: patterns of utilization of lumbar epidural steroid injections by a cohort of spinal surgeons.

Objective: There are few data on responses to conservative therapy in the management of lumbar degenerative diseases. To understand the use of epidural steroid injections (ESIs) by spine surgeons in the treatment of 2 distinct lumbar spinal conditions-herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) and degenerative disk disease (DDD)-a survey of orthopedic and neurosurgical spine surgeons was conducted.

Design: Participants were surveyed via posting of a survey on a commercially maintained Web site.

Complications in spinal surgery: comparative survey of spine surgeons and patients who underwent spinal surgery.

Object: Definitions of complications in spinal surgery are not clear. Therefore, the authors assessed a group of practicing spine surgeons and, through the surgeons' responses to an online and emailed survey, developed a simple definition of operative complications due to spinal surgery. To validate this assessment, the authors revised their survey to make it appropriate for a lay audience and repeated the assessment with a cohort of patients who underwent spine surgery.

Traumatic spondyloptosis of the thoracolumbar spine.

Object: Traumatic Grade V thoracolumbar spondylolisthesis, or traumatic spondyloptosis (severe translation injuries), are uncommon spinal injuries. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this article represents the first reported case series of these unique spinal lesions.

Methods: The authors undertook a retrospective review of a tertiary care regional spinal cord injury patient population treated over a 10-year period (1997-2007).