Praxis
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This review summarizes some of our current knowledge on the burn-out syndrome and details factors contributing to the high rate of emotional melt-down in health professionals. Possible coping strategies are detailed, and some personal thoughts how to prevent emotional exhaustion are given.
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The relation among physicians is quite frequently characterized by conflicts. The different types of problems which may come up are discussed, and finally the author tries to formulate some rules which could improve the situation.
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The very earliest myths relating to the art of healing give great weight to the vital importance of human dialogue. Today's technology, however, supplies the physician with so many diagnostic and therapeutic tools that the one-on-one encounter with the patient is steadily losing its significance. And yet, even today the dialogue is still one of the most important components of the healing process. ⋯ The art of meaningful communication can be taught. Medical students, the physicians-to-be, can learn a lot from the example set by their mentors. When university professors, chiefs of service and supervising attending physicians are appointed, their ability to demonstrate not only a gift of dialogue, but also the awareness of its vital importance in a doctor-physician relationship should be a decisive factor.
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Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia the general practitioner as well as the physician in the hospital has to deal with. Even if it is said to be benign, heart failure and embolism may be deleterious consequences of this arrhythmia. In this article we well discuss the management of this arrhythmia, taking into consideration the etiologic factors, the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation and therapeutic aspects from cardioversion to prevention of embolism.
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A 62-year-old male had tender swelling of both ears with loss of hearing due to edematous swelling of the external auditory canal. The patient complained further about dry cough, pain at the costo-sternal junctions, adynamia and weight loss. Inflammatory parameters were markedly elevated, and histologic work-up of an auricular biopsy revealed lymphocytic infiltration. These findings led to the diagnosis of chronic recurrent polychondritis actually under control after a pulse of glucocorticoids followed by maintenance therapy with 5 mg prednisone.